Aplicativos educacionais podem promover diversos benefícios a professores e alunos, desde a redução de tarefas repetitivas à realização de atividades impossíveis com o uso de apenas lousa e papel. Módulos de Aprendizagem Interativa (iMA) são uma família de aplicativos educacionais que fornecem atividades interativas integradas a Sistemas de Gerenciamento de Cursos. O desenvolvimento de iMA, similarmente ao de outros sistemas criados em contexto de projetos acadêmicos, enfrenta problemas relacionados a manutenção e evolução de software, que afetam suas contribuições à sociedade. Isso é provocado principalmente pela degradação do código com o tempo e dos métodos ad-hoc utilizados, sem sistematização do processo ou procedimentos explícitos para prevenção desses problemas. Com o objetivo de aprimorar esse processo, esta dissertação apresenta uma Linha de Produto de Software (LPS) criada para o desenvolver iMA. O método usado para criá-la envolveu análise do domínio, formado pelos iMA existentes, a elaboração de um modelo de sistema para definir as responsabilidades das características obrigatórias, variantes e opcionais aos aplicativos, e a implementação de um arcabouço de aplicação. Assim, essa LPS consiste nesse arcabouço e seus manuais de funcionamento interno, utilização e evolução, promovendo reúso de código, arquitetura e processo. A avaliação deste trabalho foi conduzida com uma prova de conceito e um estudo de caso. A prova de conceito descreve o desenvolvimento de um novo iMA, chamado iTangran, apresentando a factibilidade da utilização da LPS para essa tarefa. O estudo de caso investigou com maior profundidade o impacto da LPS sobre a criação da nova versão de um aplicativo existente, chamado iVProg. Os resultados obtidos mostram que o oferecimento de um processo e uma arquitetura que guiam as tarefas do programador de iMA teve grande influência na sua percepção de produtividade e satisfação, além de contribuírem para a qualidade do código criado e sua documentação, fatores essenciais para a prevenção dos problemas de desenvolvimento enfrentados atualmente. / Educational software provide many benefits for teachers and students, from reducing repetitive tasks to offering assignments impossible with the use of only blackboard and paper. Interactive Learning Modules (iLM) are a family of educational systems which offer interactive assignments integrated with Learning Management Systems. The development of iLM, similarly to other software created in context of academic projects, faces issues related to software maintenance and evolution, which hinder their contributions to society. This is mainly caused by code degradation with time and to ad-hoc methods used, without a systematic process and explicit considerations to prevent these problems. With the goal of improving this process, this work presents a Software Product Line (SPL) for the development of iLM. The method used to create this SPL involved an analysis of the domain, which are the existing iLM, the creation of a system model in order to define the responsibilities of mandatory, variant and optional features among systems, and the implementation of an application framework. Therefore, the SPL consists of this framework and its manuals for internal operation, utilization and evolution, providing code, architecture and process reuse. Contributions of this work were evaluated by a proof of concept and a study case. The proof of concept describes the development of a new iLM called iTangran, presenting the possibility of using the SPL for this task. The study case investigated more deeply the SPL impact on the refactoring process of an existing iLM, iVProg. Results show that a guide and an architecture for the tasks undertaken by programmers have a significant influence on the perceived productivity and their satisfaction while working, also contributing to code and documentation quality, which are essential factors to prevent development problems such as those faced nowadays.

Is it possible for technological �spaces� to be created that can provide a community atmosphere � one in which learners are not restrained by pre-determined syllabi and have the ability to direct their learning according to their own interests, pace and goals? If so, it would be notable to discover which kinds of interactions might be possible, or might eventuate, and how the participants in such a learning �space� would organize themselves. Also of interest would be the kinds of power structures that emerged through participant interaction, the direction/interactions undertaken by the participants and the improvements that could be made in order to respect and accommodate the differences between learners in a social online learning space. In order to further study this hypothesised need to investigate these questions, this researcher developed an online, English as a Second/Foreign Language learning environment for advanced adult learners of English. She reviewed the appropriate literature in order to theorise how to commence this research direction and investigated various learning platforms and software tools. The result was the development of a multiplatform environment which consisted of a content management system and a 3D microworld. Tools, exercises and content were developed and/or gathered as starting points for learners and the various software had to be learnt in order to orient others on their use. Finally, the environment was trialed over a four week duration with a group of advanced to native speakers of English (volunteers) and the results have been presented in this thesis for discussion. The trial, entitled the ILE Project, attempted to study the problems involved in the technical development of such spaces, to observe the interactions between the learners in a 3D microworld and uncover issues relating to its implementation. Some issues raised by the project concerned techno-literacy, personality-driven interaction differences and organizational power shifts within the 3D community. This thesis closes with an argument that redefines the notion of the learner autonomy, proposes certain modifications to both the pedagogic and technical structure of the online environment and discusses the issues raised in this research. The latter discussion would require further re-conceptualization of the spaces, stakes and support structures that educators can create/provide in an attempt to improve online language learning.

