H παρούσα εργασία , έγινε στα πλαίσια της Διπλωματικής εργασίας, με θέμα : «Aλγοριθμική επίλυση προβλήματος» Στην εργασία επιχειρείται, η κατάθεση εμπειριών, προβληματισμών και προτάσεων σχετικών με την εισαγωγή και αξιοποίηση Logo περιβάλλοντος στη διδακτική πράξη και συγκεκριμένα του Microworlds pro, με σκοπό την ανάδειξη σημαντικών πτυχών της σχεδίασης, ανάπτυξης, εφαρμογής και αξιολόγησης εκπαιδευτικών σεναρίων και δραστηριοτήτων, στο πλαίσιο της αποτελεσματικής ένταξης των εκπαιδευτικών λογισμικών, στη διδακτική της Πληροφορικής. Η διαδικασία που ακολουθεί περιλαμβάνει τρία βήματα: α) δημιουργία κινήτρου, β) οικοδόμηση της γνώσης μέσω της διερεύνησης και συνεργασίας, γ) εφαρμογή-αναδόμηση της γνώσης. Σκοπός των μαθημάτων, που πραγματοποιήθηκαν σε μαθητές της Γ΄ Γυμνασίου, ήταν να αποκτήσουν οι μαθητές ,ευχέρεια στη χρήση συμβολικών μέσων έκφρασης, για την αναπαράσταση της διαδικασίας επίλυσης προβλημάτων, να αναπτύξουν αναλυτική συνθετική σκέψη και να ασκηθούν στα βασικά δομικά στοιχεία και τις έννοιες του προγραμματισμού. Στόχος, δεν ήταν να μάθουν μια γλώσσα προγραμματισμού, αλλά να κατανοήσουν την έννοια του Αλγόριθμου, δηλαδή ,να μπορούν να αναλύσουν ένα απλό πρόβλημα σε ακολουθία σαφώς ορισμένων και πεπερασμένων βημάτων. / The present work , became in the frames of Diplomatic work, on the subject: " Algorithmic resolution of problem " In the work is attempted, the deposit of experiences, reflections and proposals relative with the import and exploitation Reason of environment in the instructive practice and concretely the Microworlds prο, aiming at the appointment of important aspects of designing, growth, application and evaluation of educational scripts and activities, in the frame of effective integration of educational softwares, in the didactics of Information technology. The process that follows includes three steps: a) creation of motive, v) construction of knowledge via the investigation and collaboration, c) application of knowledge. Aim of courses, that were realised in students of c class, of High school, was acquires the students, occasion in the use of symbolic means of expression, for the representation of process of resolution of problems, to develop analytic synthetic thought and to practise itself in the basic structural elements and the significances of planning. Objective, was not they learn a language of planning, but they comprehend the significance of Algorithm, that is to say, they can analyze a simple problem in sequence of course certain and finite steps.

Studying team performance dynamics in tasks and activities has proven difficult because of the dynamic and unpredictable nature of the real world. Microworld systems aim to address that issue by providing researchers with controllable simulated environments that captures the essence of their real-world counterpart activities. This study utilized one such microworld system, called C3Fire, to simulate a forest firefighting setting where 48 participants divided into 12 teams were tasked with cooperating in extinguishing the fires. Teams consisted of four roles – each with its different responsibilities and resources. The aim of this study was to determine whether any individual team role had a greater impact on team performance than the other roles. Each team encountered three distinct scenarios of varying difficulty. Command input action counts and self-assessed performance scores were collected for each participant. These measurements were tested for correlations with team scores. The logistics chief role, who was responsible for re-filling and re-fueling other units, stood out as being the only role whose command input count correlated with team score, and being one of only two roles for which command inputs and self-assessed performance scores were correlated, as well. Results of a multiple regression procedure also indicated that the command counts of the logistics chief was a significant predictor of team score.

In this licentiate thesis, I present detailed case studies of students as they make use of simulated digital learning environments to engage with physics phenomena. In doing so, I reveal the moment-to-moment minutiae of physics students’ open-ended inquiry in the presence of two digital tools, namely the sandbox software Algodoo and the PhET simulation My Solar System (both running on an interactive whiteboard). As this is a topic which has yet to receive significant attention in the physics education research community, I employ an interpretivist, case-oriented methodology to illustrate, build, and refine several theoretical perspectives. Notably, I combine the notion of semi-formalisms with the notion of Newtonian modeling, I illustrate how Algodoo can be seen to function as a Papertian microworld, I meaningfully combine the theoretical perspectives of social semiotics and embodied cognition into a single analytic lens, and I reveal the need for a more nuanced taxonomy of students’ embodiment during physics learning activities. Each of the case studies presented in this thesis makes use of conversation analysis in a fine-grained examination of video-recorded, small-group student interactions. Of particular importance to this process is my attention to students’ non-verbal communication via gestures, gaze, body position, haptic-touch, and interactions with the environment. In this way, I bring into focus the multimodally-rich, often informal interactions of students as they deal with physics content. I make visible the ways in which the students (1) make the conceptual connection between the physical world and the formal/mathematical domain of disciplinary physics, (2) make informal and creative use of mathematical representations, and (3) incorporate their bodies to mechanistically reason about physical phenomena. Across each of the cases presented in this thesis, I show how, while using open-ended software on an interactive whiteboard, students can communicate and reason about physics phenomena in unexpectedly fruitful ways.

