Research has studied information seeking behaviour and several models have been developed. Those models were further modified following the emergence of the web. At the beginning of the 2000s, research started focusing on the concept of a user task instead of an activity or a simple action. The studies conducted were aimed to categorize the user activities into high level tasks. Investigating the tasks identified is anticipated to assist with developing tools and applications that would help the user to accomplish those tasks. After categorizing the user information seeking activities into high-level tasks, research continued to investigate changes in the frequencies of the tasks identified. Changes in the user behaviour that accompanied the evolution of the web and its applications have been targeted for improving how users interact with tools intended for accomplishing user activities. However, there has been little emphasis on studying the high-level tasks identified in the case of the web. Even though those tasks differ substantially, users have been using the same web browsing model to accomplish most of the activities under each type of task. The research discussed in this dissertation is concerned with studying the task of information gathering which is also known as the informational task. This task was selected due to: 1) its high frequency on the web (between 48% and 61.25% of the overall tasks users perform); 2) its complexity and the ambiguity associated with the kind of activities that comprise the task; 3) the need for using multiple applications for accomplishing the requirements of this type of task; and 4) the necessity for collecting different types of data from different sources for satisfying the task requirements. The current state in research related to information gathering identifies this task based on a simple description of the user activities that distinguishes information gathering from other kinds of tasks. The research discussed in this dissertation: 1) provides a thorough definition of the task, 2) models its underlying subtasks (sets of related activities), and 3) investigates difficulties and issues associated with each subtask. The investigations lead to design recommendations that resulted in building specific features to be examined during information gathering tasks. The research concluded by providing final recommendations based on the findings which resulted from investigating those features.

Current advances in mobile technology have enabled the formation of mobile technology enriched learning environments. This study documents a specific experimental research project in which secondary school learners used mobile cellular phones as a form of mobile technology to create, support and enhance a learning event in physical science studies. Although students used their own mobile phones for the duration of the research, they could connect to the MobilED platform used in this study to access information that they had previously created online. Mobile phones therefore served to extend the physical boundaries of the classroom by creating an ubiquitous and personal learning experience for each student. The experimental learning event was central to the design of the research. The iterative component of the design made it possible for the facilitator to operate as a “reflective practitioner” (Reeves, 2005) who could manipulate the components of the lesson in a quest for optimal success. The data and conclusions of the study confirm that that the texting function of mobile phones may be effective in furthering communication, cooperative learning and access to content. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Curriculum Studies / unrestricted

Studien utforskar ett arbetsperspektiv för produktdesigners i användningen av prototyper, och bidrar därmed till efterfrågan av mer kunskap kring prototypen som verktyg eller metod inom designområdet. Baserat på en hypotes kring appliceringen av externa teorier i utvecklingen och användningen av prototyper, utforskar studien detta genom temat entomofagi som är praktiken av att äta insekter. Studiens övergripande metodik är av kvalitativ karaktär, förstudien använder sig av desktop research, en intervju och ett studiebesök. Det efterföljande designarbetet består av två designexperiment, det första som en intervention tillsammans med en observation och det andra som en digital probe. Designexperimenten utfördes iterativt och den insamlade datan analyserades tematiskt. Insikter från dessa experiment sammanställdes och analyserades mot huvudfrågan, som lyder hur kan produktdesignerns förståelse om prototypen breddas genom ett prototyparbete grundat i provokation? Studien resulterade i en arbetsmodell för produktdesigners som arbetar med designprocesser inom området kritisk och spekulativ design. Arbetsmodellen kallas Tubkikaren, den hjälper designpraktiker att definiera utgångspunkten och avsikten bakom valet och utvecklingen av prototyper i designprocesser. Modellen bär potentialen att underlätta designprocessen och utvecklingen av prototyper på en individuell nivå, samt utgör en möjlig grund för vidare utforskning av prototyper och designmetodik. / The study explores a possibility of how product designers can work with the method prototype, and thus make a contribution to the request for more knowledge about the prototype as a tool or method within the design field. Based on a hypothesis around the application of external theories in the developement and use of prototypes, the study explores this possibility through the theme of enthomophagy which is the practice of eating insects. The overall methodology of the study is qualitative, the pilot study conducts desktop research, an interview and a study visit. The following design work consists of two designexperiments, the first one as a public intervention paired with an observation and the second as a digital probe. The designexperiments were conducted iteratively and the data collected from the these is analyzed thematically. Finally, the insights collected from the designexperiments are gathered and analyzed against the main question, which is how can designers understanding of prototypes be broadened through design work based in provocation? The study resulted in a work modell for product designers that work with design processes within the area of critical and speculative design. The work model is called the Spotting Scope, and is inspired by its namesake. It helps design practitioners to define the starting point and intention behind the choice and developement of prototypes in design processes. This model carries the potential to alliviate the design process and development of prototypes on a individual level. It also carries the potential for creating a base for further exploration of prototypes and design methodology.

