learning objectives relevant: Topics by Science.gov

Sample records for learning objectives relevant

Effect of tDCS on task relevant and irrelevant perceptual learning of complex objects.

PubMed

Van Meel, Chayenne; Daniels, Nicky; de Beeck, Hans Op; Baeck, Annelies

2016-01-01

During perceptual learning the visual representations in the brain are altered, but these changes' causal role has not yet been fully characterized. We used transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to investigate the role of higher visual regions in lateral occipital cortex (LO) in perceptual learning with complex objects. We also investigated whether object learning is dependent on the relevance of the objects for the learning task. Participants were trained in two tasks: object recognition using a backward masking paradigm and an orientation judgment task. During both tasks, an object with a red line on top of it were presented in each trial. The crucial difference between both tasks was the relevance of the object: the object was relevant for the object recognition task, but not for the orientation judgment task. During training, half of the participants received anodal tDCS stimulation targeted at the lateral occipital cortex (LO). Afterwards, participants were tested on how well they recognized the trained objects, the irrelevant objects presented during the orientation judgment task and a set of completely new objects. Participants stimulated with tDCS during training showed larger improvements of performance compared to participants in the sham condition. No learning effect was found for the objects presented during the orientation judgment task. To conclude, this study suggests a causal role of LO in relevant object learning, but given the rather low spatial resolution of tDCS, more research on the specificity of this effect is needed. Further, mere exposure is not sufficient to train object recognition in our paradigm.
Category learning increases discriminability of relevant object dimensions in visual cortex.

PubMed

Folstein, Jonathan R; Palmeri, Thomas J; Gauthier, Isabel

2013-04-01

Learning to categorize objects can transform how they are perceived, causing relevant perceptual dimensions predictive of object category to become enhanced. For example, an expert mycologist might become attuned to species-specific patterns of spacing between mushroom gills but learn to ignore cap textures attributable to varying environmental conditions. These selective changes in perception can persist beyond the act of categorizing objects and influence our ability to discriminate between them. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging adaptation, we demonstrate that such category-specific perceptual enhancements are associated with changes in the neural discriminability of object representations in visual cortex. Regions within the anterior fusiform gyrus became more sensitive to small variations in shape that were relevant during prior category learning. In addition, extrastriate occipital areas showed heightened sensitivity to small variations in shape that spanned the category boundary. Visual representations in cortex, just like our perception, are sensitive to an object's history of categorization.
Exploring emerging learning needs: a UK-wide consultation on environmental sustainability learning objectives for medical education.

PubMed

Walpole, Sarah C; Mortimer, Frances; Inman, Alice; Braithwaite, Isobel; Thompson, Trevor

2015-12-24

This study aimed to engage wide-ranging stakeholders and develop consensus learning objectives for undergraduate and postgraduate medical education. A UK-wide consultation garnered opinions of healthcare students, healthcare educators and other key stakeholders about environmental sustainability in medical education. The policy Delphi approach informed this study. Draft learning objectives were revised iteratively during three rounds of consultation: online questionnaire or telephone interview, face-to-face seminar and email consultation. Twelve draft learning objectives were developed based on review of relevant literature. In round one, 64 participants' median ratings of the learning objectives were 3.5 for relevance and 3.0 for feasibility on a Likert scale of one to four. Revisions were proposed, e.g. to highlight relevance to public health and professionalism. Thirty three participants attended round two. Conflicting opinions were explored. Added content areas included health benefits of sustainable behaviours. To enhance usability, restructuring provided three overarching learning objectives, each with subsidiary points. All participants from rounds one and two were contacted in round three, and no further edits were required. This is the first attempt to define consensus learning objectives for medical students about environmental sustainability. Allowing a wide range of stakeholders to comment on multiple iterations of the document stimulated their engagement with the issues raised and ownership of the resulting learning objectives.
Implementing Infrastructures for Managing Learning Objects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klemke, Roland; Ternier, Stefaan; Kalz, Marco; Specht, Marcus

2010-01-01

Making learning objects available is critical to reuse learning resources. Making content transparently available and providing added value to different stakeholders is among the goals of the European Commission's eContentplus programme. This paper analyses standards and protocols relevant for making learning objects accessible in distributed data…
Commognitive analysis of undergraduate mathematics students' first encounter with the subgroup test

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ioannou, Marios

2018-06-01

This study analyses learning aspects of undergraduate mathematics students' first encounter with the subgroup test, using the commognitive theoretical framework. It focuses on students' difficulties as these are related to the object-level and metalevel mathematical learning in group theory, and, when possible, highlights any commognitive conflicts. In the data analysis, one can identify three types of difficulties, relevant to object-level learning: namely regarding the frequently observed confusion between groups and sets, the object-level rules of visual mediators, and the object-level rules of contextual notions, such as permutations, exponentials, sets and matrices. In addition, data analysis suggests two types of difficulties, relevant to metalevel learning. The first refers to the actual proof that the three conditions of subgroup test hold, and the second is related to syntactic inaccuracies, incomplete argumentation and problematic use of visual mediators. Finally, this study suggests that there are clear links between object-level and metalevel learning, mainly due to the fact that objectification of the various relevant mathematical notions influences the endorsement of the governing metarules.
How category learning affects object representations: Not all morphspaces stretch alike

PubMed Central

Folstein, Jonathan R.; Gauthier, Isabel; Palmeri, Thomas J.

2012-01-01

How does learning to categorize objects affect how we visually perceive them? Behavioral, neurophysiological, and neuroimaging studies have tested the degree to which category learning influences object representations, with conflicting results. Some studies find that objects become more visually discriminable along dimensions relevant to previously learned categories, while others find no such effect. One critical factor we explore here lies in the structure of the morphspaces used in different studies. Studies finding no increase in discriminability often use “blended” morphspaces, with morphparents lying at corners of the space. By contrast, studies finding increases in discriminability use “factorial” morphspaces, defined by separate morphlines forming axes of the space. Using the same four morphparents, we created both factorial and blended morphspaces matched in pairwise discriminability. Category learning caused a selective increase in discriminability along the relevant dimension of the factorial space, but not in the blended space, and led to the creation of functional dimensions in the factorial space, but not in the blended space. These findings demonstrate that not all morphspaces stretch alike: Only some morphspaces support enhanced discriminability to relevant object dimensions following category learning. Our results have important implications for interpreting neuroimaging studies reporting little or no effect of category learning on object representations in the visual system: Those studies may have been limited by their use of blended morphspaces. PMID:22746950
SortNet: learning to rank by a neural preference function.

PubMed

Rigutini, Leonardo; Papini, Tiziano; Maggini, Marco; Scarselli, Franco

2011-09-01

Relevance ranking consists in sorting a set of objects with respect to a given criterion. However, in personalized retrieval systems, the relevance criteria may usually vary among different users and may not be predefined. In this case, ranking algorithms that adapt their behavior from users' feedbacks must be devised. Two main approaches are proposed in the literature for learning to rank: the use of a scoring function, learned by examples, that evaluates a feature-based representation of each object yielding an absolute relevance score, a pairwise approach, where a preference function is learned to determine the object that has to be ranked first in a given pair. In this paper, we present a preference learning method for learning to rank. A neural network, the comparative neural network (CmpNN), is trained from examples to approximate the comparison function for a pair of objects. The CmpNN adopts a particular architecture designed to implement the symmetries naturally present in a preference function. The learned preference function can be embedded as the comparator into a classical sorting algorithm to provide a global ranking of a set of objects. To improve the ranking performances, an active-learning procedure is devised, that aims at selecting the most informative patterns in the training set. The proposed algorithm is evaluated on the LETOR dataset showing promising performances in comparison with other state-of-the-art algorithms.
Learning Objects for Educational Applications via PDA Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Churchill, Daniel

2008-01-01

This article discusses an ongoing study into issues relevant to the design of learning objects for educational applications via portable digital assistant (PDA) technology. The specific areas of inquiry in this study are: the kinds of learning objects that are effective for PDA delivery; contexts for their effective educational applications; and…
Perceptual advantage for category-relevant perceptual dimensions: the case of shape and motion.

PubMed

Folstein, Jonathan R; Palmeri, Thomas J; Gauthier, Isabel

2014-01-01

Category learning facilitates perception along relevant stimulus dimensions, even when tested in a discrimination task that does not require categorization. While this general phenomenon has been demonstrated previously, perceptual facilitation along dimensions has been documented by measuring different specific phenomena in different studies using different kinds of objects. Across several object domains, there is support for acquired distinctiveness, the stretching of a perceptual dimension relevant to learned categories. Studies using faces and studies using simple separable visual dimensions have also found evidence of acquired equivalence, the shrinking of a perceptual dimension irrelevant to learned categories, and categorical perception, the local stretching across the category boundary. These later two effects are rarely observed with complex non-face objects. Failures to find these effects with complex non-face objects may have been because the dimensions tested previously were perceptually integrated. Here we tested effects of category learning with non-face objects categorized along dimensions that have been found to be processed by different areas of the brain, shape and motion. While we replicated acquired distinctiveness, we found no evidence for acquired equivalence or categorical perception.
How learning might strengthen existing visual object representations in human object-selective cortex.

PubMed

Brants, Marijke; Bulthé, Jessica; Daniels, Nicky; Wagemans, Johan; Op de Beeck, Hans P

2016-02-15

Visual object perception is an important function in primates which can be fine-tuned by experience, even in adults. Which factors determine the regions and the neurons that are modified by learning is still unclear. Recently, it was proposed that the exact cortical focus and distribution of learning effects might depend upon the pre-learning mapping of relevant functional properties and how this mapping determines the informativeness of neural units for the stimuli and the task to be learned. From this hypothesis we would expect that visual experience would strengthen the pre-learning distributed functional map of the relevant distinctive object properties. Here we present a first test of this prediction in twelve human subjects who were trained in object categorization and differentiation, preceded and followed by a functional magnetic resonance imaging session. Specifically, training increased the distributed multi-voxel pattern information for trained object distinctions in object-selective cortex, resulting in a generalization from pre-training multi-voxel activity patterns to after-training activity patterns. Simulations show that the increased selectivity combined with the inter-session generalization is consistent with a training-induced strengthening of a pre-existing selectivity map. No training-related neural changes were detected in other regions. In sum, training to categorize or individuate objects strengthened pre-existing representations in human object-selective cortex, providing a first indication that the neuroanatomical distribution of learning effects depends upon the pre-learning mapping of visual object properties. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
A Rule-Based System for Hybrid Search and Delivery of Learning Objects to Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Biletskiy, Yevgen; Baghi, Hamidreza; Steele, Jarrett; Vovk, Ruslan

2012-01-01

Purpose: Presently, searching the internet for learning material relevant to ones own interest continues to be a time-consuming task. Systems that can suggest learning material (learning objects) to a learner would reduce time spent searching for material, and enable the learner to spend more time for actual learning. The purpose of this paper is…
Perceptual Learning and Attention: Reduction of Object Attention Limitations with Practice

PubMed Central

Dosher, Barbara Anne; Han, Songmei; Lu, Zhong-Lin

2012-01-01

Perceptual learning has widely been claimed to be attention driven; attention assists in choosing the relevant sensory information and attention may be necessary in many cases for learning. In this paper, we focus on the interaction of perceptual learning and attention – that perceptual learning can reduce or eliminate the limitations of attention, or, correspondingly, that perceptual learning depends on the attention condition. Object attention is a robust limit on performance. Two attributes of a single attended object may be reported without loss, while the same two attributes of different objects can exhibit a substantial dual-report deficit due to the sharing of attention between objects. The current experiments document that this fundamental dual-object report deficit can be reduced, or eliminated, through perceptual learning that is partially specific to retinal location. This suggests that alternative routes established by practice may reduce the competition between objects for processing resources. PMID:19796653
Predictable Locations Aid Early Object Name Learning

PubMed Central

Benitez, Viridiana L.; Smith, Linda B.

2012-01-01

Expectancy-based localized attention has been shown to promote the formation and retrieval of multisensory memories in adults. Three experiments show that these processes also characterize attention and learning in 16- to 18- month old infants and, moreover, that these processes may play a critical role in supporting early object name learning. The three experiments show that infants learn names for objects when those objects have predictable rather than varied locations, that infants who anticipate the location of named objects better learn those object names, and that infants integrate experiences that are separated in time but share a common location. Taken together, these results suggest that localized attention, cued attention, and spatial indexing are an inter-related set of processes in young children that aid in the early building of coherent object representations. The relevance of the experimental results and spatial attention for everyday word learning are discussed. PMID:22989872
Curriculum development for a national cardiotocography education program: a Delphi survey to obtain consensus on learning objectives.

PubMed

Thellesen, Line; Hedegaard, Morten; Bergholt, Thomas; Colov, Nina P; Hoegh, Stinne; Sorensen, Jette L

2015-08-01

To define learning objectives for a national cardiotocography (CTG) education program based on expert consensus. A three-round Delphi survey. One midwife and one obstetrician from each maternity unit in Denmark were appointed based on CTG teaching experience and clinical obstetric experience. Following national and international guidelines, the research group determined six topics as important when using CTG: fetal physiology, equipment, indication, interpretation, clinical management, and communication/responsibility. In the first Delphi round, participants listed one to five learning objectives within the predefined topics. Responses were analyzed by a directed approach to content analysis. Phrasing was modified in accordance with Bloom's taxonomy. In the second and third Delphi rounds, participants rated each objective on a five-point relevance scale. Consensus was predefined as objectives with a mean rating value of ≥ 3. A prioritized list of CTG learning objectives. A total of 42 midwives and obstetricians from 21 maternity units were invited to participate, of whom 26 completed all three Delphi rounds, representing 18 maternity units. The final prioritized list included 40 objectives. The highest ranked objectives emphasized CTG interpretation and clinical management. The lowest ranked objectives emphasized fetal physiology. Mean ratings of relevance ranged from 3.15 to 5.00. National consensus on CTG learning objectives was achieved using the Delphi methodology. This was an initial step in developing a valid CTG education program. A prioritized list of objectives will clarify which topics to emphasize in a CTG education program. © 2015 Nordic Federation of Societies of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Dynamic updating of hippocampal object representations reflects new conceptual knowledge

PubMed Central

Mack, Michael L.; Love, Bradley C.; Preston, Alison R.

2016-01-01

Concepts organize the relationship among individual stimuli or events by highlighting shared features. Often, new goals require updating conceptual knowledge to reflect relationships based on different goal-relevant features. Here, our aim is to determine how hippocampal (HPC) object representations are organized and updated to reflect changing conceptual knowledge. Participants learned two classification tasks in which successful learning required attention to different stimulus features, thus providing a means to index how representations of individual stimuli are reorganized according to changing task goals. We used a computational learning model to capture how people attended to goal-relevant features and organized object representations based on those features during learning. Using representational similarity analyses of functional magnetic resonance imaging data, we demonstrate that neural representations in left anterior HPC correspond with model predictions of concept organization. Moreover, we show that during early learning, when concept updating is most consequential, HPC is functionally coupled with prefrontal regions. Based on these findings, we propose that when task goals change, object representations in HPC can be organized in new ways, resulting in updated concepts that highlight the features most critical to the new goal. PMID:27803320
Shape, Material, and Syntax: Interacting Forces in Children's Learning In Novel Words for Objects and Substances.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Subrahmanyam, Kaveri; Landau, Barbara; Gelman, Rochel

1999-01-01

Three studies examined the role of ontological and syntactic information in children's learning of words for physical entities, such as objects and substances. Results reveal a strong and changing developmental interaction for the use of ontologically relevant perceptual information, labels, and syntax. (Author/VWL)
Ontology-Based Annotation of Learning Object Content

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gasevic, Dragan; Jovanovic, Jelena; Devedzic, Vladan

2007-01-01

The paper proposes a framework for building ontology-aware learning object (LO) content. Previously ontologies were exclusively employed for enriching LOs' metadata. Although such an approach is useful, as it improves retrieval of relevant LOs from LO repositories, it does not enable one to reuse components of a LO, nor to incorporate an explicit…
An Integrated Learning Management System for Location-Based Mobile Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sailer, Christian; Kiefer, Peter; Raubal, Martin

2015-01-01

This paper discusses the relevance and challenges of a location-based learning platform that supports mobile learning in education. We present the design of an integrated management system for location-based mobile learning. Independent of the taught subject, the objective of the system is an easy-to-understand user interface for both - teachers…
Competence-Based Knowledge Structures for Personalised Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heller, Jurgen; Steiner, Christina; Hockemeyer, Cord; Albert, Dietrich

2006-01-01

Competence-based extensions of Knowledge Space Theory are suggested as a formal framework for implementing key features of personalised learning in technology-enhanced learning. The approach links learning objects and assessment problems to the relevant skills that are taught or required. Various ways to derive these skills from domain ontologies…
[Online continuing medical education based on national disease management guidelines. The e-learning platform leitlinien-wissen.de].

PubMed

Vollmar, H C; Schürer-Maly, C-C; Lelgemann, M; Koneczny, N; Koch, M; Butzlaff, M

2006-05-01

Effective translation of relevant knowledge into clinical practice is essential for modern health care systems. National Disease Management Guidelines (NDMG) are considered relevant instruments to support this transfer. To implement NDMG Internet-based continuing medical education (CME), modules and online case-based learning objects were designed and published. To ensure high quality the contents are based on NDMG and subjected to multi-step review processes. Presentation on the web was realized through a modified content management system. To obtain a CME certificate, completing an online questionnaire using a four-point Likert scale was mandatory. Between June 2003 and April 2005, 3,105 physicians were registered and used the platform: 95% of the physicians expressed positive feedback in the evaluation questionnaire, and 35% actually used the corresponding NDMG in practice. This prompted the development of interactive medical case-based learning objects as a second learning pathway. An Internet platform for CME including case-based learning objects can be a helpful tool to assure the provision of scientific knowledge for patient care.

The Sensorimotor System Can Sculpt Behaviorally Relevant Representations for Motor Learning

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Abstract The coordinate system in which humans learn novel motor skills is controversial. The representation of sensorimotor skills has been extensively studied by examining generalization after learning perturbations specifically designed to be ambiguous as to their coordinate system. Recent studies have found that learning is not represented in any simple coordinate system and can potentially be accounted for by a mixed representation. Here, instead of probing generalization, which has led to conflicting results, we examine whether novel dynamics can be learned when explicitly and unambiguously presented in particular coordinate systems. Subjects performed center–out reaches to targets in the presence of a force field, while varying the orientation of their hand (i.e., the wrist angle) across trials. Different groups of subjects experienced force fields that were explicitly presented either in Cartesian coordinates (field independent of hand orientation), in object coordinates (field rotated with hand orientation), or in anti-object coordinates (field rotated counter to hand orientation). Subjects learned to represent the dynamics when presented in either Cartesian or object coordinates, learning these as well as an ambiguous force field. However, learning was slower for the object-based dynamics and substantially impaired for the anti-object presentation. Our results show that the motor system is able to tune its representation to at least two natural coordinate systems but is impaired when the representation of the task does not correspond to a behaviorally relevant coordinate system. Our results show that the motor system can sculpt its representation through experience to match those of natural tasks. PMID:27588304
How Do Students Learn to See Concepts in Visualizations? Social Learning Mechanisms with Physical and Virtual Representations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rau, Martina A.

2017-01-01

STEM instruction often uses visual representations. To benefit from these, students need to understand how representations show domain-relevant concepts. Yet, this is difficult for students. Prior research shows that physical representations (objects that students manipulate by hand) and virtual representations (objects on a computer screen that…
The State of E-Learning in Canada

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Canadian Council on Learning, 2009

2009-01-01

The objective of this report is to improve Canadians' understanding of e-learning--particularly of the challenges, limitations and benefits--so that Canada may move forward in appropriate and relevant ways. Levels of adoption of e-learning have been significantly slower than predicted. This report also identifies areas related to e-learning where…
Connectivist Learning Objects and Learning Styles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

del Moral, M. Esther; Cernea, Ana; Villalustre, Lourdes

2013-01-01

The Web 2.0 brought in the use of social tools at a large scale in every area: a transformation which led to redefining the teaching-learning process. In this new context knowledge is distributed over network connections in an uncontrolled way - thus learning consists of recognizing relevant information patterns and constructing new connections.…
Relevant ESL for the Teenager.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wheatley, Iris Alicia Velez

This guide was prepared for the ESL teacher to help bilingual students learn the English reading and writing skills necessary to acquire a summer job. These lessons are relevant to students' needs, an important factor in generating interest and motivation. General objectives are: to design a relevant ESL program for teenagers; to help monolingual…
Sexual Health Curricula in U.S. Medical Schools: Current Educational Objectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Galletly, Carol; Lechuga, Julia; Layde, Joseph B.; Pinkerton, Steven

2010-01-01

Objective: The authors identify the explicit and implicit objectives that shape decisions about what medical schools teach regarding human sexuality. Methods: The authors reviewed relevant articles in journals, physician licensing examinations, and publications by professional organizations to identify learning objectives for human sexuality in…
Autonomous mental development with selective attention, object perception, and knowledge representation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ban, Sang-Woo; Lee, Minho

2008-04-01

Knowledge-based clustering and autonomous mental development remains a high priority research topic, among which the learning techniques of neural networks are used to achieve optimal performance. In this paper, we present a new framework that can automatically generate a relevance map from sensory data that can represent knowledge regarding objects and infer new knowledge about novel objects. The proposed model is based on understating of the visual what pathway in our brain. A stereo saliency map model can selectively decide salient object areas by additionally considering local symmetry feature. The incremental object perception model makes clusters for the construction of an ontology map in the color and form domains in order to perceive an arbitrary object, which is implemented by the growing fuzzy topology adaptive resonant theory (GFTART) network. Log-polar transformed color and form features for a selected object are used as inputs of the GFTART. The clustered information is relevant to describe specific objects, and the proposed model can automatically infer an unknown object by using the learned information. Experimental results with real data have demonstrated the validity of this approach.
A sex difference in effect of prior experience on object-mediated problem-solving in gibbons.

PubMed

Cunningham, Clare; Anderson, James; Mootnick, Alan

2011-07-01

Understanding the functionally relevant properties of objects is likely facilitated by learning with a critical role for past experience. However, current evidence is conflicting regarding the effect of prior object exposure on acquisition of object manipulation skills. This may be due to the influence of life history variables on the capacity to benefit from such experience. This study assessed effect of task-relevant object exposure on object-mediated problem-solving in 22 gibbons using a raking-in task. Despite not using tools habitually, 14 gibbons spontaneously used a rake to obtain a reward. Having prior experience with the rake in an unrewarded context did not improve learning efficiency in males. However, females benefitted significantly from the opportunity to interact with the rake before testing, with reduced latencies to solution compared to those with no previous exposure. These results reflect potential sex differences in approach to novelty that moderate the possible benefits of prior experience. Due to their relatively high energetic requirements, reproductively active females may be highly motivated to explore potential resources; however, increased investment in developing offspring could make them more guarded in their investigations. Previous exposure that allows females to learn of an object's neutrality can offset this cautious exploration.
LONS: Learning Object Negotiation System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

García, Antonio; García, Eva; de-Marcos, Luis; Martínez, José-Javier; Gutiérrez, José-María; Gutiérrez, José-Antonio; Barchino, Roberto; Otón, Salvador; Hilera, José-Ramón

This system comes up as a result of the increase of e-learning systems. It manages all relevant modules in this context, such as the association of digital rights with the contents (courses), management and payment processing on rights. There are three blocks:
Use of SMART Learning Objectives to Introduce Continuing Professional Development Into the Pharmacy Curriculum

PubMed Central

Khandoobhai, Anand; Leadon, Kim

2012-01-01

Objective. To determine whether a 2-year continuing professional development (CPD) training program improved first-year (P1) and second-year (P2) pharmacy students’ ability to write SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timed) learning objectives. Design. First-year students completed live or online CPD training, including creating portfolios and writing SMART objectives prior to their summer introductory pharmacy practice experience (IPPE). In year 2, P1 and P2 students were included. SMART learning objectives were graded and analyzed. Assessment. On several objectives, the 2011 P1 students (n = 130) scored higher than did the P2 cohort (n = 105). In 2011, P2 students outscored their own performance in 2010. In 2011, P1 students who had been trained in online modules performed the same as did live-session trainees with respect to SMART objectives. Conclusion. With focused online or live training, students are capable of incorporating principles of CPD by writing SMART learning objectives. PMID:22611277
Previous experience in manned space flight: A survey of human factors lessons learned

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chandlee, George O.; Woolford, Barbara

1993-01-01

Previous experience in manned space flight programs can be used to compile a data base of human factors lessons learned for the purpose of developing aids in the future design of inhabited spacecraft. The objectives are to gather information available from relevant sources, to develop a taxonomy of human factors data, and to produce a data base that can be used in the future for those people involved in the design of manned spacecraft operations. A study is currently underway at the Johnson Space Center with the objective of compiling, classifying, and summarizing relevant human factors data bearing on the lessons learned from previous manned space flights. The research reported defines sources of data, methods for collection, and proposes a classification for human factors data that may be a model for other human factors disciplines.
Measuring Student Engagement in a Flipped Athletic Training Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thompson, Gayle A.; Ayers, Suzan F.

2015-01-01

Context: "Active learning" describes any instructional approach that fosters student engagement in the content and is believed to promote critical thinking more fully than do traditional lecture formats. Objective: Investigate student engagement, specifically professional relevance and peer interaction, with active learning techniques…
Attempting to "Increase Intake from the Input": Attention and Word Learning in Children with Autism.

PubMed

Tenenbaum, Elena J; Amso, Dima; Righi, Giulia; Sheinkopf, Stephen J

2017-06-01

Previous work has demonstrated that social attention is related to early language abilities. We explored whether we can facilitate word learning among children with autism by directing attention to areas of the scene that have been demonstrated as relevant for successful word learning. We tracked eye movements to faces and objects while children watched videos of a woman teaching them new words. Test trials measured participants' recognition of these novel word-object pairings. Results indicate that for children with autism and typically developing children, pointing to the speaker's mouth while labeling a novel object impaired performance, likely because it distracted participants from the target object. In contrast, for children with autism, holding the object close to the speaker's mouth improved performance.
Attempting to "Increase Intake from the Input": Attention and Word Learning in Children with Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tenenbaum, Elena J.; Amso, Dima; Righi, Giulia; Sheinkopf, Stephen J.

2017-01-01

Previous work has demonstrated that social attention is related to early language abilities. We explored whether we can facilitate word learning among children with autism by directing attention to areas of the scene that have been demonstrated as relevant for successful word learning. We tracked eye movements to faces and objects while children…
Form Follows Function: Learning about Function Helps Children Learn about Shape

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ware, Elizabeth A.; Booth, Amy E.

2010-01-01

Object functions help young children to organize new artifact categories. However, the scope of their influence is unknown. We explore whether functions highlight property dimensions that are relevant to artifact categories in general. Specifically, using a longitudinal training procedure, we assessed whether experience with functions highlights…
Creativity Development: The Role of Foreign Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sadykova, Aida G.; Shelestova, Olga V.

2016-01-01

The relevance of the present research stems from the need to consider the ways of preventing conflicts between the objective necessity of development of students' creative activity in the learning process, and insufficient development of pedagogical conditions for its effective implementation in theoretical and methodological terms. The article is…
Curriculum Guide for Fashion Merchandising (Fashion Salesperson).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gregory, Margaret R.

This curriculum guide is designed to help teachers teach a course in fashion merchandising to high school students. The guide contains eight performance-based learning modules, each consisting of one to seven units. Each unit teaches a job-relevant task, and includes performance objectives, performance guides, resources, learning activities,…
DNA Structure.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Henderson, Paula

This autoinstructional lesson deals with the study of molecular biology. It is suggested as relevant to high school biology courses. No prerequisites are suggested. Two behavioral objectives are given leading to the learning of nucleotide bases, their parts, and the ways they pair as they do. The time suggested for this learning activity is about…
Improving Collaborative Learning in Online Software Engineering Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neill, Colin J.; DeFranco, Joanna F.; Sangwan, Raghvinder S.

2017-01-01

Team projects are commonplace in software engineering education. They address a key educational objective, provide students critical experience relevant to their future careers, allow instructors to set problems of greater scale and complexity than could be tackled individually, and are a vehicle for socially constructed learning. While all…
Progress and Challenges in Developing Tiered Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (TQRIS) in the Round 1 Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) States. NCEE 2018-4003

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kirby, Gretchen; Caronongan, Pia; Esposito, Andrea Mraz; Murphy, Lauren; Shoji, Megan; Del Grosso, Patricia; Kiambuthi, Wamaitha; Clark, Melissa; Dragoset, Lisa

2017-01-01

This report focuses on the progress made and challenges faced by the nine states in achieving the first three objectives for which they were held accountable for use of their Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge (RTTELC) funds. It discusses discrete findings related to these objectives in relevant chapters of the report: Tiered Quality Rating…

Interviewing Objects: Including Educational Technologies as Qualitative Research Participants

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adams, Catherine A.; Thompson, Terrie Lynn

2011-01-01

This article argues the importance of including significant technologies-in-use as key qualitative research participants when studying today's digitally enhanced learning environments. We gather a set of eight heuristics to assist qualitative researchers in "interviewing" technologies-in-use (or other relevant objects), drawing on concrete…
When Do Objects Become Landmarks? A VR Study of the Effect of Task Relevance on Spatial Memory

PubMed Central

Han, Xue; Byrne, Patrick; Kahana, Michael; Becker, Suzanna

2012-01-01

We investigated how objects come to serve as landmarks in spatial memory, and more specifically how they form part of an allocentric cognitive map. Participants performing a virtual driving task incidentally learned the layout of a virtual town and locations of objects in that town. They were subsequently tested on their spatial and recognition memory for the objects. To assess whether the objects were encoded allocentrically we examined pointing consistency across tested viewpoints. In three experiments, we found that spatial memory for objects at navigationally relevant locations was more consistent across tested viewpoints, particularly when participants had more limited experience of the environment. When participants’ attention was focused on the appearance of objects, the navigational relevance effect was eliminated, whereas when their attention was focused on objects’ locations, this effect was enhanced, supporting the hypothesis that when objects are processed in the service of navigation, rather than merely being viewed as objects, they engage qualitatively distinct attentional systems and are incorporated into an allocentric spatial representation. The results are consistent with evidence from the neuroimaging literature that when objects are relevant to navigation, they not only engage the ventral “object processing stream”, but also the dorsal stream and medial temporal lobe memory system classically associated with allocentric spatial memory. PMID:22586455
OLIVER: an online library of images for veterinary education and research.

PubMed

McGreevy, Paul; Shaw, Tim; Burn, Daniel; Miller, Nick

2007-01-01

As part of a strategic move by the University of Sydney toward increased flexibility in learning, the Faculty of Veterinary Science undertook a number of developments involving Web-based teaching and assessment. OLIVER underpins them by providing a rich, durable repository for learning objects. To integrate Web-based learning, case studies, and didactic presentations for veterinary and animal science students, we established an online library of images and other learning objects for use by academics in the Faculties of Veterinary Science and Agriculture. The objectives of OLIVER were to maximize the use of the faculty's teaching resources by providing a stable archiving facility for graphic images and other multimedia learning objects that allows flexible and precise searching, integrating indexing standards, thesauri, pull-down lists of preferred terms, and linking of objects within cases. OLIVER offers a portable and expandable Web-based shell that facilitates ongoing storage of learning objects in a range of media. Learning objects can be downloaded in common, standardized formats so that they can be easily imported for use in a range of applications, including Microsoft PowerPoint, WebCT, and Microsoft Word. OLIVER now contains more than 9,000 images relating to many facets of veterinary science; these are annotated and supported by search engines that allow rapid access to both images and relevant information. The Web site is easily updated and adapted as required.
20 CFR 416.926a - Functional equivalence for children.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

....” (See § 416.924(c).) When we assess your functional limitations, we will consider all the relevant... illustrate the typical functioning of children in different age groups. For all of the domains, we also... learning about the world around you. When you play, you should learn how objects go together in different...
A Context-Aware Ubiquitous Learning Approach to Conducting Scientific Inquiry Activities in a Science Park

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hwang, Gwo-Jen; Tsai, Chin-Chung; Chu, Hui-Chun; Kinshuk; Chen, Chieh-Yuan

2012-01-01

Fostering students' scientific inquiry competence has been recognised as being an important and challenging objective of science education. To strengthen the understanding of science theories or notations, researchers have suggested conducting some learning activities in the field via operating relevant devices. In a traditional infield scientific…
Using the Technique of Journal Writing to Learn Emergency Psychiatry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bhuvaneswar, Chaya; Stern, Theodore; Beresin, Eugene

2009-01-01

Objective: The authors discuss journal writing in learning emergency psychiatry. Methods: The journal of a psychiatry intern rotating through an emergency department is used as sample material for analysis that could take place in supervision or a resident support group. A range of articles are reviewed that illuminate the relevance of journal…
Landscape-scale carbon sampling strategy-lessons learned. Chapter 17

Treesearch

John B. Bradford; Peter Weishampel; Marie-Louise Smith; Randall Kolka; David Y. Hollinger; Richard A. Birdsey; Scott Ollinger; Michael Ryan

2008-01-01

Previous chapters examined individual processes relevant to forest carbon cycling, and characterized measurement approaches for understanding those processes at landscape scales. In this final chapter, we address our overall approach to understanding forest carbon dynamics over large areas. Our objective is to identify any lessons that we learned in the course of...
The Atlantic Canada-New England Region and Environment. A Learning Activity Packet.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maine Univ., Orono. New England - Atlantic Provinces - Quebec Center.

In this Learning Activity Packet (LAP) students examine the geographic and ecological bases of the Eastern international region. The overall objective of activities is to help students comprehend the man-earth relationship concept. By studying this familiar relevant region students gain geographic knowledge and skills applicable to other areas.…
Peer Assisted Learning in Clinical Education: Literature Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Henning, Jolene M.; Weidner, Thomas G.; Marty, Melissa C.

2008-01-01

Objective: To examine the occurrence, benefits, and preferences for peer assisted learning (PAL) in medical and allied health clinical education, and to identify areas in athletic training which need further research. Data Sources: Using relevant terms, five databases were searched for the period 1980-2006 regarding literature on the use of PAL in…
Learning to Be (In)Variant: Combining Prior Knowledge and Experience to Infer Orientation Invariance in Object Recognition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Austerweil, Joseph L.; Griffiths, Thomas L.; Palmer, Stephen E.

2017-01-01

How does the visual system recognize images of a novel object after a single observation despite possible variations in the viewpoint of that object relative to the observer? One possibility is comparing the image with a prototype for invariance over a relevant transformation set (e.g., translations and dilations). However, invariance over…
Feature saliency and feedback information interactively impact visual category learning

PubMed Central

Hammer, Rubi; Sloutsky, Vladimir; Grill-Spector, Kalanit

2015-01-01

Visual category learning (VCL) involves detecting which features are most relevant for categorization. VCL relies on attentional learning, which enables effectively redirecting attention to object’s features most relevant for categorization, while ‘filtering out’ irrelevant features. When features relevant for categorization are not salient, VCL relies also on perceptual learning, which enables becoming more sensitive to subtle yet important differences between objects. Little is known about how attentional learning and perceptual learning interact when VCL relies on both processes at the same time. Here we tested this interaction. Participants performed VCL tasks in which they learned to categorize novel stimuli by detecting the feature dimension relevant for categorization. Tasks varied both in feature saliency (low-saliency tasks that required perceptual learning vs. high-saliency tasks), and in feedback information (tasks with mid-information, moderately ambiguous feedback that increased attentional load, vs. tasks with high-information non-ambiguous feedback). We found that mid-information and high-information feedback were similarly effective for VCL in high-saliency tasks. This suggests that an increased attentional load, associated with the processing of moderately ambiguous feedback, has little effect on VCL when features are salient. In low-saliency tasks, VCL relied on slower perceptual learning; but when the feedback was highly informative participants were able to ultimately attain the same performance as during the high-saliency VCL tasks. However, VCL was significantly compromised in the low-saliency mid-information feedback task. We suggest that such low-saliency mid-information learning scenarios are characterized by a ‘cognitive loop paradox’ where two interdependent learning processes have to take place simultaneously. PMID:25745404
Celtic Roads

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kinney, Jan

2009-01-01

Building upon lessons learned is relevant to art and life. As an art teacher dealing with teens, the author tries to give her students an understanding of art as a window to the "big picture" as well as a practical, relevant skill. She developed this lesson plan, "Celtic Roads," with that objective in mind. The success rate is high, the product is…
Investigating Meaning in Learning: A Case Study of Adult Developmental Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glasser, Tim

2011-01-01

The objective of this article is to investigate meaning and relevance in the context of adult developmental math learning and instruction. In this case study, at the Art Institute of San Francisco, 12 vocational instructors and four math learners are interviewed on their early and current math experiences. During the semi-structured interviews,…
Interaction of Students' Academic Background and Support Levels in a Resource-Based Learning Environment on Earth's Movement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

So, Wing Mui Winnie; Kong, Siu Cheung

2010-01-01

This research aims to study how a resource-based learning environment (RBLE) helps primary students develop better understanding of the Earth's movement. One objective of the study is to establish an RBLE by creating authentic contexts, selecting appropriate resources, designing relevant tools and adopting necessary scaffolds. The other objective…
Enhancing Expectations of Cooperative Learning Use through Initial Teacher Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duran Gisbert, David; Corcelles Seuba, Mariona; Flores Coll, Marta

2017-01-01

Despite its relevance and evidence support, Cooperative Learning (CL) is a challenge for all educational systems due to the difficulties in its implementation. The objective of this study is to identify the effect of Primary Education initial teacher training in the prediction of future CL use. Two groups of 44 and 45 students were conceptually…
Digital and Online Learning in Vocational Education and Training in Serbia: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brolpito, Alessandro; Lightfoot, Michael; Radišic, Jelena; Šcepanovic, Danijela

2016-01-01

This case study aims to identify relevant policies and practices for digital and online learning (DOL) in vocational education and training (VET) in Serbia, with a focus on initial VET (IVET). The study was commissioned by the European Training Foundation (ETF) with the following specific objectives: (1) gather information and analyse DOL…
Embodied attention and word learning by toddlers

PubMed Central

Yu, Chen; Smith, Linda B.

2013-01-01

Many theories of early word learning begin with the uncertainty inherent to learning a word from its co-occurrence with a visual scene. However, the relevant visual scene for infant word learning is neither from the adult theorist’s view nor the mature partner’s view, but is rather from the learner’s personal view. Here we show that when 18-month old infants interacted with objects in play with their parents, they created moments in which a single object was visually dominant. If parents named the object during these moments of bottom-up selectivity, later forced-choice tests showed that infants learned the name, but did not when naming occurred during a less visually selective moment. The momentary visual input for parents and toddlers was captured via head cameras placed low on each participant’s forehead as parents played with and named objects for their infant. Frame-by-frame analyses of the head camera images at and around naming moments were conducted to determine the visual properties at input that were associated with learning. The analyses indicated that learning occurred when bottom-up visual information was clean and uncluttered. The sensory-motor behaviors of infants and parents were also analyzed to determine how their actions on the objects may have created these optimal visual moments for learning. The results are discussed with respect to early word learning, embodied attention, and the social role of parents in early word learning. PMID:22878116
Impact of a novel teaching method based on feedback, activity, individuality and relevance on students’ learning

PubMed Central

Brooks, William S.; Laskar, Simone N.; Benjamin, Miles W.; Chan, Philip

2016-01-01

Objectives This study examines the perceived impact of a novel clinical teaching method based on FAIR principles (feedback, activity, individuality and relevance) on students’ learning on clinical placement. Methods This was a qualitative research study. Participants were third year and final year medical students attached to one UK vascular firm over a four-year period (N=108). Students were asked to write a reflective essay on how FAIRness approach differs from previous clinical placement, and its advantages and disadvantages. Essays were thematically analysed and globally rated (positive, negative or neutral) by two independent researchers. Results Over 90% of essays reported positive experiences of feedback, activity, individuality and relevance model. The model provided multifaceted feedback; active participation; longitudinal improvement; relevance to stage of learning and future goals; structured teaching; professional development; safe learning environment; consultant involvement in teaching. Students perceived preparation for tutorials to be time intensive for tutors/students; a lack of teaching on medical sciences and direct observation of performance; more than once weekly sessions would be beneficial; some issues with peer and public feedback, relevance to upcoming exam and large group sizes. Students described negative experiences of “standard” clinical teaching. Conclusions Progressive teaching programmes based on the FAIRness principles, feedback, activity, individuality and relevance, could be used as a model to improve current undergraduate clinical teaching. PMID:26995588
Imaging Modalities Relevant to Intracranial Pressure Assessment in Astronauts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sargsyan, Ashot E.; Kramer, Larry A.; Hamilton, Douglas R.; Fogarty, Jennifer; Polk, J. D.

2011-01-01

Learning Objectives of this slide presentation are: 1: To review the morphological changes in orbit structures caused by elevated Intracranial Pressure (ICP), and their imaging representation. 2: To learn about the similarities and differences between MRI and sonographic imaging of the eye and orbit. 3: To learn about the role of MRI and sonography in the noninvasive assessment of intracranial pressure in aerospace medicine, and the added benefits from their combined interpretation.
Object knowledge modulates colour appearance.

PubMed

Witzel, Christoph; Valkova, Hanna; Hansen, Thorsten; Gegenfurtner, Karl R

2011-01-01

We investigated the memory colour effect for colour diagnostic artificial objects. Since knowledge about these objects and their colours has been learned in everyday life, these stimuli allow the investigation of the influence of acquired object knowledge on colour appearance. These investigations are relevant for questions about how object and colour information in high-level vision interact as well as for research about the influence of learning and experience on perception in general. In order to identify suitable artificial objects, we developed a reaction time paradigm that measures (subjective) colour diagnosticity. In the main experiment, participants adjusted sixteen such objects to their typical colour as well as to grey. If the achromatic object appears in its typical colour, then participants should adjust it to the opponent colour in order to subjectively perceive it as grey. We found that knowledge about the typical colour influences the colour appearance of artificial objects. This effect was particularly strong along the daylight axis.

Object knowledge modulates colour appearance

PubMed Central

Witzel, Christoph; Valkova, Hanna; Hansen, Thorsten; Gegenfurtner, Karl R

2011-01-01

We investigated the memory colour effect for colour diagnostic artificial objects. Since knowledge about these objects and their colours has been learned in everyday life, these stimuli allow the investigation of the influence of acquired object knowledge on colour appearance. These investigations are relevant for questions about how object and colour information in high-level vision interact as well as for research about the influence of learning and experience on perception in general. In order to identify suitable artificial objects, we developed a reaction time paradigm that measures (subjective) colour diagnosticity. In the main experiment, participants adjusted sixteen such objects to their typical colour as well as to grey. If the achromatic object appears in its typical colour, then participants should adjust it to the opponent colour in order to subjectively perceive it as grey. We found that knowledge about the typical colour influences the colour appearance of artificial objects. This effect was particularly strong along the daylight axis. PMID:23145224
Development of learning objectives for neurology in a veterinary curriculum: part I: undergraduates.

PubMed

Lin, Yu-Wei; Volk, Holger A; Penderis, Jacques; Tipold, Andrea; Ehlers, Jan P

2015-01-13

With an increasing caseload of veterinary neurology patients in first opinion practice, there is a requirement to establish relevant learning objectives for veterinary neurology encompassing knowledge, skills and attitudes for veterinary undergraduate students in Europe. With help of experts in veterinary neurology from the European College of Veterinary Neurology (ECVN) and the European Society of Veterinary Neurology (ESVN) a survey of veterinary neurologic learning objectives using a modified Delphi method was conducted. The first phase comprised the development of a draft job description and learning objectives by a working group established by the ECVN. In the second phase, a quantitative questionnaire (multiple choice, Likert scale and free text) covering 140 learning objectives and subdivided into 8 categories was sent to 341 ESVN and ECVN members and a return rate of 62% (n = 213/341) was achieved. Of these 140 learning objectives ECVN Diplomates and ESVN members considered 42 (30%) objectives as not necessary for standard clinical veterinary neurology training, 94 (67%) were graded to be learned at a beginner level and 4 (3%) at an advanced level. The following objectives were interpreted as the most important day one skills: interpret laboratory tests, perform a neurological examination and establish a neuroanatomical localization. In this survey the three most important diseases of the central nervous system included epilepsy, intervertebral disc disease and inflammatory diseases. The three most important diseases of the peripheral nervous system included polyradiculoneuritis, myasthenia gravis and toxic neuropathies. The results of this study should help to reform the veterinary curriculum regarding neurology and may reduce the phenomenon of "Neurophobia".
It's Not All Ancient History Now: Connecting the Past by Weaving a Threaded Historical Concept

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Endacott, Jason

2005-01-01

Proving history's relevance to students is a daunting task that social studies educators face everyday as they create lesson plans that they hope will spark their students' interest in learning about the past. Few educators would argue that demonstrating the relevance of the objectives toward which they are teaching is an unnecessary duty. Perhaps…
Individual and social learning processes involved in the acquisition and generalization of tool use in macaques

PubMed Central

Macellini, S.; Maranesi, M.; Bonini, L.; Simone, L.; Rozzi, S.; Ferrari, P. F.; Fogassi, L.

2012-01-01

Macaques can efficiently use several tools, but their capacity to discriminate the relevant physical features of a tool and the social factors contributing to their acquisition are still poorly explored. In a series of studies, we investigated macaques' ability to generalize the use of a stick as a tool to new objects having different physical features (study 1), or to new contexts, requiring them to adapt the previously learned motor strategy (study 2). We then assessed whether the observation of a skilled model might facilitate tool-use learning by naive observer monkeys (study 3). Results of study 1 and study 2 showed that monkeys trained to use a tool generalize this ability to tools of different shape and length, and learn to adapt their motor strategy to a new task. Study 3 demonstrated that observing a skilled model increases the observers' manipulations of a stick, thus facilitating the individual discovery of the relevant properties of this object as a tool. These findings support the view that in macaques, the motor system can be modified through tool use and that it has a limited capacity to adjust the learnt motor skills to a new context. Social factors, although important to facilitate the interaction with tools, are not crucial for tool-use learning. PMID:22106424
A Symposium: Relevant Cue Research, a Program of Systematic Evaluation: Considerations for Sustaining Instructional Design Research Using an Integrated Learning System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grabowski, Barbara

An intelligent videodisc system on which comprehensive instructional development research can be conducted has been developed. This integrated learning system combines all other existing media, except objects, using a videodisc, microcomputer, printer, single monitor, hard disc storage with CPU for random access digitized audio, and headphones.…
Learning-Related Cognitive Self-Regulation Measures for Prekindergarten Children: A Comparative Evaluation of the Educational Relevance of Selected Measures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lipsey, Mark W.; Nesbitt, Kimberly Turner; Farran, Dale C.; Dong, Nianbo; Fuhs, Mary Wagner; Wilson, Sandra Jo

2017-01-01

Many cognitive self-regulation (CSR) measures are related to the academic achievement of prekindergarten children and are thus of potential interest for school readiness screening and as outcome variables in intervention research aimed at improving those skills in order to facilitate learning. The objective of this study was to identify…
Examining Curricular Integration Strategies To Optimize Learning Of The Anatomical Sciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lisk, Kristina Adriana Ayako

Background: Integration of basic and clinical science knowledge is essential to clinical practice. Although the importance of these two knowledge domains is well-recognized, successfully supporting the development of learners' integrated basic and clinical science knowledge, remains an educational challenge. In this dissertation, I examine curricular integration strategies to optimize learning of the anatomical sciences. Objectives: The studies were designed to achieve the following research aims: 1) to objectively identify clinically relevant content for an integrated musculoskeletal anatomy curriculum; 2) to examine the value of integrated anatomy and clinical science instruction compared to clinical science instruction alone on novices' diagnostic accuracy and diagnostic reasoning process; 3) to compare the effect of integrating and segregating anatomy and clinical science instruction along with a learning strategy (self-explanation) on novices' diagnostic accuracy. Methods: A modified Delphi was used to objectively select clinically relevant content for an integrated musculoskeletal anatomy curriculum. Two experimental studies were created to compare different instructional strategies to optimize learning of the curricular content. In both of these studies, novice learners were taught the clinical features of musculoskeletal pathologies using different learning approaches. Diagnostic performance was measured immediately after instruction and one-week later. Results: The results show that the Delphi method is an effective strategy to select clinically relevant content for integrated anatomy curricula. The findings also demonstrate that novices who were explicitly taught the clinical features of musculoskeletal diseases using causal basic science descriptions had superior diagnostic accuracy and a better understanding of the relative importance of key clinical features for disease categories. Conclusions: This research demonstrates how integration strategies can be applied at multiple levels of the curriculum. Further, this work shows the value of cognitive integration of anatomy and clinical science and it emphasizes the importance of purposefully linking the anatomical and clinical sciences in day-to-day teaching.
Object-Based Visual Attention in 8-Month-Old Infants: Evidence from an Eye-Tracking Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bulf, Hermann; Valenza, Eloisa

2013-01-01

Visual attention is one of the infant's primary tools for gathering relevant information from the environment for further processing and learning. The space-based component of visual attention in infants has been widely investigated; however, the object-based component of visual attention has received scarce interest. This scarcity is…
Children's Use of Mutual Exclusivity to Learn Labels for Parts of Objects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hansen, Mikkel B.; Markman, Ellen M.

2009-01-01

When teaching children part terms, adults frequently outline the relevant part rather than simply point. This pragmatic information very likely helps children interpret the label correctly. But the importance of gestures may not negate the need for default lexical biases such as the whole object assumption and mutual exclusivity. On this view,…
Incrementally learning objects by touch: online discriminative and generative models for tactile-based recognition.

PubMed

Soh, Harold; Demiris, Yiannis

2014-01-01

Human beings not only possess the remarkable ability to distinguish objects through tactile feedback but are further able to improve upon recognition competence through experience. In this work, we explore tactile-based object recognition with learners capable of incremental learning. Using the sparse online infinite Echo-State Gaussian process (OIESGP), we propose and compare two novel discriminative and generative tactile learners that produce probability distributions over objects during object grasping/palpation. To enable iterative improvement, our online methods incorporate training samples as they become available. We also describe incremental unsupervised learning mechanisms, based on novelty scores and extreme value theory, when teacher labels are not available. We present experimental results for both supervised and unsupervised learning tasks using the iCub humanoid, with tactile sensors on its five-fingered anthropomorphic hand, and 10 different object classes. Our classifiers perform comparably to state-of-the-art methods (C4.5 and SVM classifiers) and findings indicate that tactile signals are highly relevant for making accurate object classifications. We also show that accurate "early" classifications are possible using only 20-30 percent of the grasp sequence. For unsupervised learning, our methods generate high quality clusterings relative to the widely-used sequential k-means and self-organising map (SOM), and we present analyses into the differences between the approaches.
Machine learning-based augmented reality for improved surgical scene understanding.

PubMed

Pauly, Olivier; Diotte, Benoit; Fallavollita, Pascal; Weidert, Simon; Euler, Ekkehard; Navab, Nassir

2015-04-01

In orthopedic and trauma surgery, AR technology can support surgeons in the challenging task of understanding the spatial relationships between the anatomy, the implants and their tools. In this context, we propose a novel augmented visualization of the surgical scene that mixes intelligently the different sources of information provided by a mobile C-arm combined with a Kinect RGB-Depth sensor. Therefore, we introduce a learning-based paradigm that aims at (1) identifying the relevant objects or anatomy in both Kinect and X-ray data, and (2) creating an object-specific pixel-wise alpha map that permits relevance-based fusion of the video and the X-ray images within one single view. In 12 simulated surgeries, we show very promising results aiming at providing for surgeons a better surgical scene understanding as well as an improved depth perception. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Communication in Health Professions: A European consensus on inter- and multi-professional learning objectives in German.

PubMed

Bachmann, Cadja; Kiessling, Claudia; Härtl, Anja; Haak, Rainer

2016-01-01

Communication is object of increasing attention in the health professions. Teaching communication competencies should already begin in undergraduate education or pre-registration training. The aim of this project was to translate the Health Professions Core Communication Curriculum (HPCCC), an English catalogue of learning objectives, into German to make its content widely accessible in the German-speaking countries. This catalogue lists 61 educational objectives and was agreed on by 121 international communication experts. A European reference framework for inter- and multi-professional curriculum development for communication in the health professions in German-speaking countries should be provided. The German version of the HPCCC was drafted by six academics and went through multiple revisions until consensus was reached. The learning objectives were paired with appropriate teaching and assessment tools drawn from the database of the teaching Committee of the European Association for Communication Health Care (tEACH). The HPCCC learning objectives are now available in German and can be applied for curriculum planning and development in the different German-speaking health professions, the educational objectives can also be used for inter-professional purposes. Examples for teaching methods and assessment tools are given for using and implementing the objectives. The German version of the HPCCC with learning objectives for communication in health professions can contribute significantly to inter- and multi-professional curriculum development in the health care professions in the German-speaking countries. Examples for teaching methods and assessment tools from the materials compiled by tEACH supplement the curricular content and provide suggestions for practical implementation of the learning objectives in teaching and assessment. The relevance of the German HPCCC to the processes of curriculum development for the various health professions and inter-professional approaches should be the subject of further evaluation.
Holistic processing from learned attention to parts.

PubMed

Chua, Kao-Wei; Richler, Jennifer J; Gauthier, Isabel

2015-08-01

Attention helps us focus on what is most relevant to our goals, and prior work has shown that aspects of attention can be learned. Learned inattention to parts can abolish holistic processing of faces, but it is unknown whether learned attention to parts is sufficient to cause a change from part-based to holistic processing with objects. We trained subjects to individuate nonface objects (Greebles) from 2 categories: Ploks and Glips. Diagnostic information was in complementary halves for the 2 categories. Holistic processing was then tested with Plok-Glip composites that combined the kind of part that was diagnostic or nondiagnostic during training. Exposure to Greeble parts resulted in general failures of selective attention for nondiagnostic composites, but face-like holistic processing was only observed for diagnostic composites. These results demonstrated a novel link between learned attentional control and the acquisition of holistic processing. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).
Topics of internal medicine for undergraduate dental education: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Kunde, A; Harendza, S

2015-08-01

Due to the ageing population, internal medicine has become increasingly important for dental education. Although several studies have reported dentists' dissatisfaction with their internal medicine training, no guidelines exist for internal medicine learning objectives in dental education. The aim of this study was to identify topics of internal medicine considered to be relevant for dental education by dentists and internists. Eight dentists from private dental practices in Hamburg and eight experienced internal medicine consultants from Hamburg University Hospital were recruited for semi-structured interviews about internal medicine topics relevant for dentists. Internal diseases were clustered into representative subspecialties. Dentists and internists were also asked to rate medical diseases or emergencies compiled from the literature by their relevance to dental education. Coagulopathy and endocarditis were rated highest by dentists, whilst anaphylaxis was rated highest by internists. Dentists rated hepatitis, HIV, organ transplantation and head/neck neoplasm significantly higher than internists. The largest number of different internal diseases mentioned by dentists or internists could be clustered under cardiovascular diseases. The number of specific diseases dentists considered to be relevant for dental education was higher in the subspecialties cardiovascular diseases, haematology/oncology and infectiology. We identified the internal medicine topics most relevant for dental education by surveying practising dentists and internists. The relevance of these topics should be confirmed by larger quantitative studies to develop guidelines how to design specific learning objectives for internal medicine in the dental curriculum. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Virtual patient care: an interprofessional education approach for physician assistant, physical therapy and occupational therapy students.

PubMed

Shoemaker, Michael J; Platko, Christina M; Cleghorn, Susan M; Booth, Andrew

2014-07-01

The purpose of this retrospective qualitative case report is to describe how a case-based, virtual patient interprofessional education (IPE) simulation activity was utilized to achieve physician assistant (PA), physical therapy (PT) and occupational therapy (OT) student IPE learning outcomes. Following completion of a virtual patient case, 30 PA, 46 PT and 24 OT students were required to develop a comprehensive, written treatment plan and respond to reflective questions. A qualitative analysis of the submitted written assignment was used to determine whether IPE learning objectives were met. Student responses revealed three themes that supported the learning objectives of the IPE experience: benefits of collaborative care, role clarification and relevance of the IPE experience for future practice. A case-based, IPE simulation activity for physician assistant and rehabilitation students using a computerized virtual patient software program effectively facilitated achievement of the IPE learning objectives, including development of greater student awareness of other professions and ways in which collaborative patient care can be provided.
Memory and visual search in naturalistic 2D and 3D environments

PubMed Central

Li, Chia-Ling; Aivar, M. Pilar; Kit, Dmitry M.; Tong, Matthew H.; Hayhoe, Mary M.

2016-01-01

The role of memory in guiding attention allocation in daily behaviors is not well understood. In experiments with two-dimensional (2D) images, there is mixed evidence about the importance of memory. Because the stimulus context in laboratory experiments and daily behaviors differs extensively, we investigated the role of memory in visual search, in both two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) environments. A 3D immersive virtual apartment composed of two rooms was created, and a parallel 2D visual search experiment composed of snapshots from the 3D environment was developed. Eye movements were tracked in both experiments. Repeated searches for geometric objects were performed to assess the role of spatial memory. Subsequently, subjects searched for realistic context objects to test for incidental learning. Our results show that subjects learned the room-target associations in 3D but less so in 2D. Gaze was increasingly restricted to relevant regions of the room with experience in both settings. Search for local contextual objects, however, was not facilitated by early experience. Incidental fixations to context objects do not necessarily benefit search performance. Together, these results demonstrate that memory for global aspects of the environment guides search by restricting allocation of attention to likely regions, whereas task relevance determines what is learned from the active search experience. Behaviors in 2D and 3D environments are comparable, although there is greater use of memory in 3D. PMID:27299769
Global Perspectives on Recognising Non-Formal and Informal Learning: Why Recognition Matters. Technical and Vocational Education and Training: Issues, Concerns and Prospects. Volume 21

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Singh, Madhu

2015-01-01

This book deals with the relevance of recognition, validation and accreditation (RVA) of non-formal and informal learning in education and training, the workplace and society. It examines RVA's strategic policy objectives and best practice features as well as the challenges faced and ways forward as reported by Member States. Special attention is…
Anatomy meets dentistry! Linking anatomy and clinical practice in the preclinical dental curriculum.

PubMed

Rafai, Nicole; Lemos, Martin; Kennes, Lieven Nils; Hawari, Ayichah; Gerhardt-Szép, Susanne; Classen-Linke, Irmgard

2016-11-25

Establishing a strong link early on between preclinical coursework and the clinical context is necessary for students to be able to recognize the practical relevance of the curriculum during their preclinical anatomical courses and to transfer knowledge more easily. Our objective was to enhance the clinical relevance of a preclinical anatomy course for second-year medical students of dentistry by implementing an interdisciplinary skills training course on "Palpation of the Head and Neck Muscles" and to measure the learning outcomes. For the curricular development of the expanded course module, Kern's 6-step approach was applied including subjective evaluation. We used a peer-teaching format supported by an e-learning application. A randomized control study measured effects of the two components (skills training, e-module) on learning outcomes. Four learning methods were compared: (1) lecture, (2) lecture + e-module, (3) lecture + skills training, (4) lecture + skills training + e-module. An objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) was used to measure and compare learning outcomes. The two-way variance analysis demonstrated that participation in the skills training had a statistically significant effect on the OSCE results (p = 0.0007). Students who participated in the skills training did better (φ 107.4 ± 14.4 points) than students who only attended the lecture (φ 88.8 ± 26.2 points). Students who used the e-module but did not attend the skills training earned a slightly but not significantly higher average number of points (φ 91.8 ± 31.3 points) than those who only attended the lecture. The learning outcomes of the skills training were again significantly increased when the training was combined with the e-module (φ 121.8 ± 21.8 points), thus making it the ideal method for achieving the learning objectives defined in this study. The "Palpation of the Head and Neck Muscles" interdisciplinary skills training course linking basic anatomical knowledge and clinical skills led to clearly improved learning outcomes for both, anatomical knowledge and clinical skills. The additional use of an e-learning tool (e-module) improved the learning effect.
A course designed for undergraduate biochemistry students to learn about cultural diversity issues.

