In my teaching and software development practice, I realized that most applications with human-computer interaction do not respond to usersâ emotional needs. The dualism of reason and emotion as two fairly opposite entities that dominated Western philosophy was also reflected in software design. Computing was originally intended to provide applications for military and industrial activities and was primarily associated with cognition and rationality. Today, more and more computer applications interact with users in very complex and sophisticated ways. In human-computer interaction, attention is given to issues of usability and user modeling, but techniques to emotionally engage users or respond to their emotional needs have not been fully developed, even as specialists like Klein, Norman and Picard argued that machines that recognize and express emotions respond better and more appropriately to user interaction (Picard, 1997; Picard & Klein, 2002; Norman, 2004). This study investigated emotion from designersâ perspectives and tentatively concludes that there is little awareness and involvement in emotional design in the IT community. By contrast, participants in this study (36 IT specialists from various fields) strongly supported the idea of emotional design and confirmed the need for methodologies and theoretical models to research emotional design. Based on a review of theory, surveys and interviews, I identified a set of themes for heuristics of emotional design and recommended future research directions. Attention was given to consequences; participants in this study raised issues of manipulation, ethical responsibilities of designers, and the need for regulations, and recommended that emotional design should carry standard ethical guidelines for games and any other applications. The research design utilized a mixed QUAN-qual methodological model proposed by Creswell (2003) and Gay, Mills, and Airasian (2006), which was modified to equally emphasize both quantitative and qualitative stages. An instrument in the form of a questionnaire was designed, tested and piloted in this study and will be improved and used in future research. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate

Proofs by induction are central to many computer science areas such as data structures, theory of computation, programming languages, program efficiency-time complexity, and program correctness. Proofs by induction can also improve students’ understanding of and performance with computer science concepts such as programming languages, algorithm design, and recursion, as well as serve as a medium for teaching them. Even though students are exposed to proofs by induction in many courses of their curricula, they still have difficulties understanding and performing them. This impacts the whole course of their studies, since proofs by induction are omnipresent in computer science. Specifically, students do not gain conceptual understanding of induction early in the curriculum and as a result, they have difficulties applying it to more advanced areas later on in their studies. The goal of my dissertation is twofold: 1. identifying sources of computer science students’ difficulties with proofs by induction, and 2. developing a new approach to teaching proofs by induction by way of an interactive and multimodal electronic book (e-book). For the first goal, I undertook a study to identify possible sources of computer science students’ difficulties with proofs by induction. Its results suggest that there is a close correlation between students’ understanding of inductive definitions and their understanding and performance of proofs by induction. For designing and developing my e-book, I took into consideration the results of my study, as well as the drawbacks of the current methodologies of teaching proofs by induction for computer science. I designed my e-book to be used as a standalone and complete educational environment. I also conducted a study on the effectiveness of my e-book in the classroom. The results of my study suggest that, unlike the current methodologies of teaching proofs by induction for computer science, my e-book helped students overcome many of their difficulties and gain conceptual understanding of proofs induction.

Ce travail est une contribution théorique, méthodologique et pratique à l’enseignement/ apprentissage des langues étrangères (spécialement du FLE) en utilisant les nouvelles technologies éducatives. L’émergence des technologies de l’information et de la communication a ouvert de nouveaux horizons en matière d’éducation qui s’est avéré utile pour la didactique des langues. Les Technologies de l’Information et de la Communication (TIC) suscitent des débats quant aux enjeux sociaux et philosophiques qu’elles engendrent ; la généralisation de leur usage a des retombées dans le domaine de la didactique des langues. Dans le cadre de cette recherche, nous étudions l’utilisation des technologies de l’information et de la communication dans l’apprentissage du FLE et spécialement l’usage des logiciels éducatifs destinés aux cours de français langue étrangère pour apprenants ir aniens. C’est-à-dire la mise en relation des étudiants avec les logiciels éducatifs de la langue. A cet égard, l’avènement de l’ordinateur dans la classe de langue n’invite-t-il pas à repenser ce que la distance provoque en termes de pratiques d’enseignement et d’apprentissage, d’usages technologiques, de dispositifs d’aide à l’apprentissage ? Nous parcourons d’abord les modèles généralistes d’apprentissage et leurs relations avec les logiciels éducatifs disponibles en essayant de faire relever les insuffisances constatées sur le terrain. L’analyse des éléments culturels (culture éducative, culture en sens général) du contexte ir anien nous permet de constater qu’un « outil à potentiel cognitif » comme logiciel a besoin de s’adapter aux réalités du contexte culturel d’utilisation et aux besoins interculturels du public cible. Une expérimentation sur le terrain nous donne la possibilité de vérifier les usages des outils et l’adaptation de ce type de support pédagogique au public visé. Cela nous amène à nous interroger sur l’efficacité des logiciels éducatifs au service de la langue étrangère dans les contextes culturels différents. / This work is a theoretical, methodological, and practical contribution to the teaching/ learning of foreign languages (especially of French as a foreign Language) using the new educational technologies. The emergence of technologies of information and communication has opened new horizons in terms of education which have proved useful for the teaching of languages. The Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are of the discussion of the social and philosophical challenges they generate; the generalization of these technologies have spin-offs used in the field of the teaching of languages. In the framework of this research, we are considering the use of technologies of information and communication in the learning of French as a Foreign Language and especially the use of educational software intended for French courses for Ir anian students. That is to say, there is a relationship between students and language educational software. In this connection, does the introduction of the computer in the language class not invite the rethinking of what the distance causes in terms of the practices of teaching and learning, technological uses, and devices to help learning? We are going to first cover the general models of learning and their relations with educational software available in trying to fix the shortcomings of the Ir anian context. With the analysis of cultural elements (educational culture, culture in the general sense) of the context, we can see that it is a tool with potential cognition as the software needs to adapt to the realities of the cultural context and the needs of the intercultural target audience. A field experiment gives us the opportunity to verify the use of tools and adaptation of this type of teaching material for the intended audience and makes us question the effectiveness of educational software in the service of learning foreign languages in different contexts.

