Unconscious decisional learning improves unconscious information processing.

PubMed

Vlassova, Alexandra; Pearson, Joel

2018-07-01

The idea that unconscious input can result in long-term learning or task improvement has been debated for decades, yet there is still little evidence to suggest that learning outside of awareness can produce meaningful changes to decision-making. Here we trained participants using noisy motion stimuli, which require the gradual accumulation of information until a decision can be reached. These stimuli were suppressed from conscious awareness by simultaneously presenting a dynamic dichoptic mask. We show that a short period of training on either a partially or fully suppressed motion stimulus resulted in improved accuracy when tested on a partially suppressed motion stimulus traveling in the orthogonal direction. We found this improvement occurred even when performance on the training task was at chance. Performance gains generalized across motion directions, suggesting that the improvement was the result of changes to the decisional mechanisms rather than perceptual. Interestingly, unconscious learning had a stronger effect on unconscious, compared to conscious decisional accumulation. We further show that a conscious coherent percept is necessary to reap the benefits of unconscious learning. Together, these data suggest that unconscious decisional processing can be improved via training. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Feedback Design Patterns for Math Online Learning Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Inventado, Paul Salvador; Scupelli, Peter; Heffernan, Cristina; Heffernan, Neil

2017-01-01

Increasingly, computer-based learning systems are used by educators to facilitate learning. Evaluations of several math learning systems show that they result in significant student learning improvements. Feedback provision is one of the key features in math learning systems that contribute to its success. We have recently been uncovering feedback…

Using Data to Improve Student Learning in Elementary Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bernhardt, Victoria L.

2003-01-01

This book, part of a four-book series on using data to improve student learning, concentrates on elementary education. The book shows real analysis focused on the elementary education level. It provides templates on an accompanying CD-ROM for leaders to use in analyzing data in their own learning organizations. The chapters are: (1) Introduction;…

The Effects of Selective Attention on the Decoding Skills of Children with Learning Disabilities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schworm, Ronald W.

1979-01-01

To test the effects of selective attention on decoding skills, 23 children (grades 2 through 6) with learning disabilities were studied. Results showed that treatment directly improved the ability of the experimental groups to transfer spelling patterns learned in isolation to unknown words containing those patterns and improved the ability of Ss…

Seeing the Errors You Feel Enhances Locomotor Performance but Not Learning.

PubMed

Roemmich, Ryan T; Long, Andrew W; Bastian, Amy J

2016-10-24

In human motor learning, it is thought that the more information we have about our errors, the faster we learn. Here, we show that additional error information can lead to improved motor performance without any concomitant improvement in learning. We studied split-belt treadmill walking that drives people to learn a new gait pattern using sensory prediction errors detected by proprioceptive feedback. When we also provided visual error feedback, participants acquired the new walking pattern far more rapidly and showed accelerated restoration of the normal walking pattern during washout. However, when the visual error feedback was removed during either learning or washout, errors reappeared with performance immediately returning to the level expected based on proprioceptive learning alone. These findings support a model with two mechanisms: a dual-rate adaptation process that learns invariantly from sensory prediction error detected by proprioception and a visual-feedback-dependent process that monitors learning and corrects residual errors but shows no learning itself. We show that our voluntary correction model accurately predicted behavior in multiple situations where visual feedback was used to change acquisition of new walking patterns while the underlying learning was unaffected. The computational and behavioral framework proposed here suggests that parallel learning and error correction systems allow us to rapidly satisfy task demands without necessarily committing to learning, as the relative permanence of learning may be inappropriate or inefficient when facing environments that are liable to change. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Temporal structure of motor variability is dynamically regulated and predicts motor learning ability.

PubMed

Wu, Howard G; Miyamoto, Yohsuke R; Gonzalez Castro, Luis Nicolas; Ölveczky, Bence P; Smith, Maurice A

2014-02-01

Individual differences in motor learning ability are widely acknowledged, yet little is known about the factors that underlie them. Here we explore whether movement-to-movement variability in motor output, a ubiquitous if often unwanted characteristic of motor performance, predicts motor learning ability. Surprisingly, we found that higher levels of task-relevant motor variability predicted faster learning both across individuals and across tasks in two different paradigms, one relying on reward-based learning to shape specific arm movement trajectories and the other relying on error-based learning to adapt movements in novel physical environments. We proceeded to show that training can reshape the temporal structure of motor variability, aligning it with the trained task to improve learning. These results provide experimental support for the importance of action exploration, a key idea from reinforcement learning theory, showing that motor variability facilitates motor learning in humans and that our nervous systems actively regulate it to improve learning.