PubMed

Benore-Parsons, Marilee

2006-09-01

Biology, biochemistry, and other science students are well trained in science and familiar with how to conduct and evaluate scientific experiments. They are less aware of cultural issues or how these will impact their careers in research, education, or as professional health care workers. A course was developed for advanced undergraduate science majors to learn about diversity issues in a context that would be relevant to them, entitled "Diversity Issues in Health Care: Treatment and Research." Learning objectives included: developing awareness of current topics concerning diversity issues in health care; learning how research is carried out in health care, including pharmaceutical research, clinical trials, and social research; and learning about health care practices. Lectures and projects included readings on laboratory and clinical research, as well as literature on legal, race, gender, language, age, and income issues in health care research and clinical practice. Exams, papers, and a service learning project were used to determine the final course grade. Assessment indicated student understanding of diversity issues was improved, and the material was relevant. Copyright © 2006 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.
Rats' learning of a new motor skill: insight into the evolution of motor sequence learning.

PubMed

Hermer-Vazquez, Linda; Moshtagh, Nasim

2009-05-01

Recent behavioral and neural evidence has suggested that ethologically relevant sub-movements (movement primitives) are used by primates for more complex motor skill learning. These primitives include extending the hand, grasping an object, and holding food while moving it toward the mouth. In prior experiments with rats performing a reach-to-grasp-food task, we observed that especially during early task learning, rats appeared to have movement primitives similar to those seen in primates. Unlike primates, however, during task learning the rats performed these sub-movements in a disordered manner not seen in humans or macaques, e.g. with the rat chewing before placing the food pellet in its mouth. Here, in two experiments, we tested the hypothesis that for rats, learning this ecologically relevant skill involved learning to concatenate the sub-movements in the correct order. The results confirmed our initial observations, and suggested that several aspects of forepaw/hand use, taken for granted in primate studies, must be learned by rats to perform a logically connected and seemingly ecologically important series of sub-movements. We discuss our results from a comparative and evolutionary perspective.

Explanation-based learning in infancy.

PubMed

Baillargeon, Renée; DeJong, Gerald F

2017-10-01

In explanation-based learning (EBL), domain knowledge is leveraged in order to learn general rules from few examples. An explanation is constructed for initial exemplars and is then generalized into a candidate rule that uses only the relevant features specified in the explanation; if the rule proves accurate for a few additional exemplars, it is adopted. EBL is thus highly efficient because it combines both analytic and empirical evidence. EBL has been proposed as one of the mechanisms that help infants acquire and revise their physical rules. To evaluate this proposal, 11- and 12-month-olds (n = 260) were taught to replace their current support rule (that an object is stable when half or more of its bottom surface is supported) with a more sophisticated rule (that an object is stable when half or more of the entire object is supported). Infants saw teaching events in which asymmetrical objects were placed on a base, followed by static test displays involving a novel asymmetrical object and a novel base. When the teaching events were designed to facilitate EBL, infants learned the new rule with as few as two (12-month-olds) or three (11-month-olds) exemplars. When the teaching events were designed to impede EBL, however, infants failed to learn the rule. Together, these results demonstrate that even infants, with their limited knowledge about the world, benefit from the knowledge-based approach of EBL.
Student nurses' learning on community-based education in Ethiopia.

PubMed

Salmon, Karen; Keneni, Gutema

2004-07-01

At Jimma University educational goals are to apply the concept of community-oriented education through community-based education (CBE) of health students. This study examined the experiences of student nurses on CBE. The aims of the study were to identify factors that students considered had helped or hindered their learning on CBE and to ascertain if the stated learning objectives were met. A quantitative, descriptive, survey design was adopted, using a single, anonymous questionnaire. Some qualitative data were gained using open questions. A convenience sample of 95 students participated in the research. Participants represented 90% of all students who had completed their CBE placements. Participation, mentors' willingness to answer questions and the relevance of the placement were factors that facilitated learning. Factors reported by students that hindered learning were difficulties of self-expression in a group, mentors emphasising mistakes and weakness and the short time-frame due to ongoing lectures during placement. Students said learning objectives most met were socio-demographic assessment, identifying health problems and action planning. Objectives reported to be least met were identifying environmental health problems, planning preventive health interventions and implementing health interventions. These include the need to develop students' group skills, prepare mentors to facilitate learning, organise CBE in spiral phases, avoid concurrent lectures and improve study facilities.
Learning Activity Packets for Minimal Mathematics Competencies in Vocational Education. Exemplary Project in Vocational Education Conducted under Public Law 90-576, Section 132 of P.L. 94-482. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dorchester Vocational Center, SC.

Project activities were conducted to accomplish three major objectives: (1) to develop a definition of minimum mathematical skills necessary to complete vocational skill training in fifteen areas, (2) to develop learning activity packets relevant to each vocational area, and (3) to make the process and packets available to other vocational…
Evaluation of an Instructional Model to Teach Clinically Relevant Medicinal Chemistry in a Campus and a Distance Pathway

PubMed Central

Galt, Kimberly A.

2008-01-01

Objectives To evaluate an instructional model for teaching clinically relevant medicinal chemistry. Methods An instructional model that uses Bloom's cognitive and Krathwohl's affective taxonomy, published and tested concepts in teaching medicinal chemistry, and active learning strategies, was introduced in the medicinal chemistry courses for second-professional year (P2) doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students (campus and distance) in the 2005-2006 academic year. Student learning and the overall effectiveness of the instructional model were assessed. Student performance after introducing the instructional model was compared to that in prior years. Results Student performance on course examinations improved compared to previous years. Students expressed overall enthusiasm about the course and better understood the value of medicinal chemistry to clinical practice. Conclusion The explicit integration of the cognitive and affective learning objectives improved student performance, student ability to apply medicinal chemistry to clinical practice, and student attitude towards the discipline. Testing this instructional model provided validation to this theoretical framework. The model is effective for both our campus and distance-students. This instructional model may also have broad-based applications to other science courses. PMID:18483599
Internal medicine residency graduates' perceptions of the systems-based practice and practice-based learning and improvement competencies.

PubMed

Didwania, Aashish; McGaghie, William C; Cohen, Elaine; Wayne, Diane B

2010-01-01

Resident education in Systems-Based Practice (SBP) and Practice-Based Learning and Improvement (PBLI) is required but underemphasized. The objectives are to identify SBP and PBLI knowledge and skills with the most relevance to our graduates' practices and to determine how well they were prepared during residency training to address these issues. A survey was drafted based on Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education competency definitions and published literature on SBP and PBLI. Respondents indicated the extent to which each item is relevant to their practice and the adequacy of instruction received on a 5-point Likert scale. All topics had high perceived relevance to practice with most topics rated low for adequacy of training. Topics of practice management and health care economics contained the largest gaps between mean ratings of relevance and adequacy of training (p < .001). Few differences in ratings were seen based on graduate demographics. This survey has allowed us to prioritize SBP and PBLI curricula to meet the needs of our graduates.
The Development of Monograph with 3-Dimentional Illustrations Titled “Augmented Chemistry: Hydrocarbon” as Learning Enrichment Materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ernawati, D.; Ikhsan, J.

2017-02-01

The development of 3D technology provides more advantages in education sectors. In chemistry, the 3D technology makes chemistry objects look more tangible. This research developed a monograph titled “Augmented Chemistry: Hydrocarbon” as learning enrichment materials. The development model consisted of 5 steps, which were the adaptation of the ADDIE model. The 3D objects of chemistry were built using the computer applications of Chem Sketch, and Google Sketch Up with AR Plugin. The 3D objects were displayed by relevant markers on the texts of the monograph from which the visualizations of the 3D objects appeared when they were captured by digital camera of laptop or smartphone, and were possibly viewed with free-rotation. Not only were 3D chemistry objects included in the monograph, but also graphics, videos, audios, and animations, which facilitated more fun learning for readers of the monograph. After the reviews by the experts of subject matter, of media, of instruction, and by peers, the monograph was revised, and then rated by chemistry teachers. The analysis of the data showed that the monograph titled “Augmented Chemistry: Hydrocarbon” was in the criteria of very good for the enrichment materials of Chemistry learning.
V-TECS Guide for Commercial Foods.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elliott, Ronald T.; Benson, Robert T.

This guide is designed to provide job-relevant tasks, performance objectives, performance guides, resources, teaching activities, evaluation standards, and achievement testing for commercial foods occupations. It can be used with any teaching method, and it addresses all three domains of learning: psychomotor, cognitive, and affective. The guide…
V-TECS Guide for Bookkeeping/Accounting/Payroll Clerk.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gregory, Margaret R.; Benson, Robert T.

This guide, an extension of the Vocational-Technical Education Consortium of States (V-TECS) catalog, includes such considerations as background information, decision-making skills, attitudes, and learning methods surrounding the occupations of bookkeeper/accountant/payroll clerk. The guide provides job-relevant task, performance objectives,…
An Integrated Approach to Teaching Biochemistry for Pharmacy Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Poirier, Therese I.; Borke, Mitchell L.

1982-01-01

A Duquesne course integrating biochemistry lectures, clinical applications lectures, and laboratory sessions has the objectives of (1) making the course more relevant to students' perceived needs; (2) enhancing the learning process; (3) introducing clinical applications early in the students' program; and (4) demonstrating additional…
South Carolina Guide for Introduction to Marketing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vaughan, Ellen C.; Elliott, Ronald T.

This introduction to marketing guide addresses the three domains of learning: psychomotor, cognitive, and affective. The guide contains suggestions for specific classroom activities for each domain. Each unit or task in this guide contains a competency statement followed by performance objectives, job-relevant instructional activities,…
Creating and Diffusing a Technology Champion Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Granitz, Neil; Hugstad, Paul

2004-01-01

Excitement has been generated for using Internet technology as a vehicle to further numerous educational objectives, including enhanced student learning, greater integration of business school functional areas, and increased job market relevance. This article discusses how the Introductory Internet Marketing course can be positioned as a…
Prevention of sexually transmitted diseases among visually impaired people: educational text validation 1

PubMed Central

Oliveira, Giselly Oseni Barbosa; Cavalcante, Luana Duarte Wanderley; Pagliuca, Lorita Marlena Freitag; de Almeida, Paulo César; Rebouças, Cristiana Brasil de Almeida

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Objective: to validate an educational text in the context of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD) for visually impaired persons, making it accessible to this population. Method: a validation study, in a virtual environment. Data collection occurred from May to September 2012 by emailing the subjects, and was composed by seven content experts about STDs. Analysis was based on the considerations of the experts about Objectives, Structure and Presentation, and Relevance. Results: on the Objectives and Structure and Presentation blocks, 77 (84.6%) and 48 (85.7%) were fully adequate or appropriate, respectively. In the Relevance block, items 3.2 - Allows transfer and generalization of learning, and 3.5 - Portrays aspects needed to clarify the family, showed bad agreement indices of 0.42 and 0.57, respectively. The analysis was followed by reformulating the text according to the relevant suggestions. Conclusion: the text was validated regarding the content of sexually transmitted diseases. A total of 35 stanzas were removed and nine others included, following the recommendations of the experts. PMID:27556880
Perceptual grouping enhances visual plasticity.

PubMed

Mastropasqua, Tommaso; Turatto, Massimo

2013-01-01

Visual perceptual learning, a manifestation of neural plasticity, refers to improvements in performance on a visual task achieved by training. Attention is known to play an important role in perceptual learning, given that the observer's discriminative ability improves only for those stimulus feature that are attended. However, the distribution of attention can be severely constrained by perceptual grouping, a process whereby the visual system organizes the initial retinal input into candidate objects. Taken together, these two pieces of evidence suggest the interesting possibility that perceptual grouping might also affect perceptual learning, either directly or via attentional mechanisms. To address this issue, we conducted two experiments. During the training phase, participants attended to the contrast of the task-relevant stimulus (oriented grating), while two similar task-irrelevant stimuli were presented in the adjacent positions. One of the two flanking stimuli was perceptually grouped with the attended stimulus as a consequence of its similar orientation (Experiment 1) or because it was part of the same perceptual object (Experiment 2). A test phase followed the training phase at each location. Compared to the task-irrelevant no-grouping stimulus, orientation discrimination improved at the attended location. Critically, a perceptual learning effect equivalent to the one observed for the attended location also emerged for the task-irrelevant grouping stimulus, indicating that perceptual grouping induced a transfer of learning to the stimulus (or feature) being perceptually grouped with the task-relevant one. Our findings indicate that no voluntary effort to direct attention to the grouping stimulus or feature is necessary to enhance visual plasticity.
An object memory bias induced by communicative reference.

PubMed

Marno, Hanna; Davelaar, Eddy J; Csibra, Gergely

2016-01-01

In humans, a good proportion of knowledge, including knowledge about objects and object kinds, is acquired via social learning by direct communication from others. If communicative signals raise the expectation of social learning about objects, intrinsic (permanent) features that support object recognition are relevant to store into memory, while extrinsic (accidental) object properties can be ignored. We investigated this hypothesis by instructing participants to memorise shape-colour associations that constituted either an extrinsic object property (the colour of the box that contained the object, Experiment 1) or an intrinsic one (the colour of the object, Experiment 2). Compared to a non-communicative context, communicative presentation of the objects impaired participants' performance when they recalled extrinsic object properties, while their incidental memory of the intrinsic shape-colour associations was not affected. Communicative signals had no effect on performance when the task required the memorisation of intrinsic object properties. The negative effect of communicative reference on the memory of extrinsic properties was also confirmed in Experiment 3, where this property was object location. Such a memory bias suggests that referent objects in communication tend to be seen as representatives of their kind rather than as individuals. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
V-TECS Guide for Farm Equipment Mechanic.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McClimon, Hugh P.; And Others

This curriculum guide for a vocational agriculture course in farm equipment mechanics addresses the three domains of learning (psychomotor, cognitive, and affective) while providing job-relevant tasks and suggestions for specific classroom activities for each identified task. This guide provides performance objectives for the following 13 tasks:…
Facility Maintenance. V-TECS Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, Charles G.; And Others

This facility maintenance guide is a compilation of duties, tasks, performance objectives, and performance guides that deals with the psychomotor aspect of an occupation. The guide addresses the three domains of learning: psychomotor, cognitive, and affective. Each unit provides job-relevant tasks, standards of performance, source of standard,…
Planning and Producing Audiovisual Materials.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kemp, Jerrold E.

The first few chapters of this book are devoted to an examination of the changing character of audiovisual materials; instructional design and the selection of media to serve specific objectives; and principles of perception, communication, and learning. Relevant research findings in the field are reviewed. The basic techniques of planning…
The ambiguous and bewitching power of knowledge, skills and attitudes leads to confusing statements of learning objectives.

PubMed

Guilbert, J-J

2002-01-01

The words "knowledge", "skills" and "attitudes" are given different meanings by health personnel when discussing educational issues. Ambiguity is known as a handicap to efficient communication. In the design of a curriculum the quality of the definition of learning objectives plays a fundamental role. If learning objectives lack clarity, learners and teachers will face operational difficulties. As Robert Mager said, "If you are not certain of where you are going you may very well end up somewhere else and not even know it". Knowledge is not only memory of facts but what you do with it. The complexity of human behaviour should not be underestimated. This is why educational objectives need active non-ambiguous verbs in order to achieve better communication between teachers and learners and to assess that complexity. This is why I suggest using the expression intellectual skill (or competence) as meaning "a rational decision or act". Sensomotor skill (or competence) would replace "skills" as presently used and cover only "acts which require a neuromuscular coordination". Interpersonal communication skill (or competence) would replace "attitude(s)" and be limited to "verbal and non-verbal relation between persons". As the level of validity of assessment of learners' competencies is linked to the clarity of learning objectives, it is hoped that the above suggestions will raise the overall level of validity of the evaluation system. This is why it is important that everybody understands, in the same manner, the meaning of a learning objective. It will help learners to focus their learning efforts on the right target. It will help teachers to ensure the relevance to health needs of their teaching and the validity of assessment instruments. In both cases it will be beneficial to the health of the population.
Environmental Control System Installer/Servicer (Residential Air Conditioning Mechanic). V-TECS Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meyer, Calvin F.; Benson, Robert T.

This guide provides job relevant tasks, performance objectives, performance guides, resources, learning activitites, evaluation standards, and achievement testing in the occupation of environmental control system installer/servicer (residential air conditioning mechanic). It is designed to be used with any chosen teaching method. The course…
A Neurosciences-in-Psychiatry Curriculum Project for Medical Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dunstone, David C.

2006-01-01

Objective: Incorporating new neuroscience findings relevant to psychiatry into the medical school curriculum is challenging, especially at the level of clinical learning. In this pilot project, third-year medical student volunteers in their required 8-week clerkship participated in an e-mail-based experience relating contemporary neuroscience to…

Telework 96: An International Collaborative Learning Package for Information Entrepreneurs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davenport, Elisabeth; Wormell, Irene

1997-01-01

Describes the implementation of an international joint course developed by Queen Margaret College in Scotland and the Royal School of Librarianship in Denmark introducing undergraduate students to tools and issues relevant to teleworking, or working at home. Discusses course objectives, class assignments, student assessment, and program…
Visual object recognition for mobile tourist information systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paletta, Lucas; Fritz, Gerald; Seifert, Christin; Luley, Patrick; Almer, Alexander

2005-03-01

We describe a mobile vision system that is capable of automated object identification using images captured from a PDA or a camera phone. We present a solution for the enabling technology of outdoors vision based object recognition that will extend state-of-the-art location and context aware services towards object based awareness in urban environments. In the proposed application scenario, tourist pedestrians are equipped with GPS, W-LAN and a camera attached to a PDA or a camera phone. They are interested whether their field of view contains tourist sights that would point to more detailed information. Multimedia type data about related history, the architecture, or other related cultural context of historic or artistic relevance might be explored by a mobile user who is intending to learn within the urban environment. Learning from ambient cues is in this way achieved by pointing the device towards the urban sight, capturing an image, and consequently getting information about the object on site and within the focus of attention, i.e., the users current field of view.
Laboratory Exercises to Teach Clinically Relevant Chemistry of Antibiotics

PubMed Central

Chelette, Candace T.

2014-01-01

Objectives. To design, implement, and evaluate student performance on clinically relevant chemical and spectral laboratory exercises on antibiotics. Design. In the first of 2 exercises, second-year pharmacy students enrolled in an integrated laboratory sequence course studied the aqueous stability of ß-lactam antibiotics using a spectral visual approach. In a second exercise, students studied the tendency of tetracycline, rifamycins, and fluoroquinolones to form insoluble chelate complexes (turbidity) with polyvalent metals. Assessment. On a survey to assess achievement of class learning objectives, students agreed the laboratory activities helped them better retain important information concerning antibiotic stability and interactions. A significant improvement was observed in performance on examination questions related to the laboratory topics for 2012 and 2013 students compared to 2011 students who did not complete the laboratory. A 1-year follow-up examination question administered in a separate course showed >75% of the students were able to identify rifamycins-food interactions compared with <25% of students who had not completed the laboratory exercises. Conclusion. The use of spectral visual approaches allowed students to investigate antibiotic stability and interactions, thus reinforcing the clinical relevance of medicinal chemistry. Students’ performance on questions at the 1-year follow-up suggested increased retention of the concepts learned as a result of completing the exercises. PMID:24672070
Perceptual Grouping Enhances Visual Plasticity

PubMed Central

Mastropasqua, Tommaso; Turatto, Massimo

2013-01-01

Visual perceptual learning, a manifestation of neural plasticity, refers to improvements in performance on a visual task achieved by training. Attention is known to play an important role in perceptual learning, given that the observer's discriminative ability improves only for those stimulus feature that are attended. However, the distribution of attention can be severely constrained by perceptual grouping, a process whereby the visual system organizes the initial retinal input into candidate objects. Taken together, these two pieces of evidence suggest the interesting possibility that perceptual grouping might also affect perceptual learning, either directly or via attentional mechanisms. To address this issue, we conducted two experiments. During the training phase, participants attended to the contrast of the task-relevant stimulus (oriented grating), while two similar task-irrelevant stimuli were presented in the adjacent positions. One of the two flanking stimuli was perceptually grouped with the attended stimulus as a consequence of its similar orientation (Experiment 1) or because it was part of the same perceptual object (Experiment 2). A test phase followed the training phase at each location. Compared to the task-irrelevant no-grouping stimulus, orientation discrimination improved at the attended location. Critically, a perceptual learning effect equivalent to the one observed for the attended location also emerged for the task-irrelevant grouping stimulus, indicating that perceptual grouping induced a transfer of learning to the stimulus (or feature) being perceptually grouped with the task-relevant one. Our findings indicate that no voluntary effort to direct attention to the grouping stimulus or feature is necessary to enhance visual plasticity. PMID:23301100
Task analysis in curriculum design: a hierarchically sequenced introductory mathematics curriculum1

PubMed Central

Resnick, Lauren B.; Wang, Margaret C.; Kaplan, Jerome

1973-01-01

A method of systematic task analysis is applied to the problem of designing a sequence of learning objectives that will provide an optimal match for the child's natural sequence of acquisition of mathematical skills and concepts. The authors begin by proposing an operational definition of the number concept in the form of a set of behaviors which, taken together, permit the inference that the child has an abstract concept of “number”. These are the “objectives” of the curriculum. Each behavior in the defining set is then subjected to an analysis that identifies hypothesized components of skilled performance and prerequisites for learning these components. On the basis of these analyses, specific sequences of learning objectives are proposed. The proposed sequences are hypothesized to be those that will best facilitate learning, by maximizing transfer from earlier to later objectives. Relevant literature on early learning and cognitive development is considered in conjunction with the analyses and the resulting sequences. The paper concludes with a discussion of the ways in which the curriculum can be implemented and studied in schools. Examples of data on individual children are presented, and the use of such data for improving the curriculum itself, as well as for examining the effects of other treatment variables, is considered. PMID:16795452
Athletic Training Education: There's an App for That

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keeley, Kim; Potteiger, Kelly; Brown, Christopher D.

2015-01-01

Context: Mobile applications (apps) are growing in popularity due to the increased use of smartphones. Many available apps are educational in nature and may provide both students and educators freedom for learning to occur outside of the typical classroom environment. Objective: To provide a description of relevant apps along with a brief synopsis…
The Dynamics of Social Stratification in Contemporary Asian Societies. Asian Studies Module.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Inyang, Ambrose

This curriculum module is designed to provide potential users with access to pedagogic techniques and scholarly works on the subject of social stratification in contemporary Asian societies that can be effectively integrated into appropriate sociology and other relevant courses. First, a set of goals and learning objectives is presented in an…
Learning a New Curricular Approach: Mechanisms of Knowledge Acquisition in Preservice Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rovegno, Inez

1992-01-01

Reports a study of preservice physical educators' acquisition of knowledge of a nontraditional movement approach to physical education. Interviews and field observations indicated that before student teaching their knowledge of deeper content objectives was weak. In early field experiences, students attended to aspects of the approach relevant to…
An Exploration of Metacognition in Asynchronous Student-Led Discussions: A Qualitative Inquiry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Snyder, Martha M.; Dringus, Laurie P.

2014-01-01

Research is limited on how metacognition is facilitated and manifested in socially situated online learning environments such as online discussion forums. We approached metacognition as the phenomenon of interest partly through a methodological objective to evaluate the relevance of a metacognition construct and partly through a content objective…
Classical Civilization, English, Social Studies: 5114.67.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hankins, Gretchen C.

This course will include the study of Greek mythology, philosophy, and drama and analyze their influence on modern man and his ideas. The course outline consists of: I. Performance Objectives; II. Range of Subject Matter; III. Course Content; IV. Teaching Strategies and Learning Activities; V. Student Resources -- a list of books relevant to Greek…
The Electoral College: A Teaching/Learning Design.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hamilton, Angela Blackston

This teacher's guide describes a course unit on the electoral college designed to teach eighth grade students about the election process for the President of the United States. The historical significance of the electoral college, its procedures, and its relevance to today's political system are discussed. Ten lesson plans with student objectives,…
Harnessing Spatial Thinking to Support STEM Learning. OECD Education Working Papers, No. 161

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Newcombe, Nora

2017-01-01

Spatial intelligence concerns the locations of objects, their shapes, their relations, and the paths they take as they move. Recognition of spatial skills enriches the traditional educational focus on developing literacy and numerical skills to include a cognitive domain particularly relevant to achievement in science, technology, engineering and…
Teaching Compound Nouns in ESP: Insights from Cognitive Semantics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fries, Marie-Hélène

2017-01-01

The objective of this chapter is to explore the relevance of cognitive linguistics for teaching [noun] + [noun] constructions to French learners of English for Specific Purposes (ESP), and more specifically, for process engineering. After a review of research on Compound Nouns (CNs) and explicit versus implicit learning, three basic tenets of…
An Integrated Course in Pain Management and Palliative Care Bridging the Basic Sciences and Pharmacy Practice

PubMed Central

Kullgren, Justin; Unni, Elizabeth; Hanson, Eric

2013-01-01

Objective. To describe the development of an integrated pain and palliative care course and to investigate the long-term effectiveness of the course during doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students’ advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs) and in their practice after graduation. Design. Roseman University College of Pharmacy faculty developed a 3-week elective course in pain and palliative care by integrating relevant clinical and pharmaceutical sciences. Instructional strategies included lectures, team and individual activities, case studies, and student presentations. Assessment. Students who participated in the course in 2010 and 2011 were surveyed anonymously to gain their perception about the class as well as the utility of the course during their APPEs and in their everyday practice. Traditional and nontraditional assessment of students confirmed that the learning outcomes objectives were achieved. Conclusions. Students taking the integrated course on pain management and palliative care achieved mastery of the learning outcome objectives. Surveys of students and practicing pharmacists who completed the course showed that the learning experience as well as retention was improved with the integrated mode of teaching. Integrating basic and clinical sciences in therapeutic courses is an effective learning strategy. PMID:23966724
A recommendation module to help teachers build courses through the Moodle Learning Management System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Limongelli, Carla; Lombardi, Matteo; Marani, Alessandro; Sciarrone, Filippo; Temperini, Marco

2016-01-01

In traditional e-learning, teachers design sets of Learning Objects (LOs) and organize their sequencing; the material implementing the LOs could be either built anew or adopted from elsewhere (e.g. from standard-compliant repositories) and reused. This task is applicable also when the teacher works in a system for personalized e-learning. In this case, the burden actually increases: for instance, the LOs may need adaptation to the system, through additional metadata. This paper presents a module that gives some support to the operations of retrieving, analyzing, and importing LOs from a set of standard Learning Objects Repositories, acting as a recommending system. In particular, it is designed to support the teacher in the phases of (i) retrieval of LOs, through a keyword-based search mechanism applied to the selected repositories; (ii) analysis of the returned LOs, whose information is enriched by a concept of relevance metric, based on both the results of the searching operation and the data related to the previous use of the LOs in the courses managed by the Learning Management System; and (iii) LO importation into the course under construction.
Using Mind Maps to Make Student Questioning Effective: Learning Outcomes of a Principle-Based Scenario for Teacher Guidance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stokhof, Harry; de Vries, Bregje; Bastiaens, Theo; Martens, Rob

2018-01-01

Student questioning is an important learning strategy, but rare in many classrooms, because teachers have concerns if these questions contribute to attaining curricular objectives. Teachers face the challenge of making student questioning effective for learning the curriculum. To address this challenge, a principle-based scenario for guiding effective student questioning was developed and tested for its relevance and practicality in two previous studies. In the scenario, which consists of a sequence of pedagogical activities, mind maps support teachers and students to explore and elaborate upon a core curriculum, by raising, investigating, and exchanging student questions. In this paper, a follow-up study is presented that tested the effectiveness of the scenario on student outcomes in terms of attainment of curricular objectives. Ten teachers and their 231 students participated in the study. Pre- and posttest mind maps were used to measure individual and collective learning outcomes of student questioning. Findings show that a majority of students progressed in learning the core curriculum and elaborated upon it. The findings suggest that visualizing knowledge construction in a shared mind map supports students to learn a core curriculum and to refine their knowledge structures.
The Chemically Elegant Proton Pump Inhibitors

PubMed Central

Roche, Victoria F.

2006-01-01

Medicinal chemistry instruction at Creighton University is designed to provide an in-depth scientifically grounded and clinically relevant learning experience for pharmacy students. Each topic covered in the 2-semester required course sequence is selected based on the general utility of the compounds in question and/or the therapeutic importance of the drugs in treating life-threatening diseases. All lessons provided to campus- and Web-based students by the author are in the form of a descriptive and conversational narrative and course requirements are in place to assure that students read the lesson prior to the class period in which it is discussed. Learning tools and aids are provided to help students more readily discern the most critical aspects of each lesson, to practice required critical thinking and structure analysis skills, and to self-assess competency in meeting specific learning objectives. This manuscript illustrates this approach by sharing a lesson on the chemistry and clinically relevant structure-activity relationships of proton pump inhibitors. PMID:17149430
EFL/ESL Textbook Selection in Korea and East Asia - Relevant Issues and Literature Review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meurant, Robert C.

EFL/ESL departments periodically face the problem of textbook selection. Cogent issues are that non-native speakers will use L2 English mainly to communicate with other non-native English speakers, so an American accent is becoming less important. L2 English will mainly be used in computer-mediated communication, hence the importance of L2 Digital Literacy. The convergence of Information Communication Technologies is radically impacting Second Language Acquisition, which is integrating web-hosted Assessment and Learning Management Systems. EFL/ESL textbooks need to be compatible with blended learning, prepare students for a globalized world, and foster autonomous learning. I summarize five papers on EFL/ESL textbook evaluation and selection, and include relevant material for adaptation. Textbooks are major sources of contact with the target language, so selection is an important decision. Educators need to be systematic and objective in their approach, adopting a selection process that is open, transparent, accountable, participatory, informed and rigorous.
Social cues at encoding affect memory in 4-month-old infants.

PubMed

Kopp, Franziska; Lindenberger, Ulman

2012-01-01

Available evidence suggests that infants use adults' social cues for learning by the second half of the first year of life. However, little is known about the short-term or long-term effects of joint attention interactions on learning and memory in younger infants. In the present study, 4-month-old infants were familiarized with visually presented objects in either of two conditions that differed in the degree of joint attention (high vs. low). Brain activity in response to familiar and novel objects was assessed immediately after the familiarization phase (immediate recognition), and following a 1-week delay (delayed recognition). The latency of the Nc component differentiated between recognition of old versus new objects. Pb amplitude and latency were affected by joint attention in delayed recognition. Moreover, the frequency of infant gaze to the experimenter during familiarization differed between the two experimental groups and modulated the Pb response. Results show that joint attention affects the mechanisms of long-term retention in 4-month-old infants. We conclude that joint attention helps children at this young age to recognize the relevance of learned items.
Embodied experiences for science learning: A cognitive linguistics exploration of middle school students' language in learning about water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salinas Barrios, Ivan Eduardo

I investigated linguistic patterns in middle school students' writing to understand their relevant embodied experiences for learning science. Embodied experiences are those limited by the perceptual and motor constraints of the human body. Recent research indicates student understanding of science needs embodied experiences. Recent emphases of science education researchers in the practices of science suggest that students' understanding of systems and their structure, scale, size, representations, and causality are crosscutting concepts that unify all scientific disciplinary areas. To discern the relationship between linguistic patterns and embodied experiences, I relied on Cognitive Linguistics, a field within cognitive sciences that pays attention to language organization and use assuming that language reflects the human cognitive system. Particularly, I investigated the embodied experiences that 268 middle school students learning about water brought to understanding: i) systems and system structure; ii) scale, size and representations; and iii) causality. Using content analysis, I explored students' language in search of patterns regarding linguistic phenomena described within cognitive linguistics: image schemas, conceptual metaphors, event schemas, semantical roles, and force-dynamics. I found several common embodied experiences organizing students' understanding of crosscutting concepts. Perception of boundaries and change in location and perception of spatial organization in the vertical axis are relevant embodied experiences for students' understanding of systems and system structure. Direct object manipulation and perception of size with and without locomotion are relevant for understanding scale, size and representations. Direct applications of force and consequential perception of movement or change in form are relevant for understanding of causality. I discuss implications of these findings for research and science teaching.

An object-based visual attention model for robotic applications.

PubMed

Yu, Yuanlong; Mann, George K I; Gosine, Raymond G

2010-10-01

By extending integrated competition hypothesis, this paper presents an object-based visual attention model, which selects one object of interest using low-dimensional features, resulting that visual perception starts from a fast attentional selection procedure. The proposed attention model involves seven modules: learning of object representations stored in a long-term memory (LTM), preattentive processing, top-down biasing, bottom-up competition, mediation between top-down and bottom-up ways, generation of saliency maps, and perceptual completion processing. It works in two phases: learning phase and attending phase. In the learning phase, the corresponding object representation is trained statistically when one object is attended. A dual-coding object representation consisting of local and global codings is proposed. Intensity, color, and orientation features are used to build the local coding, and a contour feature is employed to constitute the global coding. In the attending phase, the model preattentively segments the visual field into discrete proto-objects using Gestalt rules at first. If a task-specific object is given, the model recalls the corresponding representation from LTM and deduces the task-relevant feature(s) to evaluate top-down biases. The mediation between automatic bottom-up competition and conscious top-down biasing is then performed to yield a location-based saliency map. By combination of location-based saliency within each proto-object, the proto-object-based saliency is evaluated. The most salient proto-object is selected for attention, and it is finally put into the perceptual completion processing module to yield a complete object region. This model has been applied into distinct tasks of robots: detection of task-specific stationary and moving objects. Experimental results under different conditions are shown to validate this model.
An Evaluation of Teachers' Perceptions of a State Developed Educational Portal

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caraccio, Beth Katz

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate teachers' perceptions use of a state developed educational portal. The research evaluated the differences in the quality, usefulness, and relevance of learning objects found on the website based on teachers' gender and grade level they taught. Grade level taught referred to those grades that are the…
Awareness Is Necessary for Extracting Patterns in Working Memory but Not for Directing Spatial Attention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hsieh, Po-Jang; Colas, Jaron T.

2012-01-01

The contents of working memory (WM) have predominantly been viewed as necessarily conscious. However, recent findings suggest otherwise. Here we investigate whether visual WM can represent subliminal stimuli, such that the positions of an invisible moving object can be extrapolated or learned about in terms of their task-relevant predictive power.…
Evaluation of Occupational Therapy Workshops to Prevent Work-Related Injuries or Illnesses among Vocational Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lecours, Alexandra; Therriault, Pierre-Yves

2018-01-01

The few studies aiming to evaluate prevention interventions provided by occupational therapists in health at work were conducted in work settings. However, to intervene in primary prevention, developing occupational therapy interventions with students learning a trade is relevant. The objective is to evaluate workshops designed and set up by…
Instructional Strategies for Improving Students' Learning: Focus on Early Reading and Mathematics. Psychological Perspectives on Contemporary Educational Issues

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carlson, Jerry, Ed.; Levin, Joel R., Ed.

2012-01-01

The twin objectives of the series Psychological Perspectives on Contemporary Educational Issues are: (1) to identify issues in education that are relevant to professional educators and researchers; and (2) to address those issues from research and theory in educational psychology, psychology, and related disciplines. The present volume, consisting…
On-Line Role-Play as a Teaching Method in Engineering Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cobo, Adolfo; Conde, Olga Ma.; Quintela, Ma. Ángeles; Mirapéix, Jesús Ma.; López-Higuera, José Miguel

2011-01-01

In this paper we propose adapting role-play teaching methodology to engineering studies. The role of a maintenance technician, a relevant job profile for engineering graduates is has chosen. The interaction is based on email exchange, with the instructor included in the simulation to help guide the activity and achieve learning objectives. In this…
On the Way to 2020: Data for Vocational Education and Training Policies. Country Statistical Overviews. Update 2013

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cedefop - European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training, 2014

2014-01-01

This report provides an updated statistical overview of vocational education and training (VET) and lifelong learning in European countries. These country statistical snapshots illustrate progress on indicators selected for their policy relevance and contribution to Europe 2020 objectives. The indicators take 2010 as the baseline year and present…
Attitudinal Patterns of Secondary Education Students in Catalonia. The Direct and Moderator Effects of Origin

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ianos, Maria Adelina; Huguet, Àngel; Lapresta-Rey, Cecilio

2017-01-01

Language attitudes have become more relevant than ever as a result of the considerable number of immigrant students enrolled in the Catalan educational system and the challenges this entails in terms of promoting social integration and language learning. Therefore, the objective of the study is to increase our understanding of language attitudes…
Digital Preservation and Deep Infrastructure; Dublin Core Metadata Initiative Progress Report and Workplan for 2002; Video Gaming, Education and Digital Learning Technologies: Relevance and Opportunities; Digital Collections of Real World Objects; The MusArt Music-Retrieval System: An Overview; eML: Taking Mississippi Libraries into the 21st Century.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Granger, Stewart; Dekkers, Makx; Weibel, Stuart L.; Kirriemuir, John; Lensch, Hendrik P. A.; Goesele, Michael; Seidel, Hans-Peter; Birmingham, William; Pardo, Bryan; Meek, Colin; Shifrin, Jonah; Goodvin, Renee; Lippy, Brooke

2002-01-01

One opinion piece and five articles in this issue discuss: digital preservation infrastructure; accomplishments and changes in the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative in 2001 and plans for 2002; video gaming and how it relates to digital libraries and learning technologies; overview of a music retrieval system; and the online version of the…
Mayan Children's Creation of Learning Ecologies by Initiative and Cooperative Action.

PubMed

de León, Lourdes

2015-01-01

This chapter examines Mayan children's initiatives in creating their own learning environments in collaboration with others as they engage in culturally relevant endeavors of family and community life. To this end, I carry out a fine-grained ethnographic and linguistic analysis of the interactional emergence of learning ecologies. Erickson defines learning ecology as a socioecological system where participants mutually influence one another through verbal and nonverbal actions, as well as through other forms of semiotic communication (2010, 254). In analyzing learning ecologies, I adopt a "theory of action" approach, taking into account multimodal communication (e.g., talk, gesture, gaze, body positioning), participants' sociospatial organization, embodied action, objects, tools, and other culturally relevant materials brought together to build action (Goodwin, 2000, 2013; Hutchins, 1995). I use microethnographic analysis (Erickson, 1992) to bring to the surface central aspects of children's agentive roles in learning through "cooperative actions" (Goodwin, 2013) and "hands-on" experience (Ingold, 2007) the skills of competent members of their community. I examine three distinct Learning Ecologies created by children's initiatives among the Mayan children that I observed: (i) children requesting guidance to collaborate in a task, (ii) older children working on their own initiative with subsequent monitoring and correction from competent members, and (iii) children with near competence in a task with occasional monitoring and no guidance. I argue that these findings enrich and add power to models of family- and community-based learning such as Learning by Observing and Pitching In (Rogoff, 2014). © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Learning Bridge: Curricular Integration of Didactic and Experiential Education

PubMed Central

Arendt, Cassandra S.; Cawley, Pauline; Buhler, Amber V.; Elbarbry, Fawzy; Roberts, Sigrid C.

2010-01-01

Objectives To assess the impact of a program to integrate introductory pharmacy practice experiences with pharmaceutical science topics by promoting active learning, self-directed learning skills, and critical-thinking skills. Design The Learning Bridge, a curriculum program, was created to better integrate the material first-year (P1) students learned in pharmaceutical science courses into their introductory pharmacy practice experiences. Four Learning Bridge assignments required students to interact with their preceptors and answer questions relating to the pharmaceutical science material concurrently covered in their didactic courses. Assessment Surveys of students and preceptors were conducted to measure the effectiveness of the Learning Bridge process. Feedback indicated the Learning Bridge promoted students' interaction with their preceptors as well as development of active learning, self-directed learning, and critical-thinking skills. Students also indicated that the Learning Bridge assignments increased their learning, knowledge of drug information, and comprehension of relevant data in package inserts. Conclusion The Learning Bridge process integrated the didactic and experiential components of the curriculum, enhancing student learning in both areas, and offered students educational opportunities to interact more with their preceptors. PMID:20498741
Resident and student education in otolaryngology: A 10-year update on e-learning.

PubMed

Tarpada, Sandip P; Hsueh, Wayne D; Gibber, Marc J

2017-07-01

E-learning, in its most rudimentary form, is the use of Internet-based resources for teaching and learning purposes. In surgical specialties, this definition encompasses the use of virtual patient cases, digital modeling, and online tutorials, as well as standardized video and imaging. As new technological frontiers rapidly emerge within otolaryngology, e-learning may be an effective alternative to traditional teaching. Here we present a systematic review of the literature assessing the efficacy of e-learning for otolaryngology education and a discussion of the relevance of these programs for both medical students and residents within the field. Systematic review. A systematic search of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library was conducted according to the guidelines defined in the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement. Twelve studies met inclusion criteria. These studies measured a range of outcomes from basic science anatomical knowledge to clinically relevant endpoints such as diagnostic accuracy. Nearly all of the studies reported greater satisfaction and/or significantly increased objective knowledge using the e-learning intervention compared to traditional techniques. E-learning proves to be a powerful alternative to standard teaching techniques within otolaryngology education for both residents and medical students. Future work should focus on validating specific e-learning programs and accessing long-term knowledge retention using these innovative platforms. NA Laryngoscope, 127:E219-E224, 2017. © 2016 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.
Learning experience of Chinese nursing students in an online clinical English course: qualitative study.

PubMed

Tang, Anson C Y; Wong, Nick; Wong, Thomas K S

2015-02-01

The low English proficiency of Chinese nurse/nursing students affects their performance when they work in English-speaking countries. However, limited resources are available to help them improve their workplace English, i.e. English used in a clinical setting. To this end, it is essential to look for an appropriate and effective means to assist them in improving their clinical English. The objective of this study is to evaluate the learning experience of Chinese nursing students after they have completed an online clinical English course. Focus group interview was used to explore their learning experience. 100 students in nursing programs at Tung Wah College were recruited. The inclusion criteria were: (1) currently enrolled in a nursing program; and (2) having clinical experience. Eligible participants self-registered for the online English course, and were required to complete the course within 3 months. After that, semi-structured interviews were conducted on students whom completed the whole and less than half of the course. One of the researchers joined each of the interviews as a facilitator and an observer. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Finally, 7 themes emerged from the interviews: technical issues, adequacy of support, time requirement, motivation, clarity of course instruction, course design, and relevancy of the course. Participants had varied opinions on the 2 themes: motivation and relevancy of the course. Overall, results of this study suggest that the online English course helped students improve their English. Factors which support their learning are interactive course design, no time constraint, and relevancy to their work/study. Factors which detracted from their learning are poor accessibility, poor technical and learning support and no peer support throughout the course. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Task-relevant information is prioritized in spatiotemporal contextual cueing.

PubMed

Higuchi, Yoko; Ueda, Yoshiyuki; Ogawa, Hirokazu; Saiki, Jun

2016-11-01

Implicit learning of visual contexts facilitates search performance-a phenomenon known as contextual cueing; however, little is known about contextual cueing under situations in which multidimensional regularities exist simultaneously. In everyday vision, different information, such as object identity and location, appears simultaneously and interacts with each other. We tested the hypothesis that, in contextual cueing, when multiple regularities are present, the regularities that are most relevant to our behavioral goals would be prioritized. Previous studies of contextual cueing have commonly used the visual search paradigm. However, this paradigm is not suitable for directing participants' attention to a particular regularity. Therefore, we developed a new paradigm, the "spatiotemporal contextual cueing paradigm," and manipulated task-relevant and task-irrelevant regularities. In four experiments, we demonstrated that task-relevant regularities were more responsible for search facilitation than task-irrelevant regularities. This finding suggests our visual behavior is focused on regularities that are relevant to our current goal.
Dementia-Related Work Activities of Home Care Nurses and Aides: Frequency, Perceived Competence, and Continuing Education Priorities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morgan, Debra G.; Kosteniuk, Julie G.; O'Connell, Megan E.; Dal Bello-Haas, Vanina; Stewart, Norma J.; Karunanayake, Chandima

2016-01-01

An understanding of the specific dementia learning needs of home care staff is needed to plan relevant continuing education (CE) programs and supports. The study's objective was to examine frequency and perceived competence in performing 20 dementia-related work activities, and identify CE priorities among home care staff. A cross-sectional survey…
[Providing successful education and further training: 10 tips].

PubMed

Brand, Paul L P; Boendermaker, Peter M; Venekamp, Ruud M

2014-01-01

Almost all physicians teach or provide postgraduate medical education from time to time. Although many people assume that there are 'born teachers' and 'those who will never learn to teach', teaching is an ability. The knowledge and skills required to teach well can be learned and practised. In this review article, we present 10 tips that will help the busy clinician to teach effectively. The 10 tips, which are based on the principles of adult learning, are: prepare your teaching session, involve the learners actively, connect to the learners' level of competence, define learning objectives, make the subject of your teaching relevant to the learners, use questions, be a good role model, vary your teaching methods, practise your teaching, and limit the amount of material you are teaching in each session.
The effect of category learning on attentional modulation of visual cortex.

PubMed

Folstein, Jonathan R; Fuller, Kelly; Howard, Dorothy; DePatie, Thomas

2017-09-01

Learning about visual object categories causes changes in the way we perceive those objects. One likely mechanism by which this occurs is the application of attention to potentially relevant objects. Here we test the hypothesis that category membership influences the allocation of attention, allowing attention to be applied not only to object features, but to entire categories. Participants briefly learned to categorize a set of novel cartoon animals after which EEG was recorded while participants distinguished between a target and non-target category. A second identical EEG session was conducted after two sessions of categorization practice. The category structure and task design allowed parametric manipulation of number of target features while holding feature frequency and category membership constant. We found no evidence that category membership influenced attentional selection: a postero-lateral negative component, labeled the selection negativity/N250, increased over time and was sensitive to number of target features, not target categories. In contrast, the right hemisphere N170 was not sensitive to target features. The P300 appeared sensitive to category in the first session, but showed a graded sensitivity to number of target features in the second session, possibly suggesting a transition from rule-based to similarity based categorization. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
The Role of Long-Term Memory in a Test of Visual Working Memory: Proactive Facilitation but no Proactive Interference

PubMed Central

Oberauer, Klaus; Awh, Edward; Sutterer, David W.

2016-01-01

We report four experiments examining whether associations in visual working memory are subject to proactive interference from long term memory (LTM). Following a long-term learning phase in which participants learned the colors of 120 unique objects, a working memory (WM) test was administered in which participants recalled the precise colors of three concrete objects in an array. Each array in the WM test consisted of one old (previously learned) object with a new color (old-mismatch), one old object with its old color (old-match), and one new object. Experiments 1 to 3 showed that WM performance was better in the old-match condition than in the new condition, reflecting a beneficial contribution from long term memory. In the old mismatch condition, participants sometimes reported colors associated with the relevant shape in LTM, but the probability of successful recall was equivalent to that in the new condition. Thus, information from LTM only intruded in the absence of reportable information in WM. Experiment 4 tested for, and failed to find, proactive interference from the preceding trial in the WM test: Performance in the old-mismatch condition, presenting an object from the preceding trial with a new color, was equal to performance with new objects. Experiment 5 showed that long-term memory for object-color associations is subject to proactive interference. We conclude that the exchange of information between LTM and WM appears to be controlled by a gating mechanism that protects the contents of WM from proactive interference but admits LTM information when it is useful. PMID:27685018
Pedagogical Approaches to Diagnostic Imaging Education: A Narrative Review of the Literature

PubMed Central

Linaker, Kathleen L.

2015-01-01

Objective The purpose of this study was to examine literature on how radiology is taught and learned by both radiology residents and undergraduates in the health professions. Methods A review of the literature was performed using relevant key words. Articles were retrieved through December 2012 using PubMed, ScienceDirect, ERIC, Proquest, and ICL databases along with a manual review of references. Results Of the 4716 unique abstracts reviewed by the author, 91 were found to be relevant to the purpose of this study. The literature retrieved reported pedagogical approaches to teaching radiology including the following: problem solving, technology as teacher, independent learning tools, visiting lectureships, case based teaching, and conferences. There was some exploration of the relative effectiveness of educational formats. Suggestions for future research identify 7 areas of relative consistency. Conclusion Radiology is a clinical skill that requires integration science, clinical information, clinical experiences, and information recorded on diagnostic imaging studies. The research in this area focuses on problem solving, the use of algorithm/scripts, introducing uncertainty in clinical scenarios, incorporating technology in learning environments, active learning techniques, and methods of independent learning. Although the literature in this area is still in its infancy, the research examining the relative effectiveness of these various educational formats is often contradictory, suggesting that this is a complex area of study with numerous factors influencing student learning. PMID:26770173
Information based universal feature extraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amiri, Mohammad; Brause, Rüdiger

2015-02-01

In many real world image based pattern recognition tasks, the extraction and usage of task-relevant features are the most crucial part of the diagnosis. In the standard approach, they mostly remain task-specific, although humans who perform such a task always use the same image features, trained in early childhood. It seems that universal feature sets exist, but they are not yet systematically found. In our contribution, we tried to find those universal image feature sets that are valuable for most image related tasks. In our approach, we trained a neural network by natural and non-natural images of objects and background, using a Shannon information-based algorithm and learning constraints. The goal was to extract those features that give the most valuable information for classification of visual objects hand-written digits. This will give a good start and performance increase for all other image learning tasks, implementing a transfer learning approach. As result, in our case we found that we could indeed extract features which are valid in all three kinds of tasks.

Qualitative analysis of student beliefs and attitudes after an objective structured clinical evaluation: implications for affective domain learning in undergraduate nursing education.

PubMed

Cazzell, Mary; Rodriguez, Amber

2011-12-01

This qualitative study explored the feelings, beliefs, and attitudes of senior-level undergraduate pediatric nursing students upon completion of a medication administration Objective Structured Clinical Evaluation (OSCE). The affective domain is the most neglected domain in higher education, although it is deemed the "gateway to learning." Quantitative assessments of clinical skills performed during OSCEs usually address two of the three domains of learning: cognitive (knowledge) and psychomotor skills. Twenty students volunteered to participate in focus groups (10 per group) and were asked three questions relevant to their feelings, beliefs, and attitudes about their OSCE experiences. Students integrated the attitude of safety first into future practice but felt that anxiety, loss of control, reaction under pressure, and no feedback affected their ability to connect the OSCE performance with future clinical practice. The findings affect future affective domain considerations in the development, modification, and assessment of OSCEs across the undergraduate nursing curriculum.
Constraints on the exploitation of the functional properties of objects in expert tool-using chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes).

PubMed

Povinelli, Daniel J; Frey, Scott H

2016-09-01

Many species exploit immediately apparent dimensions of objects during tool use and manufacture and operate over internal perceptual representations of objects (they move and reorient objects in space, have rules of operation to deform or modify objects, etc). Humans, however, actively test for functionally relevant object properties before such operations begin, even when no previous percepts of a particular object's qualities in the domain have been established. We hypothesize that such prospective diagnostic interventions are a human specialization of cognitive function that has been entirely overlooked in the neuropsychological literature. We presented chimpanzees with visually identical rakes: one was functional for retrieving a food reward; the other was non-functional (its base was spring-loaded). Initially, they learned that only the functional tool could retrieve a distant reward. In test 1, we explored if they would manually test for the rakes' rigidity during tool selection, but before using it. We found no evidence of such behavior. In test 2, we obliged the apes to deform the non-functional tool's base before using it, in order to evaluate whether this would cause them to switch rakes. It did not. Tests 3-6 attempted to focus the apes' attention on the functionally relevant property (rigidity). Although one ape eventually learned to abandon the non-functional rake before using it, she still did not attempt to test the rakes for rigidity prior to use. While these results underscore the ability of chimpanzees to use novel tools, at the same time they point toward a fundamental (and heretofore unexplored) difference in causal reasoning between humans and apes. We propose that this behavioral difference reflects a human specialization in how object properties are represented, which could have contributed significantly to the evolution of our technological culture. We discuss developing a new line of evolutionarily motivated neuropsychological research on action disorders. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Web-based resources for critical care education.

PubMed

Kleinpell, Ruth; Ely, E Wesley; Williams, Ged; Liolios, Antonios; Ward, Nicholas; Tisherman, Samuel A

2011-03-01

To identify, catalog, and critically evaluate Web-based resources for critical care education. A multilevel search strategy was utilized. Literature searches were conducted (from 1996 to September 30, 2010) using OVID-MEDLINE, PubMed, and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature with the terms "Web-based learning," "computer-assisted instruction," "e-learning," "critical care," "tutorials," "continuing education," "virtual learning," and "Web-based education." The Web sites of relevant critical care organizations (American College of Chest Physicians, American Society of Anesthesiologists, American Thoracic Society, European Society of Intensive Care Medicine, Society of Critical Care Medicine, World Federation of Societies of Intensive and Critical Care Medicine, American Association of Critical Care Nurses, and World Federation of Critical Care Nurses) were reviewed for the availability of e-learning resources. Finally, Internet searches and e-mail queries to critical care medicine fellowship program directors and members of national and international acute/critical care listserves were conducted to 1) identify the use of and 2) review and critique Web-based resources for critical care education. To ensure credibility of Web site information, Web sites were reviewed by three independent reviewers on the basis of the criteria of authority, objectivity, authenticity, accuracy, timeliness, relevance, and efficiency in conjunction with suggested formats for evaluating Web sites in the medical literature. Literature searches using OVID-MEDLINE, PubMed, and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature resulted in >250 citations. Those pertinent to critical care provide examples of the integration of e-learning techniques, the development of specific resources, reports of the use of types of e-learning, including interactive tutorials, case studies, and simulation, and reports of student or learner satisfaction, among other general reviews of the benefits of utilizing e-learning. Review of the Web sites of relevant critical care organizations revealed the existence of a number of e-learning resources, including online critical care courses, tutorials, podcasts, webcasts, slide sets, and continuing medical education resources, some requiring membership or a fee to access. Respondents to listserve queries (>100) and critical care medicine fellowship director and advanced practice nursing educator e-mail queries (>50) identified the use of a number of tutorials, self-directed learning modules, and video-enhanced programs for critical care education and practice. In all, >135 Web-based education resources exist, including video Web resources for critical care education in a variety of e-learning formats, such as tutorials, self-directed learning modules, interactive case studies, webcasts, podcasts, and video-enhanced programs. As identified by critical care educators and practitioners, e-learning is actively being integrated into critical care medicine and nursing training programs for continuing medical education and competency training purposes. Knowledge of available Web-based educational resources may enhance critical care practitioners' ongoing learning and clinical competence, although this has not been objectively measured to date.
PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING FOR PROFESSIONALISM AND ETHICS TRAINING OF BIOMEDICAL GRADUATE STUDENTS: PROCESS EVALUATION

PubMed Central

Jones, Nancy L.; Peiffer, Ann M.; Lambros, Ann; Eldridge, J. Charles

2013-01-01

Purpose A process evaluation was conducted to assess whether the newly developed Problem-Based Learning (PBL) curriculum designed to teach professionalism and ethics to biomedical graduate students was achieving its objectives. The curriculum was chosen to present realistic cases and issues in the practice of science, to promote skill development and to acculturate students to professional norms of science. Method The perception to which the objectives for the curriculum and courses were being reached was assessed using 5-step Likert-scaled questions, open-ended questions and interviews of students and facilitators. Results Process evaluation indicated that both facilitators and students perceived course objectives were being met. For example, active learning was preferred over lectures; both faculty and students percieved that the curriculum increased their understanding of norms, role obligations, and responsibilities of professional scientists; their ability to identify ethical situations was increased; skills in moral reasoning and effective group work were developed. Conclusions Information gathered was used to improve course implementation and instructional material. For example, a negative perception as an “ethics” course was addressed by redesigning case debriefing activities that reinforced learning objectives and important skills. Cases were refined to be more engaging and relevant for students, and facilitators were given more specific training and resources for each case. The PBL small group strategy can stimulate an environment more aware of ethical implications of science and increase socialization and open communication about professional behavior. PMID:20663754
Stardust-next : Lessons Learned from a Comet Flyby Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wolf, Aron A.; Larson, Timothy; Thompson, Paul; McElrath, Timothy; Bhaskaran, Shyam; Chesley, Steven; Klaasen, Kenneth P.; Cheuvront, Allan

2012-01-01

The Stardust-NExT (New Exploration of Tempel) mission, a follow-on to the Stardust prime mission, successfully completed a flyby of comet Tempel-1 on 2/14/11. However there were many challenges along the way, most significantly low propellant margin and detection of the comet in imagery later than antici-pated. These challenges and their ramifications forced the project to respond with flexibility and ingenuity. As a result, the flyby at an altitude of 178 km was nearly flawless, accomplishing all its science objectives. Lessons learned on Stardust-NExT may have relevance to other spacecraft missions.
Evaluation of an instructional model to teach clinically relevant medicinal chemistry in a campus and a distance pathway.

PubMed

Alsharif, Naser Z; Galt, Kimberly A

2008-04-15

To evaluate an instructional model for teaching clinically relevant medicinal chemistry. An instructional model that uses Bloom's cognitive and Krathwohl's affective taxonomy, published and tested concepts in teaching medicinal chemistry, and active learning strategies, was introduced in the medicinal chemistry courses for second-professional year (P2) doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students (campus and distance) in the 2005-2006 academic year. Student learning and the overall effectiveness of the instructional model were assessed. Student performance after introducing the instructional model was compared to that in prior years. Student performance on course examinations improved compared to previous years. Students expressed overall enthusiasm about the course and better understood the value of medicinal chemistry to clinical practice. The explicit integration of the cognitive and affective learning objectives improved student performance, student ability to apply medicinal chemistry to clinical practice, and student attitude towards the discipline. Testing this instructional model provided validation to this theoretical framework. The model is effective for both our campus and distance-students. This instructional model may also have broad-based applications to other science courses.
Students' inductive reasoning skills and the relevance of prior knowledge: an exploratory study with a computer-based training course on the topic of acne vulgaris.

PubMed

Horn-Ritzinger, Sabine; Bernhardt, Johannes; Horn, Michael; Smolle, Josef

2011-04-01

The importance of inductive instruction in medical education is increasingly growing. Little is known about the relevance of prior knowledge regarding students' inductive reasoning abilities. The purpose is to evaluate this inductive teaching method as a means of fostering higher levels of learning and to explore how individual differences in prior knowledge (high [HPK] vs. low [LPK]) contribute to students' inductive reasoning skills. Twenty-six LPK and 18 HPK students could train twice with an interactive computer-based training object to discover the underlying concept before doing the final comprehension check. Students had a median of 76.9% of correct answers in the first, 90.9% in the second training, and answered 92% of the final assessment questions correctly. More important, 86% of all students succeeded with inductive learning, among them 83% of the HPK students and 89% of the LPK students. Prior knowledge did not predict performance on overall comprehension. This inductive instructional strategy fostered students' deep approaches to learning in a time-effective way.
Self Reflections of Undergraduate Students on Using Web-Supported Counterintuitive Science Demonstrations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, David Devraj; Dunn, Jessica

2018-03-01

Analysis of self-reflections of undergraduate education students in a project involving web-supported counterintuitive science demonstrations is reported in this paper. Participating students (N = 19) taught science with counterintuitive demonstrations in local elementary school classrooms and used web-based resources accessed via wireless USB adapters. Student reflections to seven questions were analyzed qualitatively using four components of reflection (meeting objectives/perception of learning, dynamics of pedagogy, special needs accommodations, improving teaching) deriving 27 initial data categories and 12 emergent themes. Overall the undergraduates reported meeting objectives, engaging students in pedagogically relevant learning tasks including, providing accommodations to students with special needs, and gaining practice and insight to improve their own teaching. Additional research is needed to arrive at generalizable findings concerning teaching with web-supported counterintuitive science demonstrations in elementary classrooms.
Computer Vision and Machine Learning for Autonomous Characterization of AM Powder Feedstocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DeCost, Brian L.; Jain, Harshvardhan; Rollett, Anthony D.; Holm, Elizabeth A.