El coneixement professional és epistemològicament diferent a d'altres tipus de coneixement; el coneixement professionalitzador ha de permetre als estudiants gestionar situacions de la seva pràctica professional. En aquest sentit, el coneixement professionalitzador implica unes demandes superiors en comparació a d'altres tipus de coneixement. L'objectiu d'aquesta tesi doctoral és analitzar la naturalesa del coneixement professionalitzador i el canvi en el discurs professionalitzador en entorns l'aprenentatge en línia. Analitzar la naturalesa del discurs professionalitzador permet conèixer quins factors estan implicats en la construcció del coneixement professional i ajustar els entorns d'aprenentatge en línia. Aquesta tesi doctoral descriu els resultats de l'anàlisi de quatre casos relatius a la construcció del coneixement professionalitzador en el camp educatiu. Els resultats obtinguts ens mostren que el discurs professionalitzador construït amb mediació de les tecnologies de la informació i la comunicació (TICs) està estructurat entorn una part molt petita dels tòpics de discurs professionalitzador (menys del 5%). També hem evidenciat diferencies rellevants evidenciades en funció del tipus d'activitat d'aprenentatge, el tipus de contingut i l'escenari de la tasca (tàcit o explícit). Pel que fa al canvi del discurs professionalitzador, els estudiants expressen tensions en la seva concepció de la pràctica i interaccionen com una comunitat de pràctica professional amb diferents característiques depenent del tipus d'activitat, el tipus de contingut i l'escenari de la tasca. / Professional knowledge is epistemologically different from other kinds of knowledge. Students are considered to have built academic discourse when they are able to produce speech based on concrete academic content whereas professional knowledge should enable students to manage situations in professional practice. In this sense, professional knowledge is more demanding than other kinds of knowledge. Our objective was to analyze the nature of professional knowledge and change in professional discourse in the framework of online learning environments. Analyzing the nature of professional discourse helps us understand the characteristics that make it special and that relate to managing situations in professional practice. Analyzing change in professional discourse enables us to know which factors are involved in building professional knowledge and to adjust online learning environments accordingly. This paper describes the results of an analysis of different cases related to the construction of professional knowledge in the educational field. The results we obtained show us that professional discourse built using ICT is structured by a very small fraction of identified topics of professional discourse (less than 5%), furthermore, relevant differences are evidenced depending on the type of learning activity, kind of content and task scenarios conducted (tacit or explicit). Regarding change in professional discourse, students expressed tensions in their conception of practice and interacted as a structured professional community although different characteristics depending on the type of activity, kind of content and task scenarios were observed in all cases.