Background: Electronic prescribing systems are designed to aid in the complex process of prescribing by providing patient information and decision support at the point of care. Successful implementation and effectiveness depend on a variety of factors, including usability and user interface design, which influence how the information and decision support are relayed to users. Poorly designed systems have been found to be associated with medication errors. Methods: We conducted a factorial design study to investigate the impact of screen density, highlighting, and placement of information, on the accuracy of prescribing when using an e-prescribing system. Study sessions were held during clinical pharmacology educational rounds, where residents and medical students answered simulated prescribing scenarios presented on various e-prescribing system interface configurations. Assignment of prescribing scenarios to interface configurations and presentation order were randomized between study sessions. Participants were also asked about their preferences for specific user interface configurations. Results: A total of 66 participants completed 844 prescribing cases, with 583 (69%) cases answered correctly. The presence of highlighting was associated with correct prescribing decisions (p-value = 0.001), with 181 out of 250 (72.4%) prescribing scenarios answered correctly on interfaces with highlighting of key clinical information, as opposed to 156 out of 242 (64.5%) on interface configurations without. Low screen density and central placement of information were not found to be statistically significant predictors of prescribing accuracy. The presence of highlighting was the only factor that the majority of participants (80.3%) preferred, but no effect was found when comparing prescribing accuracy on preferred versus non-preferred interface configurations. Conclusions: The factorial design methodology developed is a novel approach for efficient and objective evaluation of multiple user interface design factors in one study. Evidence-based design and usability principles are needed to enhance the design and appropriate use of e-prescribing systems as usability problems continue to be one of the primary reasons for dissatisfaction and poor levels of adoption. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

Nesta dissertação apresentamos uma sequência de atividades não tradicionais, com foco no ensino e na aprendizagem de Geometria, em particular no que se refere às Isometrias no Plano, elaboradas para alunos de Ensino Fundamental, e o resultado de sua aplicação a oito turmas de 9o ano, como forma de desenvolver habilidades de raciocínio desses alunos. Utilizamos para esse experimento o Design Experiment, experimento de ensino fundamentado no aprimoramento contínuo, e a teoria de Van Hiele baseada na tese de doutorado de Adela Jaime-Pastor (1993), com uma série de atividades elaboradas e aplicadas pela professora/pesquisadora envolvendo as translações e as reflexões, através das fases de aprendizagem e níveis de raciocínio que os alunos desenvolvem com a aplicação dessa teoria. Esse experimento foi dividido em dois momentos, aplicação com quatro turmas de 9o ano em 2015 e aplicação com outras quatro turmas de 9o ano em 2016, subdivididos em outras duas situações, atividades sobre translações e atividades sobre reflexões. Os dados desse experimento foram obtidos através das produções dos alunos, que trabalharam em duplas, em sala de aula, registrados por meio de fotos, vídeos e áudios gravados pela própria pesquisadora. Também utilizamos as bonecas de papel de Brigitte Servatius (1997), com as quais foram trabalhadas translações e reflexões. Os alunos participantes do experimento finalizaram-no com noções sólidas das características das isometrias e um visível progresso em seu nível de conhecimento. A forma como as atividades foram realizadas trouxeram reflexos na rotina desses estudantes em sala de aula, tornando evidente que a busca por situações que despertem o interesse dos alunos de forma inovadora pode gerar melhores resultados e a motivação de uma contínua aprendizagem. / In this dissertation we present a sequence of non-traditional activities, focusing on the teaching and learning of Geometry, in particular regarding the Isometrics in the Plan, elaborated for elementary school students, and the result of its application to eight classes of 9th grade , As a way to develop students\' reasoning skills. We used for this experiment the Design Experiment, a teaching experiment based on continuous improvement, and Van Hiele\'s theory based on Adela Jaime-Pastor\'s (1993) doctoral thesis, with a series of activities elaborated and applied by the teacher/researcher involving the translations and the reflections, through the phases of learning and levels of reasoning that the students develop with the application of this theory. This experiment was divided in two moments, application with four classes of 9th grade in 2015 and application with four other groups of 9th grade in 2016, subdivided into two other situations, activities on translations and activities on reflections. The data of this experiment were obtained through the productions of the students, who worked in doubles, in the classroom, recorded through photos, videos and audios recorded by the researcher herself. We also used the paper dolls of Brigitte Servatius (1997), with which we worked on translations and reflections. The students participating in the experiment finalized it with solid notions of the characteristics of the isometries and a visible progress in their level of knowledge. The way the activities were carried out brought reflexes to the routine of these students in the classroom, making it evident that the search for situations that arouse the students\' interest in an innovative way can generate better results and the motivation of continuous learning.

