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No / Mobile language learning games usually only focus on spelling or out of context meaning for the entire dictionary, ignoring the role of an authentic environment. ‘Detective Alavi’ is an educational mobile game that provides a shared space for students to work collaboratively towards language learning in a narrative rich environment. This game motivates and preserves a conversation between learners and their teachers, and also between learners and learners, whilst being immersed in the story of the game. A seamless self-assessment scoring system in the game structure provides a less dominating environment for students to expose their weaknesses, and at the same time assists students to judge what skills they have learned and how much. This game has produced improvement in different cognitive processes and a deeper level of learning during the collaborative game play.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the process of implementing an alternative form of assessment in chemistry classrooms. The current reform of science education involves the implementation of varied forms of instruction; it stands to reason that assessment will evolve with the curriculum (Baxter, Shavelson, Goldman & Pine, 1992). In an era for which the exclusive use of multiple-choice and similar tests i.e., fill-in the-blank, matching, and true/false are inappropriate measures of student abilities (Hamm & Adams, 1991), portfolios can offer a suitable alternative assessment, as well as a means for evaluation (Paulson, Paulson & Meyer, 1991). This study was conducted in a small math, science and technology high school and focused on three individual teachers and twelve of their students. The research focused on how teachers defined portfolios and implemented this assessment tool in their classrooms and how students and teachers perceived the use and value of the process. This study employed qualitative methodology using individual interviews, document analyses, and classroom observations. Data sources included documents, transcripts of interviews and fieldnotes. The primary research questions were: How do the teachers define and implement portfolios? How do the teachers' definitions of portfolios change during implementation? What are the students' understandings of portfolios and how they are used and do the students' understandings change? What do teachers and students believe portfolios represent regarding the learning that occurs in the science classroom? and What do the data collected via this study demonstrate about portfolios as a valid means of assessing student progress? The teachers' and students' definitions addressed four of the six components of portfolios identified in the literature. Both groups recognized a defined use, evidence, student and teacher made decisions, and reflection as key portfolio elements. Each group failed to identify the components of a defined goal and teacher student conferences. Portfolios were viewed by the teachers and students as a valuable tool. This value was defined in terms of student self assessment and evaluation, teacher assessment and evaluation, college admission, goal setting, promotion of student organizational skills and recognition of student success. / Ph. D.

Neurorehabilitation, a relatively new domain of clinical intervention has, from its outset, been a rapidly evolving practice, with ongoing advancements in neuroimaging and neuroscience leading to new insights into how the brain grows and recovers from insult. The field of neurorehabilitation is tasked with translating this research into maximally effective treatments. This document addresses how digitally augmented neurorehabilitation, has, and can help meet, these translational needs and clinical imperatives. The first chapter is a review of the literature on the use of avatars in neurorehabilitation and their potential to promote neurological repair and plasticity. The second explores the use of a wearable remote control device for the promotion of enjoyability and intensity in the pediatric neurorehabilitation context. The third chapter pilot tests a video-based assessment methodology and explores the telehealth potential of such an assessment methodology and the final chapter demonstrates how such an assessment methodology can be implemented in pediatric neurorehabilitation in a case study on the treatment of Kernicterus. Collectively these works provide an overview of a selection of digitally augmented neurorehabilitation techniques and tools and preliminary data on how these approaches might be implemented in the field of pediatric neurorehabilitation. / Doctor of Philosophy / Neurorehabilitation, is the clinical effort to repair brain injuries. Telehealth, or telemedicine, is the use of digital technologies to assist in the delivery of healthcare. Telehealth can take many forms- you can do a teleconference with your doctor, you can access your medical records online, you can use a fitbit to promote preventative healthcare. One form is telerehabilitation, examples include video conferencing with your physical therapist, using video game based rehabilitation systems, or the use of digital cameras and programs to capture and analyze your movements. This document explores some of the ways neurorehabilitation can use these digital technologies to help promote neurological repair and recovery. The first chapter is a review of the literature on the use of avatars, or digital placeholders such as animated characters or virtual representations of the patient, in neurorehabilitation and how their use has the potential to promote neurological repair. The second chapter explores the use of a wearable remote control device for the promotion of enjoyability and intensity (high repetitions of desired movements) in the pediatric neurorehabilitation context. The third chapter pilot tests a video-based assessment methodology and explores the telehealth potential of such an assessment methodology and the final chapter demonstrates how this assessment methodology can be used in pediatric neurorehabilitation in a case study on the treatment of Kernicterus, a pediatric disorder that results from bilirubin toxicity. Collectively these works provide a review of the potential for digitally augmented neurorehabilitation and preliminary data on how these approaches might be implemented in the field of pediatric neurorehabilitation.

