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A Tablet PC is a portable computing device which combines a regular notebook computer with a digitizing screen that interacts with a complementary electronic pen stylus. The pen allows the user to input data by writing on or by tapping the screen. Like a regular notebook computer, the user can also perform tasks using the mouse and keyboard. A Tablet PC gives the users all the features of a regular notebook computer along with the support to recognize, process, and store electronic/digital ink, enabling a user to make and save hand-written notes or data. In institutions of teaching and learning, instructors often use computer-based materials like web pages, PowerPoint® slides, etc., to explain subject matter. The ability to annotate on presentation information using the electronic stylus of a Tablet PC has attracted the attention of the academic community to use the Tablet PC as a potential tool for increasing the effectiveness of presentations in teaching and learning. Tablet PC-based applications such as OneNote®, WindowsJournal® and Classroom Presenter have been developed to enhance note-taking in classrooms based on the fact that a pen stylus is a more natural form of input device for making notes on the computer as compared to the regular keyboard and mouse. Although tools like OneNote®, WindowsJournal® enhanced the note-taking process on the Tablet PC, they lacked the ability to allow the user to directly annotate on the lecture content. Classroom Presenter provides the ability to integrate classroom notes and the presentation material by allowing the instructors and students to annotate over the lecture material. However, all the above tools lacked the ability to allow a user to take notes over the output window of an arbitrary application like Excel, an active simulator or a movies players output. The Tablet PC based tool, WriteOn, developed at Virginia Tech, addresses this drawback. WriteOn, when deployed on the Tablet PC in a classroom environment, allows the instructor to utilize electronic ink to annotate on top of any application window visible on the Tablet PC display screen, including those that play active content like a movie or simulation. WriteOn facilitates a user to annotate over a dynamic application window by activating its virtual transparency surface called the eVellum (electronic vellum). The user can view a movie or an active simulation running in the eVellum background because of its transparent color. The user can deactivate the eVellum to make it invisible by "piercing" it if he/she wishes to access the desktop or an application window under the vellum window. WriteOn provides the instructor with the ability to broadcast a composite of the dynamic lecture content and ink annotations to the students in real-time. The term dynamic lecture contents is meant to indicate that the content being annotated need not be static words on a background, but may also be window contents that are changing in time. Using WriteOn, the students can make their own notes by writing on the eVellum enabled on top of the lecture stream window without losing visibility of the lecture. The instructor/student can save the ink annotations along with base lecture material as a movie file. The ability of WriteOn to improve classroom presentation and student note-taking as shown by initial tests, were pedagogically very useful. However, in order to deploy WriteOn on large scale in classrooms as an active and effective teaching tool of choice, several aspects of the application had to be improved. One aspect of the application that needed improvement was the user interface. The primitive Graphical User Interface (GUI) of the WriteOn tool was not easily usable by instructors and students from non-computer science backgrounds. The second aspect needing improvement was the operational performance of the application in terms of its CPU resource utilization. The WriteOn tool has shown to have operational performance issues during the screen capture process. This research therefore aims to address improvements in the GUI to make it more user friendly and increase the operational performance to the point where the user does not notice degradation of a base lecture application. Incorporation of these improvements has led us to rename the application as WriteOn1.0. WriteOn1.0 implements a picture-based GUI that comprises of two forms: a main form that appears shortly after WriteOn1.0 starts and a toolbar. The WriteOn1.0 toolbar appears in the center of the top edge of the display as soon as the user initiates a task like a screen recording session, by clicking on the appropriate menu button on the main form. The toolbar provides the user, accessibility to perform all the desired activities like annotating, screen recording, presentation broadcast, and piercing of the eVellum by a single-click of the appropriate menu icon. Tool tips that appear when the user points the mouse over a picture icon on the toolbar, explain the task that shall be performed when he/she clicks on the underlying menu icon. WriteOn1.0 introduces a window-like resizable and movable eVellum called the scalable eVellum that it activates in the area of interest specified by the user. Unlike the first implementation of the eVellum which had a fixed location and spanned the entirety of the user's desktop window, the instructor/student define the dimensions of the scalable eVellum and can choose to re-dimension, relocate and pierce through it at any point of time during a session. WriteOn1.0 also introduces the transparent mode of operation wherein the instructor/student, without having to deactivate the scalable eVellum can access any underlying window by a right-click of the mouse on the eVellum surface while the ink annotations are intact on the foreground. WriteOn1.0 addresses the operational