Automatically recognizing classifier-based grammatical structures of American Sign Language (ASL) is a challenging problem. Classifiers in ASL utilize surrogate hand shapes for people or "classes" of objects and provide information about their location, movement and appearance. In the past researchers have focused on recognition of finger spelling, isolated signs, facial expressions and interrogative words like WH-questions (e.g. Who, What, Where, and When). Challenging problems such as recognition of ASL sentences and classifier-based grammatical structures remain relatively unexplored in the field of ASL recognition.  One application of recognition of classifiers is toward creating educational games to help young deaf children acquire language skills. Previous work developed CopyCat, an educational ASL game that requires children to engage in a progressively more difficult expressive signing task as they advance through the game.   We have shown that by leveraging context we can use verification, in place of recognition, to boost machine performance for determining if the signed responses in an expressive signing task, like in the CopyCat game, are correct or incorrect. We have demonstrated that the quality of a machine verifier's ability to identify the boundary of the signs can be improved by using a novel two-pass technique that combines signed input in both forward and reverse directions. Additionally, we have shown that we can reduce CopyCat's dependency on custom manufactured hardware by using an off-the-shelf Microsoft Kinect depth camera to achieve similar verification performance. Finally, we show how we can extend our ability to recognize sign language by leveraging depth maps to develop a method using improved hand detection and hand shape classification to recognize selected classifier-based grammatical structures of ASL.

Formal learning contexts often present information to learners in an inert and highly abstract form, making it unlikely that learners would ever use this information in their every-day lives. Learners do, however, show a greater propensity for retaining information that is seen as having relevance in their lives. Constructivism is an educational paradigm that has gained popularity amongst educationists. The core tenet of this paradigm is that learners learn through interaction with their environment and that all knowledge construction is based on previous life experience. Information that is presented to learners in a contextualised form not only has a better chance of being retained in long-term memory, but also has a greater likelihood of being applied in relevant life situations. This publication deals with the research, design and delivery of important information concerning diseases that have a major impact in Southern Africa. Firstly, learners at the University of Natal, Durban were polled for their existing knowledge concerning four widespread diseases, namely HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and cancer. Aspects of these diseases where learners demonstrated a low level of awareness were defined as the primary learning objectives for an educational 3D- immersive microworld. Areas of knowledge concerning the transmission, symptomatic expression, biology and prevention of these diseases were generally not well represented in the learner sample. Hence, information regarding these aspects is presented to learners in a contextualised form within the microworld. Motivation for learners to play in this microworld is provided by a storyline that was researched and written for the portal. In addition, the model used in the storyline design was evaluated for its effectiveness as a tool to be used in the planning of future educational games. A model, the Puzzle Process model, was proposed to inform the design of puzzle interfaces for these types of interactive learning environments, and puzzle interfaces were designed for the virtual environment according to the model guidelines. The learning environment was tested as part of the formative evaluation with a small sample of learners. The testing process made use of both quantitative and qualitative methodologies to evaluate the effectiveness of the learning environment as a possible learning tool. Comparison of pre- and post-gameplay questionnaires showed that learners gained a more indepth and richer understanding of the topics being dealt with in the portal. In particular, the puzzle objects situated in the environment stimulated learners to negotiate meanings for the puzzle interfaces and, in the process, encouraged learners to discuss the topic being dealt with. Results from this study also show that the longer learners discussed and negotiated a certain knowledge domain, the greater their increase in richness of information was for that knowledge domain after gameplay. These results highlight the importance of social dialogue in the knowledge construction process and suggest that environments like these have great potential based on their ability to encourage learners to talk to one another and their facilitators while negotiating mutually acceptable knowledge. The original Puzzle Process model, as well as the Game Achievement model and the Game Object model were modified to account for the need for social dialogue and content. These more comprehensive models are instrumental for use in future virtual world environment design. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu- Natal, Durban, 2004.

This study presents results describing the impact on acquisition of teaching basic spatial concepts through both music and play. Testing involved preschool aged children from a local Head Start facility and the speech-language clinic of a local university. The study followed a pre-/post-test design. Interventions occurred in two days over the span of one week. After the post-test, it was determined that there was no statistical significance differentiating learning between the two presentation modes. Concept pairs targeted through both contexts improved in almost the same ratio. It was discovered, however, that through only a short period of intervention (two sessions of 15 minutes each), almost all children developed statistically significant growth on concepts taught through both modes. The results indicate that in a short period of time gains can be made when a lesson focuses entirely on concept pairs using either music or play. / Department of Speech Pathology & Audiology

In this thesis, the four types of math problems that occur in the digital educational math game Zcooly Affären 2 have been analyzed. Focus has been aimed at how the problems mediate instructions and mathematical concepts to players, and how the mathematical content is supported by the context within the game. The result shows both positive and negative aspects of the math problems, based on the theories for math education used in this thesis. Apart from the analysis of the game, this thesis also presents earlier research regarding what possibilities digital games possess as tools for learning. Researchers have partly different views on how digital games should be designed to enhance learning, and whether or not games are efficient to use for learning purposes.