<p>This thesis combines theories from cross-cultural psychology with literature on group faultlines to understand cultural barriers to communication and cooperation experienced in multinational emergency management teams. The aim is to investigate whether the faultline concept is a viable theoretical vocabulary for addressing cultural differences in communication and cooperation (in the domain of emergency management). Culture is defined as a relatively organized system of shared meanings which influences people’s cognition, values, behaviors, and so on. Group faultlines are hypothetical dividing lines that may split a team into homogeneous subgroups based on demographic characteristics. Three papers are included in the thesis, all of which investigate various aspects of group behavior in relation to emergency management. Results suggest that faultlines can be formed not only by demographic characteristics, but also by culturally-driven behavior. The results presented in the papers and in this thesis are meant to supply emergency management personnel with general knowledge of cultural differences and ideas for future ‘cultural awareness’ training. The thesis contributes to the scientific community by taking cross-cultural research into the applied domain so that its findings can be made relevant to people in multinational organizations.</p>

This thesis combines theories from cross-cultural psychology with literature on group faultlines to understand cultural barriers to communication and cooperation experienced in multinational emergency management teams. The aim is to investigate whether the faultline concept is a viable theoretical vocabulary for addressing cultural differences in communication and cooperation (in the domain of emergency management). Culture is defined as a relatively organized system of shared meanings which influences people’s cognition, values, behaviors, and so on. Group faultlines are hypothetical dividing lines that may split a team into homogeneous subgroups based on demographic characteristics. Three papers are included in the thesis, all of which investigate various aspects of group behavior in relation to emergency management. Results suggest that faultlines can be formed not only by demographic characteristics, but also by culturally-driven behavior. The results presented in the papers and in this thesis are meant to supply emergency management personnel with general knowledge of cultural differences and ideas for future ‘cultural awareness’ training. The thesis contributes to the scientific community by taking cross-cultural research into the applied domain so that its findings can be made relevant to people in multinational organizations.

TITLE: LEGO Mindstorms: Didactic utilization in mathematics with a focus on fractals ABSTRACT: The objective of this thesis is to determine whether the teaching of fractal geometry supported by computer and robotic LEGO Mindstorms NXT has its place in the education of primary and secondary schools pupils in the Czech Republic. The theoretical part focuses on key topics and personalities closely connected to fractal geometry problematics. It provides a brief historical overview of the fractal geometry development, its potential use in teaching mathematics (with reference to Turkish curriculum documents), and a description of LEGO Mindstorms NXT which can well serve as a manual for teachers and pupils. The practical part contains instructions for building a robotic turtle as well as a proposal of teaching block aimed to support pupils' algorithmic and geometric thinking including key competencies. Quantitative comparison of the results taken from Turkish studies and evaluation of the project by the author and pupils are a part of the experiment as well. KEYWORDS: LEGO Mindstorms NXT, fractal, programming, Logo, learning by doing, turtle, Papert, L-system, microworlds

The recent development of virtual reality (VR) technology carries powerful potential that can be utilised to facilitate the learning of 3D geometry. Therefore, a new approach for teaching and learning of 3D geometry that utilises a virtual reality learning environment (VRLE) is proposed in this research study. This research study aimed to: (a) design and evaluate a VRLE to facilitate the learning of 3D geometry concepts and processes by upper primary school students, and (b) generate theoretical and design principles that will have application both within and beyond the immediate research study. The research methodology employed was design experiments or design-based research. Informed by this methodology, the research design consisted of iterative cycles of developing/revising a conceptual framework, designing/prototyping a VRLE, enacting/evaluating the VRLE, and reflecting/redesigning the research. An initial conceptual framework was generated through extensive literature review to inform the design and evaluation of a VRLE. Based on the conceptual framework, a prototype VRLE named VRMath was then designed and implemented. The enactment and evaluation of VRMath consisted of two iterations. Iteration 1 (six hours/sessions with two students of Year 5 and 6) was conducted using the prototype VRMath (Yeh & Nason, 2004). Based on the findings from Iteration 1, nine learning activities were developed and research protocols (e.g., observation and interview) were revised for Iteration 2. Iteration 2 involved six primary school students (Year 4-5) for eight weeks (two hours/sessions per week). Findings from Iteration 2 confirmed and identified some usability issues of VRMath system and many new ways of thinking and doing 3D geometry when students interacted with VRMath. These have implications on the design of VRMath and the teaching and learning of 3D geometry within the VRMath environment. Justifications about the conceptual framework and students' learning within VRMath were made after the two iterations of enactment and evaluation. The learning activities and VRMath were also revised and redesigned for the preparation of future iterations. After a full cycle of the design-experiments, this research study concluded with a proto-theory (semiotic framework) for the design of and learning within VRLEs, and visions for using VRLEs in mathematic and technology education.