performance issues observed during a screen capture session in WriteOn by capturing the activities only in the area of interest of the user for recording and broadcasting. By combining this scheme with a with a lossless screen capture codec called the MSU screen capture codec that has a high-compression ratio and that is optimized for speed for data compression, WriteOn1.0 greatly improves the operational CPU performance of the tool. WriteOn1.0 employs various technologies to implement its features. The improvements to operational performance are implemented by using the MSU screen codec from Moscow State University's Graphics and Media Lab. Microsoft®'s Video for Windows Framework (VfW) and WindowsMedia Player API's are used to realize the module that records the screen activities to an AVI file while DirectShow of DirectX and ConferenceXP API's are used for streaming presentations over a network. WriteOn1.0, with its features like its scalable eVellum, good operational performance and picture-based GUI is aimed at potentially making it a teaching tool of choice across classrooms and changing the method of classroom instruction of courses involving dynamic content. / Master of Science

Le cancer de la prostate est le premier cancer en fréquence et la 3ème cause de mortalité chez l’homme en France, enjeu majeur de santé publique avec environ 50 000 nouveaux cas diagnostiqués par an. Son diagnostic est suspecté devant un toucher rectal anormal ou une élévation du taux de l’antigène spécifique prostatique (PSA). Les biopsies prostatiques randomisées, écho-guidées, sont actuellement recommandées en première intention pour confirmer le diagnostic et définir la localisation, le volume, et l’agressivité tumorale par le score de Gleason. Les difficultés de l’enseignement du geste de biopsie prostatique par compagnonnage, sans retour réellement quantifié sur la répartition des biopsies, sont une des explications du manque de précision des biopsies.C’est dans ce contexte qu’a été développé le simulateur Biopsym, environnement pédagogique permettant l’enseignement des biopsies prostatiques à l’aide de 7 exercices et d’un module simulant une série de 12 biopsies randomisées. Plusieurs niveaux d’assistance et un retour sur les performances réalisées par l’apprenant sont proposés. Une première étude avait permis de valider l’apparence et le contenu du simulateur, mais sa capacité à discriminer experts et novices (construit) n’avait pu être mise en évidence notamment en raison d’un manque de réalisme. Au cours de cette thèse, 2 nouvelles études de validation ont donc été réalisées sur une nouvelle version du simulateur. La première a permis d’en valider le construit. La seconde a permis de valider le transfert des compétences, c’est à dire la capacité des étudiants à reproduire les compétences acquises sur le simulateur en situation réelle. / Prostate cancer is the most common malignancy and the 3rd cause of death among men in France. It is a major public health problem with around 50 000 new cases diagnosed each year. The diagnosis is suspected based on an abnormal digital rectal examination or an increase in the prostatic specific antigen level (PSA). Systematic, randomized, ultrasound-guided prostate biopsies are currently recommended first-line to confirm the diagnosis and define the tumor location, volume, and aggressiveness using the Gleason grading system. The conventional training method, based on mentoring, without quantitative feedback on the distribution of the biopsies, has limitations which can partly explain the lack of precision offered by systematic prostate biopsies.The Biopsym simulator was designed in this context to enhance prostate biopsy teaching through 7 exercises and a module replicating the performance of a 12-core systematic biopsy scheme. Several levels of assistance can be offered and a performance feedback is provided. A first validation study allowed to validate face, content and reliability of the simulator, but failed to prove its ability to discriminate between experts and novices (construct validity), in part due to a lack of realism. Two new validation studies on the new version of the simulator were set up during this thesis. The first one allowed for validation of the construct. The second one was able to demonstrate the transfer of skills acquired on the simulator under real-life conditions.

The problem with which this study is concerned is that of comparing the results of teaching community college students enrolled in a transferable mathematics sequence for business and economics majors by a computer-aided instructional program and by the traditional lecture method. In order to effectively resolve this problem, an A Programming Language System 360 (APL/360)-aided instructional program was developed and an experimental study was conducted. The APL/360-aided instructional program consisted of three sets of materials.: a manuscript on APL/360, a list of APL programs defining operators relevant to a computer-aided study of calculus, and a collection of problems based on these programs and calculus concepts. The subjects for the experiment were forty-four students enrolled in three sections of Mathematics 112 at Mountain View College of the Dallas County Community College District. The control group, students taught by the traditional lecture method, consisted of twenty-one students. The experimental group, students taught by the APL/360-aided instructional program, consisted of twenty-three students. The same instructor taught all students. The essential difference in the two teaching methods was the use of the computer as a teaching-learning aid in the computer-aided instructional program. The computer was a course supplement to classroom instruction and aided students in obtaining insight into the nature of mathematical concepts as well as serving as a computational aid.