Temporal structure of motor variability is dynamically regulated and predicts motor learning ability

PubMed Central

Wu, Howard G; Miyamoto, Yohsuke R; Castro, Luis Nicolas Gonzalez; Ölveczky, Bence P; Smith, Maurice A

2015-01-01

Individual differences in motor learning ability are widely acknowledged, yet little is known about the factors that underlie them. Here we explore whether movement-to-movement variability in motor output, a ubiquitous if often unwanted characteristic of motor performance, predicts motor learning ability. Surprisingly, we found that higher levels of task-relevant motor variability predicted faster learning both across individuals and across tasks in two different paradigms, one relying on reward-based learning to shape specific arm movement trajectories and the other relying on error-based learning to adapt movements in novel physical environments. We proceeded to show that training can reshape the temporal structure of motor variability, aligning it with the trained task to improve learning. These results provide experimental support for the importance of action exploration, a key idea from reinforcement learning theory, showing that motor variability facilitates motor learning in humans and that our nervous systems actively regulate it to improve learning. PMID:24413700

Do quality improvement collaboratives' educational components match the dominant learning style preferences of the participants?

PubMed

Weggelaar-Jansen, Anne Marie; van Wijngaarden, Jeroen; Slaghuis, Sarah-Sue

2015-06-20

Quality improvement collaboratives are used to improve healthcare by various organizations. Despite their popularity literature shows mixed results on their effectiveness. A quality improvement collaborative can be seen as a temporary learning organization in which knowledge about improvement themes and methods is exchanged. In this research we studied: Does the learning approach of a quality improvement collaborative match the learning styles preferences of the individual participants and how does that affect the learning process of participants? This research used a mixed methods design combining a validated learning style questionnaire with data collected in the tradition of action research methodology to study two Dutch quality improvement collaboratives. The questionnaire is based on the learning style model of Ruijters and Simons, distinguishing five learning style preferences: Acquisition of knowledge, Apperception from others, Discovery of new insights, Exercising in fictitious situations and Participation with others. The most preferred learning styles of the participants were Discovery and Participation. The learning style Acquisition was moderately preferred and Apperception and Exercising were least preferred. The educational components of the quality improvement collaboratives studied (national conferences, half-day learning sessions, faculty site visits and use of an online tool) were predominantly associated with the learning styles Acquisition and Apperception. We observed a decrease in attendance to the learning activities and non-conformance with the standardized set goals and approaches. We conclude that the participants' satisfaction with the offered learning approach changed over time. The lacking match between these learning style preferences and the learning approach in the educational components of the quality improvement collaboratives studied might be the reason why the participants felt they did not gain new insights and therefore ceased their participation in the collaborative. This study provides guidance for future organisers and participants of quality improvement collaboratives about which learning approaches will best suit the participants and enhance improvement work.

Self-directed learning can outperform direct instruction in the course of a modern German medical curriculum - results of a mixed methods trial.

PubMed

Peine, Arne; Kabino, Klaus; Spreckelsen, Cord

2016-06-03

Modernised medical curricula in Germany (so called "reformed study programs") rely increasingly on alternative self-instructed learning forms such as e-learning and curriculum-guided self-study. However, there is a lack of evidence that these methods can outperform conventional teaching methods such as lectures and seminars. This study was conducted in order to compare extant traditional teaching methods with new instruction forms in terms of learning effect and student satisfaction. In a randomised trial, 244 students of medicine in their third academic year were assigned to one of four study branches representing self-instructed learning forms (e-learning and curriculum-based self-study) and instructed learning forms (lectures and seminars). All groups participated in their respective learning module with standardised materials and instructions. Learning effect was measured with pre-test and post-test multiple-choice questionnaires. Student satisfaction and learning style were examined via self-assessment. Of 244 initial participants, 223 completed the respective module and were included in the study. In the pre-test, the groups showed relatively homogenous scores. All students showed notable improvements compared with the pre-test results. Participants in the non-self-instructed learning groups reached scores of 14.71 (seminar) and 14.37 (lecture), while the groups of self-instructed learners reached higher scores with 17.23 (e-learning) and 15.81 (self-study). All groups improved significantly (p < .001) in the post-test regarding their self-assessment, led by the e-learning group, whose self-assessment improved by 2.36. The study shows that students in modern study curricula learn better through modern self-instructed methods than through conventional methods. These methods should be used more, as they also show good levels of student acceptance and higher scores in personal self-assessment of knowledge.