O pensamento computacional tem sido discutido na literatura como uma nova competência para o cidadão do século XXI. Nesse caminho, a inclusão da Ciência da Computação e de linguagens de programação nas escolas têm acontecido em diversos países. O tema perpassa a educação e, consequentemente, a formação de professores. Embora diversas discussões na academia tenham emergido acerca do tema, ainda existem poucos estudos que se dedicam a discutir questões ligadas à formação de professores no cenário nacional. Esta dissertação objetiva analisar as concepções de ensino e aprendizagem presentes em uma plataforma on-line, com o intuito de criar indicadores para a docência que possam nortear processos de formação pedagógica. Para amparar teoricamente este estudo, foram utilizadas as bases teóricas do construtivismo e construcionismo, tendo como expoentes Jean Piaget, Seymour Papert e seus seguidores. Esta pesquisa caracteriza-se como estudo de caso, de cunho exploratório, e tem como fonte de análise a plataforma Code.org. Por se tratar de um estudo de caso, foram elencadas como fontes de evidências postagens de dois tópicos de um fórum, planos de aula e atividades on-line. A metodologia utilizada para a análise das fontes de evidências foi a Análise Textual Discursiva, em que emergiram três grandes categorias: Concepções de Aprendizagem, Aspectos Dificultadores da Aprendizagem e Aspectos Promotores da Aprendizagem. Os resultados obtidos a partir das categorias emergentes evidenciam que as concepções de aprendizagem presentes na plataforma são prioritariamente empiristas, trazendo uma proposta em que os materiais disponíveis para o professor sugerem um modelo de ensino e aprendizagem baseado em uma pedagogia diretiva. Os achados ainda apontam para estratégias de ensino aprendizagem baseadas em atividades on-line, atividades off-line, interação entre pares e, por fim, apresentam aspectos dificultadores para o ensino e a aprendizagem do pensamento computacional, sendo eles tempo, estrutura e dificuldades com TI. / The computational thinking has been discussed in the literature as a new competence for the citizen of the 21st century. In this way, the inclusion of Computer Science and programming languages in schools has been happening in several countries. The theme pervades education and consequently, teacher training. Although several discussions have emerged about the subject in the academy, there are still few studies dedicated to discuss issues related to the teachers training in the national scenario. This dissertation aims to analyze the concepts of teaching and learning present on an online platform, with intent to create indicators for teaching, that may guide pedagogical training processes. In order to support this study theoretically, the theoretical bases of constructivism and constructionism were used, having Jean Piaget, Seymour Papert and their followers as exponents. This research is characterized as an exploratory case study and has the Code.org plataform as source of analysis. As a case study, postings of two forum topics, lesson plans and online activities were listed as sources of evidence. The methodology used for the analysis of the sources of evidence was Discursive Textual Analysis, from which three broad categories emerged: Conceptions of Learning, Difficulting Aspects of Learning and Promoting Aspects of Learning. The obtained results from the emerging categories show that the Conceptions of Learning present in the platform, are primarily empiricists, bringing a purpose in which the available materials for the teacher suggest a teaching and learning model based on a directive pedagogy. The findings still point out to strategies for teaching learning based on online activities, offline activities, interaction between peers, and eventually, show difficulting aspects for teaching and learning of computational thinking, which are: time, structure and difficulties with IT.