2017-03-01

By applying computer vision and machine learning methods, we develop a system to characterize powder feedstock materials for metal additive manufacturing (AM). Feature detection and description algorithms are applied to create a microstructural scale image representation that can be used to cluster, compare, and analyze powder micrographs. When applied to eight commercial feedstock powders, the system classifies powder images into the correct material systems with greater than 95% accuracy. The system also identifies both representative and atypical powder images. These results suggest the possibility of measuring variations in powders as a function of processing history, relating microstructural features of powders to properties relevant to their performance in AM processes, and defining objective material standards based on visual images. A significant advantage of the computer vision approach is that it is autonomous, objective, and repeatable.
A European Languages Virtual Network Proposal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

García-Peñalvo, Francisco José; González-González, Juan Carlos; Murray, Maria

ELVIN (European Languages Virtual Network) is a European Union (EU) Lifelong Learning Programme Project aimed at creating an informal social network to support and facilitate language learning. The ELVIN project aims to research and develop the connection between social networks, professional profiles and language learning in an informal educational context. At the core of the ELVIN project, there will be a web 2.0 social networking platform that connects employees/students for language practice based on their own professional/academic needs and abilities, using all relevant technologies. The ELVIN remit involves the examination of both methodological and technological issues inherent in achieving a social-based learning platform that provides the user with their own customized Personal Learning Environment for EU language acquisition. ELVIN started in November 2009 and this paper presents the project aims and objectives as well as the development and implementation of the web platform.
Brewing for Students: An Inquiry-Based Microbiology Lab †

PubMed Central

Sato, Brian K.; Alam, Usman; Dacanay, Samantha J.; Lee, Amanda K.; Shaffer, Justin F.

2015-01-01

In an effort to improve and assess student learning, there has been a push to increase the incorporation of discovery-driven modules and those that contain real-world relevance into laboratory curricula. To further this effort, we have developed, implemented, and assessed an undergraduate microbiology laboratory experiment that requires students to use the scientific method while brewing beer. The experiment allows students to brew their own beer and characterize it based on taste, alcohol content, calorie content, pH, and standard reference method. In addition, we assessed whether students were capable of achieving the module learning objectives through a pre-/posttest, student self-evaluation, exam-embedded questions, and an associated worksheet. These objectives included describing the role of the brewing ingredients and predicting how altering the ingredients would affect the characteristics of the beer, amongst others. By completing this experimental module, students accomplished the module objectives, had greater interest in brewing, and were more likely to view beer in scientific terms. Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education PMID:26753030
Brewing for Students: An Inquiry-Based Microbiology Lab.

PubMed

Sato, Brian K; Alam, Usman; Dacanay, Samantha J; Lee, Amanda K; Shaffer, Justin F

2015-12-01

In an effort to improve and assess student learning, there has been a push to increase the incorporation of discovery-driven modules and those that contain real-world relevance into laboratory curricula. To further this effort, we have developed, implemented, and assessed an undergraduate microbiology laboratory experiment that requires students to use the scientific method while brewing beer. The experiment allows students to brew their own beer and characterize it based on taste, alcohol content, calorie content, pH, and standard reference method. In addition, we assessed whether students were capable of achieving the module learning objectives through a pre-/posttest, student self-evaluation, exam-embedded questions, and an associated worksheet. These objectives included describing the role of the brewing ingredients and predicting how altering the ingredients would affect the characteristics of the beer, amongst others. By completing this experimental module, students accomplished the module objectives, had greater interest in brewing, and were more likely to view beer in scientific terms. Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education.
Nonlinear dynamic model for visual object tracking on Grassmann manifolds with partial occlusion handling.

PubMed

Khan, Zulfiqar Hasan; Gu, Irene Yu-Hua

2013-12-01

This paper proposes a novel Bayesian online learning and tracking scheme for video objects on Grassmann manifolds. Although manifold visual object tracking is promising, large and fast nonplanar (or out-of-plane) pose changes and long-term partial occlusions of deformable objects in video remain a challenge that limits the tracking performance. The proposed method tackles these problems with the main novelties on: 1) online estimation of object appearances on Grassmann manifolds; 2) optimal criterion-based occlusion handling for online updating of object appearances; 3) a nonlinear dynamic model for both the appearance basis matrix and its velocity; and 4) Bayesian formulations, separately for the tracking process and the online learning process, that are realized by employing two particle filters: one is on the manifold for generating appearance particles and another on the linear space for generating affine box particles. Tracking and online updating are performed in an alternating fashion to mitigate the tracking drift. Experiments using the proposed tracker on videos captured by a single dynamic/static camera have shown robust tracking performance, particularly for scenarios when target objects contain significant nonplanar pose changes and long-term partial occlusions. Comparisons with eight existing state-of-the-art/most relevant manifold/nonmanifold trackers with evaluations have provided further support to the proposed scheme.
Design of Ontology-Based Sharing Mechanism for Web Services Recommendation Learning Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Hong-Ren

The number of digital learning websites is growing as a result of advances in computer technology and new techniques in web page creation. These sites contain a wide variety of information but may be a source of confusion to learners who fail to find the information they are seeking. This has led to the concept of recommendation services to help learners acquire information and learning resources that suit their requirements. Learning content like this cannot be reused by other digital learning websites. A successful recommendation service that satisfies a certain learner must cooperate with many other digital learning objects so that it can achieve the required relevance. The study proposes using the theory of knowledge construction in ontology to make the sharing and reuse of digital learning resources possible. The learning recommendation system is accompanied by the recommendation of appropriate teaching materials to help learners enhance their learning abilities. A variety of diverse learning components scattered across the Internet can be organized through an ontological process so that learners can use information by storing, sharing, and reusing it.
Drinking, Drugs & Youth: Use and Abuse. Fostering Families. A Specialized Training Program Designed for Foster Care Workers & Foster Care Parents.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schatz, Mona Struhsaker; And Others

This module is part of a training program for foster parents and foster care workers offered at Colorado State University. The module examines substance abuse by children aged 10 years and above. The module's learning objectives address: (1) family rules and coping mechanisms relevant to substance-abusing youth; (2) characteristics of adolescent…
Approaches to Teaching Biometry and Epidemiology at Two Veterinary Schools in Germany.

PubMed

Zeimet, Ramona; Kreienbrock, Lothar; Doherr, Marcus G

In a thematically broad and highly condensed curriculum like veterinary medicine, it is essential to pay close attention to the didactic and methodical approaches used to deliver that content. The course topics ideally should be selected for their relevance but also for the target audience and their previous knowledge. The overall objective is to improve the long-term availability of what has been learned. For this reason, an evaluation among lecturers of German-speaking veterinary schools was carried out in 2012 to consider which topics in biometry and epidemiology they found relevant to other subject areas. Based on this survey, two veterinary schools (Berlin and Hannover) developed a structured approach for the introductory course in biometry and epidemiology. By means of an appropriate choice of topics and the use of adequate teaching methods, the quality of the lecture course could be significantly increased. Appropriately communicated learning objectives as well as a high rate of student activity resulted in increased student satisfaction. A certain degree of standardization of teaching approaches and material resulted in a comparison between the study sites and reduced variability in the content delivered at different schools. Part of this was confirmed by the high consistency in the multiple-choice examination results between the study sites. The results highlight the extent to which didactic and methodical restructuring of teaching affects the learning success and satisfaction of students. It can be of interest for other courses in veterinary medicine, human medicine, and biology.
Implementation of a cooperative methodology to develop organic chemical engineering skills

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arteaga, J. F.; Díaz Blanco, M. J.; Toscano Fuentes, C.; Martín Alfonso, J. E.

2013-08-01

The objective of this work is to investigate how most of the competences required by engineering students may be developed through an active methodology based on cooperative learning/evaluation. Cooperative learning was employed by the University of Huelva's third-year engineering students. The teaching methodology pretends to create some of the most relevant engineering skills required nowadays such as the ability to cooperate finding appropriate information; the ability to solve problems through critical and creative thinking; and the ability to make decisions and to communicate effectively. The statistical study carried out supports the hypothesis that comprehensive and well-defined protocols in the development of the subject, the rubric and cooperative evaluation allow students to acquire a successful learning.
A statistical learning strategy for closed-loop control of fluid flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guéniat, Florimond; Mathelin, Lionel; Hussaini, M. Yousuff

2016-12-01

This work discusses a closed-loop control strategy for complex systems utilizing scarce and streaming data. A discrete embedding space is first built using hash functions applied to the sensor measurements from which a Markov process model is derived, approximating the complex system's dynamics. A control strategy is then learned using reinforcement learning once rewards relevant with respect to the control objective are identified. This method is designed for experimental configurations, requiring no computations nor prior knowledge of the system, and enjoys intrinsic robustness. It is illustrated on two systems: the control of the transitions of a Lorenz'63 dynamical system, and the control of the drag of a cylinder flow. The method is shown to perform well.
Contextual cueing: implicit learning and memory of visual context guides spatial attention.

PubMed

Chun, M M; Jiang, Y

1998-06-01

Global context plays an important, but poorly understood, role in visual tasks. This study demonstrates that a robust memory for visual context exists to guide spatial attention. Global context was operationalized as the spatial layout of objects in visual search displays. Half of the configurations were repeated across blocks throughout the entire session, and targets appeared within consistent locations in these arrays. Targets appearing in learned configurations were detected more quickly. This newly discovered form of search facilitation is termed contextual cueing. Contextual cueing is driven by incidentally learned associations between spatial configurations (context) and target locations. This benefit was obtained despite chance performance for recognizing the configurations, suggesting that the memory for context was implicit. The results show how implicit learning and memory of visual context can guide spatial attention towards task-relevant aspects of a scene.
Exploring the Educational Value of Clinical Vignettes from the Society of General Internal Medicine National Meeting in the Internal Medicine Clerkship

PubMed Central

Wofford, James L; Singh, Sonal

2006-01-01

INTRODUCTION Whether the clinical vignettes presented at the Society of General Internal Medicine (SGIM) annual meeting could be of educational value to third year students in the Internal Medicine clerkship has not been studied. OBJECTIVE To explore the relevance and learning value of clinical vignettes from the SGIM national meeting in the Internal Medicine clerkship. SETTING Third year Ambulatory Internal Medicine clerkship at one academic medical center (academic year 2005 to 2006). METHODS Students were introduced to the clinical vignette and oriented to the database of clinical vignettes available through the SGIM annual meeting website. Students then reviewed 5 to 10 clinical vignettes using a worksheet, and rated the learning value of each vignette using a 5-point Likert scale (1 = least, 5 = greatest). A single investigator evaluated congruence of the vignette with the Clerkship Directors of Internal Medicine (CDIM)-SGIM curriculum to assess relevance. MAIN RESULTS A total of 42 students evaluated 371 clinical vignettes from the 2004 and 2005 meetings. The clinical vignettes were curriculum-congruent in 42.6% (n = 175), and clearly incongruent in 40.4% (n = 164). The mean rating for learning value was 3.8 (±1.0) (5 signifying greatest learning value). Curriculum-congruent vignettes had a higher mean learning value compared with curriculum-incongruent vignettes (4.0 vs 3.6, Student's t-test, P =.017). CONCLUSION The clinical vignettes presented at the national SGIM meeting offer clinical content that is relevant and of some educational value for third year clerkship students. Based on this pilot study, the educational value and strategies for their use in the clinical clerkships deserve further study. PMID:17026730

A presentation system for just-in-time learning in radiology.

PubMed

Kahn, Charles E; Santos, Amadeu; Thao, Cheng; Rock, Jayson J; Nagy, Paul G; Ehlers, Kevin C

2007-03-01

There is growing interest in bringing medical educational materials to the point of care. We sought to develop a system for just-in-time learning in radiology. A database of 34 learning modules was derived from previously published journal articles. Learning objectives were specified for each module, and multiple-choice test items were created. A web-based system-called TEMPO-was developed to allow radiologists to select and view the learning modules. Web services were used to exchange clinical context information between TEMPO and the simulated radiology work station. Preliminary evaluation was conducted using the System Usability Scale (SUS) questionnaire. TEMPO identified learning modules that were relevant to the age, sex, imaging modality, and body part or organ system of the patient being viewed by the radiologist on the simulated clinical work station. Users expressed a high degree of satisfaction with the system's design and user interface. TEMPO enables just-in-time learning in radiology, and can be extended to create a fully functional learning management system for point-of-care learning in radiology.
Ecological Origins of Object Salience: Reward, Uncertainty, Aversiveness, and Novelty

PubMed Central

Ghazizadeh, Ali; Griggs, Whitney; Hikosaka, Okihide

2016-01-01

Among many objects around us, some are more salient than others (i.e., attract our attention automatically). Some objects may be inherently salient (e.g., brighter), while others may become salient by virtue of their ecological relevance through experience. However, the role of ecological experience in automatic attention has not been studied systematically. To address this question, we let subjects (macaque monkeys) view a large number of complex objects (>300), each experienced repeatedly (>5 days) with rewarding, aversive or no outcome association (mere-perceptual exposure). Test of salience was done on separate days using free viewing with no outcome. We found that gaze was biased among the objects from the outset, affecting saccades to objects or fixations within objects. When the outcome was rewarding, gaze preference was stronger (i.e., positive) for objects with larger or equal but uncertain rewards. The effects of aversive outcomes were variable. Gaze preference was positive for some outcome associations (e.g., airpuff), but negative for others (e.g., time-out), possibly due to differences in threat levels. Finally, novel objects attracted gaze, but mere perceptual exposure of objects reduced their salience (learned negative salience). Our results show that, in primates, object salience is strongly influenced by previous ecological experience and is supported by a large memory capacity. Owing to such high capacity for learned salience, the ability to rapidly choose important objects can grow during the entire life to promote biological fitness. PMID:27594825
The role of long-term memory in a test of visual working memory: Proactive facilitation but no proactive interference.

PubMed

Oberauer, Klaus; Awh, Edward; Sutterer, David W

2017-01-01

We report 4 experiments examining whether associations in visual working memory are subject to proactive interference from long-term memory (LTM). Following a long-term learning phase in which participants learned the colors of 120 unique objects, a working memory (WM) test was administered in which participants recalled the precise colors of 3 concrete objects in an array. Each array in the WM test consisted of 1 old (previously learned) object with a new color (old-mismatch), 1 old object with its old color (old-match), and 1 new object. Experiments 1 to 3 showed that WM performance was better in the old-match condition than in the new condition, reflecting a beneficial contribution from LTM. In the old-mismatch condition, participants sometimes reported colors associated with the relevant shape in LTM, but the probability of successful recall was equivalent to that in the new condition. Thus, information from LTM only intruded in the absence of reportable information in WM. Experiment 4 tested for, and failed to find, proactive interference from the preceding trial in the WM test: Performance in the old-mismatch condition, presenting an object from the preceding trial with a new color, was equal to performance with new objects. Experiment 5 showed that long-term memory for object-color associations is subject to proactive interference. We conclude that the exchange of information between LTM and WM appears to be controlled by a gating mechanism that protects the contents of WM from proactive interference but admits LTM information when it is useful. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).
Incidental learning of probability information is differentially affected by the type of visual working memory representation.

PubMed

van Lamsweerde, Amanda E; Beck, Melissa R

2015-12-01

In this study, we investigated whether the ability to learn probability information is affected by the type of representation held in visual working memory. Across 4 experiments, participants detected changes to displays of coloured shapes. While participants detected changes in 1 dimension (e.g., colour), a feature from a second, nonchanging dimension (e.g., shape) predicted which object was most likely to change. In Experiments 1 and 3, items could be grouped by similarity in the changing dimension across items (e.g., colours and shapes were repeated in the display), while in Experiments 2 and 4 items could not be grouped by similarity (all features were unique). Probability information from the predictive dimension was learned and used to increase performance, but only when all of the features within a display were unique (Experiments 2 and 4). When it was possible to group by feature similarity in the changing dimension (e.g., 2 blue objects appeared within an array), participants were unable to learn probability information and use it to improve performance (Experiments 1 and 3). The results suggest that probability information can be learned in a dimension that is not explicitly task-relevant, but only when the probability information is represented with the changing dimension in visual working memory. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).
An integrated course in pain management and palliative care bridging the basic sciences and pharmacy practice.

PubMed

Kullgren, Justin; Radhakrishnan, Rajan; Unni, Elizabeth; Hanson, Eric

2013-08-12

To describe the development of an integrated pain and palliative care course and to investigate the long-term effectiveness of the course during doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students' advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs) and in their practice after graduation. Roseman University College of Pharmacy faculty developed a 3-week elective course in pain and palliative care by integrating relevant clinical and pharmaceutical sciences. Instructional strategies included lectures, team and individual activities, case studies, and student presentations. Students who participated in the course in 2010 and 2011 were surveyed anonymously to gain their perception about the class as well as the utility of the course during their APPEs and in their everyday practice. Traditional and nontraditional assessment of students confirmed that the learning outcomes objectives were achieved. Students taking the integrated course on pain management and palliative care achieved mastery of the learning outcome objectives. Surveys of students and practicing pharmacists who completed the course showed that the learning experience as well as retention was improved with the integrated mode of teaching. Integrating basic and clinical sciences in therapeutic courses is an effective learning strategy.
Learning to rank using user clicks and visual features for image retrieval.

PubMed

Yu, Jun; Tao, Dacheng; Wang, Meng; Rui, Yong

2015-04-01

The inconsistency between textual features and visual contents can cause poor image search results. To solve this problem, click features, which are more reliable than textual information in justifying the relevance between a query and clicked images, are adopted in image ranking model. However, the existing ranking model cannot integrate visual features, which are efficient in refining the click-based search results. In this paper, we propose a novel ranking model based on the learning to rank framework. Visual features and click features are simultaneously utilized to obtain the ranking model. Specifically, the proposed approach is based on large margin structured output learning and the visual consistency is integrated with the click features through a hypergraph regularizer term. In accordance with the fast alternating linearization method, we design a novel algorithm to optimize the objective function. This algorithm alternately minimizes two different approximations of the original objective function by keeping one function unchanged and linearizing the other. We conduct experiments on a large-scale dataset collected from the Microsoft Bing image search engine, and the results demonstrate that the proposed learning to rank models based on visual features and user clicks outperforms state-of-the-art algorithms.
Evaluating and redesigning teaching learning sequences at the introductory physics level

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guisasola, Jenaro; Zuza, Kristina; Ametller, Jaume; Gutierrez-Berraondo, José

2017-12-01

In this paper we put forward a proposal for the design and evaluation of teaching and learning sequences in upper secondary school and university. We will connect our proposal with relevant contributions on the design of teaching sequences, ground it on the design-based research methodology, and discuss how teaching and learning sequences designed according to our proposal relate to learning progressions. An iterative methodology for evaluating and redesigning the teaching and learning sequence (TLS) is presented. The proposed assessment strategy focuses on three aspects: (a) evaluation of the activities of the TLS, (b) evaluation of learning achieved by students in relation to the intended objectives, and (c) a document for gathering the difficulties found when implementing the TLS to serve as a guide to teachers. Discussion of this guide with external teachers provides feedback used for the TLS redesign. The context of our implementation and evaluation is an innovative calculus-based physics course for first-year engineering and science degree students at the University of the Basque Country.
Access to oral health care services among adults with learning disabilities: a scoping review

PubMed Central

Naseem, Mustafa; Shah, Altaf H; Khiyani, Muhammad Faheem; Khurshid, Zohaib; Zafar, Muhammad Sohail; Gulzar, Shabnam; AlJameel, AlBandary H.; Khalil, Hesham S.

2016-01-01

Summary Background The prevalence of oral diseases including dental caries and periodontal conditions is remarkably higher in people with disabilities. The provision of accessible oral health services for people with learning disabilities may be challenging. Objectives The objectives of the review were to identify barriers in accessing oral health care that persists within society, enabling or disabling people with learning disabilities. Methods Using the Arksey O’Malley framework, a scoping review was conducted on PubMed/Medline, OVIDSP, and EMBASE. Studies were evaluated and short-listed based on the inclusion criteria, which consisted of: (1) study participants or population with learning disabilities, (2) aged 16 years or over, (3) reporting on access to oral health services, (4) published in the English language. Those that justified the inclusion criteria were carefully chosen after a blind peer-reviewed process when relevance and quality were debated. Results Nine studies were eventually included from searches. Tabulation of data was done under the heading of study type, outcomes, the year of publication and patient selection. The majority of studies provided a biomedical overview of access for adults with learning disabilities. Conclusions The concept of access for people with disability is still ill-defined and obscure. Access to oral health care and needs of people with learning disabilities are complex and multi-facet. PMID:28149451
Features: Real-Time Adaptive Feature and Document Learning for Web Search.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Zhixiang; Meng, Xiannong; Fowler, Richard H.; Zhu, Binhai

2001-01-01

Describes Features, an intelligent Web search engine that is able to perform real-time adaptive feature (i.e., keyword) and document learning. Explains how Features learns from users' document relevance feedback and automatically extracts and suggests indexing keywords relevant to a search query, and learns from users' keyword relevance feedback…
On the Way to 2020: Data for Vocational Education and Training Policies. Country Statistical Overviews--2016 Update. Cedefop Research Paper. No 61

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cedefop - European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training, 2017

2017-01-01

European policy-making in vocational education and training (VET) needs to be supported by sound evidence. In this report, Cedefop has selected 36 indicators to quantify key aspects of VET and lifelong learning. The selection is based on their policy relevance and their importance in achieving the Europe 2020 objectives. The report accounts for…
Introductory Guidelines on How to Develop Learning Objectives that are Clear and Interesting Course Outcomes and How to Develop Performance Based Curricula that are Relevant and Cost Effective Professional Competencies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alvir, Howard P.

Addressed to allied health educators who are currently developing curriculum, the document summarizes the agenda, contents, conclusions, and implications of a workshop attempt to develop career paths in the area of allied health occupations and professions. Four problems in developing performance-based curricula are attacked: too much data, too…
Understanding Optimal Military Decision Making: Year 2 Progress Report

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-01-01

measures. ARMY RELEVANCY AND MILITARY APPLICATION AREAS Objectively defining, measuring, and developing a means to assess military optimal decision making...has the potential to enhance training and refine procedures supporting more efficient learning and task accomplishment. Through the application of...26.79 (12.39) 7.94 (62.38) N/A = Not applicable ; as it is not possible to calculate this particular variable. Table 2. Descriptive statistics of
Screening Electronic Health Record-Related Patient Safety Reports Using Machine Learning.

PubMed

Marella, William M; Sparnon, Erin; Finley, Edward

2017-03-01

The objective of this study was to develop a semiautomated approach to screening cases that describe hazards associated with the electronic health record (EHR) from a mandatory, population-based patient safety reporting system. Potentially relevant cases were identified through a query of the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Reporting System. A random sample of cases were manually screened for relevance and divided into training, testing, and validation data sets to develop a machine learning model. This model was used to automate screening of remaining potentially relevant cases. Of the 4 algorithms tested, a naive Bayes kernel performed best, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.927 ± 0.023, accuracy of 0.855 ± 0.033, and F score of 0.877 ± 0.027. The machine learning model and text mining approach described here are useful tools for identifying and analyzing adverse event and near-miss reports. Although reporting systems are beginning to incorporate structured fields on health information technology and the EHR, these methods can identify related events that reporters classify in other ways. These methods can facilitate analysis of legacy safety reports by retrieving health information technology-related and EHR-related events from databases without fields and controlled values focused on this subject and distinguishing them from reports in which the EHR is mentioned only in passing. Machine learning and text mining are useful additions to the patient safety toolkit and can be used to semiautomate screening and analysis of unstructured text in safety reports from frontline staff.
A neural framework for organization and flexible utilization of episodic memory in cumulatively learning baby humanoids.

PubMed

Mohan, Vishwanathan; Sandini, Giulio; Morasso, Pietro

2014-12-01

Cumulatively developing robots offer a unique opportunity to reenact the constant interplay between neural mechanisms related to learning, memory, prospection, and abstraction from the perspective of an integrated system that acts, learns, remembers, reasons, and makes mistakes. Situated within such interplay lie some of the computationally elusive and fundamental aspects of cognitive behavior: the ability to recall and flexibly exploit diverse experiences of one's past in the context of the present to realize goals, simulate the future, and keep learning further. This article is an adventurous exploration in this direction using a simple engaging scenario of how the humanoid iCub learns to construct the tallest possible stack given an arbitrary set of objects to play with. The learning takes place cumulatively, with the robot interacting with different objects (some previously experienced, some novel) in an open-ended fashion. Since the solution itself depends on what objects are available in the "now," multiple episodes of past experiences have to be remembered and creatively integrated in the context of the present to be successful. Starting from zero, where the robot knows nothing, we explore the computational basis of organization episodic memory in a cumulatively learning humanoid and address (1) how relevant past experiences can be reconstructed based on the present context, (2) how multiple stored episodic memories compete to survive in the neural space and not be forgotten, (3) how remembered past experiences can be combined with explorative actions to learn something new, and (4) how multiple remembered experiences can be recombined to generate novel behaviors (without exploration). Through the resulting behaviors of the robot as it builds, breaks, learns, and remembers, we emphasize that mechanisms of episodic memory are fundamental design features necessary to enable the survival of autonomous robots in a real world where neither everything can be known nor can everything be experienced.
Student Response to Remote-Online Case-Based Learning: A Qualitative Study

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Background Case-based learning (CBL) typically involves face-to-face interaction in small collaborative groups with a focus on self-directed study. To our knowledge, no published studies report an evaluation of Web conferencing in CBL. Objective The primary aim of this study was to explore student perceptions and attitudes in response to a remote-online case-based learning (RO-CBL) experience. Methods This study took place over a 2-week period in 2013 at Monash University, Victoria, Australia. A third year cohort (n=73) of physiotherapy students was invited to participate. Students were required to participate in 2 training sessions, followed by RO-CBL across 2 sessions. The primary outcome of interest was the student feedback on the quality of the learning experience during RO-CBL participation. This was explored with a focus group and a survey. Results Most students (68/73) completed the postintervention survey (nonparticipation rate 8%). RO-CBL was generally well received by participants, with 59% (40/68) of participates stating that they’d like RO-CBL to be used in the future and 78% (53/68) of participants believing they could meet the CBL’s learning objectives via RO-CBL. The 4 key themes relevant to student response to RO-CBL that emerged from the focus groups and open-ended questions on the postintervention survey were how RO-CBL compared to expectations, key benefits of RO-CBL including flexibility and time and cost savings, communication challenges in the online environment compared to face-to-face, and implications of moving to an online platform. Conclusions Web conferencing may be a suitable medium for students to participate in CBL. Participants were satisfied with the learning activity and felt they could meet the CBL’s learning objectives. Further study should evaluate Web conferencing CBL across an entire semester in regard to student satisfaction, perceived depth of learning, and learning outcomes. PMID:27731852
Construction and validation of clinical contents for development of learning objects.

PubMed

Hortense, Flávia Tatiana Pedrolo; Bergerot, Cristiane Decat; Domenico, Edvane Birelo Lopes de

2018-01-01

to describe the process of construction and validation of clinical contents for health learning objects, aimed at patients in the treatment of head and neck cancer. descriptive, methodological study. The development of the script and the storyboard were based on scientific evidence and submitted to the appreciation of specialists for validation of content. The agreement index was checked quantitatively and the suggestions were qualitatively evaluated. The items described in the roadmap were approved by 99% of expert experts. The suggestions for adjustments were inserted in their entirety in the final version. The free-marginal kappa statistical test, for multiple evaluators, presented value equal to 0.68%, granting a substantial agreement. The steps taken in the construction and validation of the content for the production of educational material for patients with head and neck cancer were adequate, relevant and suitable for use in other subjects.
Nonlinear programming for classification problems in machine learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Astorino, Annabella; Fuduli, Antonio; Gaudioso, Manlio

2016-10-01

We survey some nonlinear models for classification problems arising in machine learning. In the last years this field has become more and more relevant due to a lot of practical applications, such as text and web classification, object recognition in machine vision, gene expression profile analysis, DNA and protein analysis, medical diagnosis, customer profiling etc. Classification deals with separation of sets by means of appropriate separation surfaces, which is generally obtained by solving a numerical optimization model. While linear separability is the basis of the most popular approach to classification, the Support Vector Machine (SVM), in the recent years using nonlinear separating surfaces has received some attention. The objective of this work is to recall some of such proposals, mainly in terms of the numerical optimization models. In particular we tackle the polyhedral, ellipsoidal, spherical and conical separation approaches and, for some of them, we also consider the semisupervised versions.
Design and Evaluation of a Cross-Cultural Training System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Santarelli, Thomas; Stagl, Kevin C.

2011-01-01

Cross-cultural competency, and the underlying communication and affective skills required to develop such expertise, is becoming increasingly important for a wide variety of domains. To address this need, we developed a blended learning platform which combines virtual role-play with tutorials, assessment and feedback. A Middle-Eastern Curriculum (MEC) exemplar for cross-cultural training U.S. military personnel was developed to guide the refinement of an existing game-based training platform. To complement this curriculum, we developed scenario authoring tools to enable end-users to define training objectives, link performance measures and feedback/remediation to these objectives, and deploy experiential scenarios within a game-based virtual environment (VE). Lessons learned from the design and development of this exemplar cross-cultural competency curriculum, as well as formative evaluation results, are discussed. Initial findings suggest that the underlying training technology promotes deep levels of semantic processing of the key information of relevant cultural and communication skills.
Iterative learning control with applications in energy generation, lasers and health care.

PubMed

Rogers, E; Tutty, O R

2016-09-01

Many physical systems make repeated executions of the same finite time duration task. One example is a robot in a factory or warehouse whose task is to collect an object in sequence from a location, transfer it over a finite duration, place it at a specified location or on a moving conveyor and then return for the next one and so on. Iterative learning control was especially developed for systems with this mode of operation and this paper gives an overview of this control design method using relatively recent relevant applications in wind turbines, free-electron lasers and health care, as exemplars to demonstrate its applicability.
Enabling multi-level relevance feedback on PubMed by integrating rank learning into DBMS.

PubMed

Yu, Hwanjo; Kim, Taehoon; Oh, Jinoh; Ko, Ilhwan; Kim, Sungchul; Han, Wook-Shin

2010-04-16

Finding relevant articles from PubMed is challenging because it is hard to express the user's specific intention in the given query interface, and a keyword query typically retrieves a large number of results. Researchers have applied machine learning techniques to find relevant articles by ranking the articles according to the learned relevance function. However, the process of learning and ranking is usually done offline without integrated with the keyword queries, and the users have to provide a large amount of training documents to get a reasonable learning accuracy. This paper proposes a novel multi-level relevance feedback system for PubMed, called RefMed, which supports both ad-hoc keyword queries and a multi-level relevance feedback in real time on PubMed. RefMed supports a multi-level relevance feedback by using the RankSVM as the learning method, and thus it achieves higher accuracy with less feedback. RefMed "tightly" integrates the RankSVM into RDBMS to support both keyword queries and the multi-level relevance feedback in real time; the tight coupling of the RankSVM and DBMS substantially improves the processing time. An efficient parameter selection method for the RankSVM is also proposed, which tunes the RankSVM parameter without performing validation. Thereby, RefMed achieves a high learning accuracy in real time without performing a validation process. RefMed is accessible at http://dm.postech.ac.kr/refmed. RefMed is the first multi-level relevance feedback system for PubMed, which achieves a high accuracy with less feedback. It effectively learns an accurate relevance function from the user's feedback and efficiently processes the function to return relevant articles in real time.

Enabling multi-level relevance feedback on PubMed by integrating rank learning into DBMS

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Finding relevant articles from PubMed is challenging because it is hard to express the user's specific intention in the given query interface, and a keyword query typically retrieves a large number of results. Researchers have applied machine learning techniques to find relevant articles by ranking the articles according to the learned relevance function. However, the process of learning and ranking is usually done offline without integrated with the keyword queries, and the users have to provide a large amount of training documents to get a reasonable learning accuracy. This paper proposes a novel multi-level relevance feedback system for PubMed, called RefMed, which supports both ad-hoc keyword queries and a multi-level relevance feedback in real time on PubMed. Results RefMed supports a multi-level relevance feedback by using the RankSVM as the learning method, and thus it achieves higher accuracy with less feedback. RefMed "tightly" integrates the RankSVM into RDBMS to support both keyword queries and the multi-level relevance feedback in real time; the tight coupling of the RankSVM and DBMS substantially improves the processing time. An efficient parameter selection method for the RankSVM is also proposed, which tunes the RankSVM parameter without performing validation. Thereby, RefMed achieves a high learning accuracy in real time without performing a validation process. RefMed is accessible at http://dm.postech.ac.kr/refmed. Conclusions RefMed is the first multi-level relevance feedback system for PubMed, which achieves a high accuracy with less feedback. It effectively learns an accurate relevance function from the user’s feedback and efficiently processes the function to return relevant articles in real time. PMID:20406504
Acute stress differentially affects spatial configuration learning in high and low cortisol-responding healthy adults

PubMed Central

Meyer, Thomas; Smeets, Tom; Giesbrecht, Timo; Quaedflieg, Conny W. E. M.; Merckelbach, Harald

2013-01-01

Background Stress and stress hormones modulate memory formation in various ways that are relevant to our understanding of stress-related psychopathology, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Particular relevance is attributed to efficient memory formation sustained by the hippocampus and parahippocampus. This process is thought to reduce the occurrence of intrusions and flashbacks following trauma, but may be negatively affected by acute stress. Moreover, recent evidence suggests that the efficiency of visuo-spatial processing and learning based on the hippocampal area is related to PTSD symptoms. Objective The current study investigated the effect of acute stress on spatial configuration learning using a spatial contextual cueing task (SCCT) known to heavily rely on structures in the parahippocampus. Method Acute stress was induced by subjecting participants (N = 34) to the Maastricht Acute Stress Test (MAST). Following a counterbalanced within-subject approach, the effects of stress and the ensuing hormonal (i.e., cortisol) activity on subsequent SCCT performance were compared to SCCT performance following a no-stress control condition. Results Acute stress did not impact SCCT learning overall, but opposing effects emerged for high versus low cortisol responders to the MAST. Learning scores following stress were reduced in low cortisol responders, while high cortisol-responding participants showed improved learning. Conclusions The effects of stress on spatial configuration learning were moderated by the magnitude of endogenous cortisol secretion. These findings suggest a possible mechanism by which cortisol responses serve an adaptive function during stress and trauma, and this may prove to be a promising route for future research in this area. PMID:23671762
Optimizing a neural network for detection of moving vehicles in video

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fischer, Noëlle M.; Kruithof, Maarten C.; Bouma, Henri

2017-10-01

In the field of security and defense, it is extremely important to reliably detect moving objects, such as cars, ships, drones and missiles. Detection and analysis of moving objects in cameras near borders could be helpful to reduce illicit trading, drug trafficking, irregular border crossing, trafficking in human beings and smuggling. Many recent benchmarks have shown that convolutional neural networks are performing well in the detection of objects in images. Most deep-learning research effort focuses on classification or detection on single images. However, the detection of dynamic changes (e.g., moving objects, actions and events) in streaming video is extremely relevant for surveillance and forensic applications. In this paper, we combine an end-to-end feedforward neural network for static detection with a recurrent Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) network for multi-frame analysis. We present a practical guide with special attention to the selection of the optimizer and batch size. The end-to-end network is able to localize and recognize the vehicles in video from traffic cameras. We show an efficient way to collect relevant in-domain data for training with minimal manual labor. Our results show that the combination with LSTM improves performance for the detection of moving vehicles.
Scalable Machine Learning for Massive Astronomical Datasets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ball, Nicholas M.; Gray, A.

2014-04-01

We present the ability to perform data mining and machine learning operations on a catalog of half a billion astronomical objects. This is the result of the combination of robust, highly accurate machine learning algorithms with linear scalability that renders the applications of these algorithms to massive astronomical data tractable. We demonstrate the core algorithms kernel density estimation, K-means clustering, linear regression, nearest neighbors, random forest and gradient-boosted decision tree, singular value decomposition, support vector machine, and two-point correlation function. Each of these is relevant for astronomical applications such as finding novel astrophysical objects, characterizing artifacts in data, object classification (including for rare objects), object distances, finding the important features describing objects, density estimation of distributions, probabilistic quantities, and exploring the unknown structure of new data. The software, Skytree Server, runs on any UNIX-based machine, a virtual machine, or cloud-based and distributed systems including Hadoop. We have integrated it on the cloud computing system of the Canadian Astronomical Data Centre, the Canadian Advanced Network for Astronomical Research (CANFAR), creating the world's first cloud computing data mining system for astronomy. We demonstrate results showing the scaling of each of our major algorithms on large astronomical datasets, including the full 470,992,970 objects of the 2 Micron All-Sky Survey (2MASS) Point Source Catalog. We demonstrate the ability to find outliers in the full 2MASS dataset utilizing multiple methods, e.g., nearest neighbors. This is likely of particular interest to the radio astronomy community given, for example, that survey projects contain groups dedicated to this topic. 2MASS is used as a proof-of-concept dataset due to its convenience and availability. These results are of interest to any astronomical project with large and/or complex datasets that wishes to extract the full scientific value from its data.
Scalable Machine Learning for Massive Astronomical Datasets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ball, Nicholas M.; Astronomy Data Centre, Canadian

2014-01-01

We present the ability to perform data mining and machine learning operations on a catalog of half a billion astronomical objects. This is the result of the combination of robust, highly accurate machine learning algorithms with linear scalability that renders the applications of these algorithms to massive astronomical data tractable. We demonstrate the core algorithms kernel density estimation, K-means clustering, linear regression, nearest neighbors, random forest and gradient-boosted decision tree, singular value decomposition, support vector machine, and two-point correlation function. Each of these is relevant for astronomical applications such as finding novel astrophysical objects, characterizing artifacts in data, object classification (including for rare objects), object distances, finding the important features describing objects, density estimation of distributions, probabilistic quantities, and exploring the unknown structure of new data. The software, Skytree Server, runs on any UNIX-based machine, a virtual machine, or cloud-based and distributed systems including Hadoop. We have integrated it on the cloud computing system of the Canadian Astronomical Data Centre, the Canadian Advanced Network for Astronomical Research (CANFAR), creating the world's first cloud computing data mining system for astronomy. We demonstrate results showing the scaling of each of our major algorithms on large astronomical datasets, including the full 470,992,970 objects of the 2 Micron All-Sky Survey (2MASS) Point Source Catalog. We demonstrate the ability to find outliers in the full 2MASS dataset utilizing multiple methods, e.g., nearest neighbors, and the local outlier factor. 2MASS is used as a proof-of-concept dataset due to its convenience and availability. These results are of interest to any astronomical project with large and/or complex datasets that wishes to extract the full scientific value from its data.
Protein function in precision medicine: deep understanding with machine learning.

PubMed

Rost, Burkhard; Radivojac, Predrag; Bromberg, Yana

2016-08-01

Precision medicine and personalized health efforts propose leveraging complex molecular, medical and family history, along with other types of personal data toward better life. We argue that this ambitious objective will require advanced and specialized machine learning solutions. Simply skimming some low-hanging results off the data wealth might have limited potential. Instead, we need to better understand all parts of the system to define medically relevant causes and effects: how do particular sequence variants affect particular proteins and pathways? How do these effects, in turn, cause the health or disease-related phenotype? Toward this end, deeper understanding will not simply diffuse from deeper machine learning, but from more explicit focus on understanding protein function, context-specific protein interaction networks, and impact of variation on both. © 2016 Federation of European Biochemical Societies.
Multi-centre diagnostic classification of individual structural neuroimaging scans from patients with major depressive disorder.

PubMed

Mwangi, Benson; Ebmeier, Klaus P; Matthews, Keith; Steele, J Douglas

2012-05-01

Quantitative abnormalities of brain structure in patients with major depressive disorder have been reported at a group level for decades. However, these structural differences appear subtle in comparison with conventional radiologically defined abnormalities, with considerable inter-subject variability. Consequently, it has not been possible to readily identify scans from patients with major depressive disorder at an individual level. Recently, machine learning techniques such as relevance vector machines and support vector machines have been applied to predictive classification of individual scans with variable success. Here we describe a novel hybrid method, which combines machine learning with feature selection and characterization, with the latter aimed at maximizing the accuracy of machine learning prediction. The method was tested using a multi-centre dataset of T(1)-weighted 'structural' scans. A total of 62 patients with major depressive disorder and matched controls were recruited from referred secondary care clinical populations in Aberdeen and Edinburgh, UK. The generalization ability and predictive accuracy of the classifiers was tested using data left out of the training process. High prediction accuracy was achieved (~90%). While feature selection was important for maximizing high predictive accuracy with machine learning, feature characterization contributed only a modest improvement to relevance vector machine-based prediction (~5%). Notably, while the only information provided for training the classifiers was T(1)-weighted scans plus a categorical label (major depressive disorder versus controls), both relevance vector machine and support vector machine 'weighting factors' (used for making predictions) correlated strongly with subjective ratings of illness severity. These results indicate that machine learning techniques have the potential to inform clinical practice and research, as they can make accurate predictions about brain scan data from individual subjects. Furthermore, machine learning weighting factors may reflect an objective biomarker of major depressive disorder illness severity, based on abnormalities of brain structure.
Problem-based learning in laboratory medicine resident education: a satisfaction survey.

PubMed

Lepiller, Quentin; Solis, Morgane; Velay, Aurélie; Gantner, Pierre; Sueur, Charlotte; Stoll-Keller, Françoise; Barth, Heidi; Fafi-Kremer, Samira

2017-04-01

Theoretical knowledge in biology and medicine plays a substantial role in laboratory medicine resident education. In this study, we assessed the contribution of problem-based learning (PBL) to improve the training of laboratory medicine residents during their internship in the department of virology, Strasbourg University Hospital, France. We compared the residents' satisfaction regarding an educational program based on PBL and a program based on lectures and presentations. PBL induced a high level of satisfaction (100%) among residents compared to lectures and presentations (53%). The main advantages of this technique were to create a situational interest regarding virological problems, to boost the residents' motivation and to help them identify the most relevant learning objectives in virology. However, it appears pertinent to educate the residents in appropriate bibliographic research techniques prior to PBL use and to monitor their learning by regular formative assessment sessions.
Creative Learning Identities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jeffrey, Bob

2008-01-01

Making learning relevant involves many aspects of teaching such as attention to levels of maturity, individual inclinations, emotional, physical, aesthetic and cognitive activity and group dynamics. However, making learning relevant is not only a teacher led activity, for learners make activities relevant by the identification of connections with…
A new vision for distance learning and continuing medical education.

PubMed

Harden, Ronald M

2005-01-01

Increasing demands on continuing medical education (CME) are taking place at a time of significant developments in educational thinking and new learning technologies. Such developments allow today's CME providers to better meet the CRISIS criteria for effective continuing education: convenience, relevance, individualization, self-assessment, independent learning, and a systematic approach. The International Virtual Medical School (IVIMEDS) provides a case study that illustrates how rapid growth of the Internet and e-learning can alter undergraduate education and has the potential to alter the nature of CME. Key components are a bank of reusable learning objects, a virtual practice with virtual patients, a learning-outcomes framework, and self-assessment instruments. Learning is facilitated by a curriculum map, guided-learning resources, "ask-the-expert" opportunities, and collaborative or peer-to-peer learning. The educational philosophy is "just-for-you" learning (learning customized to the content, educational strategy, and distribution needs of the individual physician) and "just-in-time" learning (learning resources available to physicians when they are required). Implications of the new learning technologies are profound. E-learning provides a bridge between the cutting edge of education and training and outdated procedures embedded in institutions and professional organizations. There are important implications, too, for globalization in medical education, for multiprofessional education, and for the continuum of education from undergraduate to postgraduate and continuing education.
Lessons learned during the successful eradication of bovine tuberculosis from Australia

PubMed Central

More, S. J.; Radunz, B.; Glanville, R. J.

2015-01-01

There are very few international examples of the successful eradication of bovine tuberculosis (TB, caused by infection with Mycobacterium bovis) from a national cattle population. This paper presents a brief overview of the successful TB eradication programme in Australia from 1970, with primary emphasis on lessons of international relevance that were learned from the Australian experience. The national brucellosis and tuberculosis eradication campaign ran for 27 years from 1970 to 1997 and has been followed by ongoing abattoir surveillance. Rapid progress towards eradication was made in southern Australia, but proved much more challenging in extensive pastoral areas of northern Australia. Declaration of TB freedom was made on December 31, 1997. A range of factors were critical to this success, including a compelling rationale for eradication, an agreed final outcome, industry commitment and financial support, a business model for programme planning, implementation and review, consistent and transparent technical standards underpinned by a strict regulatory regime and applied research, the critical role of abattoir surveillance, effective elimination of residual infection and objective measures of programme progress. Although direct translation of some of these experiences may not be possible, many of the lessons learned from the Australian experience may be relevant to other countries. PMID:26338937
Aligning Theory and Design: The Development of an Online Learning Intervention to Teach Evidence-based Practice for Maximal Reach.

PubMed

Delagran, Louise; Vihstadt, Corrie; Evans, Roni

2015-09-01

Online educational interventions to teach evidence-based practice (EBP) are a promising mechanism for overcoming some of the barriers to incorporating research into practice. However, attention must be paid to aligning strategies with adult learning theories to achieve optimal outcomes. We describe the development of a series of short self-study modules, each covering a small set of learning objectives. Our approach, informed by design-based research (DBR), involved 6 phases: analysis, design, design evaluation, redesign, development/implementation, and evaluation. Participants were faculty and students in 3 health programs at a complementary and integrative educational institution. We chose a reusable learning object approach that allowed us to apply 4 main learning theories: events of instruction, cognitive load, dual processing, and ARCS (attention, relevance, confidence, satisfaction). A formative design evaluation suggested that the identified theories and instructional approaches were likely to facilitate learning and motivation. Summative evaluation was based on a student survey (N=116) that addressed how these theories supported learning. Results suggest that, overall, the selected theories helped students learn. The DBR approach allowed us to evaluate the specific intervention and theories for general applicability. This process also helped us define and document the intervention at a level of detail that covers almost all the proposed Guideline for Reporting Evidence-based practice Educational intervention and Teaching (GREET) items. This thorough description will facilitate the interpretation of future research and implementation of the intervention. Our approach can also serve as a model for others considering online EBP intervention development.
Aligning Theory and Design: The Development of an Online Learning Intervention to Teach Evidence-based Practice for Maximal Reach

PubMed Central

Vihstadt, Corrie; Evans, Roni

2015-01-01

Background: Online educational interventions to teach evidence-based practice (EBP) are a promising mechanism for overcoming some of the barriers to incorporating research into practice. However, attention must be paid to aligning strategies with adult learning theories to achieve optimal outcomes. Methods: We describe the development of a series of short self-study modules, each covering a small set of learning objectives. Our approach, informed by design-based research (DBR), involved 6 phases: analysis, design, design evaluation, redesign, development/implementation, and evaluation. Participants were faculty and students in 3 health programs at a complementary and integrative educational institution. Results: We chose a reusable learning object approach that allowed us to apply 4 main learning theories: events of instruction, cognitive load, dual processing, and ARCS (attention, relevance, confidence, satisfaction). A formative design evaluation suggested that the identified theories and instructional approaches were likely to facilitate learning and motivation. Summative evaluation was based on a student survey (N=116) that addressed how these theories supported learning. Results suggest that, overall, the selected theories helped students learn. Conclusion: The DBR approach allowed us to evaluate the specific intervention and theories for general applicability. This process also helped us define and document the intervention at a level of detail that covers almost all the proposed Guideline for Reporting Evidence-based practice Educational intervention and Teaching (GREET) items. This thorough description will facilitate the interpretation of future research and implementation of the intervention. Our approach can also serve as a model for others considering online EBP intervention development. PMID:26421233
Development of an e-learning portal for pediatric endocrinology: educational considerations.

PubMed

Grijpink-van den Biggelaar, K; Drop, S L S; Schuwirth, L

2010-01-01

Global accessibility and dissemination of developments in pediatric endocrinology prompted to examine how to develop an educational interactive e-SPE web portal. A systematic approach was used to identify the relevant aspects of accessibility and dissemination. An orientation at the big idea was made, executed by an analysis of the needs of student and teacher pediatric endocrinologists, a definition of the learning objectives, a research in educational literature and an exploration of ICT design specifications. The intensive collaboration between medical, educational and information technology disciplines resulted in a portal design. The portal meets requirements of adult learning, stresses interaction between partners in learning and offers direct feedback during the learning process. The portal supports the development of not only knowledge but also competences both at junior and advanced levels. When the e-SPE portal is completed, the options for summative assessment will be examined as a medium for international certification in conjunction with local and national requirements (http://espe.elearning.nl). Copyright 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel.
Governance and assessment in a widely distributed medical education program in Australia.

PubMed

Solarsh, Geoff; Lindley, Jennifer; Whyte, Gordon; Fahey, Michael; Walker, Amanda

2012-06-01

The learning objectives, curriculum content, and assessment standards for distributed medical education programs must be aligned across the health care systems and community contexts in which their students train. In this article, the authors describe their experiences at Monash University implementing a distributed medical education program at metropolitan, regional, and rural Australian sites and an offshore Malaysian site, using four different implementation models. Standardizing learning objectives, curriculum content, and assessment standards across all sites while allowing for site-specific implementation models created challenges for educational alignment. At the same time, this diversity created opportunities to customize the curriculum to fit a variety of settings and for innovations that have enriched the educational system as a whole.Developing these distributed medical education programs required a detailed review of Monash's learning objectives and curriculum content and their relevance to the four different sites. It also required a review of assessment methods to ensure an identical and equitable system of assessment for students at all sites. It additionally demanded changes to the systems of governance and the management of the educational program away from a centrally constructed and mandated curriculum to more collaborative approaches to curriculum design and implementation involving discipline leaders at multiple sites.Distributed medical education programs, like that at Monash, in which cohorts of students undertake the same curriculum in different contexts, provide potentially powerful research platforms to compare different pedagogical approaches to medical education and the impact of context on learning outcomes.
Translational Rodent Paradigms to Investigate Neuromechanisms Underlying Behaviors Relevant to Amotivation and Altered Reward Processing in Schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Young, Jared W.; Markou, Athina

2015-01-01

Amotivation and reward-processing deficits have long been described in patients with schizophrenia and considered large contributors to patients’ inability to integrate well in society. No effective treatments exist for these symptoms, partly because the neuromechanisms mediating such symptoms are poorly understood. Here, we propose a translational neuroscientific approach that can be used to assess reward/motivational deficits related to the negative symptoms of schizophrenia using behavioral paradigms that can also be conducted in experimental animals. By designing and using objective laboratory behavioral tools that are parallel in their parameters in rodents and humans, the neuromechanisms underlying behaviors with relevance to these symptoms of schizophrenia can be investigated. We describe tasks that measure the motivation of rodents to expend physical and cognitive effort to gain rewards, as well as probabilistic learning tasks that assess both reward learning and feedback-based decision making. The latter tasks are relevant because of demonstrated links of performance deficits correlating with negative symptoms in patients with schizophrenia. These tasks utilize operant techniques in order to investigate neural circuits targeting a specific domain across species. These tasks therefore enable the development of insights into altered mechanisms leading to negative symptom-relevant behaviors in patients with schizophrenia. Such findings will then enable the development of targeted treatments for these altered neuromechanisms and behaviors seen in schizophrenia. PMID:26194891
Communicating shared knowledge in infancy.

PubMed

Egyed, Katalin; Király, Ildikó; Gergely, György

2013-07-01

Object-directed emotion expressions provide two types of information: They can convey the expressers' person-specific subjective disposition toward objects, or they can be used communicatively as referential symbolic devices to convey culturally shared valence-related knowledge about referents that can be generalized to other individuals. By presenting object-directed emotion expressions in communicative versus noncommunicative contexts, we demonstrated that 18-month-olds can flexibly assign either a person-centered interpretation or an object-centered interpretation to referential emotion displays. When addressed by ostensive signals of communication, infants generalized their object-centered interpretation of the emotion display to other individuals as well, whereas in the noncommunicative emotion-expression context, they attributed to the emoting agent a person-specific subjective dispositional attitude without generalizing this attribution as relevant to other individuals. The findings indicate that, as proposed by natural pedagogy theory, infants are prepared to learn shared cultural knowledge from nonverbal communicative demonstrations addressed to them at a remarkably early age.
"Nuestra Tierra Dinamica" Global Climate Change STEM Education Fostering Environmental Stewardship

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

La Grave, M.; de Valenzuela, M.; Russell, R.

2012-12-01

CLUB ECO LÓGICO is a democratic and participatory program that provides active citizenship in schools and community, placing climate change into context for the Latino Community. The program's objectives focus on: 1. The Environment. Reducing the school and community impact on the environment through environmental footprint through stewardship actions. 2. Empowerment. Engaging participants through project and service learning and make decisions about how to improve their schools, their homes and their community's environment. 3. Community and Research Partnerships. Fostering collaborations with local community, stakeholders, government, universities, research organizations, and businesses that have expertise in environmental research, management, education and climate change. 4. Awareness. Increasing environmental and climate science knowledge of participants through STEM activities and hands-on access to technology. 5. Research and evaluation. Assessing the relevance of program activities through the engagement of the Latino community in planning and the effectiveness and impact of STEM activities through formative and summative evaluation. To address these objectives, the program has several inter related components in an after school setting: SUN EARTH Connections: Elementary (grades K to 2) students learn the basic climate change concepts through inquiry and hands on STEM activities. Bilingual 8 facilitators adapt relevant NASA educational resources for use in inquiry based, hands on activities. Drama and the arts provide unique experiences as well as play a key role in learning, participation and facilitation. GREEN LABS: Elementary students (grades 3 to 5) participate in stations where each Lab is staffed by at least two professionals: a College level fully bilingual Latin American Professional and a stakeholder representing either a research organization or other relevant environmental organization. Our current Green Lab themes include: Air, Soils, Water, Energy, Health, Waste and Communicating Science. Parental and Community Engagement: Family or Community Nights and community events showcasing student products, videos, and service learning projects in a bilingual format; and presentations by research scientists on climate and environmental science topics of interest to the Latino community. Our events have been highlighted on Univision television evening news, reaching Latinos across the state. Digital Story Telling: Our Video Lab involves Latino high school students who are trained as mentors, encouraged to research climate change topics, meet scientists and learn about video technology. By fall 2013, our HS Video Lab will mentor local middle school students. Throughout the year students take field trips to film and interview key scientists and educators. The project will share lessons learned concerning several issues: 1. What environmental and climate science issues are most relevant for Latinos; 2. What strategies are effective in engaging the Latino community in program planning and in engaging participation; 3. What approaches are effective in developing or adapting environmental and climate science education activities for Latino students and families; 4. How to develop effective partnerships with research and other environmental organizations; 5. How to develop culturally sensitive evaluation strategies.
Hydrogen Fuel Cell Analysis: Lessons Learned from Stationary Power Generation Final Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Scott E. Grasman; John W. Sheffield; Fatih Dogan

2010-04-30

This study considered opportunities for hydrogen in stationary applications in order to make recommendations related to RD&D strategies that incorporate lessons learned and best practices from relevant national and international stationary power efforts, as well as cost and environmental modeling of pathways. The study analyzed the different strategies utilized in power generation systems and identified the different challenges and opportunities for producing and using hydrogen as an energy carrier. Specific objectives included both a synopsis/critical analysis of lessons learned from previous stationary power programs and recommendations for a strategy for hydrogen infrastructure deployment. This strategy incorporates all hydrogen pathways andmore » a combination of distributed power generating stations, and provides an overview of stationary power markets, benefits of hydrogen-based stationary power systems, and competitive and technological challenges. The motivation for this project was to identify the lessons learned from prior stationary power programs, including the most significant obstacles, how these obstacles have been approached, outcomes of the programs, and how this information can be used by the Hydrogen, Fuel Cells & Infrastructure Technologies Program to meet program objectives primarily related to hydrogen pathway technologies (production, storage, and delivery) and implementation of fuel cell technologies for distributed stationary power. In addition, the lessons learned address environmental and safety concerns, including codes and standards, and education of key stakeholders.« less
Clerkship in primary care: a cross-sectional study about expectations and experiences of undergraduates in medicine.

PubMed

Fuchs, Stephan; Klement, Andreas; Lichte, Thomas; Abendroth, Jens

2014-01-01

With the amendment of the medical licensure act (Approbationsordnung) in 2012, a four-week clerkship in primary care (FHV) became mandatory. We investigated the expectations with which students begin the FHV, which criteria are relevant in selecting the location for the FHV, and the experiences the students had during the FHV. In a cross-sectional study, all third-year students at both medical schools in Saxony-Anhalt were surveyed in 2013 about their expectations and experiences regarding the FHV. This is the last cohort for which the FHV is optional. Questions were asked about 29 items addressing six topics (personal information, selection of FHV location, selection of FHV medical practice, expectations, experiences, and specialty selection). Out of a student body of 446, responses were received from N=424 (response rate 95.1%; of which 61.8% female). Of these students, 71 (16.7%) had completed the FHV and 70 (16.5%) were planning to; another 267 students (63%) had not (yet) planned to participate in an FHV. Where a student's parents lived, personal recommendations of a particular medical practice and the attractiveness of the region were the most important criteria for selecting the clerkship site. After completing the FHV, the learning objectives reflected themselves in the experiences of the students in a similar order and significance as in the expectations of students who planned or had not (as of yet) planned to complete the FHV. A relevant influence of the FHV confirming the choice to specialize in general practice or outpatient care was not indicated by those who had completed the FHV. After location and practice, the FHV is selected according to personal criteria and in connection with prioritized learning objectives. From the students' perspective, the most frequently named learning objectives are also identified as acquired experience after completing the FHV. However, the FHV does not have a reinforcing effect on the selection of general practice as a specialty.

Iterative learning control with applications in energy generation, lasers and health care

PubMed Central

Tutty, O. R.

2016-01-01

Many physical systems make repeated executions of the same finite time duration task. One example is a robot in a factory or warehouse whose task is to collect an object in sequence from a location, transfer it over a finite duration, place it at a specified location or on a moving conveyor and then return for the next one and so on. Iterative learning control was especially developed for systems with this mode of operation and this paper gives an overview of this control design method using relatively recent relevant applications in wind turbines, free-electron lasers and health care, as exemplars to demonstrate its applicability. PMID:27713654
Nursing students' perceptions of their clinical learning environment in placements outside traditional hospital settings

PubMed Central

Bjørk, Ida T; Berntsen, Karin; Brynildsen, Grethe; Hestetun, Margrete

2014-01-01

Aims and objectives To explore students' opinions of the learning environment during clinical placement in settings outside traditional hospital settings. Background Clinical placement experiences may influence positively on nursing students attitudes towards the clinical setting in question. Most studies exploring the quality of clinical placements have targeted students' experience in hospital settings. The number of studies exploring students' experiences of the learning environment in healthcare settings outside of the hospital venue does not match the growing importance of such settings in the delivery of health care, nor the growing number of nurses needed in these venues. Design A survey design was used. Method The Clinical Learning Environment Inventory was administered to two cohorts of undergraduate nursing students (n = 184) after clinical placement in mental health care, home care and nursing home care. Results Nursing students' overall contentment with the learning environment was quite similar across all three placement areas. Students in mental health care had significantly higher scores on the subscale individualisation, and older students had significantly higher scores on the total scale. Compared with other studies where the Clinical Learning Environment Inventory has been used, the students' total scores in this study are similar or higher than scores in studies including students from hospital settings. Conclusion Results from this study negate the negative views on clinical placements outside the hospital setting, especially those related to placements in nursing homes and mental healthcare settings. Relevance to clinical practice Students' experience of the learning environment during placements in mental health care, home care and nursing homes indicates the relevance of clinical education in settings outside the hospital setting. PMID:24460862
Re-Interpreting Relevant Learning: An Evaluative Framework for Secondary Education in a Global Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barrett, Angeline M.; Bainton, David

2016-01-01

The 2030 education goal privileges "relevant learning outcomes" as the evaluative space for quality improvement. Whilst the goal was designed for global level monitoring, its influence cuts across different scales. Implementation of the goal involves reinterpreting "relevant learning" at the local level. One way that small…
ATLes: the strategic application of Web-based technology to address learning objectives and enhance classroom discussion in a veterinary pathology course.

