This dissertation investigates the development and use of self-images in augmented reality systems for learning and learning-based activities. This work focuses on self- modeling, a particular form of learning, actively employed in various settings for therapy or teaching. In particular, this work aims to develop novel multimedia systems to support the display and rendering of augmented self-images. It aims to use interactivity (via games) as a means of obtaining imagery for use in creating augmented self-images. Two multimedia systems are developed, discussed and analyzed. The proposed systems are validated in terms of their technical innovation and their clinical efficacy in delivering behavioral interventions for young children on the autism spectrum.

<p>The aim of the research project is to investigate the effectiveness of an information literacy intervention for first year engineering students at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. Information literacy has been identified as a necessary outcome of tertiary education. It refers to the life-long learning competencies of finding and using information in order to solve problems, to make decisions and to create new knowledge. Information literacy education has evolved from earlier forms of library user education, such as bibliographic instruction, and is central to the mission of academic libraries. However, librarians responsible for information literacy programmes seldom evaluate the effectiveness of their interventions. In today&rsquo / s climate of accountability and outcomes-based education, it is necessary to provide evidence of the benefits of the user education that libraries provide. The researcher uses the American College and Research Library (ACRL) Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education, which are internationally recognized and widely used by South African academic librarians, as a benchmark to evaluate an intervention for a group of first year students enrolled for a mechanical engineering course. The intervention consists of two workshops which aim to teach the students to find information relevant to their essays via the university&rsquo / s OPAC, various engineering databases and to teach them how to reference and cite their sources in their essays. The research methodology assessed students&rsquo / information literacy before and after the two workshops with the use of a questionnaire consisting of a set of questions based on some of the ACRL standards. The questionnaire also gathered data on students&rsquo / prior experience of libraries, reading and computers, which might impact on their information literacy...</p>

Tutoring is one of the most effective instruction methods. Computer as an Intelligent Tutor is an area of research since many decades. Technology advancement in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) can be used in developing Web – based Intelligent Tutoring System (WITS), which provides individualized tutoring at the same time to large number of students geographically distributed. Intelligent Tutoring System requires knowledge representation of expert, student and instructional strategy. While web technology promises many attractive features to build web based ITS, it would still be a challenge to represent knowledge objects that are scalable, reusable and platform independent. It is required to derive generalized knowledge representation framework which can be used in developing WITS for many courses. This research work proposes an instruction System Design (ISD) model based framework in development of WITS for Control Systems. ADDIE model is selected in development of WITS. Front end analysis is conducted to identify the learning goals of a course. Proposed research work presents a Bloom - Vincenti framework for preparing learning objectives for engineering courses. Problem Based Learning (PBL) is selected as instruction strategy. Then it presents an ontology based knowledge representation framework for expert module, tutoring module, and student module. Ontology for expert module is proposed on the course structure, instruction system, instruction material ontology, and Bloom – Vincenti Taxonomy. Ontology for student module is also proposed on course structure and Bloom – Vincenti Taxonomy. Tutoring module consists of ontology about the facts of the instruction material and rule base based on the categories of engineering knowledge (Vincenti) and cognitive skill (Bloom’s Taxonomy). Proposed way of knowledge representation supports scalability, and reusability. Prototype Web – based Intelligent Tutoring System for first level course on Control Systems is developed. JAVA technology used in development of Web – based Intelligent Tutoring System (WITS), makes WITS platform independent. Web – based Intelligent Tutoring System for Control Systems is deployed at laboratory level and its efficacy is tested for first two modules of a course.