Nesta dissertação apresentamos uma sequência de atividades não tradicionais, com foco no ensino e na aprendizagem de Geometria, em particular no que se refere às Isometrias no Plano, elaboradas para alunos de Ensino Fundamental, e o resultado de sua aplicação a oito turmas de 9o ano, como forma de desenvolver habilidades de raciocínio desses alunos. Utilizamos para esse experimento o Design Experiment, experimento de ensino fundamentado no aprimoramento contínuo, e a teoria de Van Hiele baseada na tese de doutorado de Adela Jaime-Pastor (1993), com uma série de atividades elaboradas e aplicadas pela professora/pesquisadora envolvendo as translações e as reflexões, através das fases de aprendizagem e níveis de raciocínio que os alunos desenvolvem com a aplicação dessa teoria. Esse experimento foi dividido em dois momentos, aplicação com quatro turmas de 9o ano em 2015 e aplicação com outras quatro turmas de 9o ano em 2016, subdivididos em outras duas situações, atividades sobre translações e atividades sobre reflexões. Os dados desse experimento foram obtidos através das produções dos alunos, que trabalharam em duplas, em sala de aula, registrados por meio de fotos, vídeos e áudios gravados pela própria pesquisadora. Também utilizamos as bonecas de papel de Brigitte Servatius (1997), com as quais foram trabalhadas translações e reflexões. Os alunos participantes do experimento finalizaram-no com noções sólidas das características das isometrias e um visível progresso em seu nível de conhecimento. A forma como as atividades foram realizadas trouxeram reflexos na rotina desses estudantes em sala de aula, tornando evidente que a busca por situações que despertem o interesse dos alunos de forma inovadora pode gerar melhores resultados e a motivação de uma contínua aprendizagem. / In this dissertation we present a sequence of non-traditional activities, focusing on the teaching and learning of Geometry, in particular regarding the Isometrics in the Plan, elaborated for elementary school students, and the result of its application to eight classes of 9th grade , As a way to develop students\' reasoning skills. We used for this experiment the Design Experiment, a teaching experiment based on continuous improvement, and Van Hiele\'s theory based on Adela Jaime-Pastor\'s (1993) doctoral thesis, with a series of activities elaborated and applied by the teacher/researcher involving the translations and the reflections, through the phases of learning and levels of reasoning that the students develop with the application of this theory. This experiment was divided in two moments, application with four classes of 9th grade in 2015 and application with four other groups of 9th grade in 2016, subdivided into two other situations, activities on translations and activities on reflections. The data of this experiment were obtained through the productions of the students, who worked in doubles, in the classroom, recorded through photos, videos and audios recorded by the researcher herself. We also used the paper dolls of Brigitte Servatius (1997), with which we worked on translations and reflections. The students participating in the experiment finalized it with solid notions of the characteristics of the isometries and a visible progress in their level of knowledge. The way the activities were carried out brought reflexes to the routine of these students in the classroom, making it evident that the search for situations that arouse the students\' interest in an innovative way can generate better results and the motivation of continuous learning.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-27T16:57:04Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Mitchell Christopher Sombra Evangelista.pdf: 3875607 bytes, checksum: 0ac2ae3a28c5c0d8e2bd66e9455ae4b2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-04-27 / Secretaria da Educação do Estado de São Paulo / The research described here reports on a qualitative research had the purpose to enable high school students in a public school in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo, implement and develop knowledge of mathematical object Isometric Transformations by Rotation, Translation and Reflection. Were used in this research, as motivating factors, the Ethnomatematics with Sona Geometry of African ethnic group called Cokwe and Dynamic Geometry using the software GeoGebra. The methodology, Design Experiment, enabled the improvement of a sequence of activities and created the final product of research. Levels of development psychogenetic Piaget and Garcia (1983), intrafigural, interfigural and transfigural possibility to observe the relationships between students identify geometric figures, their properties and structures. The development of this study revealed, made after the analysis of the protocols of the proposed activities, which supported the GeoGebra and Ethnomatematics favored the learning of Isometric Transformations / A pesquisa aqui descrita relata uma investigação de caráter qualitativo que teve como proposta possibilitar que alunos de Ensino Médio, de uma escola pública estadual da Região Metropolitana de São Paulo, aplicassem e desenvolvessem o conhecimento do objeto matemático Transformações Isométricas por meio da Rotação, Translação e Reflexão. Foram utilizados, nesta pesquisa, como elementos motivadores, a Etnomatemática com a Geometria Sona do grupo étnico africano chamado Cokwe e a Geometria Dinâmica com o uso do software GeoGebra. A metodologia utilizada, Design Experiment, possibilitou o aprimoramento de uma sequência de atividades e gerou o produto final da pesquisa. Os níveis de desenvolvimento psicogenéticos de Piaget e Garcia (1983), intrafigural, interfigural e transfigural possibilitaram verificar as relações que os alunos identificam entre as figuras geométricas, suas propriedades e estruturas. O desenvolvimento deste trabalho permitiu concluir, após as análises feitas dos protocolos das atividades propostas, que a Etnomatemática, com apoio do GeoGebra, favoreceu a aprendizagem das Transformações Isométricas