The effectiveness of collaborative problem based physics learning (CPBPL) model to improve student’s self-confidence on physics learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prahani, B. K.; Suprapto, N.; Suliyanah; Lestari, N. A.; Jauhariyah, M. N. R.; Admoko, S.; Wahyuni, S.

2018-03-01

In the previous research, Collaborative Problem Based Physic Learning (CPBPL) model has been developed to improve student’s science process skills, collaborative problem solving, and self-confidence on physics learning. This research is aimed to analyze the effectiveness of CPBPL model towards the improvement of student’s self-confidence on physics learning. This research implemented quasi experimental design on 140 senior high school students who were divided into 4 groups. Data collection was conducted through questionnaire, observation, and interview. Self-confidence measurement was conducted through Self-Confidence Evaluation Sheet (SCES). The data was analyzed using Wilcoxon test, n-gain, and Kruskal Wallis test. Result shows that: (1) There is a significant score improvement on student’s self-confidence on physics learning (α=5%), (2) n-gain value student’s self-confidence on physics learning is high, and (3) n-gain average student’s self-confidence on physics learning was consistent throughout all groups. It can be concluded that CPBPL model is effective to improve student’s self-confidence on physics learning.

Cooperative Learning in Industrial-sized Biology Classes

PubMed Central

Chang, Shu-Mei; Brickman, Marguerite

2007-01-01

This study examined the impact of cooperative learning activities on student achievement and attitudes in large-enrollment (>250) introductory biology classes. We found that students taught using a cooperative learning approach showed greater improvement in their knowledge of course material compared with students taught using a traditional lecture format. In addition, students viewed cooperative learning activities highly favorably. These findings suggest that encouraging students to work in small groups and improving feedback between the instructor and the students can help to improve student outcomes even in very large classes. These results should be viewed cautiously, however, until this experiment can be replicated with additional faculty. Strategies for potentially improving the impact of cooperative learning on student achievement in large courses are discussed. PMID:17548878

Cooperative learning in industrial-sized biology classes.

PubMed

Armstrong, Norris; Chang, Shu-Mei; Brickman, Marguerite

2007-01-01

This study examined the impact of cooperative learning activities on student achievement and attitudes in large-enrollment (>250) introductory biology classes. We found that students taught using a cooperative learning approach showed greater improvement in their knowledge of course material compared with students taught using a traditional lecture format. In addition, students viewed cooperative learning activities highly favorably. These findings suggest that encouraging students to work in small groups and improving feedback between the instructor and the students can help to improve student outcomes even in very large classes. These results should be viewed cautiously, however, until this experiment can be replicated with additional faculty. Strategies for potentially improving the impact of cooperative learning on student achievement in large courses are discussed.

STEM learning on electricity using arduino-phet based experiment to improve 8th grade students’ STEM literacy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prima, E. C.; Oktaviani, T. D.; Sholihin, H.

2018-05-01

Technology is the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes, especially in industry. One way to support the development of the technology is by integrating the use of technology and build the technology with the learning process in the form of STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) Learning approach. Applying STEM Learning could improve Students’ STEM Literacy. The learning approach is applied in every aspect of Learning including the application of STEM Learning in the lesson plan and worksheet. The method used in this research is weak experimental method. One group class (N=15) is taken and learn using STEM Learning approach. The topic choosen is the electricity topic which is separated into electrical circuit and parameters. The learning process is separated into 3 meetings. 15 Students are given a STEM Literacy test item before and after the lesson. The result of the normalized gain shows there are improvement in students’ STEM Literacy by < \\overline{g}> 0.16 categorieed as low improvement. The most higher improvement is the students’ technology literacy, because students learn using the same technology in every meeting. This factor influences students’ technology literacy so the result is higher than another.