A game with food and nutrition related pictures was developed to provide an opportunity for a classroom teacher to interview preschool children for assessment of nutrition knowledge concepts. Specifically, knowledge of vegetable concepts which included identification of the food, the food group, the source, preparation methods and use by the body was measured. The assessment was administered to five groups of children (ages two and one-half to five years) in preschools and child care centers in Reston, VA by high school early childhood education students. The assessment was designed to meet current criteria that assessment be teacher administered, provide useful information to the teacher, reflect the typical activities of children in the classroom and be one of a variety of assessments used. The assessment was successfully administered by the high school students working as teacher aides. The assessment gave teachers useful information about each class and individual children which could be used in curriculum planning. The assessment fit into the usual classroom activities, in this case, a games and manipulatives learning center. The assessment provided more in-depth information about children's knowledge than multiple choice tests used in previous research on nutrition knowledge, because the teachers recorded children's responses to open-ended questions. Children's responses indicated elementary understanding of food and nutrition concepts suggesting that classroom teachers need to make greater use of the variety of nutrition education materials available. / Master of Science

Optimal functioning of the immune system is necessary for the host to be capable of mounting a sufficient immune response, especially in times of sickness and injury. Acute bouts of starvation may compromise immune function, and subsequently lead to increased susceptibility to infection. Immunocompetence has been suggested as a functional indicator of nutritional status as the function of the immune system relies upon nutrient dependent metabolic pathways and the provision of adequate nutrient substrates to synthesize its components. The sensitivity of monocyte phagocytic activity, major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II expression, and fibronectin concentration were studied in 23 healthy cats during a 7 day period without food followed by a 7 day refeeding period. Blood samples were obtained for plasma fibronectin analysis and immune cell function tests on days 0, 4, 7, 11, and 14. A turbidimetric immunoassay was used for determination of plasma fibronectin concentration. Monocyte phagocytosis and MHC class II expression were measured using flow cytometric techniques. Weight, lymphocyte number, percent lymphocytes, white blood cell number, and serum albumin concentration were monitored throughout the study. Phagocytic activity, MHC class II expression, weight, lymphocyte number, percent lymphocytes, and white blood cell (WBC) number, decreased significantly (p<0.05) during the starvation period. Fibronectin concentration increased significantly (p<0.05) by day 4 of starvation. During refeeding there was a significant increase (p<0.05) in MHC class II expression, fibronectin concentration, weight, lymphocyte number, percent lymphocytes, and white blood cell number. Phagocytic activity decreased significantly (p<0.05) by day 11 of refeeding. Pearsons correlation analysis revealed a positive correlation (p<0.05, r=.2682) between weight change and phagocytosis. There was a positive correlation (p<0.05, r=.3588) between monocyte number and MHC class II expression, and between monocyte number and WBC number (p<0.05, r=.3506). Results indicate that maintenance of immune function is dependent upon the provision of continuous nutritional intake by the host. Plasma fibronectin, monocyte phagocytosis, MHC class II expression, and other immunological measures of health status were sensitive to acute alterations of nutritional intake and subsequent refeeding. Both phagocytic activity and MHC class II expression were found to be reliable indicators of nutritional status during acute nutritional deprivation. These data suggest that short periods of food deprivation may significantly decrease immune response. / Master of Science

While it is estimated that 30% of the total Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) population acquire very little or no language (Davis et al., 2011), few studies look at ASD treatment from a mental or emotional health perspective for this minimally verbal (MV) population (Tager-Flusberg and Kasari, 2013). It is well documented that there is a need for anxiety assessment and treatment for children with ASD (White, Oswald, Ollendick and Scahill, 2009). This study examined the feasibility of implementing an observational anxiety assessment and concurrent physiological data collection for children with MV-ASD. It was hypothesized that this measure would demonstrate adequate demand, acceptability, and feasibility to merit further study of the measure. Participants consisted of 12 children with MV-ASD and one parent. Each family visited the clinic for one three-hour visit during which the parent completed several questionnaires to assess the child's eligibility for the study as well as their current functioning. Children completed several clinician-administered assessments and observations. The results of this study suggest that this observational assessment protocol is acceptable and practical per parents self-report and the amount of children able to complete the study protocol, but there may not be enough demand for such a measure based on the number of interested participants. Additionally, the concurrent collection of physiological data was not practical in the current sample due to many children scoring too high on a measure of tactile sensitivity to attempt this data collection. Future studies should more carefully assess demand for this kind of assessment, as well as collect more data on the psychometric properties of such as measure. / Doctor of Philosophy / Many children with Autism Spectrum Disorder or ASD, also experience a lot of anxiety or even an anxiety disorder. Unfortunately, many children with ASD also have a lot of difficulty learning to talk. When children with ASD can't speak to tell people how they are feeling it can make the diagnosis of anxiety really difficult. This project sought to use physical signs such as heart rate in combination with observing behaviors related to anxiety to see if we could better measure anxiety in children with ASD who can't talk. This was a feasibility study meaning that the goal of this project was just to see if the anxiety assessment process was possible and practical for these children to complete. 12 children with ASD and one of their parents participated in the study. They came to the clinic for three hours and completed some anxiety measures given by a clinician and some questionnaires. Our results suggested that some aspects of the anxiety assessment process are possible and helpful, such as the number of children who were able to complete the assessment process, but others aspects need more work before they are helpful, such as the collection of heart rate.

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