PubMed

Hines, Stephen A; Collins, Peggy L; Quitadamo, Ian J; Brahler, C Jayne; Knudson, Cameron D; Crouch, Gregory J

2005-01-01

A case-based program called ATLes (Adaptive Teaching and Learning Environments) was designed for use in a systemic pathology course and implemented over a four-year period. Second-year veterinary students working in small collaborative learning groups used the program prior to their weekly pathology laboratory. The goals of ATLes were to better address specific learning objectives in the course (notably the appreciation of pathophysiology), to solve previously identified problems associated with information overload and information sorting that commonly occur as part of discovery-based processes, and to enhance classroom discussion. The program was also designed to model and allow students to practice the problem-oriented approach to clinical cases, thereby enabling them to study pathology in a relevant clinical context. Features included opportunities for students to obtain additional information on the case by requesting specific laboratory tests and/or diagnostic procedures. However, students were also required to justify their diagnostic plans and to provide mechanistic analyses. The use of ATLes met most of these objectives. Student acceptance was high, and students favorably reviewed the online ''Content Links'' that made useful information more readily accessible and level appropriate. Students came to the lab better prepared to engage in an in-depth and high-quality discussion and were better able to connect clinical problems to underlying changes in tissue (lesions). However, many students indicated that the required time on task prior to lab might have been excessive relative to what they thought they learned. The classroom discussion, although improved, was not elevated to the expected level-most likely reflecting other missing elements of the learning environment, including the existing student culture and the students' current discussion skills. This article briefly discusses the lessons learned from ATLes and how similar case-based exercises might be combined with other approaches to enhance and enliven classroom discussions in the veterinary curriculum.
First Trimester Noninvasive Prenatal Diagnosis: A Computational Intelligence Approach.

PubMed

Neocleous, Andreas C; Nicolaides, Kypros H; Schizas, Christos N

2016-09-01

The objective of this study is to examine the potential value of using machine learning techniques such as artificial neural network (ANN) schemes for the noninvasive estimation, at 11-13 weeks of gestation, the risk for euploidy, trisomy 21 (T21), and other chromosomal aneuploidies (O.C.A.), from suitable sonographic, biochemical markers, and other relevant data. A database(1) (1)The dataset can become available for academic purposes by communicating directly with the authors.
Active Learning with Irrelevant Examples

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mazzoni, Dominic; Wagstaff, Kiri L.; Burl, Michael

2006-01-01

Active learning algorithms attempt to accelerate the learning process by requesting labels for the most informative items first. In real-world problems, however, there may exist unlabeled items that are irrelevant to the user's classification goals. Queries about these points slow down learning because they provide no information about the problem of interest. We have observed that when irrelevant items are present, active learning can perform worse than random selection, requiring more time (queries) to achieve the same level of accuracy. Therefore, we propose a novel approach, Relevance Bias, in which the active learner combines its default selection heuristic with the output of a simultaneously trained relevance classifier to favor items that are likely to be both informative and relevant. In our experiments on a real-world problem and two benchmark datasets, the Relevance Bias approach significantly improved the learning rate of three different active learning approaches.
A general framework to learn surrogate relevance criterion for atlas based image segmentation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Tingting; Ruan, Dan

2016-09-01

Multi-atlas based image segmentation sees great opportunities in the big data era but also faces unprecedented challenges in identifying positive contributors from extensive heterogeneous data. To assess data relevance, image similarity criteria based on various image features widely serve as surrogates for the inaccessible geometric agreement criteria. This paper proposes a general framework to learn image based surrogate relevance criteria to better mimic the behaviors of segmentation based oracle geometric relevance. The validity of its general rationale is verified in the specific context of fusion set selection for image segmentation. More specifically, we first present a unified formulation for surrogate relevance criteria and model the neighborhood relationship among atlases based on the oracle relevance knowledge. Surrogates are then trained to be small for geometrically relevant neighbors and large for irrelevant remotes to the given targets. The proposed surrogate learning framework is verified in corpus callosum segmentation. The learned surrogates demonstrate superiority in inferring the underlying oracle value and selecting relevant fusion set, compared to benchmark surrogates.
Stability of the guinea pigs personality - cognition - linkage over time.

PubMed

Brust, Vera; Guenther, Anja

2017-01-01

In human psychological research, personality traits as well as cognitive traits are usually validated for both, their stability over time and contexts. While stability over time gives an estimate on how genetically fixated a trait can be, correlations across traits have the power to reveal linkages or trade - offs. In animals, these validations have widely been done for personality but not for cognitive traits. We tested guinea pigs in four consecutive discrimination tasks using four unique pairs of objects with two objects of the same form but different size in each pair. The same animals were tested twice each for three personality traits, i.e. boldness, aggression and sociopositive behaviour. The animals did not learn to "always choose the larger item" in the cognitive task but learned to discriminate the two objects of each stimulus pair anew, so that we did test for learning speed in four slightly different task setups. Performance over the four tasks was significantly repeatable as well as all tested personality traits. A stable linkage over time was found between sociopositive behaviour and learning performance, probably indicating an ecological relevance for a correlation between these two traits. Still, not all traits seem to be connected amongst each other, as in our case boldness and aggression are both not linked to individual learning performance. Future studies will hopefully further investigate the repeatability of various cognitive traits in several species and thus lead to a better understanding of the interdependence of personality and cognition. This will help to unravel which suites of traits facilitate individual life histories and hence improve our understanding of the emergence and maintenance of individual differences. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Learning More from Educational Intervention Studies: Estimating Complier Average Causal Effects in a Relevance Intervention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nagengast, Benjamin; Brisson, Brigitte M.; Hulleman, Chris S.; Gaspard, Hanna; Häfner, Isabelle; Trautwein, Ulrich

2018-01-01

An emerging literature demonstrates that relevance interventions, which ask students to produce written reflections on how what they are learning relates to their lives, improve student learning outcomes. As part of a randomized evaluation of a relevance intervention (N = 1,978 students from 82 ninth-grade classes), we used Complier Average Causal…
Decision Making under Ambiguity and Objective Risk in Higher Age - A Review on Cognitive and Emotional Contributions.

PubMed

Liebherr, Magnus; Schiebener, Johannes; Averbeck, Heike; Brand, Matthias

2017-01-01

The ability of decision making plays a highly relevant role in our survival, but is adversely affected during the process of aging. The present review aims to provide a better understanding of age-related differences in decision making and the role of cognitive and emotional factors in this context. We reviewed the literature about age-effects on decision-making performance, focusing on decision making under ambiguous and objective risk. In decisions under ambiguous risks, as measured by the Iowa Gambling Task, decisions are based on the experiences with consequences. In this case, many articles have attributed age-related impairments in decision making to changes in emotional and somatic reward- and punishment processing. In decisions under objective risks, as measured for example by the Game of Dice Task, decisions can be based on explicit information about risks and consequences. In this case, age-related changes have been attributed mainly to a cognitive decline, particularly impaired executive functions. However, recent findings challenge these conclusions. The present review summarizes neuropsychological and neurophysiological findings of age-related differences in decision making under ambiguous and objective risk. In this context, the relevance of learning, but also of cognitive and emotional contributors - responsible for age-related differences in decision making - are additionally pointed out.
Decision Making under Ambiguity and Objective Risk in Higher Age – A Review on Cognitive and Emotional Contributions

PubMed Central

Liebherr, Magnus; Schiebener, Johannes; Averbeck, Heike; Brand, Matthias

2017-01-01

The ability of decision making plays a highly relevant role in our survival, but is adversely affected during the process of aging. The present review aims to provide a better understanding of age-related differences in decision making and the role of cognitive and emotional factors in this context. We reviewed the literature about age-effects on decision-making performance, focusing on decision making under ambiguous and objective risk. In decisions under ambiguous risks, as measured by the Iowa Gambling Task, decisions are based on the experiences with consequences. In this case, many articles have attributed age-related impairments in decision making to changes in emotional and somatic reward- and punishment processing. In decisions under objective risks, as measured for example by the Game of Dice Task, decisions can be based on explicit information about risks and consequences. In this case, age-related changes have been attributed mainly to a cognitive decline, particularly impaired executive functions. However, recent findings challenge these conclusions. The present review summarizes neuropsychological and neurophysiological findings of age-related differences in decision making under ambiguous and objective risk. In this context, the relevance of learning, but also of cognitive and emotional contributors – responsible for age-related differences in decision making – are additionally pointed out. PMID:29270145
Not all choices are created equal: Task-relevant choices enhance motor learning compared to task-irrelevant choices.

PubMed

Carter, Michael J; Ste-Marie, Diane M

2017-12-01

Lewthwaite et al. (2015) reported that the learning benefits of exercising choice (i.e., their self-controlled condition) are not restricted to task-relevant features (e.g., feedback). They found that choosing one's golf ball color (Exp. 1) or choosing which of two tasks to perform at a later time plus which of two artworks to hang (Exp. 2) resulted in better retention than did being denied these same choices (i.e., yoked condition). The researchers concluded that the learning benefits derived from choice, whether irrelevant or relevant to the to-be-learned task, are predominantly motivational because choice is intrinsically rewarding and satisfies basic psychological needs. However, the absence of a group that made task-relevant choices and the lack of psychological measures significantly weakened their conclusions. Here, we investigated how task-relevant and task-irrelevant choices affect motor-skill learning. Participants practiced a spatiotemporal motor task in either a task-relevant group (choice over feedback schedule), a task-irrelevant group (choice over the color of an arm-wrap plus game selection), or a no-choice group. The results showed significantly greater learning in the task-relevant group than in both the task-irrelevant and no-choice groups, who did not differ significantly. Critically, these learning differences were not attributed to differences in perceptions of competence or autonomy, but instead to superior error-estimation abilities. These results challenge the perspective that motivational influences are the root cause of self-controlled learning advantages. Instead, the findings add to the growing evidence highlighting that the informational value gained from task-relevant choices makes a greater relative contribution to these advantages than motivational influences do.
Reaching Consensus on Essential Biomedical Science Learning Objectives in a Dental Curriculum.

PubMed

Best, Leandra; Walton, Joanne N; Walker, Judith; von Bergmann, HsingChi

2016-04-01

This article describes how the University of British Columbia Faculty of Dentistry reached consensus on essential basic biomedical science objectives for DMD students and applied the information to the renewal of its DMD curriculum. The Delphi Method was used to build consensus among dental faculty members and students regarding the relevance of over 1,500 existing biomedical science objectives. Volunteer panels of at least three faculty members (a basic scientist, a general dentist, and a dental specialist) and a fourth-year dental student were formed for each of 13 biomedical courses in the first two years of the program. Panel members worked independently and anonymously, rating each course objective as "need to know," "nice to know," "irrelevant," or "don't know." Panel members were advised after each round which objectives had not yet achieved a 75% consensus and were asked to reconsider their ratings. After a maximum of three rounds to reach consensus, a second group of faculty experts reviewed and refined the results to establish the biomedical science objectives for the renewed curriculum. There was consensus on 46% of the learning objectives after round one, 80% after round two, and 95% after round three. The second expert group addressed any remaining objectives as part of its review process. Only 47% of previous biomedical science course objectives were judged to be essential or "need to know" for the general dentist. The consensus reached by participants in the Delphi Method panels and a second group of faculty experts led to a streamlined, better integrated DMD curriculum to prepare graduates for future practice.
Laboratory exercises to teach clinically relevant chemistry of antibiotics.

PubMed

El Sayed, Khalid A; Chelette, Candace T

2014-03-12

To design, implement, and evaluate student performance on clinically relevant chemical and spectral laboratory exercises on antibiotics. In the first of 2 exercises, second-year pharmacy students enrolled in an integrated laboratory sequence course studied the aqueous stability of ß-lactam antibiotics using a spectral visual approach. In a second exercise, students studied the tendency of tetracycline, rifamycins, and fluoroquinolones to form insoluble chelate complexes (turbidity) with polyvalent metals. On a survey to assess achievement of class learning objectives, students agreed the laboratory activities helped them better retain important information concerning antibiotic stability and interactions. A significant improvement was observed in performance on examination questions related to the laboratory topics for 2012 and 2013 students compared to 2011 students who did not complete the laboratory. A 1-year follow-up examination question administered in a separate course showed >75% of the students were able to identify rifamycins-food interactions compared with <25% of students who had not completed the laboratory exercises. The use of spectral visual approaches allowed students to investigate antibiotic stability and interactions, thus reinforcing the clinical relevance of medicinal chemistry. Students' performance on questions at the 1-year follow-up suggested increased retention of the concepts learned as a result of completing the exercises.
Portrait of a science teacher as a bricoleur: A case study from India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharma, Ajay

2008-12-01

This paper presents a case study of science teaching in an eighth grade school classroom in India. It comes out of a larger ethnographic study done in 2005 that looked at how science was taught and learned in a rural government run middle school in the state of Madhya Pradesh in India. Subscribing to a sociocultural perspective, the paper presents a narrative account of how a science teacher negotiated and made use of the existing discourses that influenced his teaching practice to construct learning experiences for his students. It is a portrait of him as a bricoleur, engaged in making-do with what is of available to conform to prescriptive discursive norms as well as engage in situated, contingent and collaborative pedagogical improvisations with his students. Through a discursive analysis of Mr. Raghuvanshi's teaching practice, this paper presents his bricolage as a feature of everyday sociocultural practices, and as an instance of glocalization of decontextualized school science discourse. It also offers a case for creation and strengthening of material conditions that support enactment of teacher agency for construction of meaningful and relevant learning experiences for students. [InlineMediaObject not available: see fulltext.][InlineMediaObject not available: see fulltext.
Using Deep Learning Algorithm to Enhance Image-review Software for Surveillance Cameras

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cui, Yonggang; Thomas, Maikael A.

We propose the development of proven deep learning algorithms to flag objects and events of interest in Next Generation Surveillance System (NGSS) surveillance to make IAEA image review more efficient. Video surveillance is one of the core monitoring technologies used by the IAEA Department of Safeguards when implementing safeguards at nuclear facilities worldwide. The current image review software GARS has limited automated functions, such as scene-change detection, black image detection and missing scene analysis, but struggles with highly cluttered backgrounds. A cutting-edge algorithm to be developed in this project will enable efficient and effective searches in images and video streamsmore » by identifying and tracking safeguards relevant objects and detect anomalies in their vicinity. In this project, we will develop the algorithm, test it with the IAEA surveillance cameras and data sets collected at simulated nuclear facilities at BNL and SNL, and implement it in a software program for potential integration into the IAEA’s IRAP (Integrated Review and Analysis Program).« less
Dissociation of rapid response learning and facilitation in perceptual and conceptual networks of person recognition.

PubMed

Valt, Christian; Klein, Christoph; Boehm, Stephan G

2015-08-01

Repetition priming is a prominent example of non-declarative memory, and it increases the accuracy and speed of responses to repeatedly processed stimuli. Major long-hold memory theories posit that repetition priming results from facilitation within perceptual and conceptual networks for stimulus recognition and categorization. Stimuli can also be bound to particular responses, and it has recently been suggested that this rapid response learning, not network facilitation, provides a sound theory of priming of object recognition. Here, we addressed the relevance of network facilitation and rapid response learning for priming of person recognition with a view to advance general theories of priming. In four experiments, participants performed conceptual decisions like occupation or nationality judgments for famous faces. The magnitude of rapid response learning varied across experiments, and rapid response learning co-occurred and interacted with facilitation in perceptual and conceptual networks. These findings indicate that rapid response learning and facilitation in perceptual and conceptual networks are complementary rather than competing theories of priming. Thus, future memory theories need to incorporate both rapid response learning and network facilitation as individual facets of priming. © 2014 The British Psychological Society.
Teaching the physician-manager role to psychiatric residents: development and implementation of a pilot curriculum.

PubMed

Stergiopoulos, Vicky; Maggi, Julie; Sockalingam, Sanjeev

2009-01-01

The authors describe a pilot physician-manager curriculum designed to address the learning needs of psychiatric residents in administrative psychiatry and health systems. The pilot curriculum includes a junior and a senior toolkit of four workshops each. The junior toolkit introduces postgraduate-year two (PGY-2) residents to the principles of teamwork, conflict resolution, quality improvement, and program planning and evaluation. The senior toolkit exposes PGY-4 residents to leadership and change management, organizational structures, mental health and addictions reform, and self and career development. Following curriculum implementation at the University of Toronto, residents rated the importance and clinical relevance of curriculum objectives and commented on the strengths and weaknesses of the workshops and areas needing improvement. The pilot curriculum was successfully introduced at the University of Toronto in 2006. Residents rated the curriculum very highly and commented that interactive learning and contextually relevant topics are essential in meeting their needs. It is possible to successfully introduce a physician-manager curriculum early during psychiatric residency training, to match the specific needs of clinical rotations. Interactive techniques and clinical illustrations may be crucial in facilitating teaching and learning the physician-manager role. The authors discuss barriers, facilitators, and critical success factors in implementing such a curriculum.
Using Facebook as an Informal Learning Environment

PubMed Central

Policastri, Anne

2011-01-01

Objective. To create, implement, and assess the effectiveness of an optional Facebook activity intended to expose students to contemporary business issues not covered in the core content of a pharmacy management and leadership course and to perspectives of experts and thought leaders external to their university. Design. An informal learning strategy was used to create a Facebook group page and guest experts were identified and invited to submit posts pertaining to business-related topics. Students were given instructions for joining the Facebook group but informed that participation was optional. Assessment. A mixed-methods approach using a student questionnaire, results on examination questions, and a student focus group was used to assess this activity. The informal design with no posting guidelines and no participation requirement was well received by students, who appreciated the unique learning environment and exposure to external experts. Conclusions. Facebook provides an informal learning environment for presenting contemporary topics and the thoughts of guest experts not affiliated with a college or school, thereby exposing students to relevant “real world” issues. PMID:22345726
Faculty Development Program Models to Advance Teaching and Learning Within Health Science Programs

PubMed Central

Lancaster, Jason W.; Stein, Susan M.; MacLean, Linda Garrelts; Van Amburgh, Jenny

2014-01-01

Within health science programs there has been a call for more faculty development, particularly for teaching and learning. The primary objectives of this review were to describe the current landscape for faculty development programs for teaching and learning and make recommendations for the implementation of new faculty development programs. A thorough search of the pertinent health science databases was conducted, including the Education Resource Information Center (ERIC), MEDLINE, and EMBASE, and faculty development books and relevant information found were reviewed in order to provide recommendations for best practices. Faculty development for teaching and learning comes in a variety of forms, from individuals charged to initiate activities to committees and centers. Faculty development has been effective in improving faculty perceptions on the value of teaching, increasing motivation and enthusiasm for teaching, increasing knowledge and behaviors, and disseminating skills. Several models exist that can be implemented to support faculty teaching development. Institutions need to make informed decisions about which plan could be most successfully implemented in their college or school. PMID:24954939

Faculty development program models to advance teaching and learning within health science programs.

PubMed

Lancaster, Jason W; Stein, Susan M; MacLean, Linda Garrelts; Van Amburgh, Jenny; Persky, Adam M

2014-06-17

Within health science programs there has been a call for more faculty development, particularly for teaching and learning. The primary objectives of this review were to describe the current landscape for faculty development programs for teaching and learning and make recommendations for the implementation of new faculty development programs. A thorough search of the pertinent health science databases was conducted, including the Education Resource Information Center (ERIC), MEDLINE, and EMBASE, and faculty development books and relevant information found were reviewed in order to provide recommendations for best practices. Faculty development for teaching and learning comes in a variety of forms, from individuals charged to initiate activities to committees and centers. Faculty development has been effective in improving faculty perceptions on the value of teaching, increasing motivation and enthusiasm for teaching, increasing knowledge and behaviors, and disseminating skills. Several models exist that can be implemented to support faculty teaching development. Institutions need to make informed decisions about which plan could be most successfully implemented in their college or school.
Emerging trends in geospatial artificial intelligence (geoAI): potential applications for environmental epidemiology.

PubMed

VoPham, Trang; Hart, Jaime E; Laden, Francine; Chiang, Yao-Yi

2018-04-17

Geospatial artificial intelligence (geoAI) is an emerging scientific discipline that combines innovations in spatial science, artificial intelligence methods in machine learning (e.g., deep learning), data mining, and high-performance computing to extract knowledge from spatial big data. In environmental epidemiology, exposure modeling is a commonly used approach to conduct exposure assessment to determine the distribution of exposures in study populations. geoAI technologies provide important advantages for exposure modeling in environmental epidemiology, including the ability to incorporate large amounts of big spatial and temporal data in a variety of formats; computational efficiency; flexibility in algorithms and workflows to accommodate relevant characteristics of spatial (environmental) processes including spatial nonstationarity; and scalability to model other environmental exposures across different geographic areas. The objectives of this commentary are to provide an overview of key concepts surrounding the evolving and interdisciplinary field of geoAI including spatial data science, machine learning, deep learning, and data mining; recent geoAI applications in research; and potential future directions for geoAI in environmental epidemiology.
Learning about the Earth through Societally-relevant Interdisciplinary Research Projects: the Honours Integrated Science Program at McMaster

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eyles, C.; Symons, S. L.; Harvey, C. T.

2016-12-01

Students in the Honours Integrated Science (iSci) program at McMaster University (Hamilton, Ontario, Canada) learn about the Earth through interdisciplinary research projects that focus on important societal issues. The iSci program is a new and innovative undergraduate program that emphasizes the links between scientific disciplines and focuses on learning through research and the development of scientific communication skills. The program accepts up to 60 students each year and is taught by a team of 18 instructors comprising senior and junior faculty, post-doctoral fellows, a lab coordinator, instructional assistant, a librarian and library staff, and an administrator. The program is designed around a pedagogical model that emphasizes hands-on learning through interdisciplinary research (Research-based Integrated Education: RIE) and is mostly project-based and experiential. In their freshman year students learn fundamental Earth science concepts (in conjunction with chemistry, physics, mathematics and biology) through research projects focused on environmental contamination, interplanetary exploration, the effect of drugs on the human body and environment, sustainable energy, and cancer. In subsequent years they conduct research on topics such as the History of the Earth, Thermodynamics, Plant-Animal Interactions, Wine Science, Forensics, and Climate Change. The iSci program attracts students with a broad interest in science and has been particularly effective in directing high quality students into the Earth sciences as they are introduced to the discipline in their first year of study through research projects that are interesting and stimulating. The structure of the iSci program encourages consideration of geoscientific applications in a broad range of societally relevant research projects; these projects are reviewed and modified each year to ensure their currency and ability to meet program learning objectives.
Harnessing user generated multimedia content in the creation of collaborative classification structures and retrieval learning games

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borchert, Otto Jerome

This paper describes a software tool to assist groups of people in the classification and identification of real world objects called the Classification, Identification, and Retrieval-based Collaborative Learning Environment (CIRCLE). A thorough literature review identified current pedagogical theories that were synthesized into a series of five tasks: gathering, elaboration, classification, identification, and reinforcement through game play. This approach is detailed as part of an included peer reviewed paper. Motivation is increased through the use of formative and summative gamification; getting points completing important portions of the tasks and playing retrieval learning based games, respectively, which is also included as a peer-reviewed conference proceedings paper. Collaboration is integrated into the experience through specific tasks and communication mediums. Implementation focused on a REST-based client-server architecture. The client is a series of web-based interfaces to complete each of the tasks, support formal classroom interaction through faculty accounts and student tracking, and a module for peers to help each other. The server, developed using an in-house JavaMOO platform, stores relevant project data and serves data through a series of messages implemented as a JavaScript Object Notation Application Programming Interface (JSON API). Through a series of two beta tests and two experiments, it was discovered the second, elaboration, task requires considerable support. While students were able to properly suggest experiments and make observations, the subtask involving cleaning the data for use in CIRCLE required extra support. When supplied with more structured data, students were enthusiastic about the classification and identification tasks, showing marked improvement in usability scores and in open ended survey responses. CIRCLE tracks a variety of educationally relevant variables, facilitating support for instructors and researchers. Future work will revolve around material development, software refinement, and theory building. Curricula, lesson plans, instructional materials need to be created to seamlessly integrate CIRCLE in a variety of courses. Further refinement of the software will focus on improving the elaboration interface and developing further game templates to add to the motivation and retrieval learning aspects of the software. Data gathered from CIRCLE experiments can be used to develop and strengthen theories on teaching and learning.
Scene Configuration and Object Reliability Affect the Use of Allocentric Information for Memory-Guided Reaching

PubMed Central

Klinghammer, Mathias; Blohm, Gunnar; Fiehler, Katja

2017-01-01

Previous research has shown that egocentric and allocentric information is used for coding target locations for memory-guided reaching movements. Especially, task-relevance determines the use of objects as allocentric cues. Here, we investigated the influence of scene configuration and object reliability as a function of task-relevance on allocentric coding for memory-guided reaching. For that purpose, we presented participants images of a naturalistic breakfast scene with five objects on a table and six objects in the background. Six of these objects served as potential reach-targets (= task-relevant objects). Participants explored the scene and after a short delay, a test scene appeared with one of the task-relevant objects missing, indicating the location of the reach target. After the test scene vanished, participants performed a memory-guided reaching movement toward the target location. Besides removing one object from the test scene, we also shifted the remaining task-relevant and/or task-irrelevant objects left- or rightwards either coherently in the same direction or incoherently in opposite directions. By varying object coherence, we manipulated the reliability of task-relevant and task-irrelevant objects in the scene. In order to examine the influence of scene configuration (distributed vs. grouped arrangement of task-relevant objects) on allocentric coding, we compared the present data with our previously published data set (Klinghammer et al., 2015). We found that reaching errors systematically deviated in the direction of object shifts, but only when the objects were task-relevant and their reliability was high. However, this effect was substantially reduced when task-relevant objects were distributed across the scene leading to a larger target-cue distance compared to a grouped configuration. No deviations of reach endpoints were observed in conditions with shifts of only task-irrelevant objects or with low object reliability irrespective of task-relevancy. Moreover, when solely task-relevant objects were shifted incoherently, the variability of reaching endpoints increased compared to coherent shifts of task-relevant objects. Our results suggest that the use of allocentric information for coding targets for memory-guided reaching depends on the scene configuration, in particular the average distance of the reach target to task-relevant objects, and the reliability of task-relevant allocentric information. PMID:28450826
Scene Configuration and Object Reliability Affect the Use of Allocentric Information for Memory-Guided Reaching.

PubMed

Klinghammer, Mathias; Blohm, Gunnar; Fiehler, Katja

2017-01-01

Previous research has shown that egocentric and allocentric information is used for coding target locations for memory-guided reaching movements. Especially, task-relevance determines the use of objects as allocentric cues. Here, we investigated the influence of scene configuration and object reliability as a function of task-relevance on allocentric coding for memory-guided reaching. For that purpose, we presented participants images of a naturalistic breakfast scene with five objects on a table and six objects in the background. Six of these objects served as potential reach-targets (= task-relevant objects). Participants explored the scene and after a short delay, a test scene appeared with one of the task-relevant objects missing, indicating the location of the reach target. After the test scene vanished, participants performed a memory-guided reaching movement toward the target location. Besides removing one object from the test scene, we also shifted the remaining task-relevant and/or task-irrelevant objects left- or rightwards either coherently in the same direction or incoherently in opposite directions. By varying object coherence, we manipulated the reliability of task-relevant and task-irrelevant objects in the scene. In order to examine the influence of scene configuration (distributed vs. grouped arrangement of task-relevant objects) on allocentric coding, we compared the present data with our previously published data set (Klinghammer et al., 2015). We found that reaching errors systematically deviated in the direction of object shifts, but only when the objects were task-relevant and their reliability was high. However, this effect was substantially reduced when task-relevant objects were distributed across the scene leading to a larger target-cue distance compared to a grouped configuration. No deviations of reach endpoints were observed in conditions with shifts of only task-irrelevant objects or with low object reliability irrespective of task-relevancy. Moreover, when solely task-relevant objects were shifted incoherently, the variability of reaching endpoints increased compared to coherent shifts of task-relevant objects. Our results suggest that the use of allocentric information for coding targets for memory-guided reaching depends on the scene configuration, in particular the average distance of the reach target to task-relevant objects, and the reliability of task-relevant allocentric information.
The cost of selective attention in category learning: Developmental differences between adults and infants

PubMed Central

Best, Catherine A.; Yim, Hyungwook; Sloutsky, Vladimir M.

2013-01-01

Selective attention plays an important role in category learning. However, immaturities of top-down attentional control during infancy coupled with successful category learning suggest that early category learning is achieved without attending selectively. Research presented here examines this possibility by focusing on category learning in infants (6–8 months old) and adults. Participants were trained on a novel visual category. Halfway through the experiment, unbeknownst to participants, the to-be-learned category switched to another category, where previously relevant features became irrelevant and previously irrelevant features became relevant. If participants attend selectively to the relevant features of the first category, they should incur a cost of selective attention immediately after the unknown category switch. Results revealed that adults demonstrated a cost, as evidenced by a decrease in accuracy and response time on test trials as well as a decrease in visual attention to newly relevant features. In contrast, infants did not demonstrate a similar cost of selective attention as adults despite evidence of learning both to-be-learned categories. Findings are discussed as supporting multiple systems of category learning and as suggesting that learning mechanisms engaged by adults may be different from those engaged by infants. PMID:23773914
Deep learning for cardiac computer-aided diagnosis: benefits, issues & solutions.

PubMed

Loh, Brian C S; Then, Patrick H H

2017-01-01

Cardiovascular diseases are one of the top causes of deaths worldwide. In developing nations and rural areas, difficulties with diagnosis and treatment are made worse due to the deficiency of healthcare facilities. A viable solution to this issue is telemedicine, which involves delivering health care and sharing medical knowledge at a distance. Additionally, mHealth, the utilization of mobile devices for medical care, has also proven to be a feasible choice. The integration of telemedicine, mHealth and computer-aided diagnosis systems with the fields of machine and deep learning has enabled the creation of effective services that are adaptable to a multitude of scenarios. The objective of this review is to provide an overview of heart disease diagnosis and management, especially within the context of rural healthcare, as well as discuss the benefits, issues and solutions of implementing deep learning algorithms to improve the efficacy of relevant medical applications.
An Advanced Professional Pharmacy Experience in a Community Setting Using an Experiential Manual

PubMed Central

Lee, Karen W.; Machado, Matthew R.; Wenzel, Marie M.; Gagnon, James M.; Calomo, Joseph M.

2006-01-01

Objectives To determine the usefulness of a teaching and learning tool used to create structure for advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs) in community pharmacy settings, and to identify differences between respondents' perspectives on the relevance and practicality of implementing specific community pharmacy-related topics during the experience. Design Community practice faculty members designed a manual that outlined a week-by-week schedule of student activities, consistent with the Center for the Advancement of Pharmaceutical Education (CAPE) outcome-based goals, and included associated teaching, documentation, and assessment tools. The manual was distributed to site preceptors and students. Assessment Eighty-six PharmD students responded to a questionnaire upon completion of their community APPE. Student feedback concerning the impact of the manual relative to interactions with site preceptors and their overall learning experience was relatively positive. Conclusion The manual was an effective teaching and learning tool for students completing a community APPE. PMID:17149421
Deep learning for cardiac computer-aided diagnosis: benefits, issues & solutions

PubMed Central

Then, Patrick H. H.

2017-01-01

Cardiovascular diseases are one of the top causes of deaths worldwide. In developing nations and rural areas, difficulties with diagnosis and treatment are made worse due to the deficiency of healthcare facilities. A viable solution to this issue is telemedicine, which involves delivering health care and sharing medical knowledge at a distance. Additionally, mHealth, the utilization of mobile devices for medical care, has also proven to be a feasible choice. The integration of telemedicine, mHealth and computer-aided diagnosis systems with the fields of machine and deep learning has enabled the creation of effective services that are adaptable to a multitude of scenarios. The objective of this review is to provide an overview of heart disease diagnosis and management, especially within the context of rural healthcare, as well as discuss the benefits, issues and solutions of implementing deep learning algorithms to improve the efficacy of relevant medical applications. PMID:29184897
Learning what matters: A neural explanation for the sparsity bias.

PubMed

Hassall, Cameron D; Connor, Patrick C; Trappenberg, Thomas P; McDonald, John J; Krigolson, Olave E

2018-05-01

The visual environment is filled with complex, multi-dimensional objects that vary in their value to an observer's current goals. When faced with multi-dimensional stimuli, humans may rely on biases to learn to select those objects that are most valuable to the task at hand. Here, we show that decision making in a complex task is guided by the sparsity bias: the focusing of attention on a subset of available features. Participants completed a gambling task in which they selected complex stimuli that varied randomly along three dimensions: shape, color, and texture. Each dimension comprised three features (e.g., color: red, green, yellow). Only one dimension was relevant in each block (e.g., color), and a randomly-chosen value ranking determined outcome probabilities (e.g., green > yellow > red). Participants were faster to respond to infrequent probe stimuli that appeared unexpectedly within stimuli that possessed a more valuable feature than to probes appearing within stimuli possessing a less valuable feature. Event-related brain potentials recorded during the task provided a neurophysiological explanation for sparsity as a learning-dependent increase in optimal attentional performance (as measured by the N2pc component of the human event-related potential) and a concomitant learning-dependent decrease in prediction errors (as measured by the feedback-elicited reward positivity). Together, our results suggest that the sparsity bias guides human reinforcement learning in complex environments. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Learning Object Repositories

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lehman, Rosemary

2007-01-01

This chapter looks at the development and nature of learning objects, meta-tagging standards and taxonomies, learning object repositories, learning object repository characteristics, and types of learning object repositories, with type examples. (Contains 1 table.)
Fostering Personal Meaning and Self-Relevance: A Self-Determination Theory Perspective on Internalization

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vansteenkiste, Maarten; Aelterman, Nathalie; De Muynck, Gert-Jan; Haerens, Leen; Patall, Erika; Reeve, Johnmarshall

2018-01-01

Central to self-determination theory (SDT) is the notion that autonomously motivated learning relates to greater learning benefits. While learners' intrinsic motivation has received substantial attention, learners also display volitional learning when they come to endorse the personal meaning or self-relevance of the learning task. In Part I of…
Impaired Object Recognition but Normal Social Behavior and Ultrasonic Communication in Cofilin1 Mutant Mice

PubMed Central

Sungur, A. Özge; Stemmler, Lea; Wöhr, Markus; Rust, Marco B.

2018-01-01

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), schizophrenia (SCZ) and intellectual disability (ID) show a remarkable overlap in symptoms, including impairments in cognition, social behavior and communication. Human genetic studies revealed an enrichment of mutations in actin-related genes for these disorders, and some of the strongest candidate genes control actin dynamics. These findings led to the hypotheses: (i) that ASD, SCZ and ID share common disease mechanisms; and (ii) that, at least in a subgroup of affected individuals, defects in the actin cytoskeleton cause or contribute to their pathologies. Cofilin1 emerged as a key regulator of actin dynamics and we previously demonstrated its critical role for synaptic plasticity and associative learning. Notably, recent studies revealed an over-activation of cofilin1 in mutant mice displaying ASD- or SCZ-like behavioral phenotypes, suggesting that dysregulated cofilin1-dependent actin dynamics contribute to their behavioral abnormalities, such as deficits in social behavior. These findings let us hypothesize: (i) that, apart from cognitive impairments, cofilin1 mutants display additional behavioral deficits with relevance to ASD or SCZ; and (ii) that our cofilin1 mutants represent a valuable tool to study the underlying disease mechanisms. To test our hypotheses, we compared social behavior and ultrasonic communication of juvenile mutants to control littermates, and we did not obtain evidence for impaired direct reciprocal social interaction, social approach or social memory. Moreover, concomitant emission of ultrasonic vocalizations was not affected and time-locked to social activity, supporting the notion that ultrasonic vocalizations serve a pro-social communicative function as social contact calls maintaining social proximity. Finally, cofilin1 mutants did not display abnormal repetitive behaviors. Instead, they performed weaker in novel object recognition, thereby demonstrating that cofilin1 is relevant not only for associative learning, but also for “non-matching-to-sample” learning. Here we report the absence of an ASD- or a SCZ-like phenotype in cofilin1 mutants, and we conclude that cofilin1 is relevant specifically for non-social cognition. PMID:29515378
Recommendations for the development of e-modules for the continuing professional development of European dentists.

PubMed

Kavadella, A; Kossioni, A E; Tsiklakis, K; Cowpe, J; Bullock, A; Barnes, E; Bailey, S; Thomas, H; Thomas, R; Karaharju-Suvanto, T; Suomalainen, K; Kersten, H; Povel, E; Giles, M; Walmsley, D; Soboleva, U; Liepa, A; Akota, I

2013-05-01

To provide evidence-based and peer-reviewed recommendations for the development of dental continuing professional development (CPD) learning e-modules. The present recommendations are consensus recommendations of the DentCPD project team and were informed by a literature research, consultations from e-learning and IT expert, discussions amongst the participants attending a special interest group during the 2012 ADEE meeting, and feedback from the evaluation procedures of the exemplar e-module (as described in a companion paper within this Supplement). The main focus of these recommendations is on the courses and modules organised and offered by dental schools. E-modules for dental CPD, as well as for other health professionals' continuing education, have been implemented and evaluated for a number of years. Research shows that the development of e-modules is a team process, undertaken by academics, subject experts, pedagogists, IT and web designers, learning technologists and librarians. The e-module must have clear learning objectives (outcomes), addressing the learners' individual needs, and must be visually attractive, relevant, interactive, promoting critical thinking and providing feedback. The text, graphics and animations must support the objectives and enable the learning process by creating an attractive, easy to navigate and interactive electronic environment. Technology is usually a concern for learners and tutors; therefore, it must be kept simple and interoperable within different systems and software. The pedagogical and technological proficiency of educators is of paramount importance, yet remains a challenge in many instances. The development of e-courses and modules for dental CPD is an endeavour undertaken by a group of professionals. It must be underpinned by sound pedagogical and e-learning principles and must incorporate elements for effective visual learning and visual design and a simple, consistent technology. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S.
Learned predictiveness training modulates biases towards using boundary or landmark cues during navigation

PubMed Central

Buckley, Matthew G.; Smith, Alastair D.; Haselgrove, Mark

2015-01-01

A number of navigational theories state that learning about landmark information should not interfere with learning about shape information provided by the boundary walls of an environment. A common test of such theories has been to assess whether landmark information will overshadow, or restrict, learning about shape information. Whilst a number of studies have shown that landmarks are not able to overshadow learning about shape information, some have shown that landmarks can, in fact, overshadow learning about shape information. Given the continued importance of theories that grant the shape information that is provided by the boundary of an environment a special status during learning, the experiments presented here were designed to assess whether the relative salience of shape and landmark information could account for the discrepant results of overshadowing studies. In Experiment 1, participants were first trained that either the landmarks within an arena (landmark-relevant), or the shape information provided by the boundary walls of an arena (shape-relevant), were relevant to finding a hidden goal. In a subsequent stage, when novel landmark and shape information were made relevant to finding the hidden goal, landmarks dominated behaviour for those given landmark-relevant training, whereas shape information dominated behaviour for those given shape-relevant training. Experiment 2, which was conducted without prior relevance training, revealed that the landmark cues, unconditionally, dominated behaviour in our task. The results of the present experiments, and the conflicting results from previous overshadowing experiments, are explained in terms of associative models that incorporate an attention variant. PMID:25409751
eDrug: a dynamic interactive electronic drug formulary for medical students

PubMed Central

Maxwell, Simon R J; McQueen, Daniel S; Ellaway, Rachel

2006-01-01

What is already known about this subject Delivering education about an ever-increasing number of prescribable drugs to medical students represents a major challenge. Drug names are generally not logical or intuitive, and many students find learning them akin to learning a foreign language. Pharmacology and therapeutics teaching is struggling for visibility in some integrated medical curricula. What this study adds Development of electronic tools allowing web delivery of a restricted student formulary facilitates dynamic access to core learning materials, improves the profile of this aspect of the curriculum and is highly appreciated by students. Aims Prescribing drugs is a key responsibility of a doctor and requires a solid grounding in the relevant scientific disciplines of pharmacology and therapeutics (PT). The move away from basic science disciplines towards a more system-based and integrated undergraduate curriculum has created difficulties in the delivery of PT teaching in some medical schools. We aimed to develop a web-based strategy to overcome these problems and improve the PT learning experience. Methods We designed and introduced ‘eDrug’, a dynamic interactive web-based student formulary, as an aid to teaching and learning of PT throughout a 5-year integrated medical curriculum in a UK medical school of 1300 students. This was followed by a prospective observational study of student-reported views about its impact on their PT learning experience. Results eDrug was rated highly by students and staff, with the main benefits being increased visibility of PT in the curriculum, clear identification of core drugs, regular sourcing of drug information via direct links to accredited sources including the British National Formulary, prioritization of learning, immediate access and responsiveness. It has also served as a focus of discussion concerning core PT learning objectives amongst staff and students. Conclusions Web-based delivery of PT learning objectives actively supports learning within an integrated curriculum. PMID:17054667
How Attention Can Create Synaptic Tags for the Learning of Working Memories in Sequential Tasks

PubMed Central

Rombouts, Jaldert O.; Bohte, Sander M.; Roelfsema, Pieter R.

2015-01-01

Intelligence is our ability to learn appropriate responses to new stimuli and situations. Neurons in association cortex are thought to be essential for this ability. During learning these neurons become tuned to relevant features and start to represent them with persistent activity during memory delays. This learning process is not well understood. Here we develop a biologically plausible learning scheme that explains how trial-and-error learning induces neuronal selectivity and working memory representations for task-relevant information. We propose that the response selection stage sends attentional feedback signals to earlier processing levels, forming synaptic tags at those connections responsible for the stimulus-response mapping. Globally released neuromodulators then interact with tagged synapses to determine their plasticity. The resulting learning rule endows neural networks with the capacity to create new working memory representations of task relevant information as persistent activity. It is remarkably generic: it explains how association neurons learn to store task-relevant information for linear as well as non-linear stimulus-response mappings, how they become tuned to category boundaries or analog variables, depending on the task demands, and how they learn to integrate probabilistic evidence for perceptual decisions. PMID:25742003
Mere exposure alters category learning of novel objects.

PubMed

Folstein, Jonathan R; Gauthier, Isabel; Palmeri, Thomas J

2010-01-01

We investigated how mere exposure to complex objects with correlated or uncorrelated object features affects later category learning of new objects not seen during exposure. Correlations among pre-exposed object dimensions influenced later category learning. Unlike other published studies, the collection of pre-exposed objects provided no information regarding the categories to be learned, ruling out unsupervised or incidental category learning during pre-exposure. Instead, results are interpreted with respect to statistical learning mechanisms, providing one of the first demonstrations of how statistical learning can influence visual object learning.
Mere Exposure Alters Category Learning of Novel Objects

PubMed Central

Folstein, Jonathan R.; Gauthier, Isabel; Palmeri, Thomas J.

2010-01-01

We investigated how mere exposure to complex objects with correlated or uncorrelated object features affects later category learning of new objects not seen during exposure. Correlations among pre-exposed object dimensions influenced later category learning. Unlike other published studies, the collection of pre-exposed objects provided no information regarding the categories to be learned, ruling out unsupervised or incidental category learning during pre-exposure. Instead, results are interpreted with respect to statistical learning mechanisms, providing one of the first demonstrations of how statistical learning can influence visual object learning. PMID:21833209

Accurate Monitoring Leads to Effective Control and Greater Learning of Patient Education Materials

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rawson, Katherine A.; O'Neil, Rochelle; Dunlosky, John

2011-01-01

Effective management of chronic diseases (e.g., diabetes) can depend on the extent to which patients can learn and remember disease-relevant information. In two experiments, we explored a technique motivated by theories of self-regulated learning for improving people's learning of information relevant to managing a chronic disease. Materials were…
Aligning Goals, Assessments, and Activities: An Approach to Teaching PCR and Gel Electrophoresis

PubMed Central

Robertson, Amber L.; Batzli, Janet; Harris, Michelle; Miller, Sarah

2008-01-01

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and gel electrophoresis have become common techniques used in undergraduate molecular and cell biology labs. Although students enjoy learning these techniques, they often cannot fully comprehend and analyze the outcomes of their experiments because of a disconnect between concepts taught in lecture and experiments done in lab. Here we report the development and implementation of novel exercises that integrate the biological concepts of DNA structure and replication with the techniques of PCR and gel electrophoresis. Learning goals were defined based on concepts taught throughout the cell biology lab course and learning objectives specific to the PCR and gel electrophoresis lab. Exercises developed to promote critical thinking and target the underlying concepts of PCR, primer design, gel analysis, and troubleshooting were incorporated into an existing lab unit based on the detection of genetically modified organisms. Evaluative assessments for each exercise were aligned with the learning goals and used to measure student learning achievements. Our analysis found that the exercises were effective in enhancing student understanding of these concepts as shown by student performance across all learning goals. The new materials were particularly helpful in acquiring relevant knowledge, fostering critical-thinking skills, and uncovering prevalent misconceptions. PMID:18316813
Necessary Contributions of Human Frontal Lobe Subregions to Reward Learning in a Dynamic, Multidimensional Environment.

PubMed

Vaidya, Avinash R; Fellows, Lesley K

2016-09-21

Real-world decisions are typically made between options that vary along multiple dimensions, requiring prioritization of the important dimensions to support optimal choice. Learning in this setting depends on attributing decision outcomes to the dimensions with predictive relevance rather than to dimensions that are irrelevant and nonpredictive. This attribution problem is computationally challenging, and likely requires an interplay between selective attention and reward learning. Both these processes have been separately linked to the prefrontal cortex, but little is known about how they combine to support learning the reward value of multidimensional stimuli. Here, we examined the necessary contributions of frontal lobe subregions in attributing feedback to relevant and irrelevant dimensions on a trial-by-trial basis in humans. Patients with focal frontal lobe damage completed a demanding reward learning task where options varied on three dimensions, only one of which predicted reward. Participants with left lateral frontal lobe damage attributed rewards to irrelevant dimensions, rather than the relevant dimension. Damage to the ventromedial frontal lobe also impaired learning about the relevant dimension, but did not increase reward attribution to irrelevant dimensions. The results argue for distinct roles for these two regions in learning the value of multidimensional decision options under dynamic conditions, with the lateral frontal lobe required for selecting the relevant dimension to associate with reward, and the ventromedial frontal lobe required to learn the reward association itself. The real world is complex and multidimensional; how do we attribute rewards to predictive features when surrounded by competing cues? Here, we tested the critical involvement of human frontal lobe subregions in a probabilistic, multidimensional learning environment, asking whether focal lesions affected trial-by-trial attribution of feedback to relevant and irrelevant dimensions. The left lateral frontal lobe was required for filtering option dimensions to allow appropriate feedback attribution, while the ventromedial frontal lobe was necessary for learning the value of features in the relevant dimension. These findings argue that selective attention and associative learning processes mediated by anatomically distinct frontal lobe subregions are both critical for adaptive choice in more complex, ecologically valid settings. Copyright © 2016 the authors 0270-6474/16/369843-16$15.00/0.
The cost of selective attention in category learning: developmental differences between adults and infants.

PubMed

Best, Catherine A; Yim, Hyungwook; Sloutsky, Vladimir M

2013-10-01

Selective attention plays an important role in category learning. However, immaturities of top-down attentional control during infancy coupled with successful category learning suggest that early category learning is achieved without attending selectively. Research presented here examines this possibility by focusing on category learning in infants (6-8months old) and adults. Participants were trained on a novel visual category. Halfway through the experiment, unbeknownst to participants, the to-be-learned category switched to another category, where previously relevant features became irrelevant and previously irrelevant features became relevant. If participants attend selectively to the relevant features of the first category, they should incur a cost of selective attention immediately after the unknown category switch. Results revealed that adults demonstrated a cost, as evidenced by a decrease in accuracy and response time on test trials as well as a decrease in visual attention to newly relevant features. In contrast, infants did not demonstrate a similar cost of selective attention as adults despite evidence of learning both to-be-learned categories. Findings are discussed as supporting multiple systems of category learning and as suggesting that learning mechanisms engaged by adults may be different from those engaged by infants. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
A Cybernetic Design Methodology for 'Intelligent' Online Learning Support

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quinton, Stephen R.

The World Wide Web (WWW) provides learners and knowledge workers convenient access to vast stores of information, so much that present methods for refinement of a query or search result are inadequate - there is far too much potentially useful material. The problem often encountered is that users usually do not recognise what may be useful until they have progressed some way through the discovery, learning, and knowledge acquisition process. Additional support is needed to structure and identify potentially relevant information, and to provide constructive feedback. In short, support for learning is needed. The learning envisioned here is not simply the capacity to recall facts or to recognise objects. The focus is on learning that results in the construction of knowledge. Although most online learning platforms are efficient at delivering information, most do not provide tools that support learning as envisaged in this chapter. It is conceivable that Web-based learning environments can incorporate software systems that assist learners to form new associations between concepts and synthesise information to create new knowledge. This chapter details the rationale and theory behind a research study that aims to evolve Web-based learning environments into 'intelligent thinking' systems that respond to natural language human input. Rather than functioning simply as a means of delivering information, it is argued that online learning solutions will 1 day interact directly with students to support their conceptual thinking and cognitive development.
Interoperability Gap Challenges for Learning Object Repositories & Learning Management Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mason, Robert T.

2011-01-01

An interoperability gap exists between Learning Management Systems (LMSs) and Learning Object Repositories (LORs). Learning Objects (LOs) and the associated Learning Object Metadata (LOM) that is stored within LORs adhere to a variety of LOM standards. A common LOM standard found in LORs is the Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM)…
Effect of perinatal asphyxia on tuberomammillary nucleus neuronal density and object recognition memory: A possible role for histamine?

PubMed

Flores-Balter, Gabriela; Cordova-Jadue, Héctor; Chiti-Morales, Alessandra; Lespay, Carolyne; Espina-Marchant, Pablo; Falcon, Romina; Grinspun, Noemi; Sanchez, Jessica; Bustamante, Diego; Morales, Paola; Herrera-Marschitz, Mario; Valdés, José L

2016-10-15

Perinatal asphyxia (PA) is associated with long-term neuronal damage and cognitive deficits in adulthood, such as learning and memory disabilities. After PA, specific brain regions are compromised, including neocortex, hippocampus, basal ganglia, and ascending neuromodulatory pathways, such as dopamine system, explaining some of the cognitive disabilities. We hypothesize that other neuromodulatory systems, such as histamine system from the tuberomammillary nucleus (TMN), which widely project to telencephalon, shown to be relevant for learning and memory, may be compromised by PA. We investigated here the effect of PA on (i) Density and neuronal activity of TMN neurons by double immunoreactivity for adenosine deaminase (ADA) and c-Fos, as marker for histaminergic neurons and neuronal activity respectively. (ii) Expression of the histamine-synthesizing enzyme, histidine decarboxylase (HDC) by western blot and (iii) thioperamide an H3 histamine receptor antagonist, on an object recognition memory task. Asphyxia-exposed rats showed a decrease of ADA density and c-Fos activity in TMN, and decrease of HDC expression in hypothalamus. Asphyxia-exposed rats also showed a low performance in object recognition memory compared to caesarean-delivered controls, which was reverted in a dose-dependent manner by the H3 antagonist thioperamide (5-10mg/kg, i.p.). The present results show that the histaminergic neuronal system of the TMN is involved in the long-term effects induced by PA, affecting learning and memory. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
An ERP Study on Self-Relevant Object Recognition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miyakoshi, Makoto; Nomura, Michio; Ohira, Hideki

2007-01-01

We performed an event-related potential study to investigate the self-relevance effect in object recognition. Three stimulus categories were prepared: SELF (participant's own objects), FAMILIAR (disposable and public objects, defined as objects with less-self-relevant familiarity), and UNFAMILIAR (others' objects). The participants' task was to…
Student Response to Remote-Online Case-Based Learning: A Qualitative Study.

PubMed

Nicklen, Peter; Keating, Jennifer L; Maloney, Stephen

2016-03-22

Case-based learning (CBL) typically involves face-to-face interaction in small collaborative groups with a focus on self-directed study. To our knowledge, no published studies report an evaluation of Web conferencing in CBL. The primary aim of this study was to explore student perceptions and attitudes in response to a remote-online case-based learning (RO-CBL) experience. This study took place over a 2-week period in 2013 at Monash University, Victoria, Australia. A third year cohort (n=73) of physiotherapy students was invited to participate. Students were required to participate in 2 training sessions, followed by RO-CBL across 2 sessions. The primary outcome of interest was the student feedback on the quality of the learning experience during RO-CBL participation. This was explored with a focus group and a survey. Most students (68/73) completed the postintervention survey (nonparticipation rate 8%). RO-CBL was generally well received by participants, with 59% (40/68) of participates stating that they'd like RO-CBL to be used in the future and 78% (53/68) of participants believing they could meet the CBL's learning objectives via RO-CBL. The 4 key themes relevant to student response to RO-CBL that emerged from the focus groups and open-ended questions on the postintervention survey were how RO-CBL compared to expectations, key benefits of RO-CBL including flexibility and time and cost savings, communication challenges in the online environment compared to face-to-face, and implications of moving to an online platform. Web conferencing may be a suitable medium for students to participate in CBL. Participants were satisfied with the learning activity and felt they could meet the CBL's learning objectives. Further study should evaluate Web conferencing CBL across an entire semester in regard to student satisfaction, perceived depth of learning, and learning outcomes.
Visual feature extraction from voxel-weighted averaging of stimulus images in 2 fMRI studies.

PubMed

Hart, Corey B; Rose, William J

2013-11-01

Multiple studies have provided evidence for distributed object representation in the brain, with several recent experiments leveraging basis function estimates for partial image reconstruction from fMRI data. Using a novel combination of statistical decomposition, generalized linear models, and stimulus averaging on previously examined image sets and Bayesian regression of recorded fMRI activity during presentation of these data sets, we identify a subset of relevant voxels that appear to code for covarying object features. Using a technique we term "voxel-weighted averaging," we isolate image filters that these voxels appear to implement. The results, though very cursory, appear to have significant implications for hierarchical and deep-learning-type approaches toward the understanding of neural coding and representation.
Visual presentation of a medical physiology seminar modifies dental students' perception of its clinical significance.

PubMed

Vuletic, L; Spalj, S; Peros, K

2016-02-01

The primary objective of this study was to assess whether exposing dental students to visual stimuli related to dental profession during the medical physiology seminar could affect their perception of the clinical relevance of the topic. A self-administered questionnaire on attitudes towards medical physiology was conducted amongst 105 students of the School of Dental Medicine in Zagreb, Croatia, aged 19-24 years (80% females) following a seminar on respiratory system physiology. Power-point presentation accompanying the seminar for a total of 52 students (study group) was enriched with pictures related to dental practice in order to assess whether these pictures could make the topic appear more clinically relevant for a future dentist. The results of the survey indicated that dental students in the study group perceived the topic of the seminar as more important for them as future dentists when compared to the perception of the control group (P = 0.025). The results of this survey encourage physiology lecturers to present medical physiology as clinically relevant for dental students whenever possible as this could increase students' interest in the subject and their motivation for learning. Such an approach could be particularly beneficial if there is a significant time gap between basic courses and involvement of students into clinical training for it could promote meaningful learning. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Sailing smoothly across the cultural divide: Constructing effective behavioral science presentations for medical audiences.

PubMed

Myerholtz, Linda; Schirmer, Julie; Carling, Mary Anne

2015-01-01

Beginning behavioral science faculty, who are critical residency program contributors, face significant immediate challenges that often diminish their effectiveness and increase the time it takes to translate and reformat their expertise into relevant and meaningful educational presentations. Residency program culture and competency-based learning are quite different from the educational objectives and teaching environments found in most behavioral health training programs. The goal of this article is to provide beginning behavior science faculty, who are typically on their own and learning on the job, with a guide to the core educational perspectives and skills required as well as key resources that are available to them. Since a significant portion of behavioral science faculty's teaching time revolves around small and large group presentations, our guide focuses on how to incorporate key strategies and resources into relevant, evidenced-based and, most importantly, effective behavioral health presentations for the program's resident physicians. Specifically, our recommendations include selection of content, methods of content organization, techniques for actively engaging resident physicians in discussing the significance of the topics, and descriptions of numerous Internet resources for the primary mental health topics that concern family medicine trainees. Finally, it is emphasized that the relevant and effective use of these recommendations is dependent upon the behavioral science faculty educator's first understanding and appreciating how physicians' think, speak, and prioritize information while caring for their patients. © The Author(s) 2015.
Practicing doctors' perceptions on new learning objectives for Vietnamese medical schools.

PubMed

Hoat, Luu Ngoc; Dung, Do Van; Wright, E Pamela

2007-06-28

As part of the process to develop more community-oriented medical teaching in Vietnam, eight medical schools prepared a set of standard learning objectives with attention to the needs of a doctor working with the community. Because they were prepared based on government documents and the opinions of the teachers, it was necessary to check them with doctors who had already graduated and were working at different sites in the community. Each of the eight medical faculties asked 100 practising recent graduates to complete a questionnaire to check the relevance of the skills that the teachers considered most important. We used mean and standard deviation to summarize the scores rated by the respondents for each skill and percentile at four points: p50, p25, p10 and p5 to describe the variation of scores among the respondents. Correlation coefficient was used to measure the relationship between skill levels set by the teachers and the perception of practicing doctors regarding frequency of using skills and priority for each skill. Additional information was taken from the records of focus group discussions to clarify, explain or expand on the results from the quantitative data. In many cases the skills considered important by teachers were also rated as highly necessary and/or frequently used by the respondents. There were, however, discrepancies: some skills important to teachers were seldom used and not considered important by the doctors. In focus group discussions the doctors also identified skills that are not taught at all in the medical schools but would be needed by practising doctors. Although most of the skills and skill levels included in the learning objectives by the teachers were consistent with the opinions of their graduates, the match was not perfect. The experience of the graduates and their additional comments should be included as inputs to the definition of learning objectives for medical students.
Object-oriented design and implementation of CFDLab: a computer-assisted learning tool for fluid dynamics using dual reciprocity boundary element methodology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Friedrich, J.

1999-08-01

As lecturers, our main concern and goal is to develop more attractive and efficient ways of communicating up-to-date scientific knowledge to our students and facilitate an in-depth understanding of physical phenomena. Computer-based instruction is very promising to help both teachers and learners in their difficult task, which involves complex cognitive psychological processes. This complexity is reflected in high demands on the design and implementation methods used to create computer-assisted learning (CAL) programs. Due to their concepts, flexibility, maintainability and extended library resources, object-oriented modeling techniques are very suitable to produce this type of pedagogical tool. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) enjoys not only a growing importance in today's research, but is also very powerful for teaching and learning fluid dynamics. For this purpose, an educational PC program for university level called 'CFDLab 1.1' for Windows™ was developed with an interactive graphical user interface (GUI) for multitasking and point-and-click operations. It uses the dual reciprocity boundary element method as a versatile numerical scheme, allowing to handle a variety of relevant governing equations in two dimensions on personal computers due to its simple pre- and postprocessing including 2D Laplace, Poisson, diffusion, transient convection-diffusion.
The quality of on-line communication in a national learning programme for newly qualified nurses, midwives and allied health professionals.

PubMed

Lauder, W; Roxburgh, M; Atkinson, John; Banks, Pauline; Kane, Helen

2011-05-01

Asynchronous communication has become the dominant mode of on-line instruction and has been incorporated into Flying Start NHS, an on-line programme for newly qualified NMAHPs in the transition phase from student to registered practitioner. On-line programmes have a number of objectives including the delivery of educational materials and the development of on-line communities. This study sought to provide a direct and objective understanding of the quality of the on-line community within Flying Start NHS and give an indication of areas of strength and weakness. The study used mixed methods including a Gricean analysis of on-line communication focusing on quantity, quality, relevance, and manner, and a thematic analysis of communication content. There was little evidence that students engaged in the type of interactive communication essential for creating on-line learning communities. The majority of postings related to progression through Flying Start. The small number of communications which did begin to engage with the learning materials were limited with little evidence of the development of critical debate. Analysis of the qualitative data indicates that the period of transition continues to be stressful with Flying Start NHS being undertaken concurrently with local CPD being seen as duplication of effort. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Developing a Learning Classroom: Moving beyond Management through Relationships, Relevance, and Rigor

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooper, Nic; Garner, Betty K.