<p>The aim of the research project is to investigate the effectiveness of an information literacy intervention for first year engineering students at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. Information literacy has been identified as a necessary outcome of tertiary education. It refers to the life-long learning competencies of finding and using information in order to solve problems, to make decisions and to create new knowledge. Information literacy education has evolved from earlier forms of library user education, such as bibliographic instruction, and is central to the mission of academic libraries. However, librarians responsible for information literacy programmes seldom evaluate the effectiveness of their interventions. In today&rsquo / s climate of accountability and outcomes-based education, it is necessary to provide evidence of the benefits of the user education that libraries provide. The researcher uses the American College and Research Library (ACRL) Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education, which are internationally recognized and widely used by South African academic librarians, as a benchmark to evaluate an intervention for a group of first year students enrolled for a mechanical engineering course. The intervention consists of two workshops which aim to teach the students to find information relevant to their essays via the university&rsquo / s OPAC, various engineering databases and to teach them how to reference and cite their sources in their essays. The research methodology assessed students&rsquo / information literacy before and after the two workshops with the use of a questionnaire consisting of a set of questions based on some of the ACRL standards. The questionnaire also gathered data on students&rsquo / prior experience of libraries, reading and computers, which might impact on their information literacy...</p>

Professional competencies are explicitly identified in the primary learning outcomes for science and engineering degrees at many tertiary institutions.  Fulfillment of the requirements to equip our students with these skills, while formally acknowledged as important by all stakeholders, can be hard to demonstrate in practice.  Most degree awarding institutions would have difficulties if asked to document where in degree programs such competencies are developed. The work in this thesis addresses the issue of professional competencies from several angles.  The Open-Ended Group Project (OEGP) concept is introduced and proposed as an approach to constructing learning environments in which students’ development of professional competencies can be stimulated and assessed.  Scholarly, research-based development of the IT in Society course unit (ITiS) is described and analyzed in order to present ideas for tailoring OEGP-based course units towards meeting learning objectives related to professional competence.  Work in this thesis includes an examination of both the meanings attributed to the term professional competencies, and methods which can be used to assess the competencies once they are agreed on. The empirical work on developing ITiS is based on a framework for educational research, which has been both refined and extended as an integral part of my research.  The action research methodology is presented and concrete examples of implementations of different pedagogical interventions, based on the methodology, are given.  The framework provides support for relating a theoretical foundation to studies, or development, of learning environments.  The particular theoretical foundation for the examples in this thesis includes, apart from the action research methodology, constructivism, conceptual change, threshold concepts, communities of practice, ill-structured problem solving, the reflective practicum, and problem based learning. The key finding in this thesis is that development and assessment of professional competencies is not a pipe dream.  Assessment can be accomplished, and the OEGP concept provides a flexible base for creating an appropriate learning environment for this purpose. / <p>Felaktigt tryckt som Digital Comprehensive Summaries of Uppsala Dissertations from the Faculty of Science and Technology 738</p>

This thesis focuses on teachers’ assessment practices in primary and lower secondary schools for technology education (Sv. Teknik). It is grounded in my prior experience as a teacher but also addresses the national and international research fields of technology education and assessment. The thesis is based on four papers covering different aspects of teachers’ assessment practices in technology. Its aim is to contribute to knowledge regarding how teachers use assessments in primary and lower secondary school. The thesis explores: teachers’ formal documenting practices; primary teachers’ minute-by-minute classroom assessment; teachers’ views on assessment and finally teachers’ statements and motives relating to criteria for success while assessing students’ e-portfolios. The choice of methods varies, depending on the focus of each sub-study, including quantitative data, collected from official governmental databases, software-generated statistical data and questionnaires as well as qualitative methods such as observations and