This study reports on a research project that examines teenage young women's themes of power. The themes emerged within a community education program that was conducted in a small, low-income, semi-rural town in Western Massachusetts. The teenagers engaged in theater games and improvisations that were eventually performed live on public-access television. The research also looks at power relations imbedded within the project itself. The program was designed to create an educational experience that provided teenagers with a public voice about their own concerns and issues, and to do so in a way that addressed feminist and postmodern critiques of "liberatory" pedagogy. The study seeks to understand what teenage young women express about self-efficacy and power in relation to themselves, their schools, families, and communities; and an analysis of how the project encouraged or discouraged this expression, particularly in regard to my attempts at utilizing a postmodern feminist perspective in its design. It is framed within a feminist approach to research and incorporates several methodologies to explore these questions. Three definitions of power are indicated by the teen women: Power as control over oneself, others, and events; power as speaking for oneself, being heard, and being understood; and power as intuitive, creative and spiritual experience. The study provides an examination of these themes and a deconstructive analysis of the pedagogy. A primary finding of the study suggests that a special time and place is needed by teen women as a means of finding empowered voices. This "ritual space", is a safe place for honest expression, outside of the space and time norms of an adult secular world.

Though many researchers have suggested that 3D virtual environments (VEs) could provide advantages for conceptual learning, few studies have attempted to evaluate the validity of this claim. While many educational VEs share the challenge of providing learners with information within 3D spaces, few researchers have investigated what approaches are used to help learn new information from 3D spatial representations. It is not understood how well learners can take advantage of 3D layouts to help understand information. Additionally, although complex arrangements of information within 3D space can potentially allow for large amounts of information to be presented within a VE, accessing this information can become more difficult due to the increased navigational challenges. Complicating these issues are details regarding display types and interaction devices used for educational applications. Compared to desktop displays, more immersive VE systems often provide display features (e.g., stereoscopy, increased field of view) that support improved perception and understanding of spatial information. Additionally, immersive VE often allow more familiar, natural interaction methods (e.g., physical walking or rotation of the head and body) to control viewing within the virtual space. It is unknown how these features interact with the types of spatial information presentations to affect learning. The research presented in this dissertation investigates these issues in order to further the knowledge of how to design VEs to support learning. The research includes six studies (five empirical experiments and one case study) designed to investigate how spatial information presentations affect learning effectiveness and learner strategies. This investigation includes consideration for the complexity of spatial information layouts, the features of display systems that could affect the effectiveness of spatial strategies, and the degree of navigational control for accessing information. Based on the results of these studies, we created a set of design guidelines for developing VEs for learning-related activities. By considering factors of virtual information presentation, as well as those based on the display-systems, our guidelines support design decisions for both the software and hardware required for creating effective educational Ves. / Ph. D.

In this paper, the author examines the concept of explorable explanations. It has emerged as a genre of educational software within the last 7 years, yet descriptions of it are vague at best. The author works with the genre through a generic design approach that consists of an analysis of existing explorables and the design of three iterations of the author's own explorable explanation on the topic of neural networks. 22 examples, of which 9 are presented in-depth, are analyzed with educational theory and games research theory as tools. It is found that explorable explanations tend to be digital experiences with a high degree of interactivity that attempt to teach facts, concepts and procedures to the user. Furthermore, the author embarks on a design process of creating explorable explanations of their own to understand what can be relevant when designing and evaluating an explorable explanation. The paper is concluded with reflections on the employed method in the project. Future work is also briefly outlined about what impact the analysis and design work can have on the practice of other designers seeking to work with the genre, as well as to other researchers.

The purpose of this study was to identify the strategies necessary and the problems encountered in integrating technology into the educational environment on a large scale basis. Using the methods of qualitative research, specifically an adaptation of educational criticism, the study described and analyzed the first four years of implementation of the Sacramento Model Technology Schools (MTS). Data used in this study came from historical documents, the memories of the Project Director, and the information gathered in guided interviews with 33 representatives of the key stakeholders in the project. The Sacramento MTS, one of six projects funded by the State of California at $500,000 per year for five years to study the integration of technology into schools on a systems level, was used for this study. The Sacramento project called for school-wide computer and video networks with a variety of technologies available to students, staff, and the community in a variety of configurations. Hoping to weave communication and critical thinking skills throughout the curriculum, the project staff planned to disseminate technology-enriched curriculum units in the latter years of the project. The major components of the implementation process included planning and leadership, facility retrofitting and hardware installation, staff development, curriculum development, and research and evaluation. The findings in this study focused on (1) the need for strong leadership at all levels, (2) the negative effects of staff turnover, (3) the need for clear and effective communication with in-district participants as well as those outside, (4) the need for flexibility in project plans as well as facilities, (5) the use of a wide variety of staff development strategies in response to school culture and staff needs, (6) the provision of adequate time, (7) the need for planning beyond the project years, (8) the difficulties encountered in doing research in a changing environment, and (9) the personal growth achieved by many participants. Based on the findings, the study offered several implications for similar projects and concluded by sharing some suggestions for future study.

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