Effectiveness of the clinical teaching associate model to improve clinical learning outcomes: a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Parchebafieh, Samaneh; Gholizadeh, Leila; Lakdizaji, Sima; Ghiasvandiyan, Shahrzad; Davoodi, Arefeh

2014-01-01

This study examined the effectiveness of the clinical teaching associate (CTA) model to improve clinical learning outcomes in nursing students. Students were randomly allocated to either the CTA (n = 28) or traditional training group (n = 32), and their clinical knowledge, skills, and satisfaction with the learning experience were assessed and compared. The results showed that the CTA model was equally effective in improving clinical knowledge, skills, and satisfaction of nursing students.

Learning from Experience: A Collection of Service-Learning Projects Linking Academic Standards to Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Babcock, Barbara, Ed.

Service-learning projects combine community service with student learning in a practical way that enhances academic knowledge and improves community environments and fellowship. This compilation is designed to show the service-learning process in action. The collection presents outstanding examples of successful service-learning projects as…

Implementation of 3D virtual learning environment to improve students’ cognitive achievement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rasim; Langi, A. Z. R.; Rosmansyah, Y.; Munir

2018-05-01

Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) has been widely used in assisting learning. This study aims to implement VLE-based learning in software engineering course. VLE provides many facilities for learning. In this research, VLE components used were presenter and quiz chair components. Evaluation results showed a significant difference from classical learning.

Report on the Status of Students and Families Who Received Mental Health and Case Management Services at Linkages to Learning Sites, 2013-2014

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wade, Julie; Maina, Nyambura

2016-01-01

Students who received mental health services at a Linkages to Learning (LTL) site showed improvement on some measures of well-being and school engagement, including self-ratings of self-concept and attendance. Families who received case management services showed improvement on multiple areas of self-sufficiency, and large percentages of…

Electrical Storm Simulation to Improve the Learning Physics Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martínez Muñoz, Miriam; Jiménez Rodríguez, María Lourdes; Gutiérrez de Mesa, José Antonio

2013-01-01

This work is part of a research project whose main objective is to understand the impact that the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has on the teaching and learning process on the subject of Physics. We will show that, with the use of a storm simulator, physics students improve their learning process on one hand they understand…

Using Complementary Learning Clusters in Studying Literature to Enhance Students' Medical Humanities Literacy, Critical Thinking, and English Proficiency.

PubMed

Liao, Hung-Chang; Wang, Ya-Huei

2016-04-01

This study examined whether students studying literature in complementary learning clusters would show more improvement in medical humanities literacy, critical thinking skills, and English proficiency compared to those in conventional learning clusters. Ninety-three students participated in the study (M age = 18.2 years, SD = 0.4; 36 men, 57 women). A quasi-experimental design was used over 16 weeks, with the control group (n = 47) working in conventional learning clusters and the experimental group (n = 46) working in complementary learning clusters. Complementary learning clusters were those in which individuals had complementary strengths enabling them to learn from and offer assistance to other cluster members, hypothetically facilitating the learning process. Measures included the Medical Humanities Literacy Scale, Critical Thinking Disposition Assessment, English proficiency tests, and Analytic Critical Thinking Scoring Rubric. The results showed that complementary learning clusters have the potential to improve students' medical humanities literacy, critical thinking skills, and English proficiency. © The Author(s) 2016.

Integrating Quality Improvement Education into the Nephrology Curricular Milestones Framework and the Clinical Learning Environment Review

PubMed Central

Prince, Lisa K.; Little, Dustin J.; Schexneider, Katherine I.