The purpose of this study was to build upon recent research dealing with the ways children of primary school age operate when composing original music. Through examining the musical and structural content of the musical products, and linking these features to working procedures in the composition process, the aim was to explore the interaction between process and product, and to identify any effects attributable to gender, age, or computer use. Control of the circumstances in which the compositions were generated made possible the examination of the activity of the subjects during the working period, providing data which was linked to features of the compositional products for possible "cause and effect". Compositions were collected from 60 primary school children aged 7, 9 and 11 years. Half of the students in each age-group used the computer to help them work out their music. There was equal gender representation in each subgroup. The working session of ten minutes for each child was recorded, and later analysed, to discover the pattern of activities taking place during the composition process. A second procedure was then undertaken which involved analysis of the final versions of the compositions of each subject. The pieces were evaluated by a panel of six judges who identified levels of achievement on a range of musical and structural items. The process and product data were analysed to ascertain the influence of gender, age and computer use. Any significant interactions between process variables and product variables were also noted. The research design proved to be useful and functional in providing empirical data that allowed detailed statistical analysis. The major significant results related to the process were: 1. Age was a significant factor in subjects' use of the compositional activities (i.e. exploration, development and repetition [implying closure] of musical ideas). 2. Computer-users developed their musical ideas more quickly during the compositional process than non-computer users. 3. There were significant 2-way interactions between age and computer use. The judges' evaluations of the product generated data that supported previous research that found a developmental sequence of stages in musical composition. Age was shown to be a significant influence in all factors derived from the developmental model. The significant period was between seven and nine years in all cases. Although significant differences attributable to gender were not revealed overall, females were predominant in the high scoring groups on some product variables. The influence of the computer emerged most clearly in profiles of subjects who received high/low scores from all judges in each of the main product variables. In the high scoring groups, computer users outnumbered non-computer users in every case. Little is known of the effects of the use of the computer by young children for composition. Further research is indicated in order to understand the impact of the computer on the creative and cognitive processes in music. There is a need for greater understanding of its role in this area of music education.

The present research was an investigation of the effects of computer assisted instruction as a supplement to classroom instruction in reading and arithmetic. The purposes of this study were to determine the effectiveness of microcomputer usage in supplemental reading comprehension and math instruction. Utilizing an elaboration of the pre-test, posttest control group design, 66 fifth graders completed the 4-month study. One-way analysis of covariance was used to analyze the data.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-12-23T14:01:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Antonio Luiz Santana.pdf: 6148411 bytes, checksum: cd31cbe164843d741952a86de490a1a8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-06-12 / O desenvolvimento tecnológico e a constante emergência de novos processos exigem cada vez mais do cidadão uma contínua formação tanto para a comunicação pessoal quanto para a vida profissional. Dessa forma, o acesso e o domínio de ferramentas tecnológicas emergem naturalmente como uma alternativa para a gestão do conhecimento na sociedade contemporânea onde o papel do professor e do aluno tendem a ser questionados e repensados. Nesse contexto, o objetivo deste estudo foi investigar a utilização do ambiente de aprendizagem baseado na internet Moodle como apoio ao ensino presencial na disciplina Teorias de Aprendizagem do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ensino de Física - Mestrado Profissional da Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo na busca de parâmetros e de uma métrica que contribuísse para o repensar desses papeis. A investigação foi conduzida a partir da construção de uma sala online para a disciplina no Ambiente Moodle e da adoção da metodologia de estudo de caso em uma perspectiva exploratória. A base de dados consistiu de informações originadas de relatórios da Plataforma Moodle, questionários, entrevistas com o professor da disciplina e estudantes matriculados, além de observação não participante. A análise de dados foi de natureza qualitativa combinada com elementos de analise quantitativa. Os resultados encontram ressonância na literatura e revelam o engajamento, tanto do professor da disciplina quanto dos estudantes matriculados, na utilização da sala online. Este fato permitiu o delineamento de parâmetros para uma métrica educacional para a integração da ambientes de aprendizagem baseados na internet como apoio ao ensino presencial, alem de apontar diretrizes para práticas educacionais inclusivas na busca de uma sociedade da aprendizagem / The technological development and the constant emergency of new processes demand from the citizen an increasingly continuous training for personal communication as well as for their professional life. Thus, the access and mastering of the technological tools natually emerge as an alternative for the management of the knowledge in modern society where the role of both teachers and students tend to be questioned and considered. In this context, the purpose of this research was to investigate the use of the Moodle-based E-learning environments as a support to the face to face teaching in the subject Learning Methodologies in the Postgraduation Program in Physics Teaching-Professional Master s Degree of Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo in search of parameters and of a metric performance which contributed for the reconsidering of these roles. The investigation was conducted from the construction of a virtual classsroom for the subject in the Moodle Environment and the adoption of the exploratory case study methodology. The database consisted of information stemmed from the Moodle Platform reports, questionaires, interviews with the subject professor and enrolled students, besides the non-participant observation. The data analysis was developed in qualitative studies combined with elements of quantitave studies. The results rely on literature and reveal the engagement of both the subject professor and the enrolled students in the use of the virtual classroom. This fact allowed the design of parameters for an educational metric performance for the integration of e-learning environments as support to the face to face teaching, besides pointing guidelines on inclusion in educational practices in search of a learning society