2012-01-01

All too often, managing a classroom means gaining control, dictating guidelines, and implementing rules. Designed for any teacher struggling with student behavior, motivation, and engagement, "Developing a Learning Classroom" explores how to create a thriving, learning-centered classroom through three critical concepts: relationships, relevance,…
International Service Learning: Analytical Review of Published Research Literature

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dixon, Brett

2015-01-01

International service learning (ISL) is an emerging area of international education. This paper summarizes academic journal articles on ISL programs and organizes the relevant publications by academic disciplines, service learning project areas, and other topics. The basis for this review is relevant literature from full-text scholarly peer…
Procrastinating Behavior in Computer-Based Learning Environments to Predict Performance: A Case Study in Moodle

PubMed Central

Cerezo, Rebeca; Esteban, María; Sánchez-Santillán, Miguel; Núñez, José C.

2017-01-01

Introduction: Research about student performance has traditionally considered academic procrastination as a behavior that has negative effects on academic achievement. Although there is much evidence for this in class-based environments, there is a lack of research on Computer-Based Learning Environments (CBLEs). Therefore, the purpose of this study is to evaluate student behavior in a blended learning program and specifically procrastination behavior in relation to performance through Data Mining techniques. Materials and Methods: A sample of 140 undergraduate students participated in a blended learning experience implemented in a Moodle (Modular Object Oriented Developmental Learning Environment) Management System. Relevant interaction variables were selected for the study, taking into account student achievement and analyzing data by means of association rules, a mining technique. The association rules were arrived at and filtered through two selection criteria: 1, rules must have an accuracy over 0.8 and 2, they must be present in both sub-samples. Results: The findings of our study highlight the influence of time management in online learning environments, particularly on academic achievement, as there is an association between procrastination variables and student performance. Conclusion: Negative impact of procrastination in learning outcomes has been observed again but in virtual learning environments where practical implications, prevention of, and intervention in, are different from class-based learning. These aspects are discussed to help resolve student difficulties at various ages. PMID:28883801
Procrastinating Behavior in Computer-Based Learning Environments to Predict Performance: A Case Study in Moodle.

PubMed

Cerezo, Rebeca; Esteban, María; Sánchez-Santillán, Miguel; Núñez, José C

2017-01-01

Introduction: Research about student performance has traditionally considered academic procrastination as a behavior that has negative effects on academic achievement. Although there is much evidence for this in class-based environments, there is a lack of research on Computer-Based Learning Environments (CBLEs) . Therefore, the purpose of this study is to evaluate student behavior in a blended learning program and specifically procrastination behavior in relation to performance through Data Mining techniques. Materials and Methods: A sample of 140 undergraduate students participated in a blended learning experience implemented in a Moodle (Modular Object Oriented Developmental Learning Environment) Management System. Relevant interaction variables were selected for the study, taking into account student achievement and analyzing data by means of association rules, a mining technique. The association rules were arrived at and filtered through two selection criteria: 1, rules must have an accuracy over 0.8 and 2, they must be present in both sub-samples. Results: The findings of our study highlight the influence of time management in online learning environments, particularly on academic achievement, as there is an association between procrastination variables and student performance. Conclusion: Negative impact of procrastination in learning outcomes has been observed again but in virtual learning environments where practical implications, prevention of, and intervention in, are different from class-based learning. These aspects are discussed to help resolve student difficulties at various ages.
Understanding Human Original Actions Directed at Real-World Goals: The Role of the Lateral Prefrontal Cortex

PubMed Central

Sitnikova, Tatiana; Rosen, Bruce R.; Lord, Louis-David; West, W. Caroline

2014-01-01

Adaptive, original actions, which can succeed in multiple contextual situations, require understanding of what is relevant to a goal. Recognizing what is relevant may also help in predicting kinematics of observed, original actions. During action observation, comparisons between sensory input and expected action kinematics have been argued critical to accurate goal inference. Experimental studies with laboratory tasks, both in humans and nonhuman primates, demonstrated that the lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) can learn, hierarchically organize, and use goal-relevant information. To determine whether this LPFC capacity is generalizable to real-world cognition, we recorded functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data in the human brain during comprehension of original and usual object-directed actions embedded in video-depictions of real-life behaviors. We hypothesized that LPFC will contribute to forming goal-relevant representations necessary for kinematic predictions of original actions. Additionally, resting-state fMRI was employed to examine functional connectivity between the brain regions delineated in the video fMRI experiment. According to behavioral data, original videos could be understood by identifying elements relevant to real-life goals at different levels of abstraction. Patterns of enhanced activity in four regions in the left LPFC, evoked by original, relative to usual, video scenes, were consistent with previous neuroimaging findings on representing abstract and concrete stimuli dimensions relevant to laboratory goals. In the anterior left LPFC, the activity increased selectively when representations of broad classes of objects and actions, which could achieve the perceived overall behavioral goal, were likely to bias kinematic predictions of original actions. In contrast, in the more posterior regions, the activity increased even when concrete properties of the target object were more likely to bias the kinematic prediction. Functional connectivity was observed between contiguous regions along the rostro-caudal LPFC axis, but not between the regions that were not immediately adjacent. These findings generalize the representational hierarchy account of LPFC function to diverse core principles that can govern both production and comprehension of flexible real-life behavior. PMID:25224997

Translational Rodent Paradigms to Investigate Neuromechanisms Underlying Behaviors Relevant to Amotivation and Altered Reward Processing in Schizophrenia.

PubMed

Young, Jared W; Markou, Athina

2015-09-01

Amotivation and reward-processing deficits have long been described in patients with schizophrenia and considered large contributors to patients' inability to integrate well in society. No effective treatments exist for these symptoms, partly because the neuromechanisms mediating such symptoms are poorly understood. Here, we propose a translational neuroscientific approach that can be used to assess reward/motivational deficits related to the negative symptoms of schizophrenia using behavioral paradigms that can also be conducted in experimental animals. By designing and using objective laboratory behavioral tools that are parallel in their parameters in rodents and humans, the neuromechanisms underlying behaviors with relevance to these symptoms of schizophrenia can be investigated. We describe tasks that measure the motivation of rodents to expend physical and cognitive effort to gain rewards, as well as probabilistic learning tasks that assess both reward learning and feedback-based decision making. The latter tasks are relevant because of demonstrated links of performance deficits correlating with negative symptoms in patients with schizophrenia. These tasks utilize operant techniques in order to investigate neural circuits targeting a specific domain across species. These tasks therefore enable the development of insights into altered mechanisms leading to negative symptom-relevant behaviors in patients with schizophrenia. Such findings will then enable the development of targeted treatments for these altered neuromechanisms and behaviors seen in schizophrenia. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.
The pro children intervention: applying the intervention mapping protocol to develop a school-based fruit and vegetable promotion programme.

PubMed

Pérez-Rodrigo, Carmen; Wind, Marianne; Hildonen, Christina; Bjelland, Mona; Aranceta, Javier; Klepp, Knut-Inge; Brug, Johannes

2005-01-01

The importance of careful theory-based intervention planning is recognized for fruit and vegetable promotion. This paper describes the application of the Intervention Mapping (IM) protocol to develop the Pro Children intervention to promote consumption of fruit and vegetable among 10- to 13-year-old schoolchildren. Based on a needs assessment, promotion of intake of fruit and vegetable was split into performance objectives and related personal, social and environmental determinants. Crossing the performance objectives with related important and changeable determinants resulted in a matrix of learning and change objectives for which appropriate educational strategies were identified. Theoretically similar but culturally relevant interventions were designed, implemented and evaluated in Norway, the Netherlands and Spain during 2 school years. Programme activities included provision of fruits and vegetables in the schools, guided classroom activities, computer-tailored feedback and advice for children, and activities to be completed at home with the family. Additionally, optional intervention components for community reinforcement included incorporation of mass media, school health services or grocery stores. School project committees were supported. The Pro Children intervention was carefully developed based on the IM protocol that resulted in a comprehensive school-based fruit and vegetable promotion programme, but culturally sensible and locally relevant. (c) 2005 S. Karger AG, Basel
Combining high-speed SVM learning with CNN feature encoding for real-time target recognition in high-definition video for ISR missions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kroll, Christine; von der Werth, Monika; Leuck, Holger; Stahl, Christoph; Schertler, Klaus

2017-05-01

For Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR) missions of manned and unmanned air systems typical electrooptical payloads provide high-definition video data which has to be exploited with respect to relevant ground targets in real-time by automatic/assisted target recognition software. Airbus Defence and Space is developing required technologies for real-time sensor exploitation since years and has combined the latest advances of Deep Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) with a proprietary high-speed Support Vector Machine (SVM) learning method into a powerful object recognition system with impressive results on relevant high-definition video scenes compared to conventional target recognition approaches. This paper describes the principal requirements for real-time target recognition in high-definition video for ISR missions and the Airbus approach of combining an invariant feature extraction using pre-trained CNNs and the high-speed training and classification ability of a novel frequency-domain SVM training method. The frequency-domain approach allows for a highly optimized implementation for General Purpose Computation on a Graphics Processing Unit (GPGPU) and also an efficient training of large training samples. The selected CNN which is pre-trained only once on domain-extrinsic data reveals a highly invariant feature extraction. This allows for a significantly reduced adaptation and training of the target recognition method for new target classes and mission scenarios. A comprehensive training and test dataset was defined and prepared using relevant high-definition airborne video sequences. The assessment concept is explained and performance results are given using the established precision-recall diagrams, average precision and runtime figures on representative test data. A comparison to legacy target recognition approaches shows the impressive performance increase by the proposed CNN+SVM machine-learning approach and the capability of real-time high-definition video exploitation.
Influence of sleep deprivation on learning among surgical house staff and medical students.

PubMed

Browne, B J; Van Susteren, T; Onsager, D R; Simpson, D; Salaymeh, B; Condon, R E

1994-05-01

Sleep deprivation as a result of in-house night call may alter capacity to learn. Surgical residents and medical students, in both sleep-deprived and rested states, read surgical journal articles and later answered questions regarding their content as a measure of ability to learn while participating in scheduled night call. Medical students (n = 35) and residents (n = 21) rotating on surgical services kept logs of hours slept during a 4-week study period. Subjects read six selected articles at separate early morning sittings during weeks 1 and 3. A multiple choice test was given 1 week after each session to assess short-term recall, and all tests were given again 3 months later to assess retention of information over the longer term. Scores were compared with the sleep data. Subjective measures of fatigue and motivation elicited from subjects also were evaluated. Sleep deprivation (4 hours or less uninterrupted sleep per night) resulted in increased fatigue and decreased motivation among medical students and residents (p < 0.05, t test). Objective scores on tests administered 1 week and 3 months after reading did not show an effect attributable to sleep deprivation (p > 0.05, t test). Sleep deprivation leads to subjective feelings of increased fatigue and decreased motivation. Residents and medical students, however, whether sleep deprived or not, obtain comparable scores on objective tests measuring both short-term and long-term retention of newly learned material. The ability to learn medically relevant information does not appear to be significantly altered by the degree of sleep deprivation associated with clinical rotations on surgical services.
Intelligent Discovery for Learning Objects Using Semantic Web Technologies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hsu, I-Ching

2012-01-01

The concept of learning objects has been applied in the e-learning field to promote the accessibility, reusability, and interoperability of learning content. Learning Object Metadata (LOM) was developed to achieve these goals by describing learning objects in order to provide meaningful metadata. Unfortunately, the conventional LOM lacks the…
Voice technology and BBN

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wolf, Jared J.

1977-01-01

The following research was discussed: (1) speech signal processing; (2) automatic speech recognition; (3) continuous speech understanding; (4) speaker recognition; (5) speech compression; (6) subjective and objective evaluation of speech communication system; (7) measurement of the intelligibility and quality of speech when degraded by noise or other masking stimuli; (8) speech synthesis; (9) instructional aids for second-language learning and for training of the deaf; and (10) investigation of speech correlates of psychological stress. Experimental psychology, control systems, and human factors engineering, which are often relevant to the proper design and operation of speech systems are described.
On the road to becoming a responsible leader: A simulation-based training approach for final year medical students

PubMed Central

Schmidt-Huber, Marion; Netzel, Janine; Kiesewetter, Jan

2017-01-01

Background and objective: There is a need for young physicians to take a responsible role in clinical teams, comparable to a leadership role. However, today’s medical curricula barely consider the development of leadership competencies. Acquisition of leadership skills are currently a by-product of medical education, even though it seems to be a competency relevant for physicians’ success. Therefore, an innovative leadership training program for young physicians was developed and validated. Training conceptualisation were based upon findings of critical incidents interviews (N=19) with relevant personnel (e.g. experienced doctors/nurses, residents) and upon evidence-based leadership contents focusing on ethical leadership behaviors. Method: The training consists of four sessions (3-4 hours each) and provided evidence-based lectures of leadership theory and effective leader behaviors, interactive training elements and a simulation-based approach with professional role players focusing on interprofessional collaboration with care staff. Training evaluation was assessed twice after completion of the program (N=37). Assessments included items from validated and approved evaluation instruments regarding diverse learning outcomes (satisfaction/reaction, learning, self-efficacy, and application/transfer) and transfer indicators. Furthermore, training success predictors were assessed based on stepwise regression analysis. In addition, long-term trainings effects and behavioral changes were analysed. Results: Various learning outcomes are achieved (self-reported training satisfaction, usefulness of the content and learning effects) and results show substantial transfer effects of the training contents and a strengthened awareness for the leadership role (e.g. self-confidence, ideas dealing with work-related problems in a role as responsible physician). We identified competence of trainer, training of applied tools, awareness of job expectations, and the opportunity to learn from experiences of other participants as predictors of training success. Additionally, we found long-term training effects and participants reported an increase in specific competencies, relevant for effective interprofessional collaboration (active perspective-taking, communication, conflict management, personal competencies). Conclusion: The training of leadership competencies for young physicians seems feasible to develop constructive influence strategies for a successful interprofessional collaboration in early career stages. The simulation-based approach is beneficial for residents to practice leadership behaviour in realistic job situations. PMID:28890925
On the road to becoming a responsible leader: A simulation-based training approach for final year medical students.

PubMed

Schmidt-Huber, Marion; Netzel, Janine; Kiesewetter, Jan

2017-01-01

Background and objective: There is a need for young physicians to take a responsible role in clinical teams, comparable to a leadership role. However, today's medical curricula barely consider the development of leadership competencies. Acquisition of leadership skills are currently a by-product of medical education, even though it seems to be a competency relevant for physicians' success. Therefore, an innovative leadership training program for young physicians was developed and validated. Training conceptualisation were based upon findings of critical incidents interviews ( N =19) with relevant personnel (e.g. experienced doctors/nurses, residents) and upon evidence-based leadership contents focusing on ethical leadership behaviors. Method: The training consists of four sessions (3-4 hours each) and provided evidence-based lectures of leadership theory and effective leader behaviors, interactive training elements and a simulation-based approach with professional role players focusing on interprofessional collaboration with care staff. Training evaluation was assessed twice after completion of the program ( N =37). Assessments included items from validated and approved evaluation instruments regarding diverse learning outcomes (satisfaction/reaction, learning, self-efficacy, and application/transfer) and transfer indicators. Furthermore, training success predictors were assessed based on stepwise regression analysis. In addition, long-term trainings effects and behavioral changes were analysed. Results: Various learning outcomes are achieved (self-reported training satisfaction, usefulness of the content and learning effects) and results show substantial transfer effects of the training contents and a strengthened awareness for the leadership role (e.g. self-confidence, ideas dealing with work-related problems in a role as responsible physician). We identified competence of trainer, training of applied tools, awareness of job expectations, and the opportunity to learn from experiences of other participants as predictors of training success. Additionally, we found long-term training effects and participants reported an increase in specific competencies, relevant for effective interprofessional collaboration (active perspective-taking, communication, conflict management, personal competencies). Conclusion: The training of leadership competencies for young physicians seems feasible to develop constructive influence strategies for a successful interprofessional collaboration in early career stages. The simulation-based approach is beneficial for residents to practice leadership behaviour in realistic job situations.
"Sankofa" Teaching and Learning: Evaluating Relevance for Today's African-American Student

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Talpade, Medha; Talpade, Salil

2014-01-01

The intent of this project was to identify and relate the values and perceptions of today's African American students to culturally relevant teaching and learning practices. The reason for relating student culture with teaching practices is to improve pedagogical processes for African American students. Culturally relevant pedagogy, according to…
Situated learning in translation research training: academic research as a reflection of practice

PubMed Central

Risku, Hanna

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Situated learning has become a dominant goal in the translation classroom: translation didactics is being developed in a learner-, situation- and experience-based direction, following constructivist and participatory teaching philosophies. However, the explicit use of situated approaches has, so far, not been the centre of attention in translation theory teaching and research training. As a consequence, translation theory often remains unconnected to the skills learned and topics tackled in language-specific translation teaching and the challenges experienced in real-life translation practice. This article reports on the results of an exploratory action research project into the teaching of academic research skills in translation studies at Master’s level. The goal of the project is to develop and test possibilities for employing situated learning in translation research training. The situatedness perspective has a double relevance for the teaching project: the students are involved in an authentic, ongoing research project, and the object of the research project itself deals with authentic translation processes at the workplace. Thus, the project has the potential to improve the expertise of the students as both researchers and reflective practitioners. PMID:27499805
Assessing Learning, Quality and Engagement in Learning Objects: The Learning Object Evaluation Scale for Students (LOES-S)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kay, Robin H.; Knaack, Liesel

2009-01-01

Learning objects are interactive web-based tools that support the learning of specific concepts by enhancing, amplifying, and/or guiding the cognitive processes of learners. Research on the impact, effectiveness, and usefulness of learning objects is limited, partially because comprehensive, theoretically based, reliable, and valid evaluation…
Liberating Learning Object Design from the Learning Style of Student Instructional Designers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akpinar, Yavuz

2007-01-01

Learning objects are a new form of learning resource, and the design of these digital environments has many facets. To investigate senior instructional design students' use of reflection tools in designing learning objects, a series of studies was conducted using the Reflective Action Instructional Design and Learning Object Review Instrument…
Learning Objects and Gerontology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weinreich, Donna M.; Tompkins, Catherine J.

2006-01-01

Virtual AGE (vAGE) is an asynchronous educational environment that utilizes learning objects focused on gerontology and a learning anytime/anywhere philosophy. This paper discusses the benefits of asynchronous instruction and the process of creating learning objects. Learning objects are "small, reusable chunks of instructional media" Wiley…
The Relevance of Workplace Learning in Guiding Student and Curriculum Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nduna, N. J.

2012-01-01

In an attempt to demonstrate the relevance of workplace learning (previously known as "cooperative education") in guiding student and curriculum development, this article presents findings from a research project on the current practice of workplace learning, drawn from an analysis of evaluation reports in a university of technology.…
Towards Increased Relevance: Context-Adapted Models of the Learning Organization

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Örtenblad, Anders

2015-01-01

Purpose: The purposes of this paper are to take a closer look at the relevance of the idea of the learning organization for organizations in different generalized organizational contexts; to open up for the existence of multiple, context-adapted models of the learning organization; and to suggest a number of such models.…
Science Spots AR: A Platform for Science Learning Games with Augmented Reality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Laine, Teemu H.; Nygren, Eeva; Dirin, Amir; Suk, Hae-Jung

2016-01-01

Lack of motivation and of real-world relevance have been identified as reasons for low interest in science among children. Game-based learning and storytelling are prominent methods for generating intrinsic motivation in learning. Real-world relevance requires connecting abstract scientific concepts with the real world. This can be done by…
Some New Theoretical Issues in Systems Thinking Relevant for Modelling Corporate Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Minati, Gianfranco

2007-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe fundamental concepts and theoretical challenges with regard to systems, and to build on these in proposing new theoretical frameworks relevant to learning, for example in so-called learning organizations. Design/methodology/approach: The paper focuses on some crucial fundamental aspects introduced…
Conditioned Stimuli’s Role in Relapse: Pre-Clinical Research on Pavlovian Instrumental Transfer

PubMed Central

Lamb, R.J.; Schindler, W.; Pinkston, Jonathan W.

2016-01-01

Rationale and Objective Pavlovian learning is central to many theories of addiction. In these theories, stimuli paired with drug ingestion become Conditioned Stimuli (CS) and subsequently elicit drug-seeking and -taking. However in most relevant studies, Pavlovian and instrumental learning are confounded. This confound may be avoided in Pavlovian-Instrumental-Transfer (PIT) procedures. In PIT, Pavlovian and instrumental learning are established separately, and then combined. In order to better understand the role of CSs in addiction, we review the relevant studies using PIT. Findings We identified seven articles examining PIT effects of ethanol- or cocaine-paired CSs. Under at least one condition six of these articles reported CS-elicited increases in responding previously maintained by drug. However, the only study using the optimal control condition failed to find a CS-elicited increase. Two studies examining CS specificity found the CS also increased responding maintained by a different reinforcer. Two studies examined if CSs elicit increases in actual drug-taking. Both failed to find CS-elicited increases, i.e., no study shows CS-elicited increases in actual drug-taking. Further, CS-elicited increases in extinguished responding are short-lived. Conclusions These findings are not entirely consistent with Pavlovian learning playing a central role in addiction. However, design issues can explain most of these inconsistencies. Studies without these design issues are needed. Additionally, existing theories hypothesize drug-paired CSs increase drug-taking by increasing motivation, by eliciting conditioned responses that make drug-seeking more probable, or by a combination of these. Work distinguishing between these mechanisms would also be useful. PMID:26800688
The Continuity of Care Experience in Australian midwifery education-What have we achieved?

PubMed

Tierney, Olivia; Sweet, Linda; Houston, Don; Ebert, Lyn

2017-06-01

The Continuity of Care Experience is a mandated workplace based component of midwifery education in Australia. Since its inclusion in midwifery clinical education, the pedagogical approaches used across Australia have varied. The purpose of this integrative review is to determine the outcomes of the Continuity of Care Experience as an educational model. A search for relevant research literature was undertaken in 2015 using a range of databases and by examining relevant bibliographies. Articles published in English, which provided information about the outcomes of Continuity of Care Experiences for midwifery education were included. A total of 20 studies were selected. The included studies were primarily exploratory and descriptive. Studies reported the value that both students and women place on the relationship they developed. This relationship resulted in opportunities that enhanced student learning by providing a context in which clinical practice learning was optimized. Challenges identified included managing time and workload pressures for students in relation to the CCE, inconsistencies in academic use of the experience, and variations in how the healthcare system influences the continuity experience. No research was found that reports on the educational model in terms of defining learning objectives and assessment of outcomes. This represents an important omission in mandating this clinical practice model in midwifery curricula without sufficient guidance to unify and maximize learning for students. Research is required to explore the educational intent and assessment methods of the Continuity of Care Experience as an educational model. Copyright © 2016 Australian College of Midwives. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Stereotyping at the undergraduate level revealed during interprofessional learning between future doctors and biomedical scientists.

PubMed

Lewitt, Moira S; Ehrenborg, Ewa; Scheja, Max; Brauner, Annelie

2010-01-01

Interprofessional education (IPE) involving undergraduate health professionals is expected to promote collaboration in their later careers. The role of IPE between doctors and biomedical scientists has not been explored at the undergraduate level. Our aim was to introduce IPE sessions for medical and biomedical students in order to identify the benefits and barriers to these groups learning together. Medical and biomedical students together discussed laboratory results, relevant literature, and ideas for developing new diagnostic tools. The programme was evaluated with questionnaires and interviews. While there was general support for the idea of IPE, medical and biomedical students responded differently. Biomedical students were more critical, wanted more explicit learning objectives and felt that their professional role was often misunderstood. The medical students were more enthusiastic but regarded the way the biomedical students communicated concerns about their perceived role as a barrier to effective interprofessional learning. We conclude that stereotyping, which can impede effective collaborations between doctors and biomedical scientists, is already present at the undergraduate level and may be a barrier to IPE. Effective learning opportunities should be supported at the curriculum level and be designed to specifically enable a broad appreciation of each other's future professional roles.

Tone of voice guides word learning in informative referential contexts.

PubMed

Reinisch, Eva; Jesse, Alexandra; Nygaard, Lynne C

2013-06-01

Listeners infer which object in a visual scene a speaker refers to from the systematic variation of the speaker's tone of voice (ToV). We examined whether ToV also guides word learning. During exposure, participants heard novel adjectives (e.g., "daxen") spoken with a ToV representing hot, cold, strong, weak, big, or small while viewing picture pairs representing the meaning of the adjective and its antonym (e.g., elephant-ant for big-small). Eye fixations were recorded to monitor referent detection and learning. During test, participants heard the adjectives spoken with a neutral ToV, while selecting referents from familiar and unfamiliar picture pairs. Participants were able to learn the adjectives' meanings, and, even in the absence of informative ToV, generalize them to new referents. A second experiment addressed whether ToV provides sufficient information to infer the adjectival meaning or needs to operate within a referential context providing information about the relevant semantic dimension. Participants who saw printed versions of the novel words during exposure performed at chance during test. ToV, in conjunction with the referential context, thus serves as a cue to word meaning. ToV establishes relations between labels and referents for listeners to exploit in word learning.
Trainable Cataloging for Digital Image Libraries with Applications to Volcano Detection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burl, M. C.; Fayyad, U. M.; Perona, P.; Smyth, P.

1995-01-01

Users of digital image libraries are often not interested in image data per se but in derived products such as catalogs of objects of interest. Converting an image database into a usable catalog is typically carried out manually at present. For many larger image databases the purely manual approach is completely impractical. In this paper we describe the development of a trainable cataloging system: the user indicates the location of the objects of interest for a number of training images and the system learns to detect and catalog these objects in the rest of the database. In particular we describe the application of this system to the cataloging of small volcanoes in radar images of Venus. The volcano problem is of interest because of the scale (30,000 images, order of 1 million detectable volcanoes), technical difficulty (the variability of the volcanoes in appearance) and the scientific importance of the problem. The problem of uncertain or subjective ground truth is of fundamental importance in cataloging problems of this nature and is discussed in some detail. Experimental results are presented which quantify and compare the detection performance of the system relative to human detection performance. The paper concludes by discussing the limitations of the proposed system and the lessons learned of general relevance to the development of digital image libraries.
Outcomes associated with community-based research projects in teaching undergraduate public health.

PubMed

Bouhaimed, Manal; Thalib, Lukman; Doi, Suhail A R

2008-01-01

Community based research projects have been widely used in teaching public health in many institutions. Nevertheless, there is a paucity of information on the learning outcomes of such a teaching strategy. We therefore attempted to evaluate our experience with such a project based teaching process. The objective of this study was to evaluate the factors related to quality, impact and relevance of a 6-week student project for teaching public health in the faculty of medicine at Kuwait University. Interactive sessions familiarized students with research methods. Concurrently, they designed and completed a participatory project with a Community Medicine mentor. Questionnaires were used to assess quality, impact and relevance of the project, and these were correlated with multiple demographic, statistical and research design factors. We evaluated a total of 104 projects that were completed during the period of September 2001 to June 2006. Three dimensions of outcome were assessed: quality; impact and relevance. The average (mean + SE; maximum of 5) scores across all projects were 2.6 + 0.05 (range 1.7-3.7) for quality, 2.8 + 0.06 (range 1.7-4.3) for impact and 3.3 + 0.08 (range 1.3-5) for relevance. The analysis of the relationship between various factors and the scores on each dimension of assessment revealed that various factors were associated with improved quality, impact or relevance to public health practice. We conclude that use of more objective measurement instruments with better a priori conceptualization along with appropriate use of statistics and a more developed study design were likely to result in more meaningful research outcomes. We also found that a biostatistics or epidemiology mentor improved the research outcome.
Community-based research in action: tales from the Ktunaxa community learning centres project.

PubMed

Stacy, Elizabeth; Wisener, Katherine; Liman, Yolanda; Beznosova, Olga; Lauscher, Helen Novak; Ho, Kendall; Jarvis-Selinger, Sandra

2014-01-01

Rural communities, particularly Aboriginal communities, often have limited access to health information, a situation that can have significant negative consequences. To address the lack of culturally and geographically relevant health information, a community-university partnership was formed to develop, implement, and evaluate Aboriginal Community Learning Centres (CLCs). The objective of this paper is to evaluate the community-based research process used in the development of the CLCs. It focuses on the process of building relationships among partners and the CLC's value and sustainability. Semistructured interviews were conducted with key stakeholders, including principal investigators, community research leads, and supervisors. The interview transcripts were analyzed using an open-coding process to identify themes. Key challenges included enacting shared project governance, negotiating different working styles, and hiring practices based on commitment to project objectives rather than skill set. Technological access provided by the CLCs increased capacity for learning and collective community initiatives, as well as building community leads' skills, knowledge, and self-efficacy. An important lesson was to meet all partners "where they are" in building trusting relationships and adapting research methods to fit the project's context and strengths. Successful results were dependent upon persistence and patience in working through differences, and breaking the project into achievable goals, which collectively contributed to trust and capacity building. The process of building these partnerships resulted in increased capacity of communities to facilitate learning and change initiatives, and the capacity of the university to engage in successful research partnerships with Aboriginal communities in the future.
Avoid, Control, Succumb, or Balance: Engineering Students' Approaches to a Wicked Sustainability Problem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lönngren, Johanna; Ingerman, Åke; Svanström, Magdalena

2017-08-01

Wicked sustainability problems (WSPs) are an important and particularly challenging type of problem. Science and engineering education can play an important role in preparing students to deal with such problems, but current educational practice may not adequately prepare students to do so. We address this gap by providing insights related to students' abilities to address WSPs. Specifically, we aim to (I) describe key constituents of engineering students' approaches to a WSP, (II) evaluate these approaches in relation to the normative context of education for sustainable development (ESD), and (III) identify relevant aspects of learning related to WSPs. Aim I is addressed through a phenomenographic study, while aims II and III are addressed by relating the results to research literature about human problem solving, sustainable development, and ESD. We describe four qualitatively different ways of approaching a specific WSP, as the outcome of the phenomenographic study: A. Simplify and avoid, B. Divide and control, C. Isolate and succumb, and D. Integrate and balance. We identify approach D as the most appropriate approach in the context of ESD, while A and C are not. On this basis, we identify three learning objectives related to students' abilities to address WSPs: learn to use a fully integrative approach, distinguish WSPs from tame and well-structured problems, and understand and consider the normative context of SD. Finally, we provide recommendations for how these learning objectives can be used to guide the design of science and engineering educational activities.
Learning of pitch and time structures in an artificial grammar setting.

PubMed

Prince, Jon B; Stevens, Catherine J; Jones, Mari Riess; Tillmann, Barbara

2018-04-12

Despite the empirical evidence for the power of the cognitive capacity of implicit learning of structures and regularities in several modalities and materials, it remains controversial whether implicit learning extends to the learning of temporal structures and regularities. We investigated whether (a) an artificial grammar can be learned equally well when expressed in duration sequences as when expressed in pitch sequences, (b) learning of the artificial grammar in either duration or pitch (as the primary dimension) sequences can be influenced by the properties of the secondary dimension (invariant vs. randomized), and (c) learning can be boosted when the artificial grammar is expressed in both pitch and duration. After an exposure phase with grammatical sequences, learning in a subsequent test phase was assessed in a grammaticality judgment task. Participants in both the pitch and duration conditions showed incidental (not fully implicit) learning of the artificial grammar when the secondary dimension was invariant, but randomizing the pitch sequence prevented learning of the artificial grammar in duration sequences. Expressing the artificial grammar in both pitch and duration resulted in disproportionately better performance, suggesting an interaction between the learning of pitch and temporal structure. The findings are relevant to research investigating the learning of temporal structures and the learning of structures presented simultaneously in 2 dimensions (e.g., space and time, space and objects). By investigating learning, the findings provide further insight into the potential specificity of pitch and time processing, and their integrated versus independent processing, as previously debated in music cognition research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).
Acceptability of the flipped classroom approach for in-house teaching in emergency medicine.

PubMed

Tan, Eunicia; Brainard, Andrew; Larkin, Gregory L

2015-10-01

To evaluate the relative acceptability of the flipped classroom approach compared with traditional didactics for in-house teaching in emergency medicine. Our department changed its learning model from a 'standard' lecture-based model to a 'flipped classroom' model. The 'flipped classroom' included provided pre-session learning objectives and resources before each 2 h weekly session. In-session activities emphasised active learning strategies and knowledge application. Feedback was sought from all medical staff regarding the acceptability of the new approach using an online anonymous cross-sectional qualitative survey. Feedback was received from 49/57 (86%) medical staff. Ninety-eight per cent (48/49) of respondents preferred the flipped classroom over the traditional approach. Aspects of the flipped classroom learners liked most included case-based discussion, interaction with peers, application of knowledge, self-directed learning and small-group learning. Barriers to pre-session learning include work commitments, 'life', perceived lack of time, family commitments, exam preparation and high volume of learning materials. Reported motivational factors promoting pre-session learning include formal assessment, participation requirements, more time, less material, more clinical relevance and/or more interesting material. Case studies and 'hands-on' activities were perceived to be the most useful in-session activities. The flipped classroom shows promise as an acceptable approach to in-house emergency medicine teaching. © 2015 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine and Australasian Society for Emergency Medicine.
Fine-grained temporal coding of visually-similar categories in the ventral visual pathway and prefrontal cortex

PubMed Central

Xu, Yang; D'Lauro, Christopher; Pyles, John A.; Kass, Robert E.; Tarr, Michael J.

2013-01-01

Humans are remarkably proficient at categorizing visually-similar objects. To better understand the cortical basis of this categorization process, we used magnetoencephalography (MEG) to record neural activity while participants learned–with feedback–to discriminate two highly-similar, novel visual categories. We hypothesized that although prefrontal regions would mediate early category learning, this role would diminish with increasing category familiarity and that regions within the ventral visual pathway would come to play a more prominent role in encoding category-relevant information as learning progressed. Early in learning we observed some degree of categorical discriminability and predictability in both prefrontal cortex and the ventral visual pathway. Predictability improved significantly above chance in the ventral visual pathway over the course of learning with the left inferior temporal and fusiform gyri showing the greatest improvement in predictability between 150 and 250 ms (M200) during category learning. In contrast, there was no comparable increase in discriminability in prefrontal cortex with the only significant post-learning effect being a decrease in predictability in the inferior frontal gyrus between 250 and 350 ms (M300). Thus, the ventral visual pathway appears to encode learned visual categories over the long term. At the same time these results add to our understanding of the cortical origins of previously reported signature temporal components associated with perceptual learning. PMID:24146656
Playing cards on asthma management: A new interactive method for knowledge transfer to primary care physicians

PubMed Central

Boulet, Louis-Philippe; Borduas, Francine; Bouchard, Jacques; Blais, Johanne; Hargreave, Frederick E; Rouleau, Michel

2007-01-01

OBJECTIVES: To describe an interactive playing card workshop in the communication of asthma guidelines recommendations, and to assess the initial evaluation of this educational tool by family physicians. DESIGN: Family physicians were invited to participate in the workshop by advertisements or personal contacts. Each physician completed a standardized questionnaire on his or her perception of the rules, content and properties of the card game. SETTING: A university-based continuing medical education initiative. PARTICIPANTS: Primary care physicians. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Physicians’ evaluation of the rules, content and usefulness of the program. RESULTS: The game allowed the communication of relevant asthma-related content, as well as experimentation with a different learning format. It also stimulated interaction in a climate of friendly competition. Participating physicians considered the method to be an innovative tool that facilitated reflection, interaction and learning. It generated relevant discussions on how to apply guideline recommendations to current asthma care. CONCLUSIONS: This new, interactive, educational intervention, integrating play and scientific components, was well received by participants. This method may be of value to help integrate current guidelines into current practice, thus facilitating knowledge transfer to caregivers. PMID:18060093
The Unconscious Allocation of Cognitive Resources to Task-Relevant and Task-Irrelevant Thoughts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuldas, Seffetullah; Hashim, Shahabuddin; Ismail, Hairul Nizam; Samsudin, Mohd Ali; Bakar, Zainudin Abu

2014-01-01

Conscious allocation of cognitive resources to task-relevant thoughts is necessary for learning. However, task-irrelevant thoughts often associated with fear of failure can enter the mind and interfere with learning. Effects like this prompt the question of whether or not learners consciously shift their cognitive resources from task-relevant to…
Bringing Relevance to Elearning--A Gender Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wallace, Ann; Panteli, Niki

2018-01-01

In this paper, we discuss the importance of relevance in the provision of eLearning for the pursuit of higher education (HE). In particular, we argue how the extant literature focuses on quality and security in the design of eLearning platforms, but pays scant attention to how relevant the platform and the programme contents are to the needs of…
Knowledge will Propel Machine Understanding of Content: Extrapolating from Current Examples

PubMed Central

Sheth, Amit; Perera, Sujan; Wijeratne, Sanjaya; Thirunarayan, Krishnaprasad

2018-01-01

Machine Learning has been a big success story during the AI resurgence. One particular stand out success relates to learning from a massive amount of data. In spite of early assertions of the unreasonable effectiveness of data, there is increasing recognition for utilizing knowledge whenever it is available or can be created purposefully. In this paper, we discuss the indispensable role of knowledge for deeper understanding of content where (i) large amounts of training data are unavailable, (ii) the objects to be recognized are complex, (e.g., implicit entities and highly subjective content), and (iii) applications need to use complementary or related data in multiple modalities/media. What brings us to the cusp of rapid progress is our ability to (a) create relevant and reliable knowledge and (b) carefully exploit knowledge to enhance ML/NLP techniques. Using diverse examples, we seek to foretell unprecedented progress in our ability for deeper understanding and exploitation of multimodal data and continued incorporation of knowledge in learning techniques.
Flipped classroom or an active lecture?

PubMed

Pickering, James D; Roberts, David J H

2018-01-01

Recent changes in anatomy education have seen the introduction of flipped classrooms as a replacement to the traditional didactic lecture. This approach utilizes the increasing availability of digital technology to create learning resources that can be accessed prior to attending class, with face-to-face sessions then becoming more student-centered via discussion, collaborative learning, and problem-solving activities. Although this approach may appear intuitive, this viewpoint commentary presents a counter opinion and highlights a simple alternative that utilizes evidence-based active learning approaches as part of the traditional lecture. The active lecture takes the traditional lecture, and (1) ensures the lecture content is relevant and has clear objectives, (2) contains lecture material that is designed according to the latest evidence-base, (3) complements it with additional supplementary material, (4) creates space to check prior understanding and knowledge levels, and (5) utilizes suitable technology to facilitate continual engagement and interaction. Clin. Anat. 31:118-121, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Learning the ideal observer for SKE detection tasks by use of convolutional neural networks (Cum Laude Poster Award)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Weimin; Anastasio, Mark A.

2018-03-01

It has been advocated that task-based measures of image quality (IQ) should be employed to evaluate and optimize imaging systems. Task-based measures of IQ quantify the performance of an observer on a medically relevant task. The Bayesian Ideal Observer (IO), which employs complete statistical information of the object and noise, achieves the upper limit of the performance for a binary signal classification task. However, computing the IO performance is generally analytically intractable and can be computationally burdensome when Markov-chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) techniques are employed. In this paper, supervised learning with convolutional neural networks (CNNs) is employed to approximate the IO test statistics for a signal-known-exactly and background-known-exactly (SKE/BKE) binary detection task. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and the area under the ROC curve (AUC) are compared to those produced by the analytically computed IO. The advantages of the proposed supervised learning approach for approximating the IO are demonstrated.
A New Approach to Developing Interactive Software Modules Through Graduate Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanders, Nathan E.; Faesi, Chris; Goodman, Alyssa A.

2014-06-01

Educational technology has attained significant importance as a mechanism for supporting experiential learning of science concepts. However, the growth of this mechanism is limited by the significant time and technical expertise needed to develop such products, particularly in specialized fields of science. We sought to test whether interactive, educational, online software modules can be developed effectively by students as a curriculum component of an advanced science course. We discuss a set of 15 such modules developed by Harvard University graduate students to demonstrate various concepts related to astronomy and physics. Their successful development of these modules demonstrates that online software tools for education and outreach on specialized topics can be produced while simultaneously fulfilling project-based learning objectives. We describe a set of technologies suitable for module development and present in detail four examples of modules developed by the students. We offer recommendations for incorporating educational software development within a graduate curriculum and conclude by discussing the relevance of this novel approach to new online learning environments like edX.
"FAILING GIRLS": Understanding Connections among Identity Negotiation, Personal Relevance, and Engagement in Science Learning from Underachieving Girls

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thompson, Jessica J.; Windschitl, Mark

Contemporary critiques of science education have noted that girls often fail to engage in science learning because the activities lack relevance for them, and they cannot "see themselves" in the work of science. Despite the empirical support for these claims, theory around the important connections between relevance, emerging self-identity, and engagement for girls remains underdeveloped. This qualitative, exploratory investigation examines engagement in science learning among five underachieving high school girls. Data sources include in-depth interviews, classroom observations, and teacher surveys. The girls were asked to describe engagement within three learning contexts: science class, a favorite class, and an extracurricular activity. From the girls' voices emerge three themes reflecting the centrality of self: "who I am," "who I am becoming," and "the importance of relationships." It is important that these themes of self and of identity negotiation are integrated with the ways these girls find learning personally relevant. One pattern of extracurricular engagement and two patterns of science engagement (integrated and situational) are described. This study attempts to expand the dialogue around the relationships between identity, relevance, and engagement among underachieving girls and suggests ways in which curriculum can be grounded in students' lives and developing identities.
An Investigation on the Correlation of Learner Styles and Learning Objects Characteristics in a Proposed Learning Objects Management Model (LOMM)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wanapu, Supachanun; Fung, Chun Che; Kerdprasop, Nittaya; Chamnongsri, Nisachol; Niwattanakul, Suphakit

2016-01-01

The issues of accessibility, management, storage and organization of Learning Objects (LOs) in education systems are a high priority of the Thai Government. Incorporating personalized learning or learning styles in a learning object management system to improve the accessibility of LOs has been addressed continuously in the Thai education system.…
"The Learning Sticks": Reflections on a Case Study of Role-Playing for Sustainability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gordon, Sue; Thomas, Ian

2018-01-01

Use of role-plays to develop deep student-learning has many advocates. Role-play is a powerful approach for learning that develops relevant skills in a range of disciplines and situations. In Higher Education, sustainability programmes role-play pedagogy appears to have great relevance for developing the competencies that these graduates will…
Access to oral health care services among adults with learning disabilities: a scoping review.

PubMed

Naseem, Mustafa; Shah, Altaf H; Khiyani, Muhammad Faheem; Khurshid, Zohaib; Zafar, Muhammad Sohail; Gulzar, Shabnam; AlJameel, AlBandary H; Khalil, Hesham S

2016-01-01

The prevalence of oral diseases including dental caries and periodontal conditions is remarkably higher in people with disabilities. The provision of accessible oral health services for people with learning disabilities may be challenging. The objectives of the review were to identify barriers in accessing oral health care that persists within society, enabling or disabling people with learning disabilities. Using the Arksey O'Malley framework, a scoping review was conducted on PubMed/Medline, OVIDSP, and EMBASE. Studies were evaluated and short-listed based on the inclusion criteria, which consisted of: (1) study participants or population with learning disabilities, (2) aged 16 years or over, (3) reporting on access to oral health services, (4) published in the English language. Those that justified the inclusion criteria were carefully chosen after a blind peer-reviewed process when relevance and quality were debated. Nine studies were eventually included from searches. Tabulation of data was done under the heading of study type, outcomes, the year of publication and patient selection. The majority of studies provided a biomedical overview of access for adults with learning disabilities. The concept of access for people with disability is still ill-defined and obscure. Access to oral health care and needs of people with learning disabilities are complex and multi-facet.
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Turkington, T.

This education session will cover the physics and operation principles of gamma cameras and PET scanners. The first talk will focus on PET imaging. An overview of the principles of PET imaging will be provided, including positron decay physics, and the transition from 2D to 3D imaging. More recent advances in hardware and software will be discussed, such as time-of-flight imaging, and improvements in reconstruction algorithms that provide for options such as depth-of-interaction corrections. Quantitative applications of PET will be discussed, as well as the requirements for doing accurate quantitation. Relevant performance tests will also be described. Learning Objectives: Bemore » able to describe basic physics principles of PET and operation of PET scanners. Learn about recent advances in PET scanner hardware technology. Be able to describe advances in reconstruction techniques and improvements Be able to list relevant performance tests. The second talk will focus on gamma cameras. The Nuclear Medicine subcommittee has charged a task group (TG177) to develop a report on the current state of physics testing of gamma cameras, SPECT, and SPECT/CT systems. The report makes recommendations for performance tests to be done for routine quality assurance, annual physics testing, and acceptance tests, and identifies those needed satisfy the ACR accreditation program and The Joint Commission imaging standards. The report is also intended to be used as a manual with detailed instructions on how to perform tests under widely varying conditions. Learning Objectives: At the end of the presentation members of the audience will: Be familiar with the tests recommended for routine quality assurance, annual physics testing, and acceptance tests of gamma cameras for planar imaging. Be familiar with the tests recommended for routine quality assurance, annual physics testing, and acceptance tests of SPECT systems. Be familiar with the tests of a SPECT/CT system that include the CT images for SPECT reconstructions. Become knowledgeable of items to be included in annual acceptance testing reports including CT dosimetry and PACS monitor measurements. T. Turkington, GE Healthcare.« less

The CREST Simulation Development Process: Training the Next Generation.

PubMed

Sweet, Robert M

2017-04-01

The challenges of training and assessing endourologic skill have driven the development of new training systems. The Center for Research in Education and Simulation Technologies (CREST) has developed a team and a methodology to facilitate this development process. Backwards design principles were applied. A panel of experts first defined desired clinical and educational outcomes. Outcomes were subsequently linked to learning objectives. Gross task deconstruction was performed, and the primary domain was classified as primarily involving decision-making, psychomotor skill, or communication. A more detailed cognitive task analysis was performed to elicit and prioritize relevant anatomy/tissues, metrics, and errors. Reference anatomy was created using a digital anatomist and clinician working off of a clinical data set. Three dimensional printing can facilitate this process. When possible, synthetic or virtual tissue behavior and textures were recreated using data derived from human tissue. Embedded sensors/markers and/or computer-based systems were used to facilitate the collection of objective metrics. A learning Verification and validation occurred throughout the engineering development process. Nine endourology-relevant training systems were created by CREST with this approach. Systems include basic laparoscopic skills (BLUS), vesicourethral anastomosis, pyeloplasty, cystoscopic procedures, stent placement, rigid and flexible ureteroscopy, GreenLight PVP (GL Sim), Percutaneous access with C-arm (CAT), Nephrolithotomy (NLM), and a vascular injury model. Mixed modalities have been used, including "smart" physical models, virtual reality, augmented reality, and video. Substantial validity evidence for training and assessment has been collected on systems. An open source manikin-based modular platform is under development by CREST with the Department of Defense that will unify these and other commercial task trainers through the common physiology engine, learning management system, standard data connectors, and standards. Using the CREST process has and will ensure that the systems we create meet the needs of training and assessing endourologic skills.
Perceptual and conceptual similarities facilitate the generalization of instructed fear.

PubMed

Bennett, Marc; Vervoort, Ellen; Boddez, Yannick; Hermans, Dirk; Baeyens, Frank

2015-09-01

Learned fear can generalize to neutral events due their perceptual and conceptual similarity with threat relevant stimuli. This study simultaneously examined these forms of generalization to model the expansion of fear in anxiety disorders. First, artificial categories involving sounds, nonsense words and animal-like objects were established. Next, the words from one category were paired with threatening information while the words from the other category were paired with safety information. Lastly, we examined if fear generalized to (i) the conceptually related animal-like objects and (ii) other animal like-objects that were perceptually similar. This was measured using behavioral avoidance, US expectancy ratings and self-reported stimulus valence. Animal-like objects conceptually connected to the aversive words evoked heightened fear. Perceptual variants of these animal-like objects also elicit fear. Future research would benefit from the use of online-US expectancy ratings and physiological measures of fear. Investigating the role of both perceptual and conceptual fear generalization is important to better understand the etiology of anxiety disorders symptoms. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Cancer survival analysis using semi-supervised learning method based on Cox and AFT models with L1/2 regularization.

PubMed

Liang, Yong; Chai, Hua; Liu, Xiao-Ying; Xu, Zong-Ben; Zhang, Hai; Leung, Kwong-Sak

2016-03-01

One of the most important objectives of the clinical cancer research is to diagnose cancer more accurately based on the patients' gene expression profiles. Both Cox proportional hazards model (Cox) and accelerated failure time model (AFT) have been widely adopted to the high risk and low risk classification or survival time prediction for the patients' clinical treatment. Nevertheless, two main dilemmas limit the accuracy of these prediction methods. One is that the small sample size and censored data remain a bottleneck for training robust and accurate Cox classification model. In addition to that, similar phenotype tumours and prognoses are actually completely different diseases at the genotype and molecular level. Thus, the utility of the AFT model for the survival time prediction is limited when such biological differences of the diseases have not been previously identified. To try to overcome these two main dilemmas, we proposed a novel semi-supervised learning method based on the Cox and AFT models to accurately predict the treatment risk and the survival time of the patients. Moreover, we adopted the efficient L1/2 regularization approach in the semi-supervised learning method to select the relevant genes, which are significantly associated with the disease. The results of the simulation experiments show that the semi-supervised learning model can significant improve the predictive performance of Cox and AFT models in survival analysis. The proposed procedures have been successfully applied to four real microarray gene expression and artificial evaluation datasets. The advantages of our proposed semi-supervised learning method include: 1) significantly increase the available training samples from censored data; 2) high capability for identifying the survival risk classes of patient in Cox model; 3) high predictive accuracy for patients' survival time in AFT model; 4) strong capability of the relevant biomarker selection. Consequently, our proposed semi-supervised learning model is one more appropriate tool for survival analysis in clinical cancer research.
Differential impact of relevant and irrelevant dimension primes on rule-based and information-integration category learning.

PubMed

Grimm, Lisa R; Maddox, W Todd

2013-11-01

Research has identified multiple category-learning systems with each being "tuned" for learning categories with different task demands and each governed by different neurobiological systems. Rule-based (RB) classification involves testing verbalizable rules for category membership while information-integration (II) classification requires the implicit learning of stimulus-response mappings. In the first study to directly test rule priming with RB and II category learning, we investigated the influence of the availability of information presented at the beginning of the task. Participants viewed lines that varied in length, orientation, and position on the screen, and were primed to focus on stimulus dimensions that were relevant or irrelevant to the correct classification rule. In Experiment 1, we used an RB category structure, and in Experiment 2, we used an II category structure. Accuracy and model-based analyses suggested that a focus on relevant dimensions improves RB task performance later in learning while a focus on an irrelevant dimension improves II task performance early in learning. © 2013.
Virtual Workshop Environment (VWE): A Taxonomy and Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) Framework for Modularized Virtual Learning Environments (VLE)--Applying the Learning Object Concept to the VLE

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paulsson, Fredrik; Naeve, Ambjorn

2006-01-01

Based on existing Learning Object taxonomies, this article suggests an alternative Learning Object taxonomy, combined with a general Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) framework, aiming to transfer the modularized concept of Learning Objects to modularized Virtual Learning Environments. The taxonomy and SOA-framework exposes a need for a clearer…
Implementation of a project-based engineering school: increasing student motivation and relevant learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Terrón-López, María-José; García-García, María-José; Velasco-Quintana, Paloma-Julia; Ocampo, Jared; Vigil Montaño, María-Reyes; Gaya-López, María-Cruz

2017-11-01

The School of Engineering at Universidad Europea de Madrid (UEM) implemented, starting in the 2012-2013 period, a unified academic model based on project-based learning as the methodology used throughout the entire School. This model expects that every year, in each grade, all the students should participate in a capstone project integrating the contents and competencies of several courses. This paper presents the academic context under which this experience has been implemented, and a summary of the work done to design and implement the Project-Based Engineering School at the UEM. The steps followed, the structure used, some sample projects, as well as the difficulties and benefits of implementing the programme are discussed in this paper. The results are encouraging as students are more motivated and the initial set objectives were accomplished.
Improving the Teaching/Learning Process in General Chemistry: Report on the 1997 Stony Brook General Chemistry Teaching Workshop

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hanson, David M.; Wolfskill, Troy

1998-02-01

Motivated by the widespread recognition that traditional teaching methods at postsecondary institutions no longer are meeting students' educational needs, 59 participants came to the first Stony Brook General Chemistry Teaching Workshop, July 20-July 25, 1997, on improving the teaching/learning process in General Chemistry. The instructors from 42 institutions across the country, including community colleges, liberal-arts colleges, and large research universities, had mutual concerns that students are having difficulty understanding and applying concepts, finding relevance, transferring knowledge within and across disciplines, and identifying and developing skills needed for success in college and a career. This situation has come about because challenges posed by students' increasing diversity in academic preparation, cultural background, motivation, and career goals go unmet, with too many courses maintaining the conventional objective of structuring and presenting information.
The Role of Specificity, Targeted Learning Activities, and Prior Knowledge for the Effects of Relevance Instructions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roelle, Julian; Lehmkuhl, Nina; Beyer, Martin-Uwe; Berthold, Kirsten

2015-01-01

In 2 experiments we examined the role of (a) specificity, (b) the type of targeted learning activities, and (c) learners' prior knowledge for the effects of relevance instructions on learning from instructional explanations. In Experiment 1, we recruited novices regarding the topic of atomic structure (N = 80) and found that "specific"…
A Draft Conceptual Framework of Relevant Theories to Inform Future Rigorous Research on Student Service-Learning Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whitley, Meredith A.

2014-01-01

While the quality and quantity of research on service-learning has increased considerably over the past 20 years, researchers as well as governmental and funding agencies have called for more rigor in service-learning research. One key variable in improving rigor is using relevant existing theories to improve the research. The purpose of this…
Motor-visual neurons and action recognition in social interactions.

PubMed

de la Rosa, Stephan; Bülthoff, Heinrich H

2014-04-01

Cook et al. suggest that motor-visual neurons originate from associative learning. This suggestion has interesting implications for the processing of socially relevant visual information in social interactions. Here, we discuss two aspects of the associative learning account that seem to have particular relevance for visual recognition of social information in social interactions - namely, context-specific and contingency based learning.
Defense Acquisition Review Journal. Volume 16, Number 3, Issue 52

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-10-01

This is also theorized to lead to increased ability for a student to transfer that learning experience into their everyday workplace experiences. In...hands-on, apprenticeship -type learning environment, increased motivation, and increased relevance for students through interactivity and...vation to learn and increasing perceived relevance of the instruction . This article covers the use of games and simulations in three different
Understanding Learner Acceptance of Learning Objects: The Roles of Learning Object Characteristics and Individual Differences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lau, Siong-Hoe; Woods, Peter C.

2009-01-01

Many organisations and institutions have integrated learning objects into their e-learning systems to make the instructional resources more efficient. Like any other information systems, this trend has made user acceptance of learning objects an increasingly critical issue as a high level of learner satisfaction and acceptance reflects that the…
Learned filters for object detection in multi-object visual tracking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stamatescu, Victor; Wong, Sebastien; McDonnell, Mark D.; Kearney, David

2016-05-01

We investigate the application of learned convolutional filters in multi-object visual tracking. The filters were learned in both a supervised and unsupervised manner from image data using artificial neural networks. This work follows recent results in the field of machine learning that demonstrate the use learned filters for enhanced object detection and classification. Here we employ a track-before-detect approach to multi-object tracking, where tracking guides the detection process. The object detection provides a probabilistic input image calculated by selecting from features obtained using banks of generative or discriminative learned filters. We present a systematic evaluation of these convolutional filters using a real-world data set that examines their performance as generic object detectors.
Varying irrelevant phonetic features hinders learning of the feature being trained.

PubMed

Antoniou, Mark; Wong, Patrick C M

2016-01-01

Learning to distinguish nonnative words that differ in a critical phonetic feature can be difficult. Speech training studies typically employ methods that explicitly direct the learner's attention to the relevant nonnative feature to be learned. However, studies on vision have demonstrated that perceptual learning may occur implicitly, by exposing learners to stimulus features, even if they are irrelevant to the task, and it has recently been suggested that this task-irrelevant perceptual learning framework also applies to speech. In this study, subjects took part in a seven-day training regimen to learn to distinguish one of two nonnative features, namely, voice onset time or lexical tone, using explicit training methods consistent with most speech training studies. Critically, half of the subjects were exposed to stimuli that varied not only in the relevant feature, but in the irrelevant feature as well. The results showed that subjects who were trained with stimuli that varied in the relevant feature and held the irrelevant feature constant achieved the best learning outcomes. Varying both features hindered learning and generalization to new stimuli.
Spatiotemporal information during unsupervised learning enhances viewpoint invariant object recognition

PubMed Central

Tian, Moqian; Grill-Spector, Kalanit

2015-01-01

Recognizing objects is difficult because it requires both linking views of an object that can be different and distinguishing objects with similar appearance. Interestingly, people can learn to recognize objects across views in an unsupervised way, without feedback, just from the natural viewing statistics. However, there is intense debate regarding what information during unsupervised learning is used to link among object views. Specifically, researchers argue whether temporal proximity, motion, or spatiotemporal continuity among object views during unsupervised learning is beneficial. Here, we untangled the role of each of these factors in unsupervised learning of novel three-dimensional (3-D) objects. We found that after unsupervised training with 24 object views spanning a 180° view space, participants showed significant improvement in their ability to recognize 3-D objects across rotation. Surprisingly, there was no advantage to unsupervised learning with spatiotemporal continuity or motion information than training with temporal proximity. However, we discovered that when participants were trained with just a third of the views spanning the same view space, unsupervised learning via spatiotemporal continuity yielded significantly better recognition performance on novel views than learning via temporal proximity. These results suggest that while it is possible to obtain view-invariant recognition just from observing many views of an object presented in temporal proximity, spatiotemporal information enhances performance by producing representations with broader view tuning than learning via temporal association. Our findings have important implications for theories of object recognition and for the development of computational algorithms that learn from examples. PMID:26024454
Decaying Relevance of Clinical Data Towards Future Decisions in Data-Driven Inpatient Clinical Order Sets

PubMed Central

Chen, Jonathan H; Alagappan, Muthuraman; Goldstein, Mary K; Asch, Steven M; Altman, Russ B

2017-01-01

Objective Determine how varying longitudinal historical training data can impact prediction of future clinical decisions. Estimate the “decay rate” of clinical data source relevance. Materials and Methods We trained a clinical order recommender system, analogous to Netflix or Amazon’s “Customers who bought A also bought B…” product recommenders, based on a tertiary academic hospital’s structured electronic health record data. We used this system to predict future (2013) admission orders based on different subsets of historical training data (2009 through 2012), relative to existing human-authored order sets. Results Predicting future (2013) inpatient orders is more accurate with models trained on just one month of recent (2012) data than with 12 months of older (2009) data (ROC AUC 0.91 vs. 0.88, precision 27% vs. 22%, recall 52% vs. 43%, all P<10−10). Algorithmically learned models from even the older (2009) data was still more effective than existing human-authored order sets (ROC AUC 0.81, precision 16% recall 35%). Training with more longitudinal data (2009–2012) was no better than using only the most recent (2012) data, unless applying a decaying weighting scheme with a “half-life” of data relevance about 4 months. Discussion Clinical practice patterns (automatically) learned from electronic health record data can vary substantially across years. Gold standards for clinical decision support are elusive moving targets, reinforcing the need for automated methods that can adapt to evolving information. Conclusions and Relevance Prioritizing small amounts of recent data is more effective than using larger amounts of older data towards future clinical predictions. PMID:28495350
Human-robot skills transfer interfaces for a flexible surgical robot.