Este trabalho teve como objetivo elaborar uma unidade didática em nível de Ensino Médio sobre conceitos fundamentais de Eletromagnetismo, adequada para utilização com os métodos de ensino-aprendizagem Ensino sob Medida e Instrução pelos Colegas e implementá-la em uma turma do quarto semestre do Ensino Médio de uma escola pública de Pelotas-RS. O material desenvolvido e a escolha dos métodos de ensino foram subsidiados pelos aportes teóricos fornecidos pela Teoria da Aprendizagem Significativa de Ausubel e pela teoria Sociointeracionista de Vygotsky. As aulas foram estruturadas em 12 encontros de uma hora e trinta minutos cada um, sendo que sete desses encontros foram destinados à aprendizagem conceitual via os métodos Ensino sob Medida e Instrução pelos Colegas, três encontros para resolução de problemas numéricos tradicionais e dois encontros para aplicação do teste inicial/final. A análise dos resultados relativos a desempenho demonstra que a turma, composta por 30 alunos, obteve um ganho de aprendizagem estatisticamente significativo. Uma análise qualitativa sobre a receptividade dos alunos aos métodos de ensino apresenta resultados bastante positivos. Para o desenvolvimento da proposta foram elaborados textos de apoio, vídeos, questões conceituais e questões numéricas, um teste conceitual, um minidocumentário e um questionário de avaliação da aplicação dos métodos, que integram o produto educacional resultante deste mestrado. / This work aimed to develop a high school level didactical unit about fundamental concepts of Electromagnetism, suitable for use with two physics education research-based methods: Just-in-Time Teaching and Peer Instruction. Our proposal was implemented in a fourth semester class of a public high school, at a Brazilian city (Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul). The teaching methods were chosen, as well the elaboration of instructional materials, based on the main principles of Ausubel´s meaningful learning theory and on Vygotsky’s social interaction theory. The didactical unit was organized in 12 meetings of one hour and thirty minutes each. Seven of these meetings were intended for conceptual learning via Just-in-Time Teaching and Peer Instruction; three meetings, to solve traditional problems and two meetings for application of a pre/post-test. The performance analysis of the 30 students enrolled in the course shows that they achieved statistically significant learning gains. A qualitative analysis of the student’s receptivity to the teaching methods showed very positive results. The instructional materials are composed of texts, videos, conceptual and numerical questions, a pre/post-test, a short documentary and a questionnaire for evaluating the application of the methods. All of these constitute the educational product resulting from this Master dissertation.

With the advent of the technology, the electronic games with educational objectives had become a valuable resource to be used for educators in the teaching and learning process, being an excellent tool for the creation, practice and development of knowledge, facilitating the pleasant, interesting and challenging process of learning. With the artificial intelligence, specifically, the technique of case-based reasoning, is possible to index information that could be used to reach the objectives of the learning, specially, when working collaboratively, since Vygotsky says that the student acquires knowledge through internalizing the learning. This work presents architecture for development of electronic games with educational proposal, based on the process of explanation of contents, using the technique of case-based reasoning, and that promotes the collaboration between players. To validate the architecture proposal, an electronic game named Sea Life was developed, that aims teaching children the marine life-beings using collaborative and entertainment tools, images, videos, sounds and conceptual maps. Its development uses Flash technology, thus not demanding a sophisticated structure for its implementation, making possible to be used in different spaces of learning, becoming it an interesting tool of support the explanation of contents in the educational environment / Com o advento da tecnologia, os jogos eletrônicos com fins educacionais se tornaram mais uma opção de recurso a serem utilizados pelos educadores no processo de ensino, sendo um excelente recurso para a criação, desenvolvimento e prática do conhecimento, facilitando o processo de aprendizagem e ainda sendo prazerosos, interessantes e desafiantes. Com o surgimento da inteligência artificial, especificamente, a técnica de raciocínio baseado em casos é possível recuperar informações que poderão ser utilizadas para atingir os objetivos da aprendizagem, principalmente se forem trabalhadas de forma colaborativa, já que conforme os pensamentos Vygotskyano o indivíduo adquire conhecimento através da internalização durante a aprendizagem. Este trabalho propõe apresentar uma arquitetura para desenvolvimento de jogos eletrônicos com fins educacionais que desenvolva o processo de explicação de conteúdos, utilizando a técnica de raciocínio baseado em casos, e que vise a colaboração entre os jogadores. Com o intuito de validar a arquitetura proposta foi desenvolvido um jogo eletrônico intitulado de Vida Marinha, que visa ensinar crianças conhecimentos referente aos seres marinhos de forma divertida e colaborativa, utilizando-se de recursos como imagens, vídeos, sons e mapas conceituais presentes no jogo. O seu desenvolvimento foi utilizando a tecnologia Flash, não exigindo assim uma estrutura sofisticada para sua implantação, possibilitando ser utilizado em diferentes espaços de aprendizagem, tornando-o uma ferramenta interessante de apoio à explicação de conteúdos no meio educacional