interviews. Formal documents proved to be unsupportive for teachers’ assessment practices. Lack of instruction and deficiencies in design templates made these documents practically useless. The classroom study shows that the studied teachers have great ambitions for their pupils to succeed but lack collegial support concerning their assessment practices. Findings also show that teachers who are specifically trained in technology show higher self-efficacy regarding their assessment practices. Based on the results from the teachers' assessments of e-portfolios, it is concluded that there is consensus among the teachers to focus on the whole rather than on particular details in student’s work. The overall results strengthen the importance of designing activities and that students should be taught and not left to unreflective doing in technology. Teachers’ assessment practices are complex. This thesis shows that teachers work with assessment in different ways. It is also shown that the educational environment is not supportive enough. Assessment is a necessity in the endeavour of bridging teaching and learning in technology, thus affordance for teachers’ assessment practices must be increased. / <p>QC 20150216</p>

Esta tese trata da experiência de aprendizagem em um contexto escolar de engenharia elétrica. A partir das representações sociais de alunos e de professores, inseridos nesse contexto, e, também, de ex-alunos do Curso, campo das investigações, a Pesquisa objetiva conceituar a aprendizagem em engenharia elétrica na sua especificidade. Considerando que cada grupo de indivíduos e, em particular, cada indivíduo, tem um senso de realidade que é único, a Pesquisa, a partir das perspectivas desses diferentes sujeitos, constrói uma totalidade que representa esse contexto escolar, ambiente de ações intelectuais e sociais desses sujeitos e onde têm lugar muitas, das múltiplas, aprendizagens que concorrem para a formação do engenheiro. Assim, a aprendizagem e o ensino, em suas diferentes circunstâncias e na forma de ações epistemológicas, pedagógicas e sociais, vão sendo reveladas. Nesse processo de desvelamento da realidade sensível, o senso comum sobre diferentes aspectos do processo de ensino-aprendizagem vai sendo criticado sob a ótica da fundamentação teórica construtivista que norteia a investigação. Dessa forma, a Pesquisa procura responder às questões fundamentais: Como o aluno aprende? Como o aluno se forma engenheiro? Como o Professor ensina? Qual o impacto do ensino do Professor na aprendizagem do Aluno e na sua formação em engenharia? Quais as especificidades, do ponto de vista epistêmico e didático-pedagógico, de um curso de engenharia elétrica? Quais as ações pedagógicas mais adequadas para a consecução das metas de formar um engenheiro tecnicamente competente, empreendedor, criativo, autônomo, comunicativo, ético e socialmente responsável? A partir dessas respostas, a Pesquisa tem como meta subsidiar as ações das Instituições de Ensino formadoras de novos engenheiros e, em particular, trazer elementos para subsidiar as ações do professor ao repensar o seu papel como docente e ao executar sua tarefa cotidiana de planejar o seu ensino. / This dissertation is about the learning experiences within the academic context of an Electrical Engineering undergraduate course. Based on the social representations of students, professors and also alumni from the course under investigation, this research aimed at investigating the specifics of learning Electrical Engineering. Taking into consideration that each group of individuals (and even each individual in particular) has its unique sense of reality, the present study considers the varied perspectives of the individuals interviewed to provide a picture of such an academic context, where different intellectual and social stances are taken and multiple learning opportunities are available for engineering students. Thus, the different circumstances and epistemological, pedagogical and social perspectives on learning and teaching are revealed. As this unveiling process develops, the common sense ideas on the teaching-learning process are critically assessed based on the theoretical background of Constructivism. The fundamental research questions for the present Dissertation were: How does the student learn? How does the individual develop from student to engineer? How does the professor teach? What is the impact of the professor's teaching abilities on the student's learning process? What are the specific epistemic and pedagogical issues involved in an Electrical Engineering undergraduate course? Which pedagogical practices are more suitable for the education of a technically competent, creative, autonomous, communicative, ethically and socially responsible engineer? Based on the answers to these research questions, this study intended to support actions to be taken by higher education institutions and particularly to provide professors with insights into students' learning processes in order to help professors rethink their role as a teacher and perform their daily task of planning their classes. / Esa tesis trata de la experiencia de aprendizaje en un contexto escolar de ingeniería eléctrica. A partir de las representaciones sociales de alumnos y de profesores, insertados