<p>Med naturen och Learning study modellen som inspirationskällor har jag arbetat med tema träd under två veckor på en förskola med barn i åldrarna 3 – 6 år. För att tydligt kunna synliggöra barnets lärande har för- och eftertester varit en del av metodarbetet. Testerna genomfördes med hjälp av intervjuer. Barnen fick även rita teckningar av ett träd både vid förtestet och eftertestet. Detta som ett ytterligare komplement för att kunna se deras kunskapsutveckling. Under dessa två veckor mellan för- och eftertestet deltog barnen i olika aktiviteter på ett lekfullt och lustfyllt sätt. Genom hela arbetet användes en handdocka i form av en ekorre. Handdockan gjorde att även de barn som var lite reserverade vågade prata och ställa frågor. Vidare användes även olika lekar såsom tillexempel memory och Kims lek. Utifrån den här studien med inspiration från Learning study metoden kan man konstatera att barnens kunskap inom temat träd har utvecklats.</p>

Med naturen och Learning study modellen som inspirationskällor har jag arbetat med tema träd under två veckor på en förskola med barn i åldrarna 3 – 6 år. För att tydligt kunna synliggöra barnets lärande har för- och eftertester varit en del av metodarbetet. Testerna genomfördes med hjälp av intervjuer. Barnen fick även rita teckningar av ett träd både vid förtestet och eftertestet. Detta som ett ytterligare komplement för att kunna se deras kunskapsutveckling. Under dessa två veckor mellan för- och eftertestet deltog barnen i olika aktiviteter på ett lekfullt och lustfyllt sätt. Genom hela arbetet användes en handdocka i form av en ekorre. Handdockan gjorde att även de barn som var lite reserverade vågade prata och ställa frågor. Vidare användes även olika lekar såsom tillexempel memory och Kims lek. Utifrån den här studien med inspiration från Learning study metoden kan man konstatera att barnens kunskap inom temat träd har utvecklats.

La investigación presenta una propuesta didáctica sobre el aprendizaje de la derivada, a través de las relaciones entre pendiente y razón de cambio, conceptos permitirán al estudiante construir un sistema de representaciones más sólido para acceder al estudio variacional. La investigación tiene el propósito de aminorar las dificultades que estos estudiantes enfrentan al realizar el estudio de las derivadas, dificultades como: la comprensión del concepto derivada, la relación entre la razón de cambio promedio y la razón de cambio instantáneo, concebir a la derivada como una función y deducir información relevante de situaciones gráficas, entre otros. Parte fundamental del experimento consiste en recurrir a la noción de los registros de representación. y la metodología de diseños experimentales A manera de conclusión se pudo señalar que, los estudiantes mostraron dificultades, cuando se enfrentaron a situaciones que involucran números decimales y números negativos, así como aminorar dificultades en la parte operativa básica. / The research presents a didactic proposal about derivative learning, through the relationship between slopes and rate of change, concepts that will allow students to build a more solid representation system to access the variation study. The study aims to reduce the difficulties these students face in the study of derivative, difficulties such as: understanding the concept derived the relationship between the average rate of change and instantaneous rate of change, conceive the derivative as a function and deduce the relevant information from graphs situations, among others. A fundamental part of the experiment consists in using the notion of the representation records and the methodology of experimental designs. In conclusion it could be noted that students showed difficulties when confronted with situations involving decimals and negative numbers as well as difficulties in basic operational part.