Cette thèse présente de nouvelles approches permettant l’apprentissage efficace et intuitif de plans de haut niveau pour les robots collaboratifs. Plus précisément, nous étudions l’application d’algorithmes d’apprentissage par démonstration dans des domaines relationnels. L’utilisation de domaines relationnels pour représenter le monde permet de simplifier la représentation de comportements concurrents et collaboratifs. Nous avons commencé par développer et étudier le premier algorithme d’apprentissage par renforcement inverse pour domaines relationnels. Nous avons ensuite présenté comment utiliser le formalisme RAP pour représenter des tâches collaboratives comprenant un robot et un opérateur humain. RAP est une extension des MDP relationnels qui permet de modéliser des activités concurrentes. Utiliser RAP nous a permis de représenter à la fois l’humain et le robot dans le même processus, mais également de modéliser des activités concurrentes du robot. Sous ce formalisme, nous avons montré qu’il était possible d’apprendre le comportement d’une équipe, à la fois comme une politique et une récompense. Si des connaissances a priori sur la tâche à réaliser sont disponibles, il est possible d’utiliser le même algorithme pour apprendre uniquement les préférences de l’opérateur. Cela permet de s’adapter à l’utilisateur. Nous avons montré que l’utilisation des représentations relationnelles permet d’apprendre des comportements collaboratifs à partir de peu de démonstrations.Ces comportements sont à la fois robustes au bruit, généralisables à de nouveaux états, et transférables à de nouveaux domaines (par exemple en ajoutant des objets). Nous avons également introduit une architecture d’apprentissage interactive qui permet au système de faire moins d’erreurs tout en demandant moins d’efforts à l’opérateur humain. Le robot, en estimant sa confiance dans ses décisions, est capable de demander des instructions quand il est incertain de l’activité à réaliser. Enfin, nous avons implémenté ces approches sur un robot et montré leurs impacts potentiels dans un scenario réaliste. / This thesis presents new approaches toward efficient and intuitive high-level plan learning for cooperative robots. More specifically this work study Learning from Demonstration algorithm for relational domains. Using relational representation to model the world, simplify representing concurrentand cooperative behavior.We have first developed and studied the first algorithm for Inverse ReinforcementLearning in relational domains. We have then presented how one can use the RAP formalism to represent Cooperative Tasks involving a robot and a human operator. RAP is an extension of the Relational MDP framework that allows modeling concurrent activities. Using RAP allow us to represent both the human and the robot in the same process but also to model concurrent robot activities. Under this formalism, we have demonstrated that it is possible to learn behavior, as policy and as reward, of a cooperative team. Prior knowledge about the task can also be used to only learn preferences of the operator.We have shown that, using relational representation, it is possible to learn cooperative behaviors from a small number of demonstration. That these behaviors are robust to noise, can generalize to new states and can transfer to different domain (for example adding objects). We have also introduced an interactive training architecture that allows the system to make fewer mistakes while requiring less effort from the human operator. By estimating its confidence the robot is able to ask for instructions when the correct activity to dois unsure. Lastly, we have implemented these approaches on a real robot and showed their potential impact on an ecological scenario.

Este trabalho teve como objetivo elaborar uma unidade didática em nível de Ensino Médio sobre conceitos fundamentais de Eletromagnetismo, adequada para utilização com os métodos de ensino-aprendizagem Ensino sob Medida e Instrução pelos Colegas e implementá-la em uma turma do quarto semestre do Ensino Médio de uma escola pública de Pelotas-RS. O material desenvolvido e a escolha dos métodos de ensino foram subsidiados pelos aportes teóricos fornecidos pela Teoria da Aprendizagem Significativa de Ausubel e pela teoria Sociointeracionista de Vygotsky. As aulas foram estruturadas em 12 encontros de uma hora e trinta minutos cada um, sendo que sete desses encontros foram destinados à aprendizagem conceitual via os métodos Ensino sob Medida e Instrução pelos Colegas, três encontros para resolução de problemas numéricos tradicionais e dois encontros para aplicação do teste inicial/final. A análise dos resultados relativos a desempenho demonstra que a turma, composta por 30 alunos, obteve um ganho de aprendizagem estatisticamente significativo. Uma análise qualitativa sobre a receptividade dos alunos aos métodos de ensino apresenta resultados bastante positivos. Para o desenvolvimento da proposta foram elaborados textos de apoio, vídeos, questões conceituais e questões numéricas, um teste conceitual, um minidocumentário e um questionário de avaliação da aplicação dos métodos, que integram o produto educacional resultante deste mestrado. / This work aimed to develop a high school level didactical unit about fundamental concepts of Electromagnetism, suitable for use with two physics education research-based methods: Just-in-Time Teaching and Peer Instruction. Our proposal was implemented in a fourth semester class of a public high school, at a Brazilian city (Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul). The teaching methods were chosen, as well the elaboration of instructional materials, based on the main principles of Ausubel´s meaningful learning theory and on Vygotsky’s social interaction theory. The didactical unit was organized in 12 meetings of one hour and thirty minutes each. Seven of these meetings were intended for conceptual learning via Just-in-Time Teaching and Peer Instruction; three meetings, to solve traditional problems and two meetings for application of a pre/post-test. The performance analysis of the 30 students enrolled in the course shows that they achieved statistically significant learning gains. A qualitative analysis of the student’s receptivity to the teaching methods showed very positive results. The instructional materials are composed of texts, videos, conceptual and numerical questions, a pre/post-test, a short documentary and a questionnaire for evaluating the application of the methods. All of these constitute the educational product resulting from this Master dissertation.