PubMed

Calinon, Sylvain; Bruno, Danilo; Malekzadeh, Milad S; Nanayakkara, Thrishantha; Caldwell, Darwin G

2014-09-01

In minimally invasive surgery, tools go through narrow openings and manipulate soft organs to perform surgical tasks. There are limitations in current robot-assisted surgical systems due to the rigidity of robot tools. The aim of the STIFF-FLOP European project is to develop a soft robotic arm to perform surgical tasks. The flexibility of the robot allows the surgeon to move within organs to reach remote areas inside the body and perform challenging procedures in laparoscopy. This article addresses the problem of designing learning interfaces enabling the transfer of skills from human demonstration. Robot programming by demonstration encompasses a wide range of learning strategies, from simple mimicking of the demonstrator's actions to the higher level imitation of the underlying intent extracted from the demonstrations. By focusing on this last form, we study the problem of extracting an objective function explaining the demonstrations from an over-specified set of candidate reward functions, and using this information for self-refinement of the skill. In contrast to inverse reinforcement learning strategies that attempt to explain the observations with reward functions defined for the entire task (or a set of pre-defined reward profiles active for different parts of the task), the proposed approach is based on context-dependent reward-weighted learning, where the robot can learn the relevance of candidate objective functions with respect to the current phase of the task or encountered situation. The robot then exploits this information for skills refinement in the policy parameters space. The proposed approach is tested in simulation with a cutting task performed by the STIFF-FLOP flexible robot, using kinesthetic demonstrations from a Barrett WAM manipulator. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Combining deep learning and level set for the automated segmentation of the left ventricle of the heart from cardiac cine magnetic resonance.

PubMed

Ngo, Tuan Anh; Lu, Zhi; Carneiro, Gustavo

2017-01-01

We introduce a new methodology that combines deep learning and level set for the automated segmentation of the left ventricle of the heart from cardiac cine magnetic resonance (MR) data. This combination is relevant for segmentation problems, where the visual object of interest presents large shape and appearance variations, but the annotated training set is small, which is the case for various medical image analysis applications, including the one considered in this paper. In particular, level set methods are based on shape and appearance terms that use small training sets, but present limitations for modelling the visual object variations. Deep learning methods can model such variations using relatively small amounts of annotated training, but they often need to be regularised to produce good generalisation. Therefore, the combination of these methods brings together the advantages of both approaches, producing a methodology that needs small training sets and produces accurate segmentation results. We test our methodology on the MICCAI 2009 left ventricle segmentation challenge database (containing 15 sequences for training, 15 for validation and 15 for testing), where our approach achieves the most accurate results in the semi-automated problem and state-of-the-art results for the fully automated challenge. Crown Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Efficient Use of Information in Adaptive Management with an Application to Managing Recreation near Golden Eagle Nesting Sites

PubMed Central

Fackler, Paul L.; Pacifici, Krishna; Martin, Julien; McIntyre, Carol

2014-01-01

It is generally the case that a significant degree of uncertainty exists concerning the behavior of ecological systems. Adaptive management has been developed to address such structural uncertainty, while recognizing that decisions must be made without full knowledge of how a system behaves. This paradigm attempts to use new information that develops during the course of management to learn how the system works. To date, however, adaptive management has used a very limited information set to characterize the learning that is possible. This paper uses an extension of the Partial Observable Markov Decision Process (POMDP) framework to expand the information set used to update belief in competing models. This feature can potentially increase the speed of learning through adaptive management, and lead to better management in the future. We apply this framework to a case study wherein interest lies in managing recreational restrictions around golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) nesting sites. The ultimate management objective is to maintain an abundant eagle population in Denali National Park while minimizing the regulatory burden on park visitors. In order to capture this objective, we developed a utility function that trades off expected breeding success with hiker access. Our work is relevant to the management of human activities in protected areas, but more generally demonstrates some of the benefits of POMDP in the context of adaptive management. PMID:25098955
Critical Domains of Culturally Relevant Leadership Learning: A Call to Transform Leadership Programs.

PubMed

Jones, Tamara Bertrand; Guthrie, Kathy L; Osteen, Laura

2016-12-01

This chapter introduces the critical domains of culturally relevant leadership learning. The model explores how capacity, identity, and efficacy of student leaders interact with dimensions of campus climate. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., A Wiley Company.

Stimulus homogeneity enhances implicit learning: evidence from contextual cueing.

PubMed

Feldmann-Wüstefeld, Tobias; Schubö, Anna

2014-04-01

Visual search for a target object is faster if the target is embedded in a repeatedly presented invariant configuration of distractors ('contextual cueing'). It has also been shown that the homogeneity of a context affects the efficiency of visual search: targets receive prioritized processing when presented in a homogeneous context compared to a heterogeneous context, presumably due to grouping processes at early stages of visual processing. The present study investigated in three Experiments whether context homogeneity also affects contextual cueing. In Experiment 1, context homogeneity varied on three levels of the task-relevant dimension (orientation) and contextual cueing was most pronounced for context configurations with high orientation homogeneity. When context homogeneity varied on three levels of the task-irrelevant dimension (color) and orientation homogeneity was fixed, no modulation of contextual cueing was observed: high orientation homogeneity led to large contextual cueing effects (Experiment 2) and low orientation homogeneity led to low contextual cueing effects (Experiment 3), irrespective of color homogeneity. Enhanced contextual cueing for homogeneous context configurations suggest that grouping processes do not only affect visual search but also implicit learning. We conclude that memory representation of context configurations are more easily acquired when context configurations can be processed as larger, grouped perceptual units. However, this form of implicit perceptual learning is only improved by stimulus homogeneity when stimulus homogeneity facilitates grouping processes on a dimension that is currently relevant in the task. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The influence of personality on neural mechanisms of observational fear and reward learning

PubMed Central

Hooker, Christine I.; Verosky, Sara C.; Miyakawa, Asako; Knight, Robert T.; D’Esposito, Mark

2012-01-01

Fear and reward learning can occur through direct experience or observation. Both channels can enhance survival or create maladaptive behavior. We used fMRI to isolate neural mechanisms of observational fear and reward learning and investigate whether neural response varied according to individual differences in neuroticism and extraversion. Participants learned object-emotion associations by observing a woman respond with fearful (or neutral) and happy (or neutral) facial expressions to novel objects. The amygdala-hippocampal complex was active when learning the object-fear association, and the hippocampus was active when learning the object-happy association. After learning, objects were presented alone; amygdala activity was greater for the fear (vs. neutral) and happy (vs. neutral) associated object. Importantly, greater amygdala-hippocampal activity during fear (vs. neutral) learning predicted better recognition of learned objects on a subsequent memory test. Furthermore, personality modulated neural mechanisms of learning. Neuroticism positively correlated with neural activity in the amygdala and hippocampus during fear (vs. neutral) learning. Low extraversion/high introversion was related to faster behavioral predictions of the fearful and neutral expressions during fear learning. In addition, low extraversion/high introversion was related to greater amygdala activity during happy (vs. neutral) learning, happy (vs. neutral) object recognition, and faster reaction times for predicting happy and neutral expressions during reward learning. These findings suggest that neuroticism is associated with an increased sensitivity in the neural mechanism for fear learning which leads to enhanced encoding of fear associations, and that low extraversion/high introversion is related to enhanced conditionability for both fear and reward learning. PMID:18573512
View-invariant object category learning, recognition, and search: how spatial and object attention are coordinated using surface-based attentional shrouds.

PubMed

Fazl, Arash; Grossberg, Stephen; Mingolla, Ennio

2009-02-01

How does the brain learn to recognize an object from multiple viewpoints while scanning a scene with eye movements? How does the brain avoid the problem of erroneously classifying parts of different objects together? How are attention and eye movements intelligently coordinated to facilitate object learning? A neural model provides a unified mechanistic explanation of how spatial and object attention work together to search a scene and learn what is in it. The ARTSCAN model predicts how an object's surface representation generates a form-fitting distribution of spatial attention, or "attentional shroud". All surface representations dynamically compete for spatial attention to form a shroud. The winning shroud persists during active scanning of the object. The shroud maintains sustained activity of an emerging view-invariant category representation while multiple view-specific category representations are learned and are linked through associative learning to the view-invariant object category. The shroud also helps to restrict scanning eye movements to salient features on the attended object. Object attention plays a role in controlling and stabilizing the learning of view-specific object categories. Spatial attention hereby coordinates the deployment of object attention during object category learning. Shroud collapse releases a reset signal that inhibits the active view-invariant category in the What cortical processing stream. Then a new shroud, corresponding to a different object, forms in the Where cortical processing stream, and search using attention shifts and eye movements continues to learn new objects throughout a scene. The model mechanistically clarifies basic properties of attention shifts (engage, move, disengage) and inhibition of return. It simulates human reaction time data about object-based spatial attention shifts, and learns with 98.1% accuracy and a compression of 430 on a letter database whose letters vary in size, position, and orientation. The model provides a powerful framework for unifying many data about spatial and object attention, and their interactions during perception, cognition, and action.
Ask Not Only "What Can Problem-Based Learning Do for Psychology?" but "What Can Psychology Do for Problem-Based Learning?" A Review of the Relevance of Problem-Based Learning for Psychology Teaching and Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wiggins, Sally; Chiriac, Eva Hammar; Abbad, Gunvor Larsson; Pauli, Regina; Worrell, Marcia

2016-01-01

Problem-based learning (PBL) is an internationally recognised pedagogical approach that is implemented within a number of disciplines. The relevance and uptake of PBL in psychology has to date, however, received very limited attention. The aim of this paper is therefore to review published accounts of how PBL is being used to deliver psychology…
Student generated learning objectives: extent of congruence with faculty set objectives and factors influencing their generation.

PubMed

Abdul Ghaffar Al-Shaibani, Tarik A; Sachs-Robertson, Annette; Al Shazali, Hafiz O; Sequeira, Reginald P; Hamdy, Hosam; Al-Roomi, Khaldoon

2003-07-01

A problem-based learning strategy is used for curriculum planning and implementation at the Arabian Gulf University, Bahrain. Problems are constructed in a way that faculty-set objectives are expected to be identified by students during tutorials. Students in small groups, along with a tutor functioning as a facilitator, identify learning issues and define their learning objectives. We compared objectives identified by student groups with faculty-set objectives to determine extent of congruence, and identified factors that influenced students' ability at identifying faculty-set objectives. Male and female students were segregated and randomly grouped. A faculty tutor was allocated for each group. This study was based on 13 problems given to entry-level medical students. Pooled objectives of these problems were classified into four categories: structural, functional, clinical and psychosocial. Univariate analysis of variance was used for comparison, and a p > 0.05 was considered significant. The mean of overall objectives generated by the students was 54.2%, for each problem. Students identified psychosocial learning objectives more readily than structural ones. Female students identified more psychosocial objectives, whereas male students identified more of structural objectives. Tutor characteristics such as medical/non-medical background, and the years of teaching were correlated with categories of learning issues identified. Students identify part of the faculty-set learning objectives during tutorials with a faculty tutor acting as a facilitator. Students' gender influences types of learning issues identified. Content expertise of tutors does not influence identification of learning needs by students.
Monitoring and analysis of the change process in curriculum mapping compared to the National Competency-based Learning Objective Catalogue for Undergraduate Medical Education (NKLM) at four medical faculties. Part I: Conducive resources and structures

PubMed Central

Lammerding-Koeppel, Maria; Giesler, Marianne; Gornostayeva, Maryna; Narciss, Elisabeth; Wosnik, Annette; Zipfel, Stephan; Griewatz, Jan; Fritze, Olaf

2017-01-01

Objective: After passing of the National Competency-based Learning Objectives Catalogue in Medicine (Nationaler Kompetenzbasierter Lernzielkatalog Medizin, [NKLM, retrieved on 22.03.2016]), the German medical faculties must take inventory and develop their curricula. NKLM contents are expected to be present, but not linked well or sensibly enough in locally grown curricula. Learning and examination formats must be reviewed for appropriateness and coverage of the competences. The necessary curricular transparency is best achieved by systematic curriculum mapping, combined with effective change management. Mapping a complex existing curriculum and convincing a faculty that this will have benefits is not easy. Headed by Tübingen, the faculties of Freiburg, Heidelberg, Mannheim and Tübingen take inventory by mapping their curricula in comparison to the NKLM, using the dedicated web-based MERLIN-database. This two-part article analyses and summarises how NKLM curriculum mapping could be successful in spite of resistance at the faculties. The target is conveying the widest possible overview of beneficial framework conditions, strategies and results. Part I of the article shows the beneficial resources and structures required for implementation of curriculum mapping at the faculties. Part II describes key factors relevant for motivating faculties and teachers during the mapping process. Method: The network project was systematically planned in advance according to steps of project and change management, regularly reflected on and adjusted together in workshops and semi-annual project meetings. From the beginning of the project, a grounded-theory approach was used to systematically collect detailed information on structures, measures and developments at the faculties using various sources and methods, to continually analyse them and to draw a final conclusion (sources: surveys among the project participants with questionnaires, semi-structured group interviews and discussions, guideline-supported individual interviews, informal surveys, evaluation of target agreements and protocols, openly discernible local, regional or over-regional structure-relevant events). Results: The following resources and structures support implementation of curriculum mapping at a faculty: Setting up a coordination agency (≥50% of a full position; support by student assistants), systematic project management, and development of organisation and communication structures with integration of the dean of study and teaching and pilot departments, as well as development of a user-friendly web-based mapping instrument. Acceptance of the mapping was increased particularly by visualisation of the results and early insight into indicative results relevant for the department. Conclusion: Successful NKLM curriculum mapping requires trained staff for coordination, resilient communication structures and a user-oriented mapping database. In alignment with literature, recommendations can be derived to support other faculties that want to map their curriculum. PMID:28293674
Monitoring and analysis of the change process in curriculum mapping compared to the National Competency-based Learning Objective Catalogue for Undergraduate Medical Education (NKLM) at four medical faculties. Part I: Conducive resources and structures.

PubMed

Lammerding-Koeppel, Maria; Giesler, Marianne; Gornostayeva, Maryna; Narciss, Elisabeth; Wosnik, Annette; Zipfel, Stephan; Griewatz, Jan; Fritze, Olaf

2017-01-01

Objective: After passing of the National Competency-based Learning Objectives Catalogue in Medicine (Nationaler Kompetenzbasierter Lernzielkatalog Medizin, [NKLM, retrieved on 22.03.2016]), the German medical faculties must take inventory and develop their curricula. NKLM contents are expected to be present, but not linked well or sensibly enough in locally grown curricula. Learning and examination formats must be reviewed for appropriateness and coverage of the competences. The necessary curricular transparency is best achieved by systematic curriculum mapping, combined with effective change management. Mapping a complex existing curriculum and convincing a faculty that this will have benefits is not easy. Headed by Tübingen, the faculties of Freiburg, Heidelberg, Mannheim and Tübingen take inventory by mapping their curricula in comparison to the NKLM, using the dedicated web-based MER LIN -database. This two-part article analyses and summarises how NKLM curriculum mapping could be successful in spite of resistance at the faculties. The target is conveying the widest possible overview of beneficial framework conditions, strategies and results. Part I of the article shows the beneficial resources and structures required for implementation of curriculum mapping at the faculties. Part II describes key factors relevant for motivating faculties and teachers during the mapping process. Method: The network project was systematically planned in advance according to steps of project and change management, regularly reflected on and adjusted together in workshops and semi-annual project meetings. From the beginning of the project, a grounded-theory approach was used to systematically collect detailed information on structures, measures and developments at the faculties using various sources and methods, to continually analyse them and to draw a final conclusion (sources: surveys among the project participants with questionnaires, semi-structured group interviews and discussions, guideline-supported individual interviews, informal surveys, evaluation of target agreements and protocols, openly discernible local, regional or over-regional structure-relevant events). Results: The following resources and structures support implementation of curriculum mapping at a faculty: Setting up a coordination agency (≥50% of a full position; support by student assistants), systematic project management, and development of organisation and communication structures with integration of the dean of study and teaching and pilot departments, as well as development of a user-friendly web-based mapping instrument. Acceptance of the mapping was increased particularly by visualisation of the results and early insight into indicative results relevant for the department. Conclusion: Successful NKLM curriculum mapping requires trained staff for coordination, resilient communication structures and a user-oriented mapping database. In alignment with literature, recommendations can be derived to support other faculties that want to map their curriculum.
Dynamic Learning Objects to Teach Java Programming Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Narasimhamurthy, Uma; Al Shawkani, Khuloud

2010-01-01

This article describes a model for teaching Java Programming Language through Dynamic Learning Objects. The design of the learning objects was based on effective learning design principles to help students learn the complex topic of Java Programming. Visualization was also used to facilitate the learning of the concepts. (Contains 1 figure and 2…
A Framework for the Flexible Content Packaging of Learning Objects and Learning Designs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lukasiak, Jason; Agostinho, Shirley; Burnett, Ian; Drury, Gerrard; Goodes, Jason; Bennett, Sue; Lockyer, Lori; Harper, Barry

2004-01-01

This paper presents a platform-independent method for packaging learning objects and learning designs. The method, entitled a Smart Learning Design Framework, is based on the MPEG-21 standard, and uses IEEE Learning Object Metadata (LOM) to provide bibliographic, technical, and pedagogical descriptors for the retrieval and description of learning…
Prepared stimuli enhance aversive learning without weakening the impact of verbal instructions

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

Fear-relevant stimuli such as snakes and spiders are thought to capture attention due to evolutionary significance. Classical conditioning experiments indicate that these stimuli accelerate learning, while instructed extinction experiments suggest they may be less responsive to instructions. We manipulated stimulus type during instructed aversive reversal learning and used quantitative modeling to simultaneously test both hypotheses. Skin conductance reversed immediately upon instruction in both groups. However, fear-relevant stimuli enhanced dynamic learning, as measured by higher learning rates in participants conditioned with images of snakes and spiders. Results are consistent with findings that dissociable neural pathways underlie feedback-driven and instructed aversive learning. PMID:29339561
Object Oriented Learning Objects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morris, Ed

2005-01-01

We apply the object oriented software engineering (OOSE) design methodology for software objects (SOs) to learning objects (LOs). OOSE extends and refines design principles for authoring dynamic reusable LOs. Our learning object class (LOC) is a template from which individualised LOs can be dynamically created for, or by, students. The properties…
Fear conditioning to subliminal fear relevant and non fear relevant stimuli.

PubMed

Lipp, Ottmar V; Kempnich, Clare; Jee, Sang Hoon; Arnold, Derek H

2014-01-01

A growing body of evidence suggests that conscious visual awareness is not a prerequisite for human fear learning. For instance, humans can learn to be fearful of subliminal fear relevant images--images depicting stimuli thought to have been fear relevant in our evolutionary context, such as snakes, spiders, and angry human faces. Such stimuli could have a privileged status in relation to manipulations used to suppress usually salient images from awareness, possibly due to the existence of a designated sub-cortical 'fear module'. Here we assess this proposition, and find it wanting. We use binocular masking to suppress awareness of images of snakes and wallabies (particularly cute, non-threatening marsupials). We find that subliminal presentations of both classes of image can induce differential fear conditioning. These data show that learning, as indexed by fear conditioning, is neither contingent on conscious visual awareness nor on subliminal conditional stimuli being fear relevant.
Perceptual learning: toward a comprehensive theory.

PubMed

Watanabe, Takeo; Sasaki, Yuka

2015-01-03

Visual perceptual learning (VPL) is long-term performance increase resulting from visual perceptual experience. Task-relevant VPL of a feature results from training of a task on the feature relevant to the task. Task-irrelevant VPL arises as a result of exposure to the feature irrelevant to the trained task. At least two serious problems exist. First, there is the controversy over which stage of information processing is changed in association with task-relevant VPL. Second, no model has ever explained both task-relevant and task-irrelevant VPL. Here we propose a dual plasticity model in which feature-based plasticity is a change in a representation of the learned feature, and task-based plasticity is a change in processing of the trained task. Although the two types of plasticity underlie task-relevant VPL, only feature-based plasticity underlies task-irrelevant VPL. This model provides a new comprehensive framework in which apparently contradictory results could be explained.
Creating Usage Context-Based Object Similarities to Boost Recommender Systems in Technology Enhanced Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Niemann, Katja; Wolpers, Martin

2015-01-01

In this paper, we introduce a new way of detecting semantic similarities between learning objects by analysing their usage in web portals. Our approach relies on the usage-based relations between the objects themselves rather then on the content of the learning objects or on the relations between users and learning objects. We then take this new…
[Competence Based Catalogue of Learning Objectives for Rehabilitation, Physical Medicine, Naturopathic Treatment - Revised Version - Joint Recommendations of the German Society of Rehabilitation Science and the German Society of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation].

PubMed

Mau, Wilfried; Liebl, Max Emanuel; Deck, Ruth; Lange, Uwe; Smolenski, Ulrich Christian; Walter, Susanne; Gutenbrunner, Christoph

2017-12-01

Since the first publication of learning objectives for the interdisciplinary subject "Rehabilitation, Physical Medicine, Naturopathic Treatment" in undergraduate medical education in 2004 a revision is reasonable due to heterogenous teaching programmes in the faculties and the introduction of the National Competence Based Catalogue of Learning Objectives in Medicine as well as the "Masterplan Medical Education 2020". Therefore the German Society of Rehabilitation Science and the German Society of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation started a structured consensus process using the DELPHI-method to reduce the learning objectives and arrange them more clearly. Objectives of particular significance are emphasised. All learning objectives are assigned to the cognitive and methodological level 1 or to the action level 2. The learning objectives refer to the less detailed National Competence Based Catalogue of Learning Objectives in Medicine. The revised learning objectives will contribute to further progress in competence based and more homogenous medical teaching in core objectives of Rehabilitation, Physical Medicine, and Naturopathic Treatment in the faculties. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.
Hybrid Multiagent System for Automatic Object Learning Classification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gil, Ana; de La Prieta, Fernando; López, Vivian F.

The rapid evolution within the context of e-learning is closely linked to international efforts on the standardization of learning object metadata, which provides learners in a web-based educational system with ubiquitous access to multiple distributed repositories. This article presents a hybrid agent-based architecture that enables the recovery of learning objects tagged in Learning Object Metadata (LOM) and provides individualized help with selecting learning materials to make the most suitable choice among many alternatives.
Task-relevant perceptual features can define categories in visual memory too.

PubMed

Antonelli, Karla B; Williams, Carrick C

2017-11-01

Although Konkle, Brady, Alvarez, and Oliva (2010, Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 139(3), 558) claim that visual long-term memory (VLTM) is organized on underlying conceptual, not perceptual, information, visual memory results from visual search tasks are not well explained by this theory. We hypothesized that when viewing an object, any task-relevant visual information is critical to the organizational structure of VLTM. In two experiments, we examined the organization of VLTM by measuring the amount of retroactive interference created by objects possessing different combinations of task-relevant features. Based on task instructions, only the conceptual category was task relevant or both the conceptual category and a perceptual object feature were task relevant. Findings indicated that when made task relevant, perceptual object feature information, along with conceptual category information, could affect memory organization for objects in VLTM. However, when perceptual object feature information was task irrelevant, it did not contribute to memory organization; instead, memory defaulted to being organized around conceptual category information. These findings support the theory that a task-defined organizational structure is created in VLTM based on the relevance of particular object features and information.
A machine learning heuristic to identify biologically relevant and minimal biomarker panels from omics data

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Background Investigations into novel biomarkers using omics techniques generate large amounts of data. Due to their size and numbers of attributes, these data are suitable for analysis with machine learning methods. A key component of typical machine learning pipelines for omics data is feature selection, which is used to reduce the raw high-dimensional data into a tractable number of features. Feature selection needs to balance the objective of using as few features as possible, while maintaining high predictive power. This balance is crucial when the goal of data analysis is the identification of highly accurate but small panels of biomarkers with potential clinical utility. In this paper we propose a heuristic for the selection of very small feature subsets, via an iterative feature elimination process that is guided by rule-based machine learning, called RGIFE (Rule-guided Iterative Feature Elimination). We use this heuristic to identify putative biomarkers of osteoarthritis (OA), articular cartilage degradation and synovial inflammation, using both proteomic and transcriptomic datasets. Results and discussion Our RGIFE heuristic increased the classification accuracies achieved for all datasets when no feature selection is used, and performed well in a comparison with other feature selection methods. Using this method the datasets were reduced to a smaller number of genes or proteins, including those known to be relevant to OA, cartilage degradation and joint inflammation. The results have shown the RGIFE feature reduction method to be suitable for analysing both proteomic and transcriptomics data. Methods that generate large ‘omics’ datasets are increasingly being used in the area of rheumatology. Conclusions Feature reduction methods are advantageous for the analysis of omics data in the field of rheumatology, as the applications of such techniques are likely to result in improvements in diagnosis, treatment and drug discovery. PMID:25923811
Faculty development: if you build it, they will come.

PubMed

Steinert, Yvonne; Macdonald, Mary Ellen; Boillat, Miriam; Elizov, Michelle; Meterissian, Sarkis; Razack, Saleem; Ouellet, Marie-Noel; McLeod, Peter J

2010-09-01

The goals of this study were three-fold: to explore the reasons why some clinical teachers regularly attend centralised faculty development activities; to compare their responses with those of colleagues who do not attend, and to learn how we can make faculty development programmes more pertinent to teachers' needs. In 2008-2009, we conducted focus groups with 23 clinical teachers who had participated in faculty development activities on a regular basis in order to ascertain their perceptions of faculty development, reasons for participation, and perceived barriers against involvement. Thematic analysis and research team consensus guided the data interpretation. Reasons for regular participation included the perceptions that: faculty development enables personal and professional growth; learning and self-improvement are valued; workshop topics are viewed as relevant to teachers' needs; the opportunity to network with colleagues is appreciated, and initial positive experiences promote ongoing involvement. Barriers against participation mirrored those cited by non-attendees in an earlier study (e.g. volume of work, lack of time, logistical factors), but did not prevent participation. Suggestions for increasing participation included introducing a 'buddy system' for junior faculty members, an orientation workshop for new staff, and increased role-modelling and mentorship. The conceptualisation of faculty development as a means to achieve specific objectives and the desire for relevant programming that addresses current needs (i.e., expectancies), together with an appreciation of learning, self-improvement and networking with colleagues (i.e., values), were highlighted as reasons for participation by regular attendees. Medical educators should consider these 'lessons learned' in the design and delivery of faculty development offerings. They should also continue to explore the notion of faculty development as a social practice and the application of motivational theories that include expectancy-value constructs to personal and professional development.
Which Features Make Illustrations in Multimedia Learning Interesting?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Magner, Ulrike Irmgard Elisabeth; Glogger, Inga; Renkl, Alexander

2016-01-01

How can illustrations motivate learners in multimedia learning? Which features make illustrations interesting? Beside the theoretical relevance of addressing these questions, these issues are practically relevant when instructional designers are to decide which features of illustrations can trigger situational interest irrespective of individual…

Assessment of Relevant Learning Processes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, JinGyu

Criteria for relevant classroom assessments are discussed, and a biofunctional model of learning assessment is presented. In classroom assessment, the following criteria must be considered: (1) assessment approach (process-oriented and outcome-oriented); (2) assessment context (knowledge and higher-order thinking skills); (3) assessment method…
Distinct learning-induced changes in stimulus selectivity and interactions of GABAergic interneuron classes in visual cortex.

PubMed

Khan, Adil G; Poort, Jasper; Chadwick, Angus; Blot, Antonin; Sahani, Maneesh; Mrsic-Flogel, Thomas D; Hofer, Sonja B

2018-06-01

How learning enhances neural representations for behaviorally relevant stimuli via activity changes of cortical cell types remains unclear. We simultaneously imaged responses of pyramidal cells (PYR) along with parvalbumin (PV), somatostatin (SOM), and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) inhibitory interneurons in primary visual cortex while mice learned to discriminate visual patterns. Learning increased selectivity for task-relevant stimuli of PYR, PV and SOM subsets but not VIP cells. Strikingly, PV neurons became as selective as PYR cells, and their functional interactions reorganized, leading to the emergence of stimulus-selective PYR-PV ensembles. Conversely, SOM activity became strongly decorrelated from the network, and PYR-SOM coupling before learning predicted selectivity increases in individual PYR cells. Thus, learning differentially shapes the activity and interactions of multiple cell classes: while SOM inhibition may gate selectivity changes, PV interneurons become recruited into stimulus-specific ensembles and provide more selective inhibition as the network becomes better at discriminating behaviorally relevant stimuli.
Extended Relation Metadata for SCORM-Based Learning Content Management Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lu, Eric Jui-Lin; Horng, Gwoboa; Yu, Chia-Ssu; Chou, Ling-Ying

2010-01-01

To increase the interoperability and reusability of learning objects, Advanced Distributed Learning Initiative developed a model called Content Aggregation Model (CAM) to describe learning objects and express relationships between learning objects. However, the suggested relations defined in the CAM can only describe structure-oriented…
Attentional Selection Can Be Predicted by Reinforcement Learning of Task-relevant Stimulus Features Weighted by Value-independent Stickiness.

PubMed

Balcarras, Matthew; Ardid, Salva; Kaping, Daniel; Everling, Stefan; Womelsdorf, Thilo

2016-02-01

Attention includes processes that evaluate stimuli relevance, select the most relevant stimulus against less relevant stimuli, and bias choice behavior toward the selected information. It is not clear how these processes interact. Here, we captured these processes in a reinforcement learning framework applied to a feature-based attention task that required macaques to learn and update the value of stimulus features while ignoring nonrelevant sensory features, locations, and action plans. We found that value-based reinforcement learning mechanisms could account for feature-based attentional selection and choice behavior but required a value-independent stickiness selection process to explain selection errors while at asymptotic behavior. By comparing different reinforcement learning schemes, we found that trial-by-trial selections were best predicted by a model that only represents expected values for the task-relevant feature dimension, with nonrelevant stimulus features and action plans having only a marginal influence on covert selections. These findings show that attentional control subprocesses can be described by (1) the reinforcement learning of feature values within a restricted feature space that excludes irrelevant feature dimensions, (2) a stochastic selection process on feature-specific value representations, and (3) value-independent stickiness toward previous feature selections akin to perseveration in the motor domain. We speculate that these three mechanisms are implemented by distinct but interacting brain circuits and that the proposed formal account of feature-based stimulus selection will be important to understand how attentional subprocesses are implemented in primate brain networks.
Case Study Teaching Method Improves Student Performance and Perceptions of Learning Gains†

PubMed Central

Bonney, Kevin M.

2015-01-01

Following years of widespread use in business and medical education, the case study teaching method is becoming an increasingly common teaching strategy in science education. However, the current body of research provides limited evidence that the use of published case studies effectively promotes the fulfillment of specific learning objectives integral to many biology courses. This study tested the hypothesis that case studies are more effective than classroom discussions and textbook reading at promoting learning of key biological concepts, development of written and oral communication skills, and comprehension of the relevance of biological concepts to everyday life. This study also tested the hypothesis that case studies produced by the instructor of a course are more effective at promoting learning than those produced by unaffiliated instructors. Additionally, performance on quantitative learning assessments and student perceptions of learning gains were analyzed to determine whether reported perceptions of learning gains accurately reflect academic performance. The results reported here suggest that case studies, regardless of the source, are significantly more effective than other methods of content delivery at increasing performance on examination questions related to chemical bonds, osmosis and diffusion, mitosis and meiosis, and DNA structure and replication. This finding was positively correlated to increased student perceptions of learning gains associated with oral and written communication skills and the ability to recognize connections between biological concepts and other aspects of life. Based on these findings, case studies should be considered as a preferred method for teaching about a variety of concepts in science courses. PMID:25949753
Case study teaching method improves student performance and perceptions of learning gains.

PubMed

Bonney, Kevin M

2015-05-01

Following years of widespread use in business and medical education, the case study teaching method is becoming an increasingly common teaching strategy in science education. However, the current body of research provides limited evidence that the use of published case studies effectively promotes the fulfillment of specific learning objectives integral to many biology courses. This study tested the hypothesis that case studies are more effective than classroom discussions and textbook reading at promoting learning of key biological concepts, development of written and oral communication skills, and comprehension of the relevance of biological concepts to everyday life. This study also tested the hypothesis that case studies produced by the instructor of a course are more effective at promoting learning than those produced by unaffiliated instructors. Additionally, performance on quantitative learning assessments and student perceptions of learning gains were analyzed to determine whether reported perceptions of learning gains accurately reflect academic performance. The results reported here suggest that case studies, regardless of the source, are significantly more effective than other methods of content delivery at increasing performance on examination questions related to chemical bonds, osmosis and diffusion, mitosis and meiosis, and DNA structure and replication. This finding was positively correlated to increased student perceptions of learning gains associated with oral and written communication skills and the ability to recognize connections between biological concepts and other aspects of life. Based on these findings, case studies should be considered as a preferred method for teaching about a variety of concepts in science courses.
Impact of a novel teaching method based on feedback, activity, individuality and relevance on students' learning.

PubMed

Edafe, Ovie; Brooks, William S; Laskar, Simone N; Benjamin, Miles W; Chan, Philip

2016-03-20

This study examines the perceived impact of a novel clinical teaching method based on FAIR principles (feedback, activity, individuality and relevance) on students' learning on clinical placement. This was a qualitative research study. Participants were third year and final year medical students attached to one UK vascular firm over a four-year period (N=108). Students were asked to write a reflective essay on how FAIRness approach differs from previous clinical placement, and its advantages and disadvantages. Essays were thematically analysed and globally rated (positive, negative or neutral) by two independent researchers. Over 90% of essays reported positive experiences of feedback, activity, individuality and relevance model. The model provided multifaceted feedback; active participation; longitudinal improvement; relevance to stage of learning and future goals; structured teaching; professional development; safe learning environment; consultant involvement in teaching. Students perceived preparation for tutorials to be time intensive for tutors/students; a lack of teaching on medical sciences and direct observation of performance; more than once weekly sessions would be beneficial; some issues with peer and public feedback, relevance to upcoming exam and large group sizes. Students described negative experiences of "standard" clinical teaching. Progressive teaching programmes based on the FAIRness principles, feedback, activity, individuality and relevance, could be used as a model to improve current undergraduate clinical teaching.
Age-related impairments in active learning and strategic visual exploration.

PubMed

Brandstatt, Kelly L; Voss, Joel L

2014-01-01

Old age could impair memory by disrupting learning strategies used by younger individuals. We tested this possibility by manipulating the ability to use visual-exploration strategies during learning. Subjects controlled visual exploration during active learning, thus permitting the use of strategies, whereas strategies were limited during passive learning via predetermined exploration patterns. Performance on tests of object recognition and object-location recall was matched for younger and older subjects for objects studied passively, when learning strategies were restricted. Active learning improved object recognition similarly for younger and older subjects. However, active learning improved object-location recall for younger subjects, but not older subjects. Exploration patterns were used to identify a learning strategy involving repeat viewing. Older subjects used this strategy less frequently and it provided less memory benefit compared to younger subjects. In previous experiments, we linked hippocampal-prefrontal co-activation to improvements in object-location recall from active learning and to the exploration strategy. Collectively, these findings suggest that age-related memory problems result partly from impaired strategies during learning, potentially due to reduced hippocampal-prefrontal co-engagement.
Auditory-visual object recognition time suggests specific processing for animal sounds.

PubMed

Suied, Clara; Viaud-Delmon, Isabelle

2009-01-01

Recognizing an object requires binding together several cues, which may be distributed across different sensory modalities, and ignoring competing information originating from other objects. In addition, knowledge of the semantic category of an object is fundamental to determine how we should react to it. Here we investigate the role of semantic categories in the processing of auditory-visual objects. We used an auditory-visual object-recognition task (go/no-go paradigm). We compared recognition times for two categories: a biologically relevant one (animals) and a non-biologically relevant one (means of transport). Participants were asked to react as fast as possible to target objects, presented in the visual and/or the auditory modality, and to withhold their response for distractor objects. A first main finding was that, when participants were presented with unimodal or bimodal congruent stimuli (an image and a sound from the same object), similar reaction times were observed for all object categories. Thus, there was no advantage in the speed of recognition for biologically relevant compared to non-biologically relevant objects. A second finding was that, in the presence of a biologically relevant auditory distractor, the processing of a target object was slowed down, whether or not it was itself biologically relevant. It seems impossible to effectively ignore an animal sound, even when it is irrelevant to the task. These results suggest a specific and mandatory processing of animal sounds, possibly due to phylogenetic memory and consistent with the idea that hearing is particularly efficient as an alerting sense. They also highlight the importance of taking into account the auditory modality when investigating the way object concepts of biologically relevant categories are stored and retrieved.
Stimulus fear relevance and the speed, magnitude, and robustness of vicariously learned fear.

PubMed

Dunne, Güler; Reynolds, Gemma; Askew, Chris

2017-08-01

Superior learning for fear-relevant stimuli is typically indicated in the laboratory by faster acquisition of fear responses, greater learned fear, and enhanced resistance to extinction. Three experiments investigated the speed, magnitude, and robustness of UK children's (6-10 years; N = 290; 122 boys, 168 girls) vicariously learned fear responses for three types of stimuli. In two experiments, children were presented with pictures of novel animals (Australian marsupials) and flowers (fear-irrelevant stimuli) alone (control) or together with faces expressing fear or happiness. To determine learning speed the number of stimulus-face pairings seen by children was varied (1, 10, or 30 trials). Robustness of learning was examined via repeated extinction procedures over 3 weeks. A third experiment compared the magnitude and robustness of vicarious fear learning for snakes and marsupials. Significant increases in fear responses were found for snakes, marsupials and flowers. There was no indication that vicarious learning for marsupials was faster than for flowers. Moreover, vicariously learned fear was neither greater nor more robust for snakes compared to marsupials, or for marsupials compared to flowers. These findings suggest that for this age group stimulus fear relevance may have little influence on vicarious fear learning. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Learning while Babbling: Prelinguistic Object-Directed Vocalizations Indicate a Readiness to Learn

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldstein, Michael H.; Schwade, Jennifer; Briesch, Jacquelyn; Syal, Supriya

2010-01-01

Two studies illustrate the functional significance of a new category of prelinguistic vocalizing--object-directed vocalizations (ODVs)--and show that these sounds are connected to learning about words and objects. Experiment 1 tested 12-month-old infants' perceptual learning of objects that elicited ODVs. Fourteen infants' vocalizations were…
[Influence of learning styles of nursing students on teaching strategies choice].

PubMed

Vacas Pérez, Juan Crisostomo; Mérida Serrano, Rosario; Molina Recio, Guillermo; Mesa Blanco, María del Pilar

2012-12-01

The objective of this research focuses on the framework of teaching strategies, by acknowledging learning styles as first determination and, in relation to the changes that these are going through, identifying the teaching strategies best rated and preferred by the students. This is a prospective open cohort study with the students of Nursing Diploma 2007/2010 of the Universidad de Córdoba. Once the population was identified in the first year (first analysis), annual measurings were undertaken every year during their training. In order to study the learning styles, the questionnaire CHAEA was administered and a scale from 1 to 10 (1 = highest, 10 = lowest) was used to determine the preferences for learning strategies. The results show the variability of the learner (up to 11 styles). However, the dominant style is the reflective, followed by the theoretical and the pragmatic. The least developed was the active style. As the years of training go by, a tendency towards a dual style (reflective-theoretical) can be observed. In relation to teaching strategies, the preferred ones were those set in professional areas, workshops and debates. Relevant changes were also seen as they advanced in their training. The results establish a specific significant relationship between learning styles and teaching strategies.
Tone of voice guides word learning in informative referential contexts

PubMed Central

Reinisch, Eva; Jesse, Alexandra; Nygaard, Lynne C.

2012-01-01

Listeners infer which object in a visual scene a speaker refers to from the systematic variation of the speaker’s tone of voice (ToV). We examined whether ToV also guides word learning. During exposure, participants heard novel adjectives (e.g., “daxen”) spoken with a ToV representing hot, cold, strong, weak, big, or small while viewing picture pairs representing the meaning of the adjective and its antonym (e.g., elephant-ant for big-small). Eye fixations were recorded to monitor referent detection and learning. During test, participants heard the adjectives spoken with a neutral ToV, while selecting referents from familiar and unfamiliar picture pairs. Participants were able to learn the adjectives’ meanings, and, even in the absence of informative ToV, generalise them to new referents. A second experiment addressed whether ToV provides sufficient information to infer the adjectival meaning or needs to operate within a referential context providing information about the relevant semantic dimension. Participants who saw printed versions of the novel words during exposure performed at chance during test. ToV, in conjunction with the referential context, thus serves as a cue to word meaning. ToV establishes relations between labels and referents for listeners to exploit in word learning. PMID:23134484
Assessment of the core learning objectives curriculum for the urology clerkship.

PubMed

Rapp, David E; Gong, Edward M; Reynolds, W Stuart; Lucioni, Alvaro; Zagaja, Gregory P

2007-11-01

The traditional approach to the surgical clerkship has limitations, including variability of clinical exposure. To optimize student education we developed and introduced the core learning objectives curriculum, which is designed to allow students freedom to direct their learning and focus on core concepts. We performed a prospective, randomized, controlled study to compare the efficacy of core learning objectives vs traditional curricula through objective and subjective measures. Medical students were randomly assigned to the core learning objectives or traditional curricula during the 2-week urology clerkship. Faculty was blinded to student assignment. Upon rotation completion all students were given a 20-question multiple choice examination covering basic urology concepts. In addition, students completed a questionnaire addressing subjective clerkship satisfaction, comprising 15 questions. Between June 2005 and January 2007, 10 core learning objectives students and 10 traditional students completed the urology clerkship. The average +/- SEM multiple choice examination score was 12.1 +/- 0.87 and 9.8 +/- 0.59 for students assigned to the core learning objectives and traditional curricula, respectively (p <0.05). Subjective scores were higher in the core learning objectives cohort, although this result did not attain statistical significance (124.9 +/- 3.72 vs 114.3 +/- 4.96, p = 0.1). Core learning objectives students reported higher satisfaction in all 15 assessed subjective end points. Our experience suggests that the core learning objectives model may be an effective educational tool to help students achieve a broad and directed exposure to the core urological concepts.
Shared Canadian Curriculum in Family Medicine (SHARC-FM): Creating a national consensus on relevant and practical training for medical students.

PubMed

Keegan, David A; Scott, Ian; Sylvester, Michael; Tan, Amy; Horrey, Kathleen; Weston, W Wayne

2017-04-01

In 2006, leaders of undergraduate family medicine education programs faced a series of increasing curriculum mandates in the context of limited time and financial resources. Additionally, it became apparent that a hidden curriculum against family medicine as a career choice was active in medical schools. The Shared Canadian Curriculum in Family Medicine was developed by the Canadian Undergraduate Family Medicine Education Directors and supported by the College of Family Physicians of Canada as a national collaborative project to support medical student training in family medicine clerkship. Its key objective is to enable education leaders to meet their educational mandates, while at the same time countering the hidden curriculum and providing a route to scholarship. The Shared Canadian Curriculum in Family Medicine is an open-access, shared, national curriculum ( www.sharcfm.ca ). It contains 23 core clinical topics (determined through a modified Delphi process) with demonstrable objectives for each. It also includes low- and medium-fidelity virtual patient cases, point-of-care learning resources (clinical cards), and assessment tools, all aligned with the core topics. French translation of the resources is ongoing. The core topics, objectives, and educational resources have been adopted by medical schools across Canada, according to their needs. The lessons learned from mounting this multi-institutional collaborative project will help others develop their own collaborative curricula. Copyright© the College of Family Physicians of Canada.
Motivation in Second Language Learning: A Historical Overview and Its Relevance in a Public High School in Pasto, Colombia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guerrero, Mario

2015-01-01

Motivation has a significant role in the process of language learning. It is important to understand its theoretical evolution in this field to be able to consider its relevance in the learning and teaching of a foreign language. Motivation is a term that is commonly used among language teachers and language learners but perhaps many are not aware…
A Data Mining Approach to Improve Re-Accessibility and Delivery of Learning Knowledge Objects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sabitha, Sai; Mehrotra, Deepti; Bansal, Abhay

2014-01-01

Today Learning Management Systems (LMS) have become an integral part of learning mechanism of both learning institutes and industry. A Learning Object (LO) can be one of the atomic components of LMS. A large amount of research is conducted into identifying benchmarks for creating Learning Objects. Some of the major concerns associated with LO are…
Reinforcement Learning of Two-Joint Virtual Arm Reaching in a Computer Model of Sensorimotor Cortex

PubMed Central

Neymotin, Samuel A.; Chadderdon, George L.; Kerr, Cliff C.; Francis, Joseph T.; Lytton, William W.

2014-01-01

Neocortical mechanisms of learning sensorimotor control involve a complex series of interactions at multiple levels, from synaptic mechanisms to cellular dynamics to network connectomics. We developed a model of sensory and motor neocortex consisting of 704 spiking model neurons. Sensory and motor populations included excitatory cells and two types of interneurons. Neurons were interconnected with AMPA/NMDA and GABAA synapses. We trained our model using spike-timing-dependent reinforcement learning to control a two-joint virtual arm to reach to a fixed target. For each of 125 trained networks, we used 200 training sessions, each involving 15 s reaches to the target from 16 starting positions. Learning altered network dynamics, with enhancements to neuronal synchrony and behaviorally relevant information flow between neurons. After learning, networks demonstrated retention of behaviorally relevant memories by using proprioceptive information to perform reach-to-target from multiple starting positions. Networks dynamically controlled which joint rotations to use to reach a target, depending on current arm position. Learning-dependent network reorganization was evident in both sensory and motor populations: learned synaptic weights showed target-specific patterning optimized for particular reach movements. Our model embodies an integrative hypothesis of sensorimotor cortical learning that could be used to interpret future electrophysiological data recorded in vivo from sensorimotor learning experiments. We used our model to make the following predictions: learning enhances synchrony in neuronal populations and behaviorally relevant information flow across neuronal populations, enhanced sensory processing aids task-relevant motor performance and the relative ease of a particular movement in vivo depends on the amount of sensory information required to complete the movement. PMID:24047323
Learned Non-Rigid Object Motion is a View-Invariant Cue to Recognizing Novel Objects

PubMed Central

Chuang, Lewis L.; Vuong, Quoc C.; Bülthoff, Heinrich H.

2012-01-01

There is evidence that observers use learned object motion to recognize objects. For instance, studies have shown that reversing the learned direction in which a rigid object rotated in depth impaired recognition accuracy. This motion reversal can be achieved by playing animation sequences of moving objects in reverse frame order. In the current study, we used this sequence-reversal manipulation to investigate whether observers encode the motion of dynamic objects in visual memory, and whether such dynamic representations are encoded in a way that is dependent on the viewing conditions. Participants first learned dynamic novel objects, presented as animation sequences. Following learning, they were then tested on their ability to recognize these learned objects when their animation sequence was shown in the same sequence order as during learning or in the reverse sequence order. In Experiment 1, we found that non-rigid motion contributed to recognition performance; that is, sequence-reversal decreased sensitivity across different tasks. In subsequent experiments, we tested the recognition of non-rigidly deforming (Experiment 2) and rigidly rotating (Experiment 3) objects across novel viewpoints. Recognition performance was affected by viewpoint changes for both experiments. Learned non-rigid motion continued to contribute to recognition performance and this benefit was the same across all viewpoint changes. By comparison, learned rigid motion did not contribute to recognition performance. These results suggest that non-rigid motion provides a source of information for recognizing dynamic objects, which is not affected by changes to viewpoint. PMID:22661939
Inter-individual differences in audio-motor learning of piano melodies and white matter fiber tract architecture.

PubMed

Engel, Annerose; Hijmans, Brenda S; Cerliani, Leonardo; Bangert, Marc; Nanetti, Luca; Keller, Peter E; Keysers, Christian

2014-05-01

Humans vary substantially in their ability to learn new motor skills. Here, we examined inter-individual differences in learning to play the piano, with the goal of identifying relations to structural properties of white matter fiber tracts relevant to audio-motor learning. Non-musicians (n = 18) learned to perform three short melodies on a piano keyboard in a pure audio-motor training condition (vision of their own fingers was occluded). Initial learning times ranged from 17 to 120 min (mean ± SD: 62 ± 29 min). Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging was used to derive the fractional anisotropy (FA), an index of white matter microstructural arrangement. A correlation analysis revealed that higher FA values were associated with faster learning of piano melodies. These effects were observed in the bilateral corticospinal tracts, bundles of axons relevant for the execution of voluntary movements, and the right superior longitudinal fasciculus, a tract important for audio-motor transformations. These results suggest that the speed with which novel complex audio-motor skills can be acquired may be determined by variability in structural properties of white matter fiber tracts connecting brain areas functionally relevant for audio-motor learning. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Vision Systems with the Human in the Loop

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bauckhage, Christian; Hanheide, Marc; Wrede, Sebastian; Käster, Thomas; Pfeiffer, Michael; Sagerer, Gerhard

2005-12-01

The emerging cognitive vision paradigm deals with vision systems that apply machine learning and automatic reasoning in order to learn from what they perceive. Cognitive vision systems can rate the relevance and consistency of newly acquired knowledge, they can adapt to their environment and thus will exhibit high robustness. This contribution presents vision systems that aim at flexibility and robustness. One is tailored for content-based image retrieval, the others are cognitive vision systems that constitute prototypes of visual active memories which evaluate, gather, and integrate contextual knowledge for visual analysis. All three systems are designed to interact with human users. After we will have discussed adaptive content-based image retrieval and object and action recognition in an office environment, the issue of assessing cognitive systems will be raised. Experiences from psychologically evaluated human-machine interactions will be reported and the promising potential of psychologically-based usability experiments will be stressed.
Lessons Learned: Cultural and linguistic enhancement of surveys through community-based participatory research

PubMed Central

Formea, Christine M.; Mohamed, Ahmed A.; Hassan, Abdullahi; Osman, Ahmed; Weis, Jennifer A.; Sia, Irene G.; Wieland, Mark L.

2014-01-01

Background Surveys are frequently implemented in community-based participatory research (CBPR), but adaptation and translation of surveys can be logistically and methodologically challenging when working with immigrant and refugee populations. Objective To describe a process of participatory survey adaptation and translation. Methods Within an established CBPR partnership, a survey about diabetes was adapted for health literacy and local relevance and then translated through a process of forward translation, group deliberation, and back translation. Lessons Learned The group deliberation process was the most time-intensive and important component of the process. The process enhanced community ownership of the larger project while maximizing local applicability of the product. Conclusions A participatory process of survey adaptation and translation resulted in significant revisions to approximate semantic, cultural, and conceptual equivalence with the original surveys. This approach is likely to enhance community acceptance of the survey instrument during the implementation phase. PMID:25435559
A Distributed Multi-Agent System for Collaborative Information Management and Learning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chen, James R.; Wolfe, Shawn R.; Wragg, Stephen D.; Koga, Dennis (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

In this paper, we present DIAMS, a system of distributed, collaborative agents to help users access, manage, share and exchange information. A DIAMS personal agent helps its owner find information most relevant to current needs. It provides tools and utilities for users to manage their information repositories with dynamic organization and virtual views. Flexible hierarchical display is integrated with indexed query search-to support effective information access. Automatic indexing methods are employed to support user queries and communication between agents. Contents of a repository are kept in object-oriented storage to facilitate information sharing. Collaboration between users is aided by easy sharing utilities as well as automated information exchange. Matchmaker agents are designed to establish connections between users with similar interests and expertise. DIAMS agents provide needed services for users to share and learn information from one another on the World Wide Web.
Sustaining simulation training programmes--experience from maternity care.

PubMed

Ayres-de-Campos, D; Deering, S; Siassakos, D

2011-11-01

There is little scientific evidence to support the majority of simulation-based maternity training programmes, but some characteristics appear to be associated with sustainability. Among these are a clear institutional-level commitment to the course, strong leadership in course organisation, a curriculum relevant to clinical practice, a nonthreatening learning environment, the establishment of multiprofessional training and the use of simulators appropriate to the learning objectives. There is still some debate on whether simulation-based sessions should be carried out in dedicated training time outside normal working hours or in ad-hoc drills that are run during clinical sessions, whether they should be located in clinical areas, simulation centres, or both, and whether or not they should include standardised generic teamwork training sessions. In this review, we discuss the main characteristics that appear to make a simulation-based training programme a sustainable initiative. © 2011 The Authors BJOG An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology © 2011 RCOG.
Learning in the informal spaces and re-signification of the existence of undergraduate students of nursing

PubMed Central

de Jesus, Isabel Silva; Sena, Edite Lago da Silva; Andrade, Luana Machado

2014-01-01

OBJECTIVE: to describe the perception of lecturers and undergraduate nursing students regarding the dialogic experience in the informal spaces and its relationship with training in health. METHOD: experiential descriptions were collected in the context of a public university in the non-metropolitan region of the state of Bahia, Brazil, using open interviews. These descriptions were analyzed according to the principles of the phenomenology of Maurice Merleau-Ponty. RESULTS: it was revealed that the informal spaces contribute significantly to the construction of knowledge and professional training strengthening teaching and promoting the re-signification of the subjects' experience. CONCLUSION: it is evidenced that the dialogic experience has relevancy for rethinking the teaching-learning process in the university, such that the informal spaces should be included and valued as producers of meanings for the personal and academic life of lecturers and students, with the ability to re-signify existence. PMID:25493667
Word-to-picture recognition is a function of motor components mappings at the stage of retrieval.

PubMed

Brouillet, Denis; Brouillet, Thibaut; Milhau, Audrey; Heurley, Loïc; Vagnot, Caroline; Brunel, Lionel

2016-10-01

Embodied approaches of cognition argue that retrieval involves the re-enactment of both sensory and motor components of the desired remembering. In this study, we investigated the effect of motor action performed to produce the response in a recognition task when this action is compatible with the affordance of the objects that have to be recognised. In our experiment, participants were first asked to learn a list of words referring to graspable objects, and then told to make recognition judgements on pictures. The pictures represented objects where the graspable part was either pointing to the same or to the opposite side of the "Yes" response key. Results show a robust effect of compatibility between objects affordance and response hand. Moreover, this compatibility improves participants' ability of discrimination, suggesting that motor components are relevant cue for memory judgement at the stage of retrieval in a recognition task. More broadly, our data highlight that memory judgements are a function of motor components mappings at the stage of retrieval. © 2015 International Union of Psychological Science.
Shared function knowledge: infants' attention to function information in communicative contexts.

PubMed

Träuble, Birgit; Bätz, Johannes

2014-08-01

Humans are specifically adapted to knowledge acquisition and transfer by social communication. According to natural pedagogy theory, infants are highly sensitive to signals that indicate a teacher's communicative intention and are biased to interpret communicative contexts as conveying relevant and generalizable knowledge that is also shared by other conspecifics. We investigated whether infants as young as 12 months interpret ostensively communicated object-directed emotion expressions as generalizable and shareable with others. Given that young infants pay particular attention to information about objects' functions, we were interested in whether the shareability assumption also holds for emotional attitudes toward functional features of unfamiliar objects. The results suggest that 12-month-olds (N=80) flexibly interpret another person's emotion displays toward unfamiliar artifacts either as object-centered and generalizable attitudes or as person-centered subjective attitudes, depending on the communicative characteristics of the learning context. Furthermore, the transfer of ostensively communicated information about the artifacts depended on their functional usability, which is consistent with infants' early sensitivity to function information in various areas of cognitive development. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Teacher Trainees as Learning Object Designers: Problems and Issues in Learning Object Development Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guler, Cetin; Altun, Arif

2010-01-01

Learning objects (LOs) can be defined as resources that are reusable, digital with the aim of fulfilling learning objectives (or expectations). Educators, both at the individual and institutional levels, are cautioned about the fact that LOs are to be processed through a proper development process. Who should be involved in the LO development…
Patterns of Learning Object Reuse in the Connexions Repository

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duncan, S. M.

2009-01-01

Since the term "learning object" was first published, there has been either an explicit or implicit expectation of reuse. There has also been a lot of speculation about why learning objects are, or are not, reused. This study quantitatively examined the actual amount and type of learning object use, to include reuse, modification, and translation,…
Factors associated to clinical learning in nursing students in primary health care: an analytical cross-sectional study

PubMed Central

Serrano-Gallardo, Pilar; Martínez-Marcos, Mercedes; Espejo-Matorrales, Flora; Arakawa, Tiemi; Magnabosco, Gabriela Tavares; Pinto, Ione Carvalho

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Objective: to identify the students' perception about the quality of clinical placements and asses the influence of the different tutoring processes in clinical learning. Methods: analytical cross-sectional study on second and third year nursing students (n=122) about clinical learning in primary health care. The Clinical Placement Evaluation Tool and a synthetic index of attitudes and skills were computed to give scores to the clinical learning (scale 0-10). Univariate, bivariate and multivariate (multiple linear regression) analyses were performed. Results: the response rate was 91.8%. The most commonly identified tutoring process was "preceptor-professor" (45.2%). The clinical placement was assessed as "optimal" by 55.1%, relationship with team-preceptor was considered good by 80.4% of the cases and the average grade for clinical learning was 7.89. The multiple linear regression model with more explanatory capacity included the variables "Academic year" (beta coefficient = 1.042 for third-year students), "Primary Health Care Area (PHC)" (beta coefficient = 0.308 for Area B) and "Clinical placement perception" (beta coefficient = - 0.204 for a suboptimal perception). Conclusions: timeframe within the academic program, location and clinical placement perception were associated with students' clinical learning. Students' perceptions of setting quality were positive and a good team-preceptor relationship is a matter of relevance. PMID:27627124
Writing objectives and evaluating learning in the affective domain.

PubMed

Maier-Lorentz, M M

1999-01-01

Staff educators recognize the importance of affective competency for effective nursing practice. Inservice programs must include affective learning with objectives stated in measurable terms. Staff educators often express frustration in developing affective objectives and evaluating the learning outcome because attitudes and feelings are usually inferred from observations. This article presents affective learning objectives for a gerontological nursing inservice program and a rating scale that measures attitudes to evaluate the learning outcome.
The effect of relations in paired-associate learning.

PubMed

Wilton, Richard N

2006-02-01

Previous studies have shown that the cued recall of paired associates is greater when one member of a pair has been apprehended as lying on the other member, as compared with the two having been apprehended as independent objects. The effect occurs when the objects have been perceived, imagined, or described in the relevant relationship. The additional thoughts hypothesis postulates that participants have more spontaneous "additional thoughts" when apprehending a pair in the relational condition. These may provide additional retrieval routes, thereby explaining the effect. In four experiments, the hypothesis was tested under conditions in which a clear unambiguous definition could be specified for an additional thought. The results showed that the greater recall in an "on" condition, as compared with an independent condition, occurs at least in part because more additional thoughts occur in the "on" condition. There was no evidence for any other contribution to the effect. It is argued that the findings question whether relations between objects play a fundamental role in the structure of memory.
Learning to learn causal models.

PubMed

Kemp, Charles; Goodman, Noah D; Tenenbaum, Joshua B

2010-09-01

Learning to understand a single causal system can be an achievement, but humans must learn about multiple causal systems over the course of a lifetime. We present a hierarchical Bayesian framework that helps to explain how learning about several causal systems can accelerate learning about systems that are subsequently encountered. Given experience with a set of objects, our framework learns a causal model for each object and a causal schema that captures commonalities among these causal models. The schema organizes the objects into categories and specifies the causal powers and characteristic features of these categories and the characteristic causal interactions between categories. A schema of this kind allows causal models for subsequent objects to be rapidly learned, and we explore this accelerated learning in four experiments. Our results confirm that humans learn rapidly about the causal powers of novel objects, and we show that our framework accounts better for our data than alternative models of causal learning. Copyright © 2010 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.
Remembering Math: The Design of Digital Learning Objects to Spark Professional Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Halverson, Richard; Wolfenstein, Moses; Williams, Caroline C.; Rockman, Charles

2009-01-01

This article describes how the design of digital learning objects can spark professional learning. The challenge was to build learning objects that would help experienced special education teachers, who had been teaching in math classes, to demonstrate their proficiency in middle and secondary school mathematics on the PRAXIS examination. While…
Collaborative Production of Learning Objects on French Literary Works Using the LOC Software

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Penman, Christine

2015-01-01

This case study situates the collaborative design of learning objects (interactive online learning material) using the LOC (Learning Object Creator) software in the context of language activities external to the core learning activities of language students at a UK university. It describes the creative and pedagogical processes leading to the…
Learning Objects and Virtual Learning Environments Technical Evaluation Criteria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kurilovas, Eugenijus; Dagiene, Valentina

2009-01-01

The main scientific problems investigated in this article deal with technical evaluation of quality attributes of the main components of e-Learning systems (referred here as DLEs--Digital Libraries of Educational Resources and Services), i.e., Learning Objects (LOs) and Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs). The main research object of the work is…
A Case Study: Developing Learning Objects with an Explicit Learning Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watson, Julie

2010-01-01

In learning object design an emphasis on visual attractiveness and high technological impact has seemed to persist while content frequently reflects a lack of clear pedagogical basis for the application of learning objects for online learning. Most apparent is the absence of supportive scaffolding for the student user; interactivity built on an…
Dopamine receptor D5 deficiency results in a selective reduction of hippocampal NMDA receptor subunit NR2B expression and impaired memory.