The modern business environment requires managers to make decisions in a dynamic and uncertain world. In the current study, experimenters investigated the effects of a brief training aimed at improving dynamic decision making (DDM) skills on individual performance in a virtual DDM task. During the training, experimenters explained the DDM process, stressed the importance of self-reflection in DDM, and provided 3 selfreflective questions to guide participants during the task. Additionally, experimenters explored whether participants low or high in self-reflection would perform better in the task and whether participants low or high in self-reflection would benefit more from the training. Participants were 68 graduate business students. They individually managed a computer-simulated chocolate production company called CHOCO FINE and answered surveys to assess self-reflection and demographics. Results showed that students trained in DDM made decisions leading to better management performance in CHOCO FINE compared to untrained students. Self-reflection scores also predicted performance in this virtual business, and participants low in self-reflection benefitted the most from training. Organizations could use DDM training to establish and promote a culture that values selfreflective decision making.

Despite widespread recognition by science educators, researchers and K-12 frameworks that scientific inquiry should be an essential part of science education, typical classrooms and assessments still emphasize rote vocabulary, facts, and formulas. One of several reasons for this is that the rigorous assessment of complex inquiry skills is still in its infancy. Though progress has been made, there are still many challenges that hinder inquiry from being assessed in a meaningful, scalable, reliable and timely manner. To address some of these challenges and to realize the possibility of formative assessment of inquiry, we describe a novel approach for evaluating, tracking, and scaffolding inquiry process skills. These skills are demonstrated as students experiment with computer-based simulations. In this work, we focus on two skills related to data collection, designing controlled experiments and testing stated hypotheses. Central to this approach is the use and extension of techniques developed in the Intelligent Tutoring Systems and Educational Data Mining communities to handle the variety of ways in which students can demonstrate skills. To evaluate students' skills, we iteratively developed data-mined models (detectors) that can discern when students test their articulated hypotheses and design controlled experiments. To aggregate and track students' developing latent skill across activities, we use and extend the Bayesian Knowledge-Tracing framework (Corbett & Anderson, 1995). As part of this work, we directly address the scalability and reliability of these models' predictions because we tested how well they predict for student data not used to build them. When doing so, we found that these models demonstrate the potential to scale because they can correctly evaluate and track students' inquiry skills. The ability to evaluate students' inquiry also enables the system to provide automated, individualized feedback to students as they experiment. As part of this work, we also describe an approach to provide such scaffolding to students. We also tested the efficacy of these scaffolds by conducting a study to determine how scaffolding impacts acquisition and transfer of skill across science topics. When doing so, we found that students who received scaffolding versus students who did not were better able to acquire skills in the topic in which they practiced, and also transfer skills to a second topic when was scaffolding removed. Our overall findings suggest that computer-based simulations augmented with real-time feedback can be used to reliably measure the inquiry skills of interest and can help students learn how to demonstrate these skills. As such, our assessment approach and system as a whole shows promise as a way to formatively assess students' inquiry.

Despite widespread recognition by science educators, researchers and K-12 frameworks that scientific inquiry should be an essential part of science education, typical classrooms and assessments still emphasize rote vocabulary, facts, and formulas. One of several reasons for this is that the rigorous assessment of complex inquiry skills is still in its infancy. Though progress has been made, there are still many challenges that hinder inquiry from being assessed in a meaningful, scalable, reliable and timely manner. To address some of these challenges and to realize the possibility of formative assessment of inquiry, we describe a novel approach for evaluating, tracking, and scaffolding inquiry process skills. These skills are demonstrated as students experiment with computer-based simulations. In this work, we focus on two skills related to data collection, designing controlled experiments and testing stated hypotheses. Central to this approach is the use and extension of techniques developed in the Intelligent Tutoring Systems and Educational Data Mining communities to handle the variety of ways in which students can demonstrate skills. To evaluate students' skills, we iteratively developed data-mined models (detectors) that can discern when students test their articulated hypotheses and design controlled experiments. To aggregate and track students' developing latent skill across activities, we use and extend the Bayesian Knowledge-Tracing framework (Corbett & Anderson, 1995). As part of this work, we directly address the scalability and reliability of these models' predictions because we tested how well they predict for student data not used to build them. When doing so, we found that these models demonstrate the potential to scale because they can correctly evaluate and track students' inquiry skills. The ability to evaluate students' inquiry also enables the system to provide automated, individualized feedback to students as they experiment. As part of this work, we also describe an approach to provide such scaffolding to students. We also tested the efficacy of these scaffolds by conducting a study to determine how scaffolding impacts acquisition and transfer of skill across science topics. When doing so, we found that students who received scaffolding versus students who did not were better able to acquire skills in the topic in which they practiced, and also transfer skills to a second topic when was scaffolding removed. Our overall findings suggest that computer-based simulations augmented with real-time feedback can be used to reliably measure the inquiry skills of interest and can help students learn how to demonstrate these skills. As such, our assessment approach and system as a whole shows promise as a way to formatively assess students' inquiry.