Este trabalho teve como objetivo elaborar uma unidade didática em nível de Ensino Médio sobre conceitos fundamentais de Eletromagnetismo, adequada para utilização com os métodos de ensino-aprendizagem Ensino sob Medida e Instrução pelos Colegas e implementá-la em uma turma do quarto semestre do Ensino Médio de uma escola pública de Pelotas-RS. O material desenvolvido e a escolha dos métodos de ensino foram subsidiados pelos aportes teóricos fornecidos pela Teoria da Aprendizagem Significativa de Ausubel e pela teoria Sociointeracionista de Vygotsky. As aulas foram estruturadas em 12 encontros de uma hora e trinta minutos cada um, sendo que sete desses encontros foram destinados à aprendizagem conceitual via os métodos Ensino sob Medida e Instrução pelos Colegas, três encontros para resolução de problemas numéricos tradicionais e dois encontros para aplicação do teste inicial/final. A análise dos resultados relativos a desempenho demonstra que a turma, composta por 30 alunos, obteve um ganho de aprendizagem estatisticamente significativo. Uma análise qualitativa sobre a receptividade dos alunos aos métodos de ensino apresenta resultados bastante positivos. Para o desenvolvimento da proposta foram elaborados textos de apoio, vídeos, questões conceituais e questões numéricas, um teste conceitual, um minidocumentário e um questionário de avaliação da aplicação dos métodos, que integram o produto educacional resultante deste mestrado. / This work aimed to develop a high school level didactical unit about fundamental concepts of Electromagnetism, suitable for use with two physics education research-based methods: Just-in-Time Teaching and Peer Instruction. Our proposal was implemented in a fourth semester class of a public high school, at a Brazilian city (Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul). The teaching methods were chosen, as well the elaboration of instructional materials, based on the main principles of Ausubel´s meaningful learning theory and on Vygotsky’s social interaction theory. The didactical unit was organized in 12 meetings of one hour and thirty minutes each. Seven of these meetings were intended for conceptual learning via Just-in-Time Teaching and Peer Instruction; three meetings, to solve traditional problems and two meetings for application of a pre/post-test. The performance analysis of the 30 students enrolled in the course shows that they achieved statistically significant learning gains. A qualitative analysis of the student’s receptivity to the teaching methods showed very positive results. The instructional materials are composed of texts, videos, conceptual and numerical questions, a pre/post-test, a short documentary and a questionnaire for evaluating the application of the methods. All of these constitute the educational product resulting from this Master dissertation.