PubMed

Moraga-Amaro, Rodrigo; González, Hugo; Ugalde, Valentina; Donoso-Ramos, Juan Pablo; Quintana-Donoso, Daisy; Lara, Marcelo; Morales, Bernardo; Rojas, Patricio; Pacheco, Rodrigo; Stehberg, Jimmy

2016-04-01

Pharmacological evidence associates type I dopamine receptors, including subtypes D1 and D5, with learning and memory. Analyses using genetic approaches have determined the relative contribution of dopamine receptor D1 (D1R) in cognitive tasks. However, the lack of drugs that can discriminate between D1R and D5R has made the pharmacological distinction between the two receptors difficult. Here, we aimed to determine the role of D5R in learning and memory. In this study we tested D5R knockout mice and wild-type littermates in a battery of behavioral tests, including memory, attention, locomotion, anxiety and motivational evaluations. Our results show that genetic deficiency of D5R significantly impairs performance in the Morris water maze paradigm, object location and object recognition memory, indicating a relevant role for D5R in spatial memory and recognition memory. Moreover, the lack of D5R resulted in decreased exploration and locomotion. In contrast, D5R deficiency had no impact on working memory, anxiety and depressive-like behavior, measured using the spontaneous alternation, open-field, tail suspension test, and forced swimming test. Electrophysiological analyses performed on hippocampal slices showed impairment in long-term-potentiation in mice lacking D5R. Further analyses at the molecular level showed that genetic deficiency of D5R results in a strong and selective reduction in the expression of the NMDA receptor subunit NR2B in the hippocampus. These findings demonstrate the relevant contribution of D5R in memory and suggest a functional interaction of D5R with hippocampal glutamatergic pathways. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Voluntary peer-led exam preparation course for international first year students: Tutees' perceptions.

PubMed

Huhn, Daniel; Eckart, Wolfgang; Karimian-Jazi, Kianush; Amr, Ali; Herzog, Wolfgang; Nikendei, Christoph

2015-06-18

While the number of international students has increased over the last decade, such students face diverse challenges due to language and cultural barriers. International medical students suffer from personal distress and a lack of support. Their performance is significantly lower than non-international peers in clinical examinations. We investigated whether international students benefit from a peer-led exam preparation course. An exam preparation course was designed, and relevant learning objectives were defined. Two evaluations were undertaken: Using a qualitative approach, tutees (N = 10) were asked for their thoughts and comments in a semi-structured interview at the end of the semester. From a quantitative perspective, all participants (N = 22) were asked to complete questionnaires at the end of each course session. International students reported a range of significant benefits from the course as they prepared for upcoming exams. They benefited from technical and didactic, as well as social learning experiences. They also considered aspects of the tutorial's framework helpful. Social and cognitive congruence seem to be the key factors to success within international medical students' education. If tutors have a migration background, they can operate as authentic role models. Furthermore, because they are still students themselves, they can offer support using relevant and understandable language.
Radiology Undergraduate and Resident Curricula: A Narrative Review of the Literature

PubMed Central

Linaker, Kathleen L.

2015-01-01

Objective The purpose of this study was to examine the literature regarding radiology curricula for both undergraduates and residents. Methods A review of the literature was performed using relevant key words. Articles were retrieved through December 2012 using PubMed, ScienceDirect, ERIC, Proquest, and ICL databases along with a manual review of references. Results Of the 4716 unique abstracts reviewed by the author, 142 were found to be relevant to the purpose of this study. Undergraduate radiology education, radiology curriculum, and radiology pedagogy vary widely between disciplines and between colleges within disciplines. Formal radiology education is not taught at all medical programs and little radiology training is incorporated into non-radiology residencies. This results in some medical graduates not being taught how to interpret basic radiology images and not learning contraindications and indications for ordering diagnostic imaging tests. There are no definitive studies examining how to incorporate radiology into the curriculum, how to teach radiology to either undergraduates or residents, or how to assess this clinical competency. Conclusions This review shows that radiology education is perceived to be important in undergraduate and residency programs. However, some programs do not include radiology training, thus graduates from those programs do not learn radiology essentials. PMID:26770172

A National Survey on the Use of Immersive Simulation for Interprofessional Education in Physical Therapist Education Programs.

PubMed

Stockert, Brad; Ohtake, Patricia J

2017-10-01

There is growing recognition that collaborative practice among healthcare professionals is associated with improved patient outcomes and enhanced team functioning, but development of collaborative practitioners requires interprofessional education (IPE). Immersive simulation, a clinically relevant experience that deeply engages the learner in realistic clinical environments, is used increasingly for IPE. The purpose of this study was to assess the use of immersive simulation as a strategy for IPE in physical therapist (PT) education programs. During fall 2014 and spring 2015, we contacted all 214 Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education accredited PT education programs in the United States and invited a faculty member to participate in our online survey. One hundred fourteen PT programs responded (53% response rate). Eighty responding programs (70%) identified themselves as users of immersive simulation, and 45 programs (39%) used simulation for IPE. Of these 45 programs, more than 90% included Interprofessional Education Collaborative competency learning objectives of roles/responsibilities, interprofessional communication, and teams/teamwork and 51% reported learning objectives for values/ethics for interprofessional practice. Interprofessional simulations with PT students commonly included nursing (91%). In programs using immersive simulation for IPE, 91% included debriefing and 51% included debriefing by interprofessional teams. Eighty accredited PT programs (70%) that responded to the survey use immersive simulation, and 45 programs (39%) use simulation for IPE. Most programs conduct simulations consistent with recognized best practice, including debriefing and Interprofessional Education Collaborative competency learning objectives for promoting interprofessional collaborative practice. We anticipate an increase in the use of immersive simulation for IPE as an educational strategy to comply with the revised Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education accreditation standards related to interprofessional collaborative practice that will become effective on January 1, 2018.
Implementation of formal learning objectives during a physical medicine and rehabilitation sports medicine rotation.

PubMed

Smith, Jay; Laskowski, Edward R; Newcomer-Aney, Karen L; Thompson, Jeffrey M; Schaefer, Michael P; Morfe, Erasmus G

2005-04-01

To develop and implement formal learning objectives during a physical medicine and rehabilitation sports medicine rotation and characterize resident experiences with the objectives over a 16-mo period. Prospective, including learning objective development, implementation, and postrotation survey. A total of 69 learning objectives were developed by physical medicine and rehabilitation staff physician consensus, including 39 core objectives. Eighteen residents completed 4-wk sports medicine rotations from January 2003 through April 2004. Residents completed an average of 31 total objectives (45%; range, 3-52), of which 24 (62%; range, 3-35) were core. Residents completed the highest percentage of knee (60%), shoulder (57%), and ankle-foot (57%) objectives and reported that objectives related to these areas were most effective to facilitate learning. In general, residents reported that objective content was good and that the objectives delineated important concepts to learn during the rotation. Seventeen of 18 residents indicated that the objectives should be permanently implemented into the sports rotation and that similar objectives should be developed for other rotations. Based on our experience and the recommendations of residents, the average resident should be able to complete approximately 30 objectives during a typical 4-wk rotation. Successful implementation of specific, consensus-derived learning objectives is possible within the context of a busy clinical practice. Our initial physician staff and resident experience with the objectives suggests that this model may be useful as a supplementary educational tool in physical medicine and rehabilitation residency programs.
Long-term knowledge acquisition using contextual information in a memory-inspired robot architecture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pratama, Ferdian; Mastrogiovanni, Fulvio; Lee, Soon Geul; Chong, Nak Young

2017-03-01

In this paper, we present a novel cognitive framework allowing a robot to form memories of relevant traits of its perceptions and to recall them when necessary. The framework is based on two main principles: on the one hand, we propose an architecture inspired by current knowledge in human memory organisation; on the other hand, we integrate such an architecture with the notion of context, which is used to modulate the knowledge acquisition process when consolidating memories and forming new ones, as well as with the notion of familiarity, which is employed to retrieve proper memories given relevant cues. Although much research has been carried out, which exploits Machine Learning approaches to provide robots with internal models of their environment (including objects and occurring events therein), we argue that such approaches may not be the right direction to follow if a long-term, continuous knowledge acquisition is to be achieved. As a case study scenario, we focus on both robot-environment and human-robot interaction processes. In case of robot-environment interaction, a robot performs pick and place movements using the objects in the workspace, at the same time observing their displacement on a table in front of it, and progressively forms memories defined as relevant cues (e.g. colour, shape or relative position) in a context-aware fashion. As far as human-robot interaction is concerned, the robot can recall specific snapshots representing past events using both sensory information and contextual cues upon request by humans.
Competency standards for newly graduated prosthetist/orthotists in Sweden.

PubMed

Ramstrand, Nerrolyn; Ramstrand, Simon

2018-05-01

There are currently no national competency standards upon which to develop educational objectives for prosthetist/orthotists in Sweden. While standards have been developed in other countries, they cannot be applied without confirming their relevance in a Swedish context. To describe and obtain consensus on core competencies required for newly graduated prosthetist/orthotists in Sweden. Modified Delphi process. A modified Delphi technique was carried out. Focus groups were initially used to identify core competency domains. Two consecutive questionnaires, containing a list of potential competency items, were sent to a group of stakeholders with ties to the prosthetic and orthotic profession. Stakeholders were requested to rate their level of agreement with each competency item and provide written comments. Finally, two focus groups were conducted to obtain feedback on the draft competency standards. Forty-four competency items, listed under five key domains of practice, were identified as essential for newly graduated prosthetist/orthotists in Sweden. Many similarities exist in core competency descriptions for prosthetist/orthotists in Sweden when compared to other countries. Regional differences do however exist, and it is important to confirm the relevance of core competency items at a national level before they are applied. Clinical relevance Competency standards developed in this study can be used to guide development of learning objectives within an undergraduate prosthetic and orthotic program, provide a framework for workforce development, assist professional organizations in understanding the needs of their members, and prepare for international accreditation.
Not just another multi-professional course! Part 1. Rationale for a transformative curriculum.

PubMed

Duncan, Madeleine; Alperstein, Melanie; Mayers, Pat; Olckers, Lorna; Gibbs, Trevor

2006-02-01

Undergraduate inter- and multi-professional education has traditionally aimed to develop health professionals who are able to collaborate effectively in comprehensive healthcare delivery. The respective professions learn from and about each other through comparisons of roles, responsibilities, powers, duties and perspectives in order to promote integrated service. Described here is the educational rationale of a multi-professional course with a difference; one that injects value to undergraduate health professional education through the development of critical cross-field knowledge, skills and attitudes that unite rather than differentiate professions. The aim of this course, offered at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, is to lay an integrated, pan-professional foundation for the advancement of collective commitment to and understanding of national health and social development objectives such as primary health care, human rights and professionalism. Pan-professional refers to curriculum content that is core and of critical relevance to all participating professions. What is learned, how it is learned, how learning is facilitated and how it is applied, has been co-constructed by a multi-professional design team representing a range of health professions (audiology, medicine, occupational therapy, nursing, physiotherapy and speech therapy) and academic disciplines (anthropology, sociology, psychology, history, African studies and social development, information technology and language literacy). Education specialists facilitate the ongoing design process ensuring that the structure and content of the curriculum complies with contemporary adult learning principles and national higher education imperatives. Designing the original curriculum required the deconstruction of intra-professional and disciplinary canons of knowledge and ways of 'doing things' in order to identify and develop shared interpretations of critical epistemology and axiology for health professional practice in the South African context. This enabled the alignment of the learning objectives, at first year level, of all the represented professions. The educational rationale guiding the curriculum design process is discussed in Part 1 of two articles. Part 2 describes the 'nuts and bolts' or practicalities of the curriculum design process.
Trend of E-Learning: The Service Mashup

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yen, Neil Y.; Shih, Timothy K.; Jin, Qun; Hsu, Hui-Huang; Chao, Louis R.

2010-01-01

With the improvement of internet technologies and multimedia resources, traditional learning has been replaced by distance learning, web-based learning or others' e-learning learning styles. According to distance learning, there are many research organizations and companies who make efforts in developing the relevant systems. But they lack…
The gap between medical faculty’s perceptions and use of e-learning resources

PubMed Central

Kim, Kyong-Jee; Kang, Youngjoon; Kim, Giwoon

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Background: e-Learning resources have become increasingly popular in medical education; however, there has been scant research on faculty perceptions and use of these resources. Objective: To investigate medical faculty’s use of e-learning resources and to draw on practical implications for fostering their use of such resources. Design: Approximately 500 full-time faculty members in 35 medical schools across the nation in South Korea were invited to participate in a 30-item questionnaire on their perceptions and use of e-learning resources in medical education. The questionnaires were distributed in both online and paper formats. Descriptive analysis and reliability analysis were conducted of the data. Results: Eighty faculty members from 28 medical schools returned the questionnaires. Twenty-two percent of respondents were female and 78% were male, and their rank, disciplines, and years of teaching experience all varied. Participants had positive perceptions of e-learning resources in terms of usefulness for student learning and usability; still, only 39% of them incorporated those resources in their teaching. The most frequently selected reasons for not using e-learning resources in their teaching were ‘lack of resources relevant to my lectures,’ ‘lack of time to use them during lectures,’ and ‘was not aware of their availability.’ Conclusions: Our study indicates a gap between medical faculty’s positive perceptions of e-learning resources and their low use of such resources. Our findings highlight the needs for further study of individual and institutional barriers to faculty adoption of e-learning resources to bridge this gap. PMID:28621242
Student nurse dyads create a community of learning: proposing a holistic clinical education theory.

PubMed

Ruth-Sahd, Lisa A

2011-11-01

This paper is a report of a qualitative study of students' experiences of cooperative learning in the clinical setting. Although cooperative learning is often used successfully in the classroom, it has not been documented in the clinical setting with sophomore nursing students being paired with other sophomore nursing students. Using a grounded theory methodology a sample of 64 participants (32 student nurse dyads, eight clinical groups, in two different acute care institutions) were observed on their first day in the clinical setting while working as cooperative partners. Interviews were also conducted with students, patients and staff preceptors. Data were collected in the fall of 2008, spring and fall of 2009 and the spring of 2010 using semi-structured interviews and reflective surveys. Data were analysed using the constant comparative method. A holistic clinical education theory for student nurses was identified from the data. This theory includes a reciprocal relationship among five categories relevant to a community of learning: supportive clinical experience; improved transition into practice; enhanced socialization into the profession; increased accountability and responsibility; and emergence of self-confidence as a beginning student nurse. The use of student dyads creates a supportive learning environment while students were able to meet the clinical learning objectives. Cooperative learning in the clinical setting creates a community of learning while instilling very early in the education process the importance of teamwork. This approach to clinical instruction eases the transition from the classroom to the clinical learning environment, and improves patient outcomes. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Applying interprofessional Team-Based Learning in patient safety: a pilot evaluation study.

PubMed

Lochner, Lukas; Girardi, Sandra; Pavcovich, Alessandra; Meier, Horand; Mantovan, Franco; Ausserhofer, Dietmar

2018-03-27

Interprofessional education (IPE) interventions are not always successful in achieving learning outcomes. Team-Based Learning (TBL) would appear to be a suitable pedagogical method for IPE, as it focuses on team performance; however, little is known about interprofessional TBL as an instructional framework for patient safety. In this pilot-study, we aimed to (1) describe participants' reactions to TBL, (2) observe their achievement with respect to interprofessional education learning objectives, and (3) document their attitudinal shifts with regard to patient safety behaviours. We developed and implemented a three-day course for pre-qualifying, non-medical healthcare students to give instruction on non-technical skills related to 'learning from errors'. The course consisted of three sequential modules: 'Recognizing Errors', 'Analysing Errors', and 'Reporting Errors'. The evaluation took place within a quasi-experimental pre-test-post-test study design. Participants completed self-assessments through valid and reliable instruments such as the Mennenga's TBL Student Assessment Instrument and the University of the West of England's Interprofessional Questionnaire. The mean scores of the individual readiness assurance tests were compared with the scores of the group readiness assurance test in order to explore if students learned from each other during group discussions. Data was analysed using descriptive (i.e. mean, standard deviation), parametric (i.e. paired t-test), and non-parametric (i.e. Wilcoxon signed-rank test) methods. Thirty-nine students from five different bachelor's programs attended the course. The participants positively rated TBL as an instructional approach. All teams outperformed the mean score of their individual members during the readiness assurance process. We observed significant improvements in 'communication and teamwork' and 'interprofessional learning' but not in 'interprofessional interaction' and 'interprofessional relationships.' Findings on safety attitudes and behaviours were mixed. TBL was well received by the students. Our first findings indicate that interprofessional TBL seems to be a promising pedagogical method to achieve patient safety learning objectives. It is crucial to develop relevant clinical cases that involve all professions. Further research with larger sample sizes (e.g. including medical students) and more rigorous study designs (e.g. pre-test post-test with a control group) is needed to confirm our preliminary findings.
An Investigation into Digital Media: Characteristics of Learning Objects Which K-12 Teachers Determine Meet Their Instructional Needs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guthrie, Patricia Ann

2010-01-01

In recent years, learning objects have emerged as an instructional tool for teachers. Digital libraries and collections provide teachers with free or fee-base access to a variety of learning objects from photos and famous speeches to Flash animations and interactive Java Applets. Learning objects offer opportunities for students to interact with…
Inquiry-Based Learning Using Everyday Objects: Hands-On Instructional Strategies That Promote Active Learning in Grades 3-8.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alvarado, Amy Edmonds; Herr, Patricia R.

This book explores the concept of using everyday objects as a process initiated both by students and teachers, encouraging growth in student observation, inquisitiveness, and reflection in learning. After "Introduction: Welcome to Inquiry-Based Learning using Everyday Objects (Object-Based Inquiry), there are nine chapters in two parts. Part 1,…
The Role of Reader Characteristics in Processing and Learning from Informational Text

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fox, Emily

2009-01-01

This article considers the role of reader characteristics in processing and learning from informational text, as revealed in think-aloud research. A theoretical framework for relevant aspects of readers' processing and products was developed. These relevant aspects included three attentional foci for processing (comprehension, monitoring, and…
Integration of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy into the Science Learning Progression Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bernardo, Cyntra

2017-01-01

This study integrated elements of culturally relevant pedagogy into a science learning progression framework, with the goal of enhancing teachers' cultural knowledge and thereby creating better teaching practices in an urban public high school science classroom. The study was conducted using teachers, an administrator, a science coach, and…
Creating Culturally Relevant Instructional Materials: A Swaziland Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Titone, Connie; Plummer, Emily C.; Kielar, Melissa A.

2012-01-01

In the field of English language learning, research proves that culturally relevant reading materials improve students' language acquisition, learning motivation, self-esteem, and identity formation. Since English is the language of instruction in many distant countries, such as Swaziland, even when English is not the native language of those…
Creativity and Learning: What Research Says to the Teacher.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hennessey, Beth A.; Amabile, Teresa M.

The pamphlet reviews research on creativity and applies it to the learning process. After discussing the definition and measurement of creativity, the components of creative performance are outlined, including domain-relevant skills, creativity-relevant skills, and intrinsic task motivation. Factors which destroy students' creativity are noted,…
Competition between multiple words for a referent in cross-situational word learning

PubMed Central

Benitez, Viridiana L.; Yurovsky, Daniel; Smith, Linda B.

2016-01-01

Three experiments investigated competition between word-object pairings in a cross-situational word-learning paradigm. Adults were presented with One-Word pairings, where a single word labeled a single object, and Two-Word pairings, where two words labeled a single object. In addition to measuring learning of these two pairing types, we measured competition between words that refer to the same object. When the word-object co-occurrences were presented intermixed in training (Experiment 1), we found evidence for direct competition between words that label the same referent. Separating the two words for an object in time eliminated any evidence for this competition (Experiment 2). Experiment 3 demonstrated that adding a linguistic cue to the second label for a referent led to different competition effects between adults who self-reported different language learning histories, suggesting both distinctiveness and language learning history affect competition. Finally, in all experiments, competition effects were unrelated to participants’ explicit judgments of learning, suggesting that competition reflects the operating characteristics of implicit learning processes. Together, these results demonstrate that the role of competition between overlapping associations in statistical word-referent learning depends on time, the distinctiveness of word-object pairings, and language learning history. PMID:27087742
The Analysis of the Relationship between Primary Learning Styles and Learning Objects in an Online Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Özdemir, Muzaffer

2016-01-01

This study investigates the relationships between the primary learning styles of students and different learning objects presented simultaneously in an online learning environment in the context of the usage levels of these objects. A total of 103 sophomores from a Turkish State University participated in the study. Felder-Solomon Index of…
Building Interoperable Learning Objects Using Reduced Learning Object Metadata

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saleh, Mostafa S.

2005-01-01

The new e-learning generation depends on Semantic Web technology to produce learning objects. As the production of these components is very costly, they should be produced and registered once, and reused and adapted in the same context or in other contexts as often as possible. To produce those components, developers should use learning standards…
PKBγ/AKT3 loss-of-function causes learning and memory deficits and deregulation of AKT/mTORC2 signaling: Relevance for schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Floyd, Kirsten; Law, Amanda J.

2017-01-01

Psychiatric genetic studies have identified genome-wide significant loci for schizophrenia. The AKT3/1q44 locus is a principal risk region and gene-network analyses identify AKT3 polymorphisms as a constituent of several neurobiological pathways relevant to psychiatric risk; the neurobiological mechanisms remain unknown. AKT3 shows prenatal enrichment during human neocortical development and recurrent copy number variations involving the 1q43-44 locus are associated with cortical malformations and intellectual disability, implicating an essential role in early brain development. Here, we investigated the role of AKT3 as it relates to aspects of learning and memory and behavioral function, relevant to schizophrenia and cognitive disability, utilizing a novel murine model of Akt3 genetic deficiency. Akt3 heterozygous (Akt3-/+) or null mice (Akt3-/-) were assessed in a comprehensive test battery. Brain biochemical studies were conducted to assess the impact of Akt3 deficiency on cortical Akt/mTOR signaling. Akt3-/+ and Akt3-/- mice exhibited selective deficits of temporal order discrimination and spatial memory, tasks critically dependent on intact prefrontal-hippocampal circuitry, but showed normal prepulse inhibition, fear conditioned learning, memory for novel objects and social function. Akt3 loss-of-function, reduced brain size and dramatically impaired cortical Akt Ser473 activation in an allele-dose dependent manner. Such changes were observed in the absence of altered Akt1 or Akt2 protein expression. Concomitant reduction of the mTORC2 complex proteins, Rictor and Sin1 identifies a potential mechanism. Our findings provide novel insight into the neurodevelopmental role of Akt3, identify a non-redundant role for Akt3 in the development of prefrontal cortical-mediated cognitive function and show that Akt3 is potentially the dominant regulator of AKT/mTOR signaling in brain. PMID:28467426
Creating Personal Meaning through Technology-Supported Science Inquiry Learning across Formal and Informal Settings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anastopoulou, Stamatina; Sharples, Mike; Ainsworth, Shaaron; Crook, Charles; O'Malley, Claire; Wright, Michael

2012-01-01

In this paper, a novel approach to engaging students in personal inquiry learning is described, whereby they carry out scientific investigations that are personally meaningful and relevant to their everyday lives. The learners are supported by software that guides the inquiry process, extending from the classroom into the school grounds, home, or outdoors. We report on a case study of personal inquiry learning with 28 high school students on the topic of healthy eating. An analysis of how the personal inquiry was enacted in the classroom and at home, based on issues identified from a study of interviews with the students and their teacher, is provided. The outcomes showed that students were alerted to challenges associated with fieldwork and how they responded to the uncertainty and challenge of an open investigation. The study, moreover, raised an unexpected difficulty for researchers of finding the 'sweet spot' between scientifically objective but unengaging inquiry topics, and ones that are personally meaningful but potentially embarrassing. Implications for further research are shaped around ways of overcoming this difficulty.

Comparison of the perceived relevance of oral biology reported by students and interns of a Pakistani dental college.

PubMed

Farooq, I; Ali, S

2014-11-01

The purpose of this study was to analyse and compare the perceived relevance of oral biology with dentistry as reported by dental students and interns and to investigate the most popular teaching approach and learning resource. A questionnaire aiming to ask about the relevance of oral biology to dentistry, most popular teaching method and learning resource was utilised in this study. Study groups encompassed second-year dental students who had completed their course and dental interns. The data were obtained and analysed statistically. The overall response rate for both groups was 60%. Both groups reported high relevance of oral biology to dentistry. Perception of dental interns regarding the relevance of oral biology to dentistry was higher than that of students. Both groups identified student presentations as the most important teaching method. Amongst the most important learning resources, textbooks were considered most imperative by interns, whereas lecture handouts received the highest importance score by students. Dental students and interns considered oral biology to be relevant to dentistry, although greater relevance was reported by interns. Year-wise advancement in dental education and training improves the perception of the students about the relevance of oral biology to dentistry. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Credit assignment between body and object probed by an object transportation task.

PubMed

Kong, Gaiqing; Zhou, Zhihao; Wang, Qining; Kording, Konrad; Wei, Kunlin

2017-10-17

It has been proposed that learning from movement errors involves a credit assignment problem: did I misestimate properties of the object or those of my body? For example, an overestimate of arm strength and an underestimate of the weight of a coffee cup can both lead to coffee spills. Though previous studies have found signs of simultaneous learning of the object and of the body during object manipulation, there is little behavioral evidence about their quantitative relation. Here we employed a novel weight-transportation task, in which participants lift the first cup filled with liquid while assessing their learning from errors. Specifically, we examined their transfer of learning when switching to a contralateral hand, the second identical cup, or switching both hands and cups. By comparing these transfer behaviors, we found that 25% of the learning was attributed to the object (simply because of the use of the same cup) and 58% of the learning was attributed to the body (simply because of the use of the same hand). The nervous system thus seems to partition the learning of object manipulation between the object and the body.
Effects of learning content in context on knowledge acquisition and recall: a pretest-posttest control group design.

PubMed

Bergman, Esther M; de Bruin, Anique B H; Vorstenbosch, Marc A T M; Kooloos, Jan G M; Puts, Ghita C W M; Leppink, Jimmie; Scherpbier, Albert J J A; van der Vleuten, Cees P M

2015-08-15

It is generally assumed that learning in context increases performance. This study investigates the relationship between the characteristics of a paper-patient context (relevance and familiarity), the mechanisms through which the cognitive dimension of context could improve learning (activation of prior knowledge, elaboration and increasing retrieval cues), and test performance. A total of 145 medical students completed a pretest of 40 questions, of which half were with a patient vignette. One week later, they studied musculoskeletal anatomy in the dissection room without a paper-patient context (control group) or with (ir)relevant-(un)familiar context (experimental groups), and completed a cognitive load scale. Following a short delay, the students completed a posttest. Surprisingly, our results show that students who studied in context did not perform better than students who studied without context. This finding may be explained by an interaction of the participants' expertise level, the nature of anatomical knowledge and students' approaches to learning. A relevant-familiar context only reduced the negative effect of learning the content in context. Our results suggest discouraging the introduction of an uncommon disease to illustrate a basic science concept. Higher self-perceived learning scores predict higher performance. Interestingly, students performed significantly better on the questions with context in both tests, possibly due to a 'framing effect'. Since studies focusing on the physical and affective dimensions of context have also failed to find a positive influence of learning in a clinically relevant context, further research seems necessary to refine our theories around the role of context in learning.
Preceptors’ Self-Assessment of Their Ability to Perform the Learning Objectives of an Experiential Program

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Objective. To evaluate preceptors’ perception of their ability to perform the Structured Practical Experiences in Pharmacy (SPEP) learning objectives through a self-assessment activity. Methods. A self-assessment instrument consisting of 28 learning objectives associated with clinic, community, and hospital pharmacy practice experiences were developed. Preceptors rated their performance ability for each of the learning objectives using a 3-point Likert scale. Results. Of the 116 preceptors, 89 (77%) completed the self-assessment survey instrument. The overall preceptor responses to the items on performance of the 28 SPEP learning objectives ranged from good to excellent. Years of experience, practice experience setting, and involvement as a SPEP or SPEP and PharmD preceptor had no influence on their self-reported capabilities. Conclusion. Most preceptors rated their ability to perform the learning objectives for the structured practical experiences in pharmacy as high. Competency areas requiring further preceptor development were identified. PMID:23193333
Languages and the Transfer of Skills: The Relevance of Language Learning for 21st Century Graduates in the World of Work. HEVOCAL Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

King, Anny, Ed.

This book provides a description and synthesis of a range of relevant practice and offers a framework for making language learning more relevant for new generations of practice. It is intended as a contribution to the debate about the purposes of language studies in higher education in the 21st century. The book is divided into five parts and 15…
Preparing College Students to Teach an Environmental Problem Solving Curriculum to Middle School Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Powers, S. E.

2001-12-01

An NSF-funded project-based program was implemented by Clarkson University in 2000 to increase the interest and knowledge of middle school students in science, math and technology through the solution of an environmental problem that is relevant to their local school community. Clarkson students developed curricula for 7th and 8th grade science and technology classes and then worked with the middle school students throughout the year to reduce to transform solid waste into healthy soil for plant growth. The solution to this problem provided a vehicle to teach fundamental science and math content as well as the process of doing science and solving problems. Placing college science and engineering students in the classroom proved to be a great mechanism for engaging students in science topics and providing mentoring experiences that differ greatly from those that a practicing professional can provide. It is clear, however, that the students must be well prepared for this experience to maximize the benefits of university - school district partnership programs. The objective of this presentation will be to describe the training program that has been developed to prepare Clarkson students to work effectively in middle school classrooms. The Clarkson students are trained for their classroom experiences during the summer before they enter the classroom. They receive three credits for the training, curriculum development, and teaching efforts. It is expected that the students have the necessary background in science and technology to teach themselves the content and environmental relevance of the problem they will be teaching. Lectures and workshops focus on how to transform this knowledge into a project-based curriculum that meets the needs of the teachers, while also exciting the students. Lecture/workshops include: team work; components of an effective class and teacher; project planning and management; problem solving process; inquiry based learning, deductive/inductive learning; creating unit/lesson plan; defining learning objectives; incorporating mentoring into program; NYS standards and science exam; and, assessment techniques. Journals are used to encourage the fellows to reflect on their learning and own educational experiences. An evaluation of the program by both Clarkson students and their partner teachers indicated that this training was appropriate for the students to enter the classroom as professional scientists and engineers. Their classroom interaction skills improved throughout the year.
Participative Knowledge Production of Learning Objects for E-Books.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dodero, Juan Manuel; Aedo, Ignacio; Diaz, Paloma

2002-01-01

Defines a learning object as any digital resource that can be reused to support learning and thus considers electronic books as learning objects. Highlights include knowledge management; participative knowledge production, i.e. authoring electronic books by a distributed group of authors; participative knowledge production architecture; and…
High engagement, high quality: A guiding framework for developing empirically informed asynchronous e-learning programs for health professional educators.

PubMed

Sinclair, Peter M; Levett-Jones, Tracey; Morris, Amanda; Carter, Ben; Bennett, Paul N; Kable, Ashley

2017-03-01

E-learning involves the transfer of skills and knowledge via technology so that learners can access meaningful and authentic educational materials. While learner engagement is important, in the context of healthcare education, pedagogy must not be sacrificed for edu-tainment style instructional design. Consequently, health professional educators need to be competent in the use of current web-based educational technologies so that learners are able to access relevant and engaging e-learning materials without restriction. The increasing popularity of asynchronous e-learning programs developed for use outside of formal education institutions has made this need more relevant. In these contexts, educators must balance design and functionality to deliver relevant, cost-effective, sustainable, and accessible programs that overcome scheduling and geographic barriers for learners. This paper presents 10 guiding design principles and their application in the development of an e-learning program for general practice nurses focused on behavior change. Consideration of these principles will assist educators to develop high quality, pedagogically sound, engaging, and interactive e-learning resources. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.
Competency-based learning in an ambulatory care setting: Implementation of simulation training in the Ambulatory Care Rotation during the final year of the MaReCuM model curriculum.

PubMed

Dusch, Martin; Narciß, Elisabeth; Strohmer, Renate; Schüttpelz-Brauns, Katrin

2018-01-01

Aim: As part of the MaReCuM model curriculum at Medical Faculty Mannheim Heidelberg University, a final year rotation in ambulatory care was implemented and augmented to include ambulatory care simulation. In this paper we describe this ambulatory care simulation, the designated competency-based learning objectives, and evaluate the educational effect of the ambulatory care simulation training. Method: Seventy-five final year medical students participated in the survey (response rate: 83%). The control group completed the ambulatory rotation prior to the implementation of the ambulatory care simulation. The experimental group was required to participate in the simulation at the beginning of the final year rotation in ambulatory care. A survey of both groups was conducted at the beginning and at the end of the rotation. The learning objectives were taken from the National Competency-based Catalogue of Learning Objectives for Undergraduate Medical Education (NKLM). Results: The ambulatory care simulation had no measurable influence on students' subjectively perceived learning progress, the evaluation of the ambulatory care rotation, or working in an ambulatory care setting. At the end of the rotation participants in both groups reported having gained better insight into treating outpatients. At the beginning of the rotation members of both groups assessed their competencies to be at the same level. The simulated ambulatory scenarios were evaluated by the participating students as being well structured and easy to understand. The scenarios successfully created a sense of time pressure for those confronted with them. The ability to correctly fill out a narcotic prescription form as required was rated significantly higher by those who participated in the simulation. Participation in the ambulatory care simulation had no effect on the other competencies covered by the survey. Discussion: The effect of the four instructional units comprising the ambulatory care simulation was not measurable due to the current form or the measurement point at the end of the 12-week rotation. The reasons for this could be the many and statistically elusive factors relevant to the individual and the wide variety among final year rotation placements, the late point in time of the final survey, and the selection of simulated scenarios. The course is slated to undergo specific further development and should be supplemented with additional learning opportunities to ensure that the main learning objectives are covered. The description of the teaching format is meant to contribute to the ongoing development of medical education with an emphasis on competency in the areas of ambulatory care, communication, prevention and health promotion.
Personalized Learning Objects Recommendation Based on the Semantic-Aware Discovery and the Learner Preference Pattern

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Tzone I; Tsai, Kun Hua; Lee, Ming Che; Chiu, Ti Kai

2007-01-01

With vigorous development of the Internet, especially the web page interaction technology, distant E-learning has become more and more realistic and popular. Digital courses may consist of many learning units or learning objects and, currently, many learning objects are created according to SCORM standard. It can be seen that, in the near future,…
Learning Object Retrieval and Aggregation Based on Learning Styles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ramirez-Arellano, Aldo; Bory-Reyes, Juan; Hernández-Simón, Luis Manuel

2017-01-01

The main goal of this article is to develop a Management System for Merging Learning Objects (msMLO), which offers an approach that retrieves learning objects (LOs) based on students' learning styles and term-based queries, which produces a new outcome with a better score. The msMLO faces the task of retrieving LOs via two steps: The first step…
Historical maintenance relevant information road-map for a self-learning maintenance prediction procedural approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morales, Francisco J.; Reyes, Antonio; Cáceres, Noelia; Romero, Luis M.; Benitez, Francisco G.; Morgado, Joao; Duarte, Emanuel; Martins, Teresa

2017-09-01

A large percentage of transport infrastructures are composed of linear assets, such as roads and rail tracks. The large social and economic relevance of these constructions force the stakeholders to ensure a prolonged health/durability. Even though, inevitable malfunctioning, breaking down, and out-of-service periods arise randomly during the life cycle of the infrastructure. Predictive maintenance techniques tend to diminish the appearance of unpredicted failures and the execution of needed corrective interventions, envisaging the adequate interventions to be conducted before failures show up. This communication presents: i) A procedural approach, to be conducted, in order to collect the relevant information regarding the evolving state condition of the assets involved in all maintenance interventions; this reported and stored information constitutes a rich historical data base to train Machine Learning algorithms in order to generate reliable predictions of the interventions to be carried out in further time scenarios. ii) A schematic flow chart of the automatic learning procedure. iii) Self-learning rules from automatic learning from false positive/negatives. The description, testing, automatic learning approach and the outcomes of a pilot case are presented; finally some conclusions are outlined regarding the methodology proposed for improving the self-learning predictive capability.
Supervised Variational Relevance Learning, An Analytic Geometric Feature Selection with Applications to Omic Datasets.

PubMed

Boareto, Marcelo; Cesar, Jonatas; Leite, Vitor B P; Caticha, Nestor

2015-01-01

We introduce Supervised Variational Relevance Learning (Suvrel), a variational method to determine metric tensors to define distance based similarity in pattern classification, inspired in relevance learning. The variational method is applied to a cost function that penalizes large intraclass distances and favors small interclass distances. We find analytically the metric tensor that minimizes the cost function. Preprocessing the patterns by doing linear transformations using the metric tensor yields a dataset which can be more efficiently classified. We test our methods using publicly available datasets, for some standard classifiers. Among these datasets, two were tested by the MAQC-II project and, even without the use of further preprocessing, our results improve on their performance.
Learning Objects--Instructional Metadata and Sequencing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Redeker, Giselher

The main focus of current discussions within the standardization process of learning technology is on economical opportunities and technical aspects of learning objects. There has been little discussion about the instructional or didactical issues. The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize a taxonomy of learning objects for the facilitation of…
The International Learning Object Metadata Survey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Friesen, Norm

2004-01-01

A wide range of projects and organizations is currently making digital learning resources (learning objects) available to instructors, students, and designers via systematic, standards-based infrastructures. One standard that is central to many of these efforts and infrastructures is known as Learning Object Metadata (IEEE 1484.12.1-2002, or LOM).…
Learning the 3-D structure of objects from 2-D views depends on shape, not format

PubMed Central

Tian, Moqian; Yamins, Daniel; Grill-Spector, Kalanit

2016-01-01

Humans can learn to recognize new objects just from observing example views. However, it is unknown what structural information enables this learning. To address this question, we manipulated the amount of structural information given to subjects during unsupervised learning by varying the format of the trained views. We then tested how format affected participants' ability to discriminate similar objects across views that were rotated 90° apart. We found that, after training, participants' performance increased and generalized to new views in the same format. Surprisingly, the improvement was similar across line drawings, shape from shading, and shape from shading + stereo even though the latter two formats provide richer depth information compared to line drawings. In contrast, participants' improvement was significantly lower when training used silhouettes, suggesting that silhouettes do not have enough information to generate a robust 3-D structure. To test whether the learned object representations were format-specific or format-invariant, we examined if learning novel objects from example views transfers across formats. We found that learning objects from example line drawings transferred to shape from shading and vice versa. These results have important implications for theories of object recognition because they suggest that (a) learning the 3-D structure of objects does not require rich structural cues during training as long as shape information of internal and external features is provided and (b) learning generates shape-based object representations independent of the training format. PMID:27153196
Obstacle detection by recognizing binary expansion patterns

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baram, Yoram; Barniv, Yair

1993-01-01

This paper describes a technique for obstacle detection, based on the expansion of the image-plane projection of a textured object, as its distance from the sensor decreases. Information is conveyed by vectors whose components represent first-order temporal and spatial derivatives of the image intensity, which are related to the time to collision through the local divergence. Such vectors may be characterized as patterns corresponding to 'safe' or 'dangerous' situations. We show that essential information is conveyed by single-bit vector components, representing the signs of the relevant derivatives. We use two recently developed, high capacity classifiers, employing neural learning techniques, to recognize the imminence of collision from such patterns.
Identifying a clinical signature of suicidality among patients with mood disorders: a pilot study using a machine learning approach

PubMed Central

Passos, Ives Cavalcante; Mwangi, Benson; Cao, Bo; Hamilton, Jane E; Wu, Mon-Ju; Zhang, Xiang Yang; Zunta-Soares, Giovana B.; Quevedo, Joao; Kauer-Sant'Anna, Marcia; Kapczinski, Flávio; Soares, Jair C.

2016-01-01

Objective A growing body of evidence has put forward clinical risk factors associated with patients with mood disorders that attempt suicide. However, what is not known is how to integrate clinical variables into a clinically useful tool in order to estimate the probability of an individual patient attempting suicide. Method A total of 144 patients with mood disorders were included. Clinical variables associated with suicide attempts among patients with mood disorders and demographic variables were used to ‘train’ a machine learning algorithm. The resulting algorithm was utilized in identifying novel or ‘unseen’ individual subjects as either suicide attempters or non-attempters. Three machine learning algorithms were implemented and evaluated. Results All algorithms distinguished individual suicide attempters from non-attempters with prediction accuracy ranging between 65%-72% (p<0.05). In particular, the relevance vector machine (RVM) algorithm correctly predicted 103 out of 144 subjects translating into 72% accuracy (72.1% sensitivity and 71.3% specificity) and an area under the curve of 0.77 (p<0.0001). The most relevant predictor variables in distinguishing attempters from non-attempters included previous hospitalizations for depression, a history of psychosis, cocaine dependence and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) comorbidity. Conclusion Risk for suicide attempt among patients with mood disorders can be estimated at an individual subject level by incorporating both demographic and clinical variables. Future studies should examine the performance of this model in other populations and its subsequent utility in facilitating selection of interventions to prevent suicide. PMID:26773901
Activity and Participation Characteristics of Adults with Learning Disabilities - A Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Sharfi, Kineret; Rosenblum, Sara

2014-01-01

Background ‘Learning disabilities’ (LD) refer to a wide group of neurological disorders caused by deficits in the central nervous system which influence the individual's ability to maintain-, process or convey information to others in an efficient way. A worldwide discussion about the definitions of LD continues while a conceptual framework for studying the diverse life outcomes of adults with LD is still missing. Objective The aim was to review the literature on the activity and participation of adults with LD based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) concepts. Methods “PsychInfo”, “Eric” and “PubMed” were searched for relevant literature according to the guidelines of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). After a three-stage process, 62 articles relevant for domains of activity and participation of adults with LD were included in the review. Results Thirty-two articles focused on the domain of major life areas of education, work and employment and twelve articles focused on the domain of learning and applying knowledge. Limitations in activity and participation of the population with LD in these domains are recognized and discussed. Eighteen additional articles demonstrated that adults with LD confront difficulties in various life domains (e.g., communication, interpersonal interactions, mobility, and domestic life), however literature concerning these domains is scarce. Conclusions The ICF can be useful for further exploration of activity and participation characteristics of adults with LD in various life domains. Such exploration is required in order to gain a wider perspective of their functional characteristics and daily needs. PMID:25184315
Bifidobacteria modulate cognitive processes in an anxious mouse strain.

PubMed

Savignac, H M; Tramullas, M; Kiely, B; Dinan, T G; Cryan, J F

2015-01-01

Increasing evidence suggests that a brain-gut-microbiome axis exists, which has the potential to play a major role in modulating behaviour. However, the role of this axis in cognition remains relatively unexplored. Probiotics, which are commensal bacteria offering potential health benefit, have been shown to decrease anxiety, depression and visceral pain-related behaviours. In this study, we investigate the potential of two Bifidobacteria strains to modulate cognitive processes and visceral pain sensitivity. Adult male BALB/c mice were fed daily for 11 weeks with B. longum 1714, B. breve 1205 or vehicle treatment. Starting at week 4, animals were behaviourally assessed in a battery of tests relevant to different aspects of cognition, as well as locomotor activity and visceral pain. In the object recognition test, B. longum 1714-fed mice discriminated between the two objects faster than all other groups and B. breve 1205-fed mice discriminated faster than vehicle animals. In the Barnes maze, B. longum 1714-treated mice made fewer errors than other groups, suggesting a better learning. In the fear conditioning, B. longum 1714-treated group also showed better learning and memory, yet presenting the same extinction learning profile as controls. None of the treatments affected visceral sensitivity. Altogether, these data suggest that B. longum 1714 had a positive impact on cognition and also that the effects of individual Bifidobacteria strains do not generalise across the species. Clinical validation of the effects of probiotics on cognition is now warranted. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cultural Speak: Culturally Relevant Pedagogy and Experiential Learning in a Public Speaking Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Colvin, Janet; Tobler, Nancy

2013-01-01

This study describes the efficacy of modifications made to a higher education Latina/o public speaking course to enhance student growth and understanding. The changes included the addition of a service-learning component and the incorporation of culturally relevant pedagogy. Selected research, particularly related to college students, on…
The Potential Relevance of Cognitive Neuroscience for the Development and Use of Technology-Enhanced Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howard-Jones, Paul; Ott, Michela; van Leeuwen, Theo; De Smedt, Bert

2015-01-01

There is increasing interest in the application of cognitive neuroscience in educational thinking and practice, and here we review findings from neuroscience that demonstrate its potential relevance to technology-enhanced learning (TEL). First, we identify some of the issues in integrating neuroscientific concepts into TEL research. We caution…
Accommodating Learning Styles: Relevance and Good Practice in Vocational Education and Training--Supporting Documents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Peter; Dalton, Jennifer; Henry, John

2005-01-01

This document was produced by the author(s) based on their research for the Australian report, "Accommodating Learning Styles: Relevance and Good Practice in Vocational Education and Training," and contains three parts. Part 1, Research Methodology and Findings (Peter Smith and Jennifer Dalton), contains: (1) Research Questions; (2)…
Slower Reacquisition after Partial Extinction in Human Contingency Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morís, Joaquín; Barberia, Itxaso; Vadillo, Miguel A.; Andrades, Ainhoa; López, Francisco J.

2017-01-01

Extinction is a very relevant learning phenomenon from a theoretical and applied point of view. One of its most relevant features is that relapse phenomena often take place once the extinction training has been completed. Accordingly, as extinction-based therapies constitute the most widespread empirically validated treatment of anxiety disorders,…
Processing Fluency in Education: How Metacognitive Feelings Shape Learning, Belief Formation, and Affect

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reber, Rolf; Greifeneder, Rainer

2017-01-01

Processing fluency--the experienced ease with which a mental operation is performed--has attracted little attention in educational psychology, despite its relevance. The present article reviews and integrates empirical evidence on processing fluency that is relevant to school education. Fluency is important, for instance, in learning,…
Logical-Semantic Visual Navigators--Aids for Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Khuziakhmetov, Anvar N.; Steinberg, Valery E.

2016-01-01

The relevance of the article in question is that the success of pupils' learning depends not only on the aptitude of pupils, but also on the teaching technique, including universal educational technique of various complexities. This problem is relevant on all levels of learning--from nursery schools up to higher education, including refresher…
Adult Learning Principles and Presentation Pearls

PubMed Central

Palis, Ana G.; Quiros, Peter A.

2014-01-01

Although lectures are one of the most common methods of knowledge transfer in medicine, their effectiveness has been questioned. Passive formats, lack of relevance and disconnection from the student's needs are some of the arguments supporting this apparent lack of efficacy. However, many authors have suggested that applying adult learning principles (i.e., relevance, congruence with student's needs, interactivity, connection to student's previous knowledge and experience) to this method increases learning by lectures and the effectiveness of lectures. This paper presents recommendations for applying adult learning principles during planning, creation and development of lectures to make them more effective. PMID:24791101
[Digital learning object for diagnostic reasoning in nursing applied to the integumentary system].

PubMed

da Costa, Cecília Passos Vaz; Luz, Maria Helena Barros Araújo

2015-12-01

To describe the creation of a digital learning object for diagnostic reasoning in nursing applied to the integumentary system at a public university of Piaui. A methodological study applied to technological production based on the pedagogical framework of problem-based learning. The methodology for creating the learning object observed the stages of analysis, design, development, implementation and evaluation recommended for contextualized instructional design. The revised taxonomy of Bloom was used to list the educational goals. The four modules of the developed learning object were inserted into the educational platform Moodle. The theoretical assumptions allowed the design of an important online resource that promotes effective learning in the scope of nursing education. This study should add value to nursing teaching practices through the use of digital learning objects for teaching diagnostic reasoning applied to skin and skin appendages.
Contribution of Content Knowledge and Learning Ability to the Learning of Facts.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuhara-Kojima, Keiko; Hatano, Giyoo

1991-01-01

In 3 experiments, 1,598 Japanese college students were examined concerning the learning of facts in 2 content domains, baseball and music. Content knowledge facilitated fact learning only in the relevant domain; learning ability facilitated fact learning in both domains. Effects of content knowledge and learning ability were additive. (SLD)
E-learning in orthopedic surgery training: A systematic review.

PubMed

Tarpada, Sandip P; Morris, Matthew T; Burton, Denver A

2016-12-01

E-learning is the use of internet-based resources in education. In the field of surgical education, this definition includes the use of virtual patient cases, digital modeling, online tutorials, as well as video recordings of surgical procedures and lectures. In recent years, e-learning has increasingly been considered a viable alternative to traditional teaching within a number of surgical fields. Here we present (1) a systematic review of literature assessing the efficacy of e-learning modules for orthopedic education and (2) a discussion of their relevance. A systematic search of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library was conducted according to the guidelines defined in the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement (PRISMA). The search yielded a total of 255 non-duplicate citations that were screened using predetermined inclusion/exclusion criteria. A total of 9 full text articles met inclusion criteria, which included the use of an objective outcome measure to evaluate an orthopedic e-learning module. Six studies assessed knowledge using a multiple-choice test and 4 assessed skills using a clinical exam. All studies showed positive score improvement pre- to post-intervention, and a majority showed greater score improvement than standard teaching methods in both knowledge (4/6 studies) and clinical skills (3/4 studies). E-learning represents an effective supplement or even alternative to standard teaching techniques within orthopedic education for both medical students and residents. Future work should focus on validating specific e-learning programs using standardized outcome measures and assessing long-term knowledge retention using e-learning platforms.
Transforming a sequence of microbiology courses using student profile data.

PubMed

Buxeda, R J; Moore, D A

2000-05-01

A study was performed in the General Microbiology and Industrial Microbiology courses to increase research awareness at an early stage of the educational process and to establish collaboration between students in an Industrial Microbiology program and industry. In both courses, the professor helped students determine their learning styles and then used these data to design activities in order to accomplish the above objectives. In both the treatment and the control sections, students learned about strategies to optimize learning based on their learning styles. A cooperative learning format was introduced to promote active learning and team-building skills. The diverse learning styles data profile was used by students during cooperative learning activities for effective team integration. In the General Microbiology course, a mentor-mentee structure was introduced to expose students to research in microbiology by visiting research facilities on campus. This structure was an addition to the regular curriculum, which meets American Society for Microbiology curriculum recommendations. The results suggest an increase in interest in research by students. In the Industrial Microbiology course, a strategy was introduced to establish collaboration with industry in which students visit the workplace and identify microbial processes, microbiologist roles, and skills needed by microbiologists. Evaluation of these topics using pre- and posttest data indicates a significant increase in acquired knowledge relevant to daily workplace environments with the reformed course. In both courses, students gain information early in their academic experience to help them consider participation in research experiences while providing them with real-world experience toward the end of their academic careers, when they see the need for it.
Evolutionary image simplification for lung nodule classification with convolutional neural networks.

PubMed

Lückehe, Daniel; von Voigt, Gabriele

2018-05-29

Understanding decisions of deep learning techniques is important. Especially in the medical field, the reasons for a decision in a classification task are as crucial as the pure classification results. In this article, we propose a new approach to compute relevant parts of a medical image. Knowing the relevant parts makes it easier to understand decisions. In our approach, a convolutional neural network is employed to learn structures of images of lung nodules. Then, an evolutionary algorithm is applied to compute a simplified version of an unknown image based on the learned structures by the convolutional neural network. In the simplified version, irrelevant parts are removed from the original image. In the results, we show simplified images which allow the observer to focus on the relevant parts. In these images, more than 50% of the pixels are simplified. The simplified pixels do not change the meaning of the images based on the learned structures by the convolutional neural network. An experimental analysis shows the potential of the approach. Besides the examples of simplified images, we analyze the run time development. Simplified images make it easier to focus on relevant parts and to find reasons for a decision. The combination of an evolutionary algorithm employing a learned convolutional neural network is well suited for the simplification task. From a research perspective, it is interesting which areas of the images are simplified and which parts are taken as relevant.
Robots show us how to teach them: feedback from robots shapes tutoring behavior during action learning.

PubMed

Vollmer, Anna-Lisa; Mühlig, Manuel; Steil, Jochen J; Pitsch, Karola; Fritsch, Jannik; Rohlfing, Katharina J; Wrede, Britta

2014-01-01

Robot learning by imitation requires the detection of a tutor's action demonstration and its relevant parts. Current approaches implicitly assume a unidirectional transfer of knowledge from tutor to learner. The presented work challenges this predominant assumption based on an extensive user study with an autonomously interacting robot. We show that by providing feedback, a robot learner influences the human tutor's movement demonstrations in the process of action learning. We argue that the robot's feedback strongly shapes how tutors signal what is relevant to an action and thus advocate a paradigm shift in robot action learning research toward truly interactive systems learning in and benefiting from interaction.
Robots Show Us How to Teach Them: Feedback from Robots Shapes Tutoring Behavior during Action Learning

PubMed Central

Vollmer, Anna-Lisa; Mühlig, Manuel; Steil, Jochen J.; Pitsch, Karola; Fritsch, Jannik; Rohlfing, Katharina J.; Wrede, Britta

2014-01-01

Robot learning by imitation requires the detection of a tutor's action demonstration and its relevant parts. Current approaches implicitly assume a unidirectional transfer of knowledge from tutor to learner. The presented work challenges this predominant assumption based on an extensive user study with an autonomously interacting robot. We show that by providing feedback, a robot learner influences the human tutor's movement demonstrations in the process of action learning. We argue that the robot's feedback strongly shapes how tutors signal what is relevant to an action and thus advocate a paradigm shift in robot action learning research toward truly interactive systems learning in and benefiting from interaction. PMID:24646510
Using complexity theory to develop a student-directed interprofessional learning activity for 1220 healthcare students.

PubMed

Jorm, Christine; Nisbet, Gillian; Roberts, Chris; Gordon, Christopher; Gentilcore, Stacey; Chen, Timothy F

2016-08-08

More and better interprofessional practice is predicated to be necessary to deliver good care to the patients of the future. However, universities struggle to create authentic learning activities that enable students to experience the dynamic interprofessional interactions common in healthcare and that can accommodate large interprofessional student cohorts. We investigated a large-scale mandatory interprofessional learning (IPL) activity for health professional students designed to promote social learning. A mixed methods research approach determined feasibility, acceptability and the extent to which student IPL outcomes were met. We developed an IPL activity founded in complexity theory to prepare students for future practice by engaging them in a self-directed (self-organised) learning activity with a diverse team, whose assessable products would be emergent creations. Complicated but authentic clinical cases (n = 12) were developed to challenge student teams (n = 5 or 6). Assessment consisted of a written management plan (academically marked) and a five-minute video (peer marked) designed to assess creative collaboration as well as provide evidence of integrated collective knowledge; the cohesive patient-centred management plan. All students (including the disciplines of diagnostic radiology, exercise physiology, medicine, nursing, occupational therapy, pharmacy, physiotherapy and speech pathology), completed all tasks successfully. Of the 26 % of students who completed the evaluation survey, 70 % agreed or strongly agreed that the IPL activity was worthwhile, and 87 % agreed or strongly agreed that their case study was relevant. Thematic analysis found overarching themes of engagement and collaboration-in-action suggesting that the IPL activity enabled students to achieve the intended learning objectives. Students recognised the contribution of others and described negotiation, collaboration and creation of new collective knowledge after working together on the complicated patient case studies. The novel video assessment was challenging to many students and contextual issues limited engagement for some disciplines. We demonstrated the feasibility and acceptability of a large scale IPL activity where design of cases, format and assessment tasks was founded in complexity theory. This theoretically based design enabled students to achieve complex IPL outcomes relevant to future practice. Future research could establish the psychometric properties of assessments of student performance in large-scale IPL events.
Developing Learning Objectives for Accounting Ethics Using Bloom's Taxonomy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kidwell, Linda A.; Fisher, Dann G.; Braun, Robert L.; Swanson, Diane L.

2013-01-01

The purpose of our article is to offer a set of core knowledge learning objectives for accounting ethics education. Using Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives, we develop learning objectives in six content areas: codes of ethical conduct, corporate governance, the accounting profession, moral development, classical ethics theories, and…
Design, Development, and Validation of Learning Objects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nugent, Gwen; Soh, Leen-Kiat; Samal, Ashok

2006-01-01

A learning object is a small, stand-alone, mediated content resource that can be reused in multiple instructional contexts. In this article, we describe our approach to design, develop, and validate Shareable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) compliant learning objects for undergraduate computer science education. We discuss the advantages of…
Joint Concept Correlation and Feature-Concept Relevance Learning for Multilabel Classification.

PubMed

Zhao, Xiaowei; Ma, Zhigang; Li, Zhi; Li, Zhihui

2018-02-01

In recent years, multilabel classification has attracted significant attention in multimedia annotation. However, most of the multilabel classification methods focus only on the inherent correlations existing among multiple labels and concepts and ignore the relevance between features and the target concepts. To obtain more robust multilabel classification results, we propose a new multilabel classification method aiming to capture the correlations among multiple concepts by leveraging hypergraph that is proved to be beneficial for relational learning. Moreover, we consider mining feature-concept relevance, which is often overlooked by many multilabel learning algorithms. To better show the feature-concept relevance, we impose a sparsity constraint on the proposed method. We compare the proposed method with several other multilabel classification methods and evaluate the classification performance by mean average precision on several data sets. The experimental results show that the proposed method outperforms the state-of-the-art methods.
From imitation to meaning: circuit plasticity and the acquisition of a conventionalized semantics

PubMed Central

García, Ricardo R.; Zamorano, Francisco; Aboitiz, Francisco

2014-01-01

The capacity for language is arguably the most remarkable innovation of the human brain. A relatively recent interpretation prescribes that part of the language-related circuits were co-opted from circuitry involved in hand control—the mirror neuron system (MNS), involved both in the perception and in the execution of voluntary grasping actions. A less radical view is that in early humans, communication was opportunistic and multimodal, using signs, vocalizations or whatever means available to transmit social information. However, one point that is not yet clear under either perspective is how learned communication acquired a semantic property thereby allowing us to name objects and eventually describe our surrounding environment. Here we suggest a scenario involving both manual gestures and learned vocalizations that led to the development of a primitive form of conventionalized reference. This proposal is based on comparative evidence gathered from other species and on neurolinguistic evidence in humans, which points to a crucial role for vocal learning in the early development of language. Firstly, the capacity to direct the attention of others to a common object may have been crucial for developing a consensual referential system. Pointing, which is a ritualized grasping gesture, may have been crucial to this end. Vocalizations also served to generate joint attention among conversants, especially when combined with gaze direction. Another contributing element was the development of pantomimic actions resembling events or animals. In conjunction with this mimicry, the development of plastic neural circuits that support complex, learned vocalizations was probably a significant factor in the evolution of conventionalized semantics in our species. Thus, vocal imitations of sounds, as in onomatopoeias (words whose sound resembles their meaning), are possibly supported by mirror system circuits, and may have been relevant in the acquisition of early meanings. PMID:25152726
Multidisciplinary unmanned technology teammate (MUTT)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uzunovic, Nenad; Schneider, Anne; Lacaze, Alberto; Murphy, Karl; Del Giorno, Mark

2013-01-01

The U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) held an autonomous robot competition called CANINE in June 2012. The goal of the competition was to develop innovative and natural control methods for robots. This paper describes the winning technology, including the vision system, the operator interaction, and the autonomous mobility. The rules stated only gestures or voice commands could be used for control. The robots would learn a new object at the start of each phase, find the object after it was thrown into a field, and return the object to the operator. Each of the six phases became more difficult, including clutter of the same color or shape as the object, moving and stationary obstacles, and finding the operator who moved from the starting location to a new location. The Robotic Research Team integrated techniques in computer vision, speech recognition, object manipulation, and autonomous navigation. A multi-filter computer vision solution reliably detected the objects while rejecting objects of similar color or shape, even while the robot was in motion. A speech-based interface with short commands provided close to natural communication of complicated commands from the operator to the robot. An innovative gripper design allowed for efficient object pickup. A robust autonomous mobility and navigation solution for ground robotic platforms provided fast and reliable obstacle avoidance and course navigation. The research approach focused on winning the competition while remaining cognizant and relevant to real world applications.