en ese contexto, y también de ex-alumnos del curso, campo de las investigaciones, la investigación tiene por objetivo conceptuar el aprendizaje en ingeniería eléctrica en su especificidad. Considerando que cada grupo de individuos y, en particular, cada individuo, tiene un sentido de realidad que es único, la investigación, a partir de las perspectivas de esos distintos sujetos, construye una totalidad que representa ese contexto escolar, ambiente de acciones intelectuales y sociales de esos sujetos y donde ocurren muchos de los múltiples aprendizajes que convergen a la formación del ingeniero. Así, el aprendizaje y la enseñanza, en sus distintas circunstancias y en la forma de acciones epistemológicas, pedagógicas y sociales, van siendo revelados. En ese proceso de desvelo de la realidad sensible, el sentido común sobre distintos aspectos del proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje va siendo criticado bajo la óptica de la fundamentación teórica constructivista que guía la investigación. De ese modo, la investigación busca contestar a las cuestiones fundamentales:¿Cómo el alumno aprende?¿Cómo el alumno se forma ingeniero?¿Cómo el profesor enseña?¿Cuál es el impacto de la enseñanza del profesor en el aprendizaje del alumno y en su formación en ingeniería?¿Cuáles son las especificidades, desde la mirada epistémica y didácticopedagógica, de un curso de ingeniería eléctrica?¿Cuáles son las acciones pedagógicas más adecuadas para la consecución de las metas de formar a un ingeniero teóricamente competente, emprendedor, creativo, autónomo, comunicativo, ético y socialmente responsable? A partir de esas respuestas, la investigación tiene por meta subsidiar las acciones de las Instituciones de Enseñanza formadoras de nuevos ingenieros y, en particular, traer elementos para subsidiar las acciones del profesor al re-pensar su rol como docente y al ejecutar su tarea cotidiana de planificar su enseñanza.

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of introducing animated computer instructional aid (ACIA) in the learning of fluid mechanics. It was also intended as a means to evaluate the Constructionist Computer-Animated Instructional Model of Learning (CCAIML), which was developed and proposed for learning fluid mechanics. CCAIML includes the use of ACIA as a learning aid. Three theories underpins CCAIML learning model: the Constructionist learning theory, Media-Affects-learning hypothesis and Multiple representation principle. The study participants were the intact classes of first-time fluid mechanics’ students in Mechanical Engineering in four South African universities, who offer Bachelor of Engineering degrees in Mechanical Engineering. The study followed a mixed method approach: involving a static group design and a descriptive survey design. The control groups were the two consecutive, immediately preceding intact groups, who were taught fluid mechanics through the traditional lecturing method. The intervention groups were the non-randomized mechanical engineering students, who were taught by the same lecturer, who taught the control groups the same course material through a traditional approach, but taught the intervention group using the CCAIML learning approach. The findings of the study showed that: - ACIA facilitated the learning of the fluid mechanics module taught during the intervention, in CCAIML learning environment; - ACIA aroused the study participants’ interest in the learning of fluid mechanics module taught during the intervention; - The study participants understood the fluid mechanics module taught during the intervention better, in CCAIML learning environment, and were able to demonstrate this in the post intervention examination; - CCAIML learning approach encouraged classroom interaction, group and individual knowledge construction, practical demonstration of understanding of concepts and consequently improved classroom dynamics; - The majority of the study participants achieved higher scores in the fluid module taught during the intervention at the post intervention examination, by using CCAIML learning approach compared to the traditional approach; - No relationship was established between the level of study participants’ interest in the software used to aid learning ACIA and the study participants’ post-intervention achievement; and - Where the language medium of the instructional aid was different to that of the classroom medium of instruction, the learners’ achievement was affected. / Mathematical Sciences / Ph.D. (Mathematics, Science and Technology Education)