The purpose of my study was to explain how adult learners in distance education experienced short message service (SMS) technology as a learning support tool. The study focused on a single unit of analysis, namely a SMS for academic purposes that was implemented in the final module, Practical Experience, of the Advanced Certificate in Education: Special Needs Education. This course is one of three in-service teacher training programmes offered by the Unit for Distance Education at the University of Pretoria (UP). The theoretical framework and literature review were operationalised by the development of a questionnaire. A record of the text message response schedules, and telephonic interviews comprised the other two data collection instruments. These data were integrated to provide an explanation of how learners experienced SMS technology as a learning support tool. Participants who were able to utilise and access the SMS said that it seemed to: motivate them, help them focus on their work and set goals. They could check on their progress and found the creation of flexible learning environments an additional benefit. Interactive learning environments that enabled them to construct new knowledge by actively engaging in the learning process benefited the participants. Constructivist principles of teaching and learning are inherent in this. The SMS did not seem to facilitate the development of interactive learning environments characterised by two-way communication channels for all the participants, as it also establishes one-way communication channels focused on delivering course content. Although participants indicated that this was helpful in giving them more information, they also expressed a need for more contact with their lecturers and with other learners for learning support purposes. Barriers to communication included faulty cellular phones, the cost of the SMS, and the lateness of text messages in relation to the due dates for assignments and projects. An overriding barrier was the difficulty participants seemed to have in understanding the instructions in the text messages. Recommendations are therefore made to improve future short message services in order to overcome this. / Dissertation (MEd (Educational Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Educational Psychology / MEd / unrestricted

Aplicativos educacionais podem promover diversos benefícios a professores e alunos, desde a redução de tarefas repetitivas à realização de atividades impossíveis com o uso de apenas lousa e papel. Módulos de Aprendizagem Interativa (iMA) são uma família de aplicativos educacionais que fornecem atividades interativas integradas a Sistemas de Gerenciamento de Cursos. O desenvolvimento de iMA, similarmente ao de outros sistemas criados em contexto de projetos acadêmicos, enfrenta problemas relacionados a manutenção e evolução de software, que afetam suas contribuições à sociedade. Isso é provocado principalmente pela degradação do código com o tempo e dos métodos ad-hoc utilizados, sem sistematização do processo ou procedimentos explícitos para prevenção desses problemas. Com o objetivo de aprimorar esse processo, esta dissertação apresenta uma Linha de Produto de Software (LPS) criada para o desenvolver iMA. O método usado para criá-la envolveu análise do domínio, formado pelos iMA existentes, a elaboração de um modelo de sistema para definir as responsabilidades das características obrigatórias, variantes e opcionais aos aplicativos, e a implementação de um arcabouço de aplicação. Assim, essa LPS consiste nesse arcabouço e seus manuais de funcionamento interno, utilização e evolução, promovendo reúso de código, arquitetura e processo. A avaliação deste trabalho foi conduzida com uma prova de conceito e um estudo de caso. A prova de conceito descreve o desenvolvimento de um novo iMA, chamado iTangran, apresentando a factibilidade da utilização da LPS para essa tarefa. O estudo de caso investigou com maior profundidade o impacto da LPS sobre a criação da nova versão de um aplicativo existente, chamado iVProg. Os resultados obtidos mostram que o oferecimento de um processo e uma arquitetura que guiam as tarefas do programador de iMA teve grande influência na sua percepção de produtividade e satisfação, além de contribuírem para a qualidade do código criado e sua documentação, fatores essenciais para a prevenção dos problemas de desenvolvimento enfrentados atualmente. / Educational software provide many benefits for teachers and students, from reducing repetitive tasks to offering assignments impossible with the use of only blackboard and paper. Interactive Learning Modules (iLM) are a family of educational systems which offer interactive assignments integrated with Learning Management Systems. The development of iLM, similarly to other software created in context of academic projects, faces issues related to software maintenance and evolution, which hinder their contributions to society. This is mainly caused by code degradation with time and to ad-hoc methods used, without a systematic process and explicit considerations to prevent these problems. With the goal of improving this process, this work presents a Software Product Line (SPL) for the development of iLM. The method used to create this SPL involved an analysis of the domain, which are the existing iLM, the creation of a system model in order to define the responsibilities of mandatory, variant and optional features among systems, and the implementation of an application framework. Therefore, the SPL consists of this framework and its manuals for internal operation, utilization and evolution, providing code, architecture and process reuse. Contributions of this work were evaluated by a proof of concept and a study case. The proof of concept describes the development of a new iLM called iTangran, presenting the possibility of using the SPL for this task. The study case investigated more deeply the SPL impact on the refactoring process of an existing iLM, iVProg. Results show that a guide and an architecture for the tasks undertaken by programmers have a significant influence on the perceived productivity and their satisfaction while working, also contributing to code and documentation quality, which are essential factors to prevent development problems such as those faced nowadays.