Learning Objects as Tools for Teaching Information Literacy Online: A Survey of Librarian Usage

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mestre, Lori S.; Baures, Lisa; Niedbala, Mona; Bishop, Corinne; Cantrell, Sarah; Perez, Alice; Silfen, Kate

2011-01-01

Based on information gathered from two discussion sessions moderated by members of the Education and Behavioral Sciences Section's Online Learning Research Committee a survey was conducted to identify how librarians use course/learning management systems and learning objects to deliver instruction. Objectives of the study were to identify the…
Learning from Objects: A Future for 21st Century Urban Arts Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lasky, Dorothea

2009-01-01

In this technological age, where mind and body are increasingly disconnected in the classroom, object-based learning--along with strong museum-school partnerships--provide many benefits for student learning. In this article, the author first outlines some of the special mind-body connections that object-based learning in museums affords learners…
Integrative health care in Israel and traditional arab herbal medicine: when health care interfaces with culture and politics.

PubMed

Keshet, Yael; Popper-Giveon, Ariela

2013-09-01

This article contributes to contemporary critical debate in medical anthropology concerning medical pluralism and integrative medicine by highlighting the issue of exclusion of traditional medicine (TM) and presenting attempts at border crossing. Although complementary medicine (CM) modalities are integrated into most Israeli mainstream health care organizations, local indigenous TM modalities are not. Ethnographic fieldwork focused on a group of Israeli dual-trained integrative physicians that has recently begun to integrate traditional herbal medicine preferred by the Arab minority, using it as a boundary object to bridge professional gaps between biomedicine, CM, and TM. This article highlights the relevance of political tensions, ethnicity, and medical inequality to the field of integrative health care. It shows that using herbal medicine as a boundary object can overcome barriers and provide opportunities for dialog and reciprocal learning. © 2013 by the American Anthropological Association.
Learning Grasp Context Distinctions that Generalize

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Platt, Robert; Grupen, Roderic A.; Fagg, Andrew H.

2006-01-01

Control-based approaches to grasp synthesis create grasping behavior by sequencing and combining control primitives. In the absence of any other structure, these approaches must evaluate a large number of feasible control sequences as a function of object shape, object pose, and task. This work explores a new approach to grasp synthesis that limits consideration to variations on a generalized localize-reach-grasp control policy. A new learning algorithm, known as schema structured learning, is used to learn which instantiations of the generalized policy are most likely to lead to a successful grasp in different problem contexts. Two experiments are described where Dexter, a bimanual upper torso, learns to select an appropriate grasp strategy as a function of object eccentricity and orientation. In addition, it is shown that grasp skills learned in this way can generalize to new objects. Results are presented showing that after learning how to grasp a small, representative set of objects, the robot's performance quantitatively improves for similar objects that it has not experienced before.
Transforming clinical imaging and 3D data for virtual reality learning objects: HTML5 and mobile devices implementation.

PubMed

Trelease, Robert B; Nieder, Gary L

2013-01-01

Web deployable anatomical simulations or "virtual reality learning objects" can easily be produced with QuickTime VR software, but their use for online and mobile learning is being limited by the declining support for web browser plug-ins for personal computers and unavailability on popular mobile devices like Apple iPad and Android tablets. This article describes complementary methods for creating comparable, multiplatform VR learning objects in the new HTML5 standard format, circumventing platform-specific limitations imposed by the QuickTime VR multimedia file format. Multiple types or "dimensions" of anatomical information can be embedded in such learning objects, supporting different kinds of online learning applications, including interactive atlases, examination questions, and complex, multi-structure presentations. Such HTML5 VR learning objects are usable on new mobile devices that do not support QuickTime VR, as well as on personal computers. Furthermore, HTML5 VR learning objects can be embedded in "ebook" document files, supporting the development of new types of electronic textbooks on mobile devices that are increasingly popular and self-adopted for mobile learning. © 2012 American Association of Anatomists.
MO-AB-206-02: Testing Gamma Cameras Based On TG177 WG Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Halama, J.

2016-06-15

This education session will cover the physics and operation principles of gamma cameras and PET scanners. The first talk will focus on PET imaging. An overview of the principles of PET imaging will be provided, including positron decay physics, and the transition from 2D to 3D imaging. More recent advances in hardware and software will be discussed, such as time-of-flight imaging, and improvements in reconstruction algorithms that provide for options such as depth-of-interaction corrections. Quantitative applications of PET will be discussed, as well as the requirements for doing accurate quantitation. Relevant performance tests will also be described. Learning Objectives: Bemore » able to describe basic physics principles of PET and operation of PET scanners. Learn about recent advances in PET scanner hardware technology. Be able to describe advances in reconstruction techniques and improvements Be able to list relevant performance tests. The second talk will focus on gamma cameras. The Nuclear Medicine subcommittee has charged a task group (TG177) to develop a report on the current state of physics testing of gamma cameras, SPECT, and SPECT/CT systems. The report makes recommendations for performance tests to be done for routine quality assurance, annual physics testing, and acceptance tests, and identifies those needed satisfy the ACR accreditation program and The Joint Commission imaging standards. The report is also intended to be used as a manual with detailed instructions on how to perform tests under widely varying conditions. Learning Objectives: At the end of the presentation members of the audience will: Be familiar with the tests recommended for routine quality assurance, annual physics testing, and acceptance tests of gamma cameras for planar imaging. Be familiar with the tests recommended for routine quality assurance, annual physics testing, and acceptance tests of SPECT systems. Be familiar with the tests of a SPECT/CT system that include the CT images for SPECT reconstructions. Become knowledgeable of items to be included in annual acceptance testing reports including CT dosimetry and PACS monitor measurements. T. Turkington, GE Healthcare.« less
MO-AB-206-00: Nuclear Medicine Physics and Testing

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

This education session will cover the physics and operation principles of gamma cameras and PET scanners. The first talk will focus on PET imaging. An overview of the principles of PET imaging will be provided, including positron decay physics, and the transition from 2D to 3D imaging. More recent advances in hardware and software will be discussed, such as time-of-flight imaging, and improvements in reconstruction algorithms that provide for options such as depth-of-interaction corrections. Quantitative applications of PET will be discussed, as well as the requirements for doing accurate quantitation. Relevant performance tests will also be described. Learning Objectives: Bemore » able to describe basic physics principles of PET and operation of PET scanners. Learn about recent advances in PET scanner hardware technology. Be able to describe advances in reconstruction techniques and improvements Be able to list relevant performance tests. The second talk will focus on gamma cameras. The Nuclear Medicine subcommittee has charged a task group (TG177) to develop a report on the current state of physics testing of gamma cameras, SPECT, and SPECT/CT systems. The report makes recommendations for performance tests to be done for routine quality assurance, annual physics testing, and acceptance tests, and identifies those needed satisfy the ACR accreditation program and The Joint Commission imaging standards. The report is also intended to be used as a manual with detailed instructions on how to perform tests under widely varying conditions. Learning Objectives: At the end of the presentation members of the audience will: Be familiar with the tests recommended for routine quality assurance, annual physics testing, and acceptance tests of gamma cameras for planar imaging. Be familiar with the tests recommended for routine quality assurance, annual physics testing, and acceptance tests of SPECT systems. Be familiar with the tests of a SPECT/CT system that include the CT images for SPECT reconstructions. Become knowledgeable of items to be included in annual acceptance testing reports including CT dosimetry and PACS monitor measurements. T. Turkington, GE Healthcare.« less
Active Learning with Irrelevant Examples

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wagstaff, Kiri; Mazzoni, Dominic

2009-01-01

An improved active learning method has been devised for training data classifiers. One example of a data classifier is the algorithm used by the United States Postal Service since the 1960s to recognize scans of handwritten digits for processing zip codes. Active learning algorithms enable rapid training with minimal investment of time on the part of human experts to provide training examples consisting of correctly classified (labeled) input data. They function by identifying which examples would be most profitable for a human expert to label. The goal is to maximize classifier accuracy while minimizing the number of examples the expert must label. Although there are several well-established methods for active learning, they may not operate well when irrelevant examples are present in the data set. That is, they may select an item for labeling that the expert simply cannot assign to any of the valid classes. In the context of classifying handwritten digits, the irrelevant items may include stray marks, smudges, and mis-scans. Querying the expert about these items results in wasted time or erroneous labels, if the expert is forced to assign the item to one of the valid classes. In contrast, the new algorithm provides a specific mechanism for avoiding querying the irrelevant items. This algorithm has two components: an active learner (which could be a conventional active learning algorithm) and a relevance classifier. The combination of these components yields a method, denoted Relevance Bias, that enables the active learner to avoid querying irrelevant data so as to increase its learning rate and efficiency when irrelevant items are present. The algorithm collects irrelevant data in a set of rejected examples, then trains the relevance classifier to distinguish between labeled (relevant) training examples and the rejected ones. The active learner combines its ranking of the items with the probability that they are relevant to yield a final decision about which item to present to the expert for labeling. Experiments on several data sets have demonstrated that the Relevance Bias approach significantly decreases the number of irrelevant items queried and also accelerates learning speed.
The company objects keep: Linking referents together during cross-situational word learning.

PubMed

Zettersten, Martin; Wojcik, Erica; Benitez, Viridiana L; Saffran, Jenny

2018-04-01

Learning the meanings of words involves not only linking individual words to referents but also building a network of connections among entities in the world, concepts, and words. Previous studies reveal that infants and adults track the statistical co-occurrence of labels and objects across multiple ambiguous training instances to learn words. However, it is less clear whether, given distributional or attentional cues, learners also encode associations amongst the novel objects. We investigated the consequences of two types of cues that highlighted object-object links in a cross-situational word learning task: distributional structure - how frequently the referents of novel words occurred together - and visual context - whether the referents were seen on matching backgrounds. Across three experiments, we found that in addition to learning novel words, adults formed connections between frequently co-occurring objects. These findings indicate that learners exploit statistical regularities to form multiple types of associations during word learning.
Twelve tips for utilizing principles of learning to support medical education.

PubMed

Cutting, Maris F; Saks, Norma Susswein

2012-01-01

Research in the cognitive sciences on learning and memory conducted across a range of domains, settings, and age groups has resulted in the identification and formulation of a set of generic learning principles. These learning principles have proven relevant and applicable to a wide range of learning situations in a variety of settings, and can be useful in supporting medical education. They can provide guidance to medical students for efficient and effective study, and can be helpful to faculty to support instructional planning and decisions relating to curriculum. This article discusses evidence-based principles of learning and their relationship to effective learning, teaching, pedagogy and curriculum development. We reviewed important principles of learning to determine those most relevant to improving medical student learning, guiding faculty toward more effective teaching, and in designing a curriculum. Our analysis has resulted in the articulation of key learning principles and specific strategies that are broadly applicable to medical school learning, teaching, and instructional planning. The twelve tips highlight principles of learning that can be effectively applied in the complex learning environment of medical education.
Authoring of Learning Objects in Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Specht, Marcus; Kravcik, Milos

2006-01-01

Learning objects and content interchange standards provide new possibilities for e-learning. Nevertheless the content often lacks context data to find appropriate use for adaptive learning on demand and personalized learning experiences. In the Remotely Accessible Field Trips (RAFT) project mobile authoring of learning content in context has shown…
How does the brain rapidly learn and reorganize view-invariant and position-invariant object representations in the inferotemporal cortex?

PubMed

Cao, Yongqiang; Grossberg, Stephen; Markowitz, Jeffrey

2011-12-01

All primates depend for their survival on being able to rapidly learn about and recognize objects. Objects may be visually detected at multiple positions, sizes, and viewpoints. How does the brain rapidly learn and recognize objects while scanning a scene with eye movements, without causing a combinatorial explosion in the number of cells that are needed? How does the brain avoid the problem of erroneously classifying parts of different objects together at the same or different positions in a visual scene? In monkeys and humans, a key area for such invariant object category learning and recognition is the inferotemporal cortex (IT). A neural model is proposed to explain how spatial and object attention coordinate the ability of IT to learn invariant category representations of objects that are seen at multiple positions, sizes, and viewpoints. The model clarifies how interactions within a hierarchy of processing stages in the visual brain accomplish this. These stages include the retina, lateral geniculate nucleus, and cortical areas V1, V2, V4, and IT in the brain's What cortical stream, as they interact with spatial attention processes within the parietal cortex of the Where cortical stream. The model builds upon the ARTSCAN model, which proposed how view-invariant object representations are generated. The positional ARTSCAN (pARTSCAN) model proposes how the following additional processes in the What cortical processing stream also enable position-invariant object representations to be learned: IT cells with persistent activity, and a combination of normalizing object category competition and a view-to-object learning law which together ensure that unambiguous views have a larger effect on object recognition than ambiguous views. The model explains how such invariant learning can be fooled when monkeys, or other primates, are presented with an object that is swapped with another object during eye movements to foveate the original object. The swapping procedure is predicted to prevent the reset of spatial attention, which would otherwise keep the representations of multiple objects from being combined by learning. Li and DiCarlo (2008) have presented neurophysiological data from monkeys showing how unsupervised natural experience in a target swapping experiment can rapidly alter object representations in IT. The model quantitatively simulates the swapping data by showing how the swapping procedure fools the spatial attention mechanism. More generally, the model provides a unifying framework, and testable predictions in both monkeys and humans, for understanding object learning data using neurophysiological methods in monkeys, and spatial attention, episodic learning, and memory retrieval data using functional imaging methods in humans. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Teaching clinically relevant dental anatomy in the dental curriculum: description and assessment of an innovative module.

PubMed

Obrez, Ales; Briggs, Charlotte; Buckman, James; Goldstein, Loren; Lamb, Courtney; Knight, William G

2011-06-01

The primary objective of the preclinical dental anatomy course in the predoctoral dental curriculum is to introduce students to cognitive and psychomotor skills related to the morphology and spatial and functional relationships of human dentition. Traditionally, didactic content for the subject is found in textbooks and course manuals and summarized by the faculty in lectures to the entire class. Psychomotor skills associated with recognition and reproduction of tooth morphology are traditionally learned by examining preserved tooth specimens and their cross-sections, combined with producing two-dimensional line drawings and carving teeth from wax blocks. These activities have little direct clinical application. In most cases, students are passive in the learning process, and assessment of student performance is unilateral and subjective. A recently revised dental anatomy module at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry integrates independent class preparation with active small-group discussion and patient scenario-based wax-up exercises to replace missing tooth structure on manikin teeth. The goal of the revision is to shift emphasis away from decontextualized technical learning toward more active and clinically applicable learning that improves conceptual understanding while contributing to early acquisition of psychomotor skills. This article describes the rationale, components, and advantages of the revised module and presents a pre-post comparison of student learning outcomes for three class cohorts (N=203).
Comparison of two case-based learning conditions with real patients in teaching occupational medicine.

PubMed

Braeckman, Lutgart; 't Kint, Lode; Bekaert, Micheline; Cobbaut, Luc; Janssens, Heidi

2014-04-01

To investigate the impact of three different training formats in occupational medicine (OM) on perceptions and performance of undergraduate students. A comparative study which included all fourth-year medical students was conducted over a three-year period. The year group in 2010 (211 students) received paper case studies followed by one small group session. The format used in 2011 actively engaged 188 students in the learning process by adding collaborative work and group discussions to the written information. In 2012, the approach comprised no longer constructed text cases but 212 students encountered real patients. Students' perceptions were obtained by questionnaire. Their learning performance was assessed through review of written reports and score on oral presentations. Statistical differences in ratings were analyzed using Fisher's exact and Kruskal-Wallis tests. All three formats were found to equally achieve the stated learning objectives. The year groups with incorporation of active learning strategies and patient contacts had significant better test performance compared to those receiving only written case studies. Real patient students gave statistically significant higher rates for relevance, authenticity and appropriate difficulty level of the training than did students who discussed written case studies. Both approaches with augmented interaction in 2011 and 2012, improved performance and satisfaction among students. However, students valued the use of real patients higher than paper-form cases.
Teacher's opinion about learning continuum of genetics based on student's level of competence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Juniati, Etika; Subali, Bambang

2017-08-01

This study focuses on designing learning continuum for developing a curriculum. The objective of this study is to get the opinion of junior and senior high school teachers about Learning Continuum based on Student's Level of Competence and Specific Pedagogical Learning Material on Aspect of Genetics Aspects. This research is a survey research involving 281 teachers from junior and senior high school teachers as respondents taken from five districts and city in Yogyakarta Special Region. The results of this study show that most of the junior high school teachers argue that sub aspects individual reproduction should be taught to students of grade VII and IX, virus reproduction at the grade X, and cell reproduction to mutation at the grade IX with level of competence to understand (C2) while most of the senior high school teachers argue that sub aspects individual, cell, and virus reproduction must be taught to students of grade X and division mechanism to mutation at the grade XII with level of competence to understand (C2), apply (C3), and analyze (C4). Based on the opinion of teachers, sub concepts in genetics can be taught from junior high school with different in the scope of materials but learning continuum that has been developed is not relevant with the students cognitive development and their grades.
View-Invariant Object Category Learning, Recognition, and Search: How Spatial and Object Attention are Coordinated Using Surface-Based Attentional Shrouds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fazl, Arash; Grossberg, Stephen; Mingolla, Ennio

2009-01-01

How does the brain learn to recognize an object from multiple viewpoints while scanning a scene with eye movements? How does the brain avoid the problem of erroneously classifying parts of different objects together? How are attention and eye movements intelligently coordinated to facilitate object learning? A neural model provides a unified…
Using Culturally Relevant Teaching in a Co-Educational Mathematics Class of a Patriarchal Community

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mogari, David

2017-01-01

The paper reports on the use of culturally relevant teaching in a class located in a patriarchal community. The paper is conceptualised around the notion that learners' familiar context provided by the socio-cultural activities can facilitate mathematics learning and make it fun to learn. Data were derived from a lesson activity using…
Psychological and Pedagogical Support for Students' Adaptation to Learning Activity in High Science School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zeleeva, Vera P.; Bykova, Svetlana S.; Varbanova, Silvia

2016-01-01

The relevance of the study is due to the importance of psychological and pedagogical support for students in university that would prevent difficulties in learning activities and increase adaptive capacity through the development of relevant personal traits. Therefore, this article is aimed at solving the problem of arranging psychological and…
Memory and Learning--A Study from Neurological Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fathima, M. Parimala; Sasikumar, N.; Roja, M. Panimalar

2012-01-01

Learning is the acquisition and storage of information as a consequence of experience. The human brain is designed in such a way that thousands bits of sensory data are processed each minute. The brain pays attention to what is relevant to daily life, always asking: "What's going on?" and "How is it important relevant to me?"…
How Object, Situation and Personality Shape Human Attitude in Learning: An Activity Perspective and a Multilevel Modeling Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sun, Jun

2009-01-01

Based on Activity Theory, this article examines attitude formation in human learning as shaped by the experiences of individual learners with various learning objects in particular learning contexts. It hypothesizes that a learner's object-related perceptions, personality traits and situational perceptions may have different relationships with the…

Building Communities for the Exchange of Learning Objects: Theoretical Foundations and Requirements

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koper, Rob; Pannekeet, Kees; Hendriks, Maaike; Hummel, Hans

2004-01-01

In order to reduce overall costs of developing high-quality digital courses (including both the content, and the learning and teaching activities), the exchange of learning objects has been recognized as a promising solution. This article makes an inventory of the issues involved in the exchange of learning objects within a community. It explores…
Thinking outside the (voice) box: a case study of students' perceptions of the relevance of anatomy to speech pathology.

PubMed

Weir, Kristy A

2008-01-01

Speech pathology students readily identify the importance of a sound understanding of anatomical structures central to their intended profession. In contrast, they often do not recognize the relevance of a broader understanding of structure and function. This study aimed to explore students' perceptions of the relevance of anatomy to speech pathology. The effect of two learning activities on students' perceptions was also evaluated. First, a written assignment required students to illustrate the relevance of anatomy to speech pathology by using an example selected from one of the four alternative structures. The second approach was the introduction of brief "scenarios" with directed questions into the practical class. The effects of these activities were assessed via two surveys designed to evaluate students' perceptions of the relevance of anatomy before and during the course experience. A focus group was conducted to clarify and extend discussion of issues arising from the survey data. The results showed that the students perceived some course material as irrelevant to speech pathology. The importance of relevance to the students' "state" motivation was well supported by the data. Although the students believed that the learning activities helped their understanding of the relevance of anatomy, some structures were considered less relevant at the end of the course. It is likely that the perceived amount of content and surface approach to learning may have prevented students from "thinking outside the box" regarding which anatomical structures are relevant to the profession.
An historic discovery around the corner from school: Ceres, a solar system object with an uncertain identity.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stira, Salvatore

2016-04-01

Ceres is the largest object in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, and it was discovered on January 1, 1801, by the Italian astronomer Giuseppe Piazzi. The study of Ceres is especially relevant to my students because this celestial body was discovered in Palermo, in the astronomic observatory located in the UNESCO world heritage site "Palazzo dei Normanni", around 500 meters away from the institute where I teach, and because Ceres was considered the patron goddess of Sicily. Moreover, it received scientists and media attention recently because it was explored by the NASA Dawn spacecraft in 2015. The categorization of Ceres has changed more than once and has been the subject of some disagreement. It was originally considered a planet, but was reclassified as an asteroid in the 1850s when many other objects in similar orbits were discovered. Its status changed again in 2006 when it was promoted to dwarf planet, a classification it shares with Pluto and other Kuiper belt objects. The study of this celestial body has a notable educational value, since the uncertain identity of Ceres constitutes an occasion to reflect on the criterions of classification of the natural objects. The history of its discovery allows the students to understand as the scientific method doesn't always consist in the verification of hypothesis through experiments but it sometimes asks for the forecast of facts through mathematical calculations, repeated and methodic observations, the collaboration between scientists of different sectors and nationality. Furthermore, it is a particularly suitable topic for interdisciplinary connections, as regards both scientific and humanistic matters. In order to promote the scientific competences of my first class students, I have developed a learning unit on Ceres, thanks to good cooperation with the Palermo Observatory scientists, particularly active in the astronomic dissemination towards the schools and the citizens. The most meaningful activities of the learning units have been: 1) Working in groups: classification of solar system objects through the use of cards with figures and description of the celestial bodies. 2) A guided tour to Palermo Astronomic Observatory Museum, where stored instruments used by Piazzi for observation of Ceres and the original scientific documentation regarding this important discovery. 3) Internet search of information on the mission Dawn and implementation of Learning objects on this matter. 4) A guided visit to the exhibition "Cerere, da Piazzi a Dawn"; This learning unit, that has aroused interest and active participation among the students, cannot be regarded as closed, because it can be used for the discussion of other matters (for instance the search of the life on other celestial bodies).
Action and Organizational Learning in an Elevator Company

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

De Loo, Ivo

2006-01-01

Purpose: To highlight the relevance of management control in action learning programs that aim to foster organizational learning. Design/methodology/approach: Literature review plus case study. The latter consists of archival analysis and multiple interviews. Findings: When action learning programs are built around singular learning experiences,…
Unconscious Familiarity-based Color-Form Binding: Evidence from Visual Extinction.

PubMed

Rappaport, Sarah J; Riddoch, M Jane; Chechlacz, Magda; Humphreys, Glyn W

2016-03-01

There is good evidence that early visual processing involves the coding of different features in independent brain regions. A major question, then, is how we see the world in an integrated manner, in which the different features are "bound" together. A standard account of this has been that feature binding depends on attention to the stimulus, which enables only the relevant features to be linked together [Treisman, A., & Gelade, G. A feature-integration theory of attention. Cognitive Psychology, 12, 97-136, 1980]. Here we test this influential idea by examining whether, in patients showing visual extinction, the processing of otherwise unconscious (extinguished) stimuli is modulated by presenting objects in their correct (familiar) color. Correctly colored objects showed reduced extinction when they had a learned color, and this color matched across the ipsi- and contralesional items (red strawberry + red tomato). In contrast, there was no reduction in extinction under the same conditions when the stimuli were colored incorrectly (blue strawberry + blue tomato; Experiment 1). The result was not due to the speeded identification of a correctly colored ipsilesional item, as there was no benefit from having correctly colored objects in different colors (red strawberry + yellow lemon; Experiment 2). There was also no benefit to extinction from presenting the correct colors in the background of each item (Experiment 3). The data suggest that learned color-form binding can reduce extinction even when color is irrelevant for the task. The result is consistent with preattentive binding of color and shape for familiar stimuli.
The Implementation of Medical Informatics in the National Competence Based Catalogue of Learning Objectives for Undergraduate Medical Education (NKLM).

PubMed

Behrends, Marianne; Steffens, Sandra; Marschollek, Michael

2017-01-01

The National Competence Based Catalogue of Learning Objectives for Undergraduate Medical Education (NKLM) describes medical skills and attitudes without being ordered by subjects or organs. Thus, the NKLM enables systematic curriculum mapping and supports curricular transparency. In this paper we describe where learning objectives related to Medical Informatics (MI) in Hannover coincide with other subjects and where they are taught exclusively in MI. An instance of the web-based MERLIN-database was used for the mapping process. In total 52 learning objectives overlapping with 38 other subjects could be allocated to MI. No overlap exists for six learning objectives describing explicitly topics of information technology or data management for scientific research. Most of the overlap was found for learning objectives relating to documentation and aspects of data privacy. The identification of numerous shared learning objectives with other subjects does not mean that other subjects teach the same content as MI. Identifying common learning objectives rather opens up the possibility for teaching cooperations which could lead to an important exchange and hopefully an improvement in medical education. Mapping of a whole medical curriculum offers the opportunity to identify common ground between MI and other medical subjects. Furthermore, in regard to MI, the interaction with other medical subjects can strengthen its role in medical education.
Informal Workplace Learning among Nurses: Organisational Learning Conditions and Personal Characteristics That Predict Learning Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kyndt, Eva; Vermeire, Eva; Cabus, Shana

2016-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to examine which organisational learning conditions and individual characteristics predict the learning outcomes nurses achieve through informal learning activities. There is specific relevance for the nursing profession because of the rapidly changing healthcare systems. Design/Methodology/Approach: In total, 203 nurses…
Objective Assessment of Bimanual Laparoscopic Surgical Skills via Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nemani, Arun

Surgical simulators are effective methods for training and assessing surgical technical skills, particularly those that are bimanual. These simulators are now ubiquitous in surgical training and assessment programs for residents. Simulators are used in programs such as the Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS) and Fundamentals of Endoscopic Surgery (FES), which are pre-requisites for Board certification in general surgery. Although these surgical simulators have been validated for clinical use, they have significant limitations, such as subjectivity in assessment metrics, poor correlation of transfer from simulation to clinically relevant environments, poor correlation of task performance scores to learning motor skill levels, and ultimately inconsistent reliability of these assessment methods as an indicator of positive patient outcomes. These limitations present an opportunity for more objective and analytical approaches to assess surgical motor skills. To address these surgical skill assessment limitations, we present functional near-infrared spectroscopic (fNIRS), a non-invasive brain imaging method, to objectively differentiate and classify subjects with varying degrees of laparoscopic surgical motor skill levels based on measurements of functional activation changes. In this work, we show that fNIRS based metrics can objectively differentiate and classify surgical motor skill levels with significantly more accuracy than established metrics. Using classification approaches such as multivariate linear discriminant analysis, we show evidence that fNIRS metrics reduce the misclassification error, defined as the probability that a trained subject is misclassified as an untrained subject and vice versa, from 53-61% to 4.2-4.4% compared to conventional metrics for surgical skill assessment. This evidence also translates to surgical skill transfer metrics, where such metrics assess surgical motor skill transfer from simulation to clinically relevant environments. Results indicate that fNIRS based metrics can successfully differentiate and classify surgical motor skill transfer levels by reducing the misclassification errors from 20-41 % to 2.2-9.1%, when compared to conventional surgical skill transfer assessment metrics. Furthermore, this work also shows evidence of high functional connectivity between the prefrontal cortex and primary motor cortex regions correlated to increases in surgical motor skill levels, addressing the gap in current literature in underlying neurophysiological responses to surgical motor skill learning. This work is the first to show conclusive evidence that fNIRS based metrics can significantly improve subject classification for surgical motor skill assessment compared to metrics currently used in Board certification in general surgery. Our approach brings robustness, objectivity, and accuracy in not only assessing surgical motor skill levels but also validating the effectiveness of future surgical trainers in assessing and translating surgical motor skills to more clinically relevant environments. This non-invasive imaging approach for objective quantification for complex bimanual surgical motor skills will bring about a paradigm change in surgical certification and assessment, that may lead to significantly reduced negative patient outcomes. Ultimately, this approach can be generally applied for bimanual motor skill assessment and can be applied for other fields, such as brain computer interfaces (BCI), robotics, stroke and rehabilitation therapy.
Ecologically relevant episodic memory assessment indicates an attenuated age-related memory loss - A virtual reality study.

PubMed

Pflueger, Marlon O; Stieglitz, Rolf-Dieter; Lemoine, Patrick; Leyhe, Thomas

2018-06-07

Since the advent of imaging techniques, the role of the neuropsychological assessment has changed. Questions concerning everyday functionality became primarily important and, thus, ecologically valid neuropsychological assessments are mandatory. Virtual reality (VR) environments might provide a way of implementing immersive cognitive assessments with a higher degree of everyday-life-related cognitive demands. We report on a VR-based episodic memory examination in N = 30 young and N = 18 healthy older adults (HOA) using a kitchen scene. The test procedure was designed to be structurally comparable to clinically used California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT) in terms of repeated learning trials as well as short and long delayed recall measures. The results showed that age-related learning and performance decrements were mainly evident in the CVLT but not in the VR-memory examination. The ecologically valid VR-memory examination might provide a more accurate "age-fair" estimation of everyday-life-related memory demands in HOA than the frequently and clinically used CVLT. We concluded this from our finding of context-related automatic and effortless activations of deeply experience based encoding and retrieval strategies with regard to everyday-life-related objects in the HOA, which might not be paralleled by learning arbitrary word associations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).
Cholinergic enhancement augments magnitude and specificity of visual perceptual learning in healthy humans

PubMed Central

Rokem, Ariel; Silver, Michael A.

2010-01-01

Summary Learning through experience underlies the ability to adapt to novel tasks and unfamiliar environments. However, learning must be regulated so that relevant aspects of the environment are selectively encoded. Acetylcholine (ACh) has been suggested to regulate learning by enhancing the responses of sensory cortical neurons to behaviorally-relevant stimuli [1]. In this study, we increased synaptic levels of ACh in the brains of healthy human subjects with the cholinesterase inhibitor donepezil (trade name: Aricept) and measured the effects of this cholinergic enhancement on visual perceptual learning. Each subject completed two five-day courses of training on a motion direction discrimination task [2], once while ingesting 5 mg of donepezil before every training session and once while placebo was administered. We found that cholinergic enhancement augmented perceptual learning for stimuli having the same direction of motion and visual field location used during training. In addition, perceptual learning under donepezil was more selective to the trained direction of motion and visual field location. These results, combined with previous studies demonstrating an increase in neuronal selectivity following cholinergic enhancement [3–5], suggest a possible mechanism by which ACh augments neural plasticity by directing activity to populations of neurons that encode behaviorally-relevant stimulus features. PMID:20850321
Learning a New Selection Rule in Visual and Frontal Cortex.

PubMed

van der Togt, Chris; Stănişor, Liviu; Pooresmaeili, Arezoo; Albantakis, Larissa; Deco, Gustavo; Roelfsema, Pieter R

2016-08-01

How do you make a decision if you do not know the rules of the game? Models of sensory decision-making suggest that choices are slow if evidence is weak, but they may only apply if the subject knows the task rules. Here, we asked how the learning of a new rule influences neuronal activity in the visual (area V1) and frontal cortex (area FEF) of monkeys. We devised a new icon-selection task. On each day, the monkeys saw 2 new icons (small pictures) and learned which one was relevant. We rewarded eye movements to a saccade target connected to the relevant icon with a curve. Neurons in visual and frontal cortex coded the monkey's choice, because the representation of the selected curve was enhanced. Learning delayed the neuronal selection signals and we uncovered the cause of this delay in V1, where learning to select the relevant icon caused an early suppression of surrounding image elements. These results demonstrate that the learning of a new rule causes a transition from fast and random decisions to a more considerate strategy that takes additional time and they reveal the contribution of visual and frontal cortex to the learning process. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press.
Game-powered machine learning

PubMed Central

Barrington, Luke; Turnbull, Douglas; Lanckriet, Gert

2012-01-01

Searching for relevant content in a massive amount of multimedia information is facilitated by accurately annotating each image, video, or song with a large number of relevant semantic keywords, or tags. We introduce game-powered machine learning, an integrated approach to annotating multimedia content that combines the effectiveness of human computation, through online games, with the scalability of machine learning. We investigate this framework for labeling music. First, a socially-oriented music annotation game called Herd It collects reliable music annotations based on the “wisdom of the crowds.” Second, these annotated examples are used to train a supervised machine learning system. Third, the machine learning system actively directs the annotation games to collect new data that will most benefit future model iterations. Once trained, the system can automatically annotate a corpus of music much larger than what could be labeled using human computation alone. Automatically annotated songs can be retrieved based on their semantic relevance to text-based queries (e.g., “funky jazz with saxophone,” “spooky electronica,” etc.). Based on the results presented in this paper, we find that actively coupling annotation games with machine learning provides a reliable and scalable approach to making searchable massive amounts of multimedia data. PMID:22460786
Game-powered machine learning.

PubMed

Barrington, Luke; Turnbull, Douglas; Lanckriet, Gert

2012-04-24

Searching for relevant content in a massive amount of multimedia information is facilitated by accurately annotating each image, video, or song with a large number of relevant semantic keywords, or tags. We introduce game-powered machine learning, an integrated approach to annotating multimedia content that combines the effectiveness of human computation, through online games, with the scalability of machine learning. We investigate this framework for labeling music. First, a socially-oriented music annotation game called Herd It collects reliable music annotations based on the "wisdom of the crowds." Second, these annotated examples are used to train a supervised machine learning system. Third, the machine learning system actively directs the annotation games to collect new data that will most benefit future model iterations. Once trained, the system can automatically annotate a corpus of music much larger than what could be labeled using human computation alone. Automatically annotated songs can be retrieved based on their semantic relevance to text-based queries (e.g., "funky jazz with saxophone," "spooky electronica," etc.). Based on the results presented in this paper, we find that actively coupling annotation games with machine learning provides a reliable and scalable approach to making searchable massive amounts of multimedia data.
Giving Meaning to the Numbers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marshall, Jeff; Horton, Bob; Austin-Wade, Joyce

2007-01-01

When learning, students yearn for meaning, challenge, and relevance. Integrated learning fulfills these desires by limiting the compartmentalization of learning--providing a more coherent learning environment. Too often, mathematics and the physical sciences are taught as separate entities. Yet, many commonalities exist, especially between…
Reinforcement learning in multidimensional environments relies on attention mechanisms.

PubMed

Niv, Yael; Daniel, Reka; Geana, Andra; Gershman, Samuel J; Leong, Yuan Chang; Radulescu, Angela; Wilson, Robert C

2015-05-27

In recent years, ideas from the computational field of reinforcement learning have revolutionized the study of learning in the brain, famously providing new, precise theories of how dopamine affects learning in the basal ganglia. However, reinforcement learning algorithms are notorious for not scaling well to multidimensional environments, as is required for real-world learning. We hypothesized that the brain naturally reduces the dimensionality of real-world problems to only those dimensions that are relevant to predicting reward, and conducted an experiment to assess by what algorithms and with what neural mechanisms this "representation learning" process is realized in humans. Our results suggest that a bilateral attentional control network comprising the intraparietal sulcus, precuneus, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is involved in selecting what dimensions are relevant to the task at hand, effectively updating the task representation through trial and error. In this way, cortical attention mechanisms interact with learning in the basal ganglia to solve the "curse of dimensionality" in reinforcement learning. Copyright © 2015 the authors 0270-6474/15/358145-13$15.00/0.
Blended learning in anesthesia education: current state and future model.

PubMed

Kannan, Jaya; Kurup, Viji

2012-12-01

Educators in anesthesia residency programs across the country are facing a number of challenges as they attempt to integrate blended learning techniques in their curriculum. Compared with the rest of higher education, which has made advances to varying degrees in the adoption of online learning anesthesiology education has been sporadic in the active integration of blended learning. The purpose of this review is to discuss the challenges in anesthesiology education and relevance of the Universal Design for Learning framework in addressing them. There is a wide chasm between student demand for online education and the availability of trained faculty to teach. The design of the learning interface is important and will significantly affect the learning experience for the student. This review examines recent literature pertaining to this field, both in the realm of higher education in general and medical education in particular, and proposes the application of a comprehensive learning model that is new to anesthesiology education and relevant to its goals of promoting self-directed learning.
Teaching from Objects and Stories: Learning about the Bering Sea Eskimo People. Smithsonian in Your Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smigielski, Alan

The three lesson plans in this issue feature the Eskimos of the Bering Sea and their culture. The lesson plans are: (1) "Learning about a Culture from Its Objects"; (2) "Learning about a Culture from a Story"; and (3) "Everyday Objects." Each lesson cites student objectives; lists materials needed; gives subjects…
Medical teachers' perception of professional roles in the framework of the German National Competence-Based Learning Objectives for Undergraduate Medical Education (NKLM)-A multicenter study.

PubMed

Griewatz, Jan; Wiechers, Steffen; Ben-Karacobanim, Hadiye; Lammerding-Koeppel, Maria

2016-11-01

Based on CanMEDS and others, the German National Competence-Based Learning Objectives for Undergraduate Medical Education (NKLM) were recently consented. International studies recommend integrating national and cultural context when transferring a professional roles framework in different countries. Teachers' misconceptions may establish barriers in role understanding and implementation. The aim is to analyze medical teachers' rating and perception of NKLM roles in order to reveal differences to official definitions. A two-step sequential mixed methods design was used including a survey and focus groups with N = 80 medical teachers from four German universities. Most of the teachers highly valued the importance of the role "Medical Expert" and understood comprehensively. The Communicator and the Collaborator were rated fairly and perceived to a large extent. Other intrinsic roles like Health Advocate and Scholar showed more deficits in perception and less importance by the participants. This was seen generally problematic and should be considered carefully. Manager and professional showed one-sided weaknesses either in importance or perception. Medical teachers considered NKLM roles relevant for medical practice, although their role perception differed considerably. The value and risk matrix visualizes the specific role profile and offers strategic implications for NKLM communication and handling, thus supporting change management.
16p11.2 Deletion mice display cognitive deficits in touchscreen learning and novelty recognition tasks.

PubMed

Yang, Mu; Lewis, Freeman C; Sarvi, Michael S; Foley, Gillian M; Crawley, Jacqueline N

2015-12-01

Chromosomal 16p11.2 deletion syndrome frequently presents with intellectual disabilities, speech delays, and autism. Here we investigated the Dolmetsch line of 16p11.2 heterozygous (+/-) mice on a range of cognitive tasks with different neuroanatomical substrates. Robust novel object recognition deficits were replicated in two cohorts of 16p11.2+/- mice, confirming previous findings. A similarly robust deficit in object location memory was discovered in +/-, indicating impaired spatial novelty recognition. Generalizability of novelty recognition deficits in +/- mice extended to preference for social novelty. Robust learning deficits and cognitive inflexibility were detected using Bussey-Saksida touchscreen operant chambers. During acquisition of pairwise visual discrimination, +/- mice required significantly more training trials to reach criterion than wild-type littermates (+/+), and made more errors and correction errors than +/+. In the reversal phase, all +/+ reached criterion, whereas most +/- failed to reach criterion by the 30-d cutoff. Contextual and cued fear conditioning were normal in +/-. These cognitive phenotypes may be relevant to some aspects of cognitive impairments in humans with 16p11.2 deletion, and support the use of 16p11.2+/- mice as a model system for discovering treatments for cognitive impairments in 16p11.2 deletion syndrome. © 2015 Yang et al.; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.
Classroom acoustics as a consideration for inclusive education in South Africa

PubMed Central

Karusseit, Catherine

2017-01-01

Background It can hardly be disputed that a school environment should be conducive or, at the very least, not prohibitive to effective learning. The provision of fair, equal and barrier-free access to education is referred to as inclusive education. South Africa supports a policy of inclusive schooling, striving to accommodate all children, including those with disabilities, in mainstream schools. This article sets out to prove that noise control in classrooms is a relevant, yet neglected, aspect of inclusive classroom design in South Africa and requires specific attention. Objectives The objectives of this study are to: (1) establish the impact that noise has on learners with sensory, language or learning impairments; (2) establish the preferred listening conditions for these learners by examining prior research and guidelines available in other countries; and (3) outline the current South African regulations pertaining to classroom acoustics and assess them against the preferred listening environment. Method This research was conducted as a systematic review with reference to the South African context. Local and international research and guidelines were used as references, providing an overview and evaluation of data concerning noise and learning. Results Noise is disadvantageous for learners, particularly those with sensory, language or learning impairments. Research and international guidelines show that the ideal ambient level is 30 dBA – 35 dBA, allowing the achievement of an ideal signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of +15 dB, and the ideal reverberation time is 0.4 s – 0.6 s. Various South African regulations discussed are inconsistent regarding ambient noise level (ranging from 35 dBA – 50 dBA) and say little about reverberation time for classrooms. Conclusion South African regulations regarding classroom acoustics require revision to ensure inclusion of all learners with disabilities. The current status does not enforce barrier-free environments in mainstream schools for children with sensory, language or learning impairments. PMID:28893075

Cognitive Pruning and Second Language Acquisition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, H. Douglas

Ausubel distinguishes two kinds of human learning: (1) rote learning, relevant only to a small fraction of human learning, is the mechanistic formation of discrete, isolated traces in cognitive structure, usually through a process of conditioning; (2) meaningful learning, characteristic of most human learning, is a process of "subsuming" material…
Teachers' Self-Initiated Professional Learning through Personal Learning Networks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tour, Ekaterina

2017-01-01

It is widely acknowledged that to be able to teach language and literacy with digital technologies, teachers need to engage in relevant professional learning. Existing formal models of professional learning are often criticised for being ineffective. In contrast, informal and self-initiated forms of learning have been recently recognised as…
Piedmont City School District: Piedmont Middle School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

EDUCAUSE, 2015

2015-01-01

At Piedmont Middle School, the future for students is changing through relevant, engaging learning opportunities, a school culture filled with hope, and a redesigned teaching and learning environment that utilizes blended learning, project-based learning, and competency-based learning to personalize education. The academic model is anchored by a…
MODeLeR: A Virtual Constructivist Learning Environment and Methodology for Object-Oriented Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coffey, John W.; Koonce, Robert

2008-01-01

This article contains a description of the organization and method of use of an active learning environment named MODeLeR, (Multimedia Object Design Learning Resource), a tool designed to facilitate the learning of concepts pertaining to object modeling with the Unified Modeling Language (UML). MODeLeR was created to provide an authentic,…
Design Guide for Earth System Science Education: Common Student Learning Objectives and Special Pedagogical Approaches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baker, D.

2006-12-01

As part of the NASA-supported undergraduate Earth System Science Education (ESSE) program, fifty-seven institutions have developed and implemented a wide range of Earth system science (ESS) courses, pedagogies, and evaluation tools. The Teaching, Learning, and Evaluation section of USRA's online ESSE Design Guide showcases these ESS learning environments. This Design Guide section also provides resources for faculty who wish to develop ESS courses. It addresses important course design issues including prior student knowledge and interests, student learning objectives, learning resources, pedagogical approaches, and assessments tied to student learning objectives. The ESSE Design Guide provides links to over 130 ESS course syllabi at introductory, senior, and graduate levels. ESS courses over the past 15 years exhibit common student learning objectives and unique pedagogical approaches. From analysis of ESS course syllabi, seven common student learning objectives emerged: 1) demonstrate systems thinking, 2) develop an ESS knowledge base, 3) apply ESS to the human dimension, 4) expand and apply analytical skills, 5) improve critical thinking skills, 6) build professional/career skills, and 7) acquire an enjoyment and appreciation for science. To meet these objectives, ESSE often requires different ways of teaching than in traditional scientific disciplines. This presentation will highlight some especially successful pedagogical approaches for creating positive and engaging ESS learning environments.
Abstract numerical discrimination learning in rats.

PubMed

Taniuchi, Tohru; Sugihara, Junko; Wakashima, Mariko; Kamijo, Makiko

2016-06-01

In this study, we examined rats' discrimination learning of the numerical ordering positions of objects. In Experiments 1 and 2, five out of seven rats successfully learned to respond to the third of six identical objects in a row and showed reliable transfer of this discrimination to novel stimuli after being trained with three different training stimuli. In Experiment 3, the three rats from Experiment 2 continued to be trained to respond to the third object in an object array, which included an odd object that needed to be excluded when identifying the target third object. All three rats acquired this selective-counting task of specific stimuli, and two rats showed reliable transfer of this selective-counting performance to test sets of novel stimuli. In Experiment 4, the three rats from Experiment 3 quickly learned to respond to the third stimulus in object rows consisting of either six identical or six different objects. These results offer strong evidence for abstract numerical discrimination learning in rats.
Impact of feature saliency on visual category learning.

PubMed

Hammer, Rubi

2015-01-01

People have to sort numerous objects into a large number of meaningful categories while operating in varying contexts. This requires identifying the visual features that best predict the 'essence' of objects (e.g., edibility), rather than categorizing objects based on the most salient features in a given context. To gain this capacity, visual category learning (VCL) relies on multiple cognitive processes. These may include unsupervised statistical learning, that requires observing multiple objects for learning the statistics of their features. Other learning processes enable incorporating different sources of supervisory information, alongside the visual features of the categorized objects, from which the categorical relations between few objects can be deduced. These deductions enable inferring that objects from the same category may differ from one another in some high-saliency feature dimensions, whereas lower-saliency feature dimensions can best differentiate objects from distinct categories. Here I illustrate how feature saliency affects VCL, by also discussing kinds of supervisory information enabling reflective categorization. Arguably, principles debated here are often being ignored in categorization studies.
Impact of feature saliency on visual category learning

PubMed Central

Hammer, Rubi

2015-01-01

People have to sort numerous objects into a large number of meaningful categories while operating in varying contexts. This requires identifying the visual features that best predict the ‘essence’ of objects (e.g., edibility), rather than categorizing objects based on the most salient features in a given context. To gain this capacity, visual category learning (VCL) relies on multiple cognitive processes. These may include unsupervised statistical learning, that requires observing multiple objects for learning the statistics of their features. Other learning processes enable incorporating different sources of supervisory information, alongside the visual features of the categorized objects, from which the categorical relations between few objects can be deduced. These deductions enable inferring that objects from the same category may differ from one another in some high-saliency feature dimensions, whereas lower-saliency feature dimensions can best differentiate objects from distinct categories. Here I illustrate how feature saliency affects VCL, by also discussing kinds of supervisory information enabling reflective categorization. Arguably, principles debated here are often being ignored in categorization studies. PMID:25954220
Prioritising the relevant information for learning and decision making within orbital and ventromedial prefrontal cortex.

PubMed

Walton, Mark E; Chau, Bolton K H; Kennerley, Steven W

2015-02-01

Our environment and internal states are frequently complex, ambiguous and dynamic, meaning we need to have selection mechanisms to ensure we are basing our decisions on currently relevant information. Here, we review evidence that orbitofrontal (OFC) and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC) play conserved, critical but distinct roles in this process. While OFC may use specific sensory associations to enhance task-relevant information, particularly in the context of learning, VMPFC plays a role in ensuring irrelevant information does not impinge on the decision in hand.
[Integrating the e-learning programme EGONE into the block of training in obstetrics and gynaecology].

PubMed

Weninger, Laura; Liebhardt, Hubert; Brachmann, Stephanie; Varga, Dominic; Atassi, Ziad; Wöckel, Achim; Fegert, Jörg; Haller, Urs; Kreienberg, Rolf

2012-01-01

EGONE is an E-Learning Forum for Gynaecology, Obstetrics, Neonatology and Reproductive Endocrinology based on the Swiss Catalogue of Learning Objectives. For two semesters, students attending the gynaecology block at the Medical Faculty of the University of Ulm have been provided with licences to use EGONE. Students can work on a specially equipped computer and practise whenever they want. The aim of this study was to generate hypotheses as to which factors favour the use of EGONE and which didactic implications for the learning success the application of EGONE has. During August 2009, 28 medical students in their 8th and 9th semester were interviewed after having completed their block of training in gynaecology. The instruments used included a questionnaire and a partially standardised interview. We found that the e-learning offering EGONE was basically met with a positive response from the medical students at the University of Ulm. Regarding the integration of EGONE, three problem areas were identified: shortage of equipment, lack of dependable access and functional, but not curricular integration. Students' suggestions for better integration of EGONE were related to two subject areas: establishing an assisted learning centre (e.g., PC pool with library) and developing curricular independence and relevance (e.g., specific application to patient cases, conducting seminars with EGONE). The integration of the e-learning programme EGONE presupposes a logical, didactic concept for the whole clinical block of training in gynaecology as well as dependable, sufficient infrastructure and technical equipment and providing didactic support to users. Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier GmbH.
Basic Burns Management E-Learning: A New Teaching Tool.

PubMed

Egro, Francesco M

Burns teaching is organized only in a few medical schools in the United Kingdom. An e-learning tutorial was developed with the objective of incorporating burns teaching within the medical school curriculum. A 33-webpage e-learning was created, covering topics such as local and general response to burns, assessment of burns, first aid, primary and secondary survey, and referral guidelines. Medical student satisfaction was then evaluated using a 12-question feedback survey rated based on a Likert scale from 1 (very poor) to 5 (very good). The 12-question survey was completed by a total of 18 medical students ranging from second to fourth years (second = 17%, third = 22%, fourth = 61%). While only a couple of students had received prior burns teaching, 50% of the cohort had an interest to pursue surgery as a career. The majority of students (72%) would be interested to have an e-learning module on basic burns management in their medical curriculum. The means of all domains specific to the e-learning were rated as "good" or "very good." Students' rating for ease of use was 87%, usefulness was 88%, relevance to the medical curriculum was 90%, clarity and quality of content were 78% and 83%, respectively, design was 79%, and the overall satisfaction with this e-learning was 87%. The "Basic Burns Management" e-learning tutorial can provide an efficient and effective means of information delivery to medical students and junior doctors, allowing easy and fast incorporation of burns teaching within the medical curriculum and in other medical teaching settings.
Functional aging impairs the role of feedback in motor learning.

PubMed

Liu, Yu; Cao, Chunmei; Yan, Jin H

2013-10-01

Optimal motor skill acquisition frequently requires augmented feedback or knowledge of results (KR). However, the effect of functional declines on the benefits of KR remains to be determined. The objective of this research was to examine how cognitive and motor deficits of older adults influence the use of KR for motor skill learning. A total of 57 older adults (mean 73.1 years; SD 4.2) received both cognitive and eye-hand coordination assessments, whereas 55 young controls (mean 25.8 years; SD 3.8) took only the eye-hand coordination test. All young and older participants learned a time-constrained arm movement through KR in three pre-KR and post-KR intervals. In the subsequent no-KR skill retests, absolute and variable time errors were not significantly reduced for the older learners who had KR during skill practice, especially for those with cognitive and motor dysfunctions. The finding suggests that KR results in no measureable improvement for older adults with cognitive and motor functional deficiencies. More importantly, for the older adults, longer post-KR intervals showed greater detrimental effects on feedback-based motor learning than shorter pauses after KR delivery. The findings support the hypothesis about the effects of cognitive and motor deficits on KR in motor skill learning of older adults. The dynamics of cognitive and motor aging, external feedback and internal control mechanisms collectively explain the deterioration in the sensory-motor learning of older adults. The theoretical implications and practical relevance of functional aging for motor skill learning are discussed. © 2013 Japan Geriatrics Society.
Innovative educational methods and technologies applicable to continuing professional development in periodontology.

PubMed

Mattheos, N; Schoonheim-Klein, M; Walmsley, A D; Chapple, I L C

2010-05-01

Continuous professional development (CPD) in Periodontology refers to the overall framework of opportunities that facilitate a life-long learning practice, driven by the learner-practitioner and supported by a variety of institutions and individuals. CPD must address different needs for a great diversity of practitioners. It is clear that no particular methodology or technology is able to successfully accommodate the entire spectrum of CPD in Periodontology. Course designers must choose from and combine a wide array of methodologies and technologies, depending upon the needs of the learners and the objectives of the intended education. Research suggests that 'interactivity', 'flexibility', 'continuity' and 'relevance to learners' practice' are major characteristics of successful CPD. Various methods of mentoring, peer-learning environments and work-based learning have been combined with reflective practice and self-study to form the methodological backbone of CPD courses. Blended learning encompasses a wide array of technologies and methodologies and has been successfully used in CPD courses. Internet-based content learning management systems, portable Internet devices, powerful databases and search engines, together with initiatives such as 'open access' and 'open courseware' provide an array of effective instructional and communication tools. Assessment remains a key issue in CPD, providing learners with valuable feedback and it ensures the credibility and effectiveness of the learning process. Assessment is a multi-level process using different methods for different learning outcomes, as directed by current evidence and best practices. Finally, quality assurance of the education provided must follow CPD courses at all times through a structured and credible process.
MultiMiTar: a novel multi objective optimization based miRNA-target prediction method.

PubMed

Mitra, Ramkrishna; Bandyopadhyay, Sanghamitra

2011-01-01

Machine learning based miRNA-target prediction algorithms often fail to obtain a balanced prediction accuracy in terms of both sensitivity and specificity due to lack of the gold standard of negative examples, miRNA-targeting site context specific relevant features and efficient feature selection process. Moreover, all the sequence, structure and machine learning based algorithms are unable to distribute the true positive predictions preferentially at the top of the ranked list; hence the algorithms become unreliable to the biologists. In addition, these algorithms fail to obtain considerable combination of precision and recall for the target transcripts that are translationally repressed at protein level. In the proposed article, we introduce an efficient miRNA-target prediction system MultiMiTar, a Support Vector Machine (SVM) based classifier integrated with a multiobjective metaheuristic based feature selection technique. The robust performance of the proposed method is mainly the result of using high quality negative examples and selection of biologically relevant miRNA-targeting site context specific features. The features are selected by using a novel feature selection technique AMOSA-SVM, that integrates the multi objective optimization technique Archived Multi-Objective Simulated Annealing (AMOSA) and SVM. MultiMiTar is found to achieve much higher Matthew's correlation coefficient (MCC) of 0.583 and average class-wise accuracy (ACA) of 0.8 compared to the others target prediction methods for a completely independent test data set. The obtained MCC and ACA values of these algorithms range from -0.269 to 0.155 and 0.321 to 0.582, respectively. Moreover, it shows a more balanced result in terms of precision and sensitivity (recall) for the translationally repressed data set as compared to all the other existing methods. An important aspect is that the true positive predictions are distributed preferentially at the top of the ranked list that makes MultiMiTar reliable for the biologists. MultiMiTar is now available as an online tool at www.isical.ac.in/~bioinfo_miu/multimitar.htm. MultiMiTar software can be downloaded from www.isical.ac.in/~bioinfo_miu/multimitar-download.htm.
Scientism in Medical Education and the Improvement of Medical Care: Opioids, Competencies, and Social Accountability.

PubMed

Reid, Lynette

2018-06-01

Scientism in medical education distracts educators from focusing on the content of learning; it focuses attention instead on individual achievement and validity in its measurement. I analyze the specific form that scientism takes in medicine and in medical education. The competencies movement attempts to challenge old "scientistic" views of the role of physicians, but in the end it has invited medical educators to focus on validity in the measurement of individual performance for attitudes and skills that medicine resists conceptualizing as objective. Academic medicine should focus its efforts instead on quality and relevance of care. The social accountability movement proposes to shift the focus of academic medicine to the goal of high quality and relevant care in the context of community service and partnership with the institutions that together with medicine create and cope with health and with health deficits. I make the case for this agenda through a discussion of the linked histories of the opioid prescribing crisis and the professionalism movement.
Exploiting Attribute Correlations: A Novel Trace Lasso-Based Weakly Supervised Dictionary Learning Method.

PubMed

Wu, Lin; Wang, Yang; Pan, Shirui

2017-12-01

It is now well established that sparse representation models are working effectively for many visual recognition tasks, and have pushed forward the success of dictionary learning therein. Recent studies over dictionary learning focus on learning discriminative atoms instead of purely reconstructive ones. However, the existence of intraclass diversities (i.e., data objects within the same category but exhibit large visual dissimilarities), and interclass similarities (i.e., data objects from distinct classes but share much visual similarities), makes it challenging to learn effective recognition models. To this end, a large number of labeled data objects are required to learn models which can effectively characterize these subtle differences. However, labeled data objects are always limited to access, committing it difficult to learn a monolithic dictionary that can be discriminative enough. To address the above limitations, in this paper, we propose a weakly-supervised dictionary learning method to automatically learn a discriminative dictionary by fully exploiting visual attribute correlations rather than label priors. In particular, the intrinsic attribute correlations are deployed as a critical cue to guide the process of object categorization, and then a set of subdictionaries are jointly learned with respect to each category. The resulting dictionary is highly discriminative and leads to intraclass diversity aware sparse representations. Extensive experiments on image classification and object recognition are conducted to show the effectiveness of our approach.
Learning Object Names at Different Hierarchical Levels Using Cross-Situational Statistics.

PubMed

Chen, Chi-Hsin; Zhang, Yayun; Yu, Chen

2018-05-01

Objects in the world usually have names at different hierarchical levels (e.g., beagle, dog, animal). This research investigates adults' ability to use cross-situational statistics to simultaneously learn object labels at individual and category levels. The results revealed that adults were able to use co-occurrence information to learn hierarchical labels in contexts where the labels for individual objects and labels for categories were presented in completely separated blocks, in interleaved blocks, or mixed in the same trial. Temporal presentation schedules significantly affected the learning of individual object labels, but not the learning of category labels. Learners' subsequent generalization of category labels indicated sensitivity to the structure of statistical input. Copyright © 2017 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.
An Object Oriented Approach to Improve the Precision of Learning Object Retrieval in a Self Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raghuveer, V. R.; Tripathy, B. K.

2012-01-01

With the advancements in the WWW and ICT, the e-learning domain has developed very fast. Even many educational institutions these days have shifted their focus towards the e-learning and mobile learning environments. However, from the quality of learning point of view, which is measured in terms of "active learning" taking place, the…
Minimal Groups Increase Young Children's Motivation and Learning on Group-Relevant Tasks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Master, Allison; Walton, Gregory M.

2013-01-01

Three experiments ("N" = 130) used a minimal group manipulation to show that just perceived membership in a social group boosts young children's motivation for and learning from group-relevant tasks. In Experiment 1, 4-year-old children assigned to a minimal "puzzles group" persisted longer on a challenging puzzle than children identified as the…
Transformational Teaching in the Information Age: Making Why and How We Teach Relevant to Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosebrough, Thomas R.; Leverett, Ralph G.

2011-01-01

Yes, it's true that today's students have tons of distractions that take their attention away from the hard work of learning. That's why it's more important than ever to establish a teaching relationship with students that makes academic learning relevant to their lives. Here's a book that explains how to do that by changing teaching practices…

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