Esta tese trata da experiência de aprendizagem em um contexto escolar de engenharia elétrica. A partir das representações sociais de alunos e de professores, inseridos nesse contexto, e, também, de ex-alunos do Curso, campo das investigações, a Pesquisa objetiva conceituar a aprendizagem em engenharia elétrica na sua especificidade. Considerando que cada grupo de indivíduos e, em particular, cada indivíduo, tem um senso de realidade que é único, a Pesquisa, a partir das perspectivas desses diferentes sujeitos, constrói uma totalidade que representa esse contexto escolar, ambiente de ações intelectuais e sociais desses sujeitos e onde têm lugar muitas, das múltiplas, aprendizagens que concorrem para a formação do engenheiro. Assim, a aprendizagem e o ensino, em suas diferentes circunstâncias e na forma de ações epistemológicas, pedagógicas e sociais, vão sendo reveladas. Nesse processo de desvelamento da realidade sensível, o senso comum sobre diferentes aspectos do processo de ensino-aprendizagem vai sendo criticado sob a ótica da fundamentação teórica construtivista que norteia a investigação. Dessa forma, a Pesquisa procura responder às questões fundamentais: Como o aluno aprende? Como o aluno se forma engenheiro? Como o Professor ensina? Qual o impacto do ensino do Professor na aprendizagem do Aluno e na sua formação em engenharia? Quais as especificidades, do ponto de vista epistêmico e didático-pedagógico, de um curso de engenharia elétrica? Quais as ações pedagógicas mais adequadas para a consecução das metas de formar um engenheiro tecnicamente competente, empreendedor, criativo, autônomo, comunicativo, ético e socialmente responsável? A partir dessas respostas, a Pesquisa tem como meta subsidiar as ações das Instituições de Ensino formadoras de novos engenheiros e, em particular, trazer elementos para subsidiar as ações do professor ao repensar o seu papel como docente e ao executar sua tarefa cotidiana de planejar o seu ensino. / This dissertation is about the learning experiences within the academic context of an Electrical Engineering undergraduate course. Based on the social representations of students, professors and also alumni from the course under investigation, this research aimed at investigating the specifics of learning Electrical Engineering. Taking into consideration that each group of individuals (and even each individual in particular) has its unique sense of reality, the present study considers the varied perspectives of the individuals interviewed to provide a picture of such an academic context, where different intellectual and social stances are taken and multiple learning opportunities are available for engineering students. Thus, the different circumstances and epistemological, pedagogical and social perspectives on learning and teaching are revealed. As this unveiling process develops, the common sense ideas on the teaching-learning process are critically assessed based on the theoretical background of Constructivism. The fundamental research questions for the present Dissertation were: How does the student learn? How does the individual develop from student to engineer? How does the professor teach? What is the impact of the professor's teaching abilities on the student's learning process? What are the specific epistemic and pedagogical issues involved in an Electrical Engineering undergraduate course? Which pedagogical practices are more suitable for the education of a technically competent, creative, autonomous, communicative, ethically and socially responsible engineer? Based on the answers to these research questions, this study intended to support actions to be taken by higher education institutions and particularly to provide professors with insights into students' learning processes in order to help professors rethink their role as a teacher and perform their daily task of planning their classes. / Esa tesis trata de la experiencia de aprendizaje en un contexto escolar de ingeniería eléctrica. A partir de las representaciones sociales de alumnos y de profesores, insertados en ese contexto, y también de ex-alumnos del curso, campo de las investigaciones, la investigación tiene por objetivo conceptuar el aprendizaje en ingeniería eléctrica en su especificidad. Considerando que cada grupo de individuos y, en particular, cada individuo, tiene un sentido de realidad que es único, la investigación, a partir de las perspectivas de esos distintos sujetos, construye una totalidad que representa ese contexto escolar, ambiente de acciones intelectuales y sociales de esos sujetos y donde ocurren muchos de los múltiples aprendizajes que convergen a la formación del ingeniero. Así, el aprendizaje y la enseñanza, en sus distintas circunstancias y en la forma de acciones epistemológicas, pedagógicas y sociales, van siendo revelados. En ese proceso de desvelo de la realidad sensible, el sentido común sobre distintos aspectos del proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje va siendo criticado bajo la óptica de la fundamentación teórica constructivista que guía la investigación. De ese modo, la investigación busca contestar a las cuestiones fundamentales:¿Cómo el alumno aprende?¿Cómo el alumno se forma ingeniero?¿Cómo el profesor enseña?¿Cuál es el impacto de la enseñanza del profesor en el aprendizaje del alumno y en su formación en ingeniería?¿Cuáles son las especificidades, desde la mirada epistémica y didácticopedagógica, de un curso de ingeniería eléctrica?¿Cuáles son las acciones pedagógicas más adecuadas para la consecución de las metas de formar a un ingeniero teóricamente competente, emprendedor, creativo, autónomo, comunicativo, ético y socialmente responsable? A partir de esas respuestas, la investigación tiene por meta subsidiar las acciones de las Instituciones de Enseñanza formadoras de nuevos ingenieros y, en particular, traer elementos para subsidiar las acciones del profesor al re-pensar su rol como docente y al ejecutar su tarea cotidiana de planificar su enseñanza.