2017-01-01

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education requires that trainees show progressive milestone attainment in the practice–based learning and systems–based practice competencies. As part of the Clinical Learning Environment Review, sponsoring hospitals must educate trainees in health care quality improvement, provide them with specialty–specific quality data, and ensure trainee participation in quality improvement activities and committees. Subspecialty–specific quality improvement curricula in nephrology training programs have not been reported, although considerable curricular and assessment material exists for specialty residencies, including tools for assessing trainee and faculty competence. Nephrology–specific didactic material exists to assist nephrology fellows and faculty mentors in designing and implementing quality improvement projects. Nephrology is notable among internal medicine subspecialties for the emphasis placed on adherence to quality thresholds—specifically for chronic RRT shown by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Quality Incentive Program. We have developed a nephrology-specific curriculum that meets Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and Clinical Learning Environment Review requirements, acknowledges regulatory quality improvement requirements, integrates with ongoing divisional quality improvement activities, and has improved clinical care and the training program. In addition to didactic training in quality improvement, we track trainee compliance with Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes CKD and ESRD quality indicators (emphasizing Quality Improvement Program indicators), and fellows collaborate on a yearly multidisciplinary quality improvement project. Over the past 6 years, each fellowship class has, on the basis of a successful quality improvement project, shown milestone achievement in Systems-Based Practice and Practice-Based Learning. Fellow quality improvement projects have improved nephrology clinical care within the institution and introduced new educational and assessment tools to the training program. All have been opportunities for quality improvement scholarship. The curriculum prepares fellows to apply quality improvement principals in independent clinical practice—while showing milestone advancement and divisional compliance with Clinical Learning Environment Review requirements. PMID:28174318

Filtering sensory information with XCSF: improving learning robustness and robot arm control performance.

PubMed

Kneissler, Jan; Stalph, Patrick O; Drugowitsch, Jan; Butz, Martin V

2014-01-01

It has been shown previously that the control of a robot arm can be efficiently learned using the XCSF learning classifier system, which is a nonlinear regression system based on evolutionary computation. So far, however, the predictive knowledge about how actual motor activity changes the state of the arm system has not been exploited. In this paper, we utilize the forward velocity kinematics knowledge of XCSF to alleviate the negative effect of noisy sensors for successful learning and control. We incorporate Kalman filtering for estimating successive arm positions, iteratively combining sensory readings with XCSF-based predictions of hand position changes over time. The filtered arm position is used to improve both trajectory planning and further learning of the forward velocity kinematics. We test the approach on a simulated kinematic robot arm model. The results show that the combination can improve learning and control performance significantly. However, it also shows that variance estimates of XCSF prediction may be underestimated, in which case self-delusional spiraling effects can hinder effective learning. Thus, we introduce a heuristic parameter, which can be motivated by theory, and which limits the influence of XCSF's predictions on its own further learning input. As a result, we obtain drastic improvements in noise tolerance, allowing the system to cope with more than 10 times higher noise levels.

Automation of energy demand forecasting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siddique, Sanzad

Automation of energy demand forecasting saves time and effort by searching automatically for an appropriate model in a candidate model space without manual intervention. This thesis introduces a search-based approach that improves the performance of the model searching process for econometrics models. Further improvements in the accuracy of the energy demand forecasting are achieved by integrating nonlinear transformations within the models. This thesis introduces machine learning techniques that are capable of modeling such nonlinearity. Algorithms for learning domain knowledge from time series data using the machine learning methods are also presented. The novel search based approach and the machine learning models are tested with synthetic data as well as with natural gas and electricity demand signals. Experimental results show that the model searching technique is capable of finding an appropriate forecasting model. Further experimental results demonstrate an improved forecasting accuracy achieved by using the novel machine learning techniques introduced in this thesis. This thesis presents an analysis of how the machine learning techniques learn domain knowledge. The learned domain knowledge is used to improve the forecast accuracy.

Enhancement of Self Efficacy of Vocational School Students in Buffer Solution Topics through Guided Inquiry Learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

M, Ardiany; W, Wahyu; A, Supriatna

2017-09-01

The more students who feel less confident in learning, so doing things that are less responsible, such as brawl, drunkenness and others. So researchers need to do research related to student self efficacy in learning, in order to reduce unwanted things. This study aims to determine the effect of guided inquiry learning on improving self-efficacy of learners in the buffer solution topics. The method used is the mixed method which is the two group pretest postest design. The subjects of the study are 60 students of class XI AK in one of the SMKN in Bandung, consisting of 30 experimental class students and 30 control class students. The instruments used in this study mix method consist of self-efficacy questionnaire of pretest and posttest learners, interview guides, and observation sheet. Data analysis using t test with significant α = 0,05. Based on the result of inquiry of guided inquiry study, there is a significant improvement in self efficacy aspect of students in the topic of buffer solution. Data of pretest and posttest interview, observation, questionnaire showed significant result, that is improvement of experimental class with conventionally guided inquiry learning. The mean of self-efficacy of student learning there is significant difference of experiment class than control class equal to 0,047. There is a significant relationship between guided inquiry learning with self efficacy and guided inquiry learning. Each correlation value is 0.737. The learning process with guided inquiry is fun and challenging so that students can expose their ideas and opinions without being forced. From the results of questionnaires students showed an attitude of interest, sincerity and a good response of learning. While the results of questionnaires teachers showed that guided inquiry learning can make students learn actively, increased self-efficacy.