It seems like teaching about games should be easy. After all, students enjoy engaging with course content and have extensive experience with videogames. However, games education can be surprisingly complex. I explore the question of what it means to understand games by looking at the challenges and problems faced by students taking games-related classes. My findings include realizing that extensive prior videogame experience often interferes with students abilities to reason critically and analytically about games, and that students have difficulties articulating their experiences and observations about games. In response to these challenges, my research explores how we can use online learning environments to support learning about games by (1) helping students get more from their experiences with games, and (2) helping students use what they know to establish deeper understanding. I explore these strategies through the design and use of two online learning environments: GameLog and the Game Ontology Wiki. GameLog is an online blogging environment designed to help students reflect on their game playing experiences. The Game Ontology wiki provides a context for students to contribute and participate legitimately and authentically in the Game Ontology Project. The Game Ontology Project is a games studies research project that is creating a framework for describing, analyzing and studying games. GameLog and the Game Ontology Wiki were used in university level games-related classes. Results show that students found that participating in these online learning environments was a positive learning experience that helped them broaden and deepen their understanding of videogames. Students found that by reflecting on their experiences playing games they began to understand how game design elements helped shape that experience. Most importantly, they stepped back from their traditional role of gamers or fans and engaged in reasoning critically and analytically about the games they were studying. With GameLog, I show how blogging about experiences of gameplay can be a useful activity for supporting learning and understanding about games. For the Game Ontology Wiki, I show how it is possible to design learning environments that are approachable to learners and allow them to contribute legitimately to external communities of practice.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2008. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--Ohio University, August, 2008. / Title from PDF t.p. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.(Computer Assisted Education))--University of Pretoria, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 345-378). Available on the Internet via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2008. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

A busca pelo conhecimento sofreu modificações significativas nas últimas décadas. Nesse novo contexto social, as dificuldades enfrentadas pela estrutura tradicional de ensino representam oportunidades para os novos meios de aprendizagem. Entre tais dificuldades estão: a fragmentação do conhecimento, a desmotivação dos alunos e a crescente demanda pelo ensino de nível superior. A presente tese propõe o uso de jogos educacionais para suplantar essas dificuldades. A partir da concepção de que a capacidade de integração de conhecimentos deve ser trabalhada desde o início da formação dos alunos, propõe-se o uso de jogos educacionais no contexto do primeiro ano do curso de graduação em Engenharia de Produção. Essa proposição visa utilizar o potencial dos jogos apresentarem situações complexas sem desmotivar os jogadores, permitindo introduzir os alunos ingressantes no contexto de atuação desse profissional sem desmotivá-los. Ainda, tal proposta explora o potencial de utilizar os jogos como fonte de informação sobre a aprendizagem dos alunos, auxiliando o docente na identificação de eventuais dificuldades. Para tanto, desenvolveu-se um jogo educacional voltado para alunos ingressantes no curso de Engenharia de Produção. Com base na utilização desse jogo em turmas de primeiro ano, avaliou-se por meio de questionário a contribuição do jogo proposto para a aprendizagem e motivação dos alunos. Também se avaliou a receptividade dos alunos para o uso de jogos educacionais. Ainda, o potencial de uso dos dados coletados pelo jogo no auxílio ao docente foi avaliado com base na análise desses dados. Como resultado foi observado que os jogos educacionais retiram o foco do professor, dando-lhe liberdade para interagir de forma individualizada com os alunos; são capazes de promover aprendizagem e motivar; possuem boa aceitação por parte dos alunos, sendo a percepção de satisfação proporcionada pelos jogos fator preponderante à percepção de utilidade; e possuem informações úteis sobre a aprendizagem nos dados coletados durante a interação com os alunos. Assim, conclui-se que o uso de jogos educacionais como atividade introdutória no ensino superior de Engenharia é uma alternativa que agrupa importantes benefícios. / The knowledge acquisition has changed in recent decades. In the new social context, the difficulties faced by traditional education represent opportunities for new ways of learning. Among such difficulties are: the knowledge fragmentation, the students lack of motivation and the growing demand for higher education. This thesis proposes the use of educational games to mitigate these difficulties in the first year of Industrial Engineering courses. This proposal is based on the potential of games to present complex situations without discouraging the players, allowing the introduction of freshman students to the context of this profession without dishearten them. In addition, this proposal explores the potential of using games as a source of information about learning and helping professors to identify student’s misconceptions. Therefore, we developed an educational game for freshman students of Industrial Engineering. The contribution to learning and motivation was assessed by a questionnaire applied with the game. We also assessed by questionnaire the acceptance of educational games among students. The potential of using the data collected by the game to assist professors was determined based on analyzes of these data. As a result, it was observed that educational games: remove the focus from the professor, giving him freedom to interact individually with students; promote learning and motivate; have student’s acceptance, more based on the perception of enjoyment than the perceived usefulness; and have useful information about learning on the data collected during student’s interaction. Thus, we conclude that the use of educational games as an introductory activity in higher education congregates important benefits.