Este trabalho versa sobre a tecnologia, atendo-se de modo particular, mas não exclusivo, a isso que no Brasil se chama de tecnologia social (TS). A tese que se buscará defender aqui é múltipla. Em primeiro lugar, ontológica e politicamente, sustentar-se-á que a tecnologia social é uma implementação não apenas tecnicamente legítima e autêntica, como social e ambientalmente urgente. Contudo, para que tal tipo de solução seja passível de ser desenvolvida, é necessário, de uma parte, que se desenvolvam conhecimentos científicos e engenheiris apropriados. Com isso, o segundo argumento, epistemológico, é que esses conhecimentos são passíveis de ser produzidos e que os mecanismos que podem tornar tal coisa possível não subvertem o ethos próprio da ciência ou da engenharia. De outra parte, TS e engenharia popular demandam também um perfil profissional específico, o do engenheiro educador (ou engenheiro popular). Essa é a terceira dimensão da tese que defendemos. Por fim, ontológica e existencialmente, proporemos que o caminho para superar o desencantamento substantivo do mundo (Weber), a entificação do Ser (em seu desvelamento tecnológico no qual nos encontramos presos, via enquadramento Heidegger), a ditadura da racionalidade instrumental (Horkheimer & Adorno) ou a autoprodução e o automatismo do desenvolvimento tecnológico (que nos aprisiona ou agencia quase que inapelavelmente Ellul) pode emergir precisamente de algo como a tecnologia social, por meio da incorporação dos valores e saberes populares à construção da realidade sociotécnica que decidimos nos dar. Esse quarto aspecto, nesses termos, reforça o primeiro, trazendo novos elementos para subsidiar-se o entendimento acerca da urgência, em nossos dias, de uma solução técnica como a tecnologia social. / This work discusses technology, giving special attention to this that is called social technology (ST) in Brazil. The thesis that is substantiated here is multiple. First, ontologically and politically, it will be argued that social technology is not only technically legitimate and authentic, but also socially and environmentally urgent. However, in order to be implementable, ST demands, on the one hand, specific engineering and scientific knowledge to be advanced. Thus, the second dimension of our thesis, epistemological, sustains the understanding that such knowledge can be produced and the mechanisms required to make such production possible do not corrupt the scientific or engineering ethos. On the other hand, ST and popular engineering also demand a specific professional profile, the educator engineer (or popular engineer). This is the third dimension of the argument we defend here. Finally, ontologically and existentially, it will be suggested that a way to overcome the substantial disenchantment of the world (Weber), the entification of Being (in its technological unveiling in which we found ourselves trapped, via enframing Heidegger), the dictatorship of instrumental rationality (Horkheimer and Adorno) or the self-production and automatism of technological development (Ellul) may precisely emerge from something like social technology. This would be so by dint of the incorporation of popular values and knowledge to the construction of the sociotechnical reality we decide to build. This fourth aspect, then, strengthens the first one, offering new supporting elements to the urgency claim associated with the development of ST in our days.