Improving the quality of learning in science through optimization of lesson study for learning community

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Setyaningsih, S.

2018-03-01

Lesson Study for Learning Community is one of lecturer profession building system through collaborative and continuous learning study based on the principles of openness, collegiality, and mutual learning to build learning community in order to form professional learning community. To achieve the above, we need a strategy and learning method with specific subscription technique. This paper provides a description of how the quality of learning in the field of science can be improved by implementing strategies and methods accordingly, namely by applying lesson study for learning community optimally. Initially this research was focused on the study of instructional techniques. Learning method used is learning model Contextual teaching and Learning (CTL) and model of Problem Based Learning (PBL). The results showed that there was a significant increase in competence, attitudes, and psychomotor in the four study programs that were modelled. Therefore, it can be concluded that the implementation of learning strategies in Lesson study for Learning Community is needed to be used to improve the competence, attitude and psychomotor of science students.

Learning in innovation networks: Some simulation experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gilbert, Nigel; Ahrweiler, Petra; Pyka, Andreas

2007-05-01

According to the organizational learning literature, the greatest competitive advantage a firm has is its ability to learn. In this paper, a framework for modeling learning competence in firms is presented to improve the understanding of managing innovation. Firms with different knowledge stocks attempt to improve their economic performance by engaging in radical or incremental innovation activities and through partnerships and networking with other firms. In trying to vary and/or to stabilize their knowledge stocks by organizational learning, they attempt to adapt to environmental requirements while the market strongly selects on the results. The simulation experiments show the impact of different learning activities, underlining the importance of innovation and learning.

Developing Inquiry for Learning: Reflecting Collaborative Ways to Learn How to Learn in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ovens, Peter; Wells, Frances; Wallis, Patricia; Hawkins, Cyndy

2011-01-01

"Developing Inquiry for Learning" shows how university tutors can help students to improve their abilities to learn and to become professional inquirers. An increasing proportion of students entering higher education seem to assume that learning is a relatively passive process. This may be the largest single limitation to their achievement.…

Applying Quality Management Process-Improvement Principles to Learning in Reading Courses: An Improved Learning and Retention Method.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hahn, William G.; Bart, Barbara D.

2003-01-01

Business students were taught a total quality management-based outlining process for course readings and a tally method to measure learning efficiency. Comparison of 233 who used the process and 99 who did not showed that the group means of users' test scores were 12.4 points higher than those of nonusers. (Contains 25 references.) (SK)

Generalized SMO algorithm for SVM-based multitask learning.

PubMed

Cai, Feng; Cherkassky, Vladimir

2012-06-01

Exploiting additional information to improve traditional inductive learning is an active research area in machine learning. In many supervised-learning applications, training data can be naturally separated into several groups, and incorporating this group information into learning may improve generalization. Recently, Vapnik proposed a general approach to formalizing such problems, known as "learning with structured data" and its support vector machine (SVM) based optimization formulation called SVM+. Liang and Cherkassky showed the connection between SVM+ and multitask learning (MTL) approaches in machine learning, and proposed an SVM-based formulation for MTL called SVM+MTL for classification. Training the SVM+MTL classifier requires the solution of a large quadratic programming optimization problem which scales as O(n(3)) with sample size n. So there is a need to develop computationally efficient algorithms for implementing SVM+MTL. This brief generalizes Platt's sequential minimal optimization (SMO) algorithm to the SVM+MTL setting. Empirical results show that, for typical SVM+MTL problems, the proposed generalized SMO achieves over 100 times speed-up, in comparison with general-purpose optimization routines.

Virtual Learning Ecosystems: A Proposed Framework for Integrating Educational Games, E-Learning Methods, and Virtual Community Platforms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Washington, Christopher

2015-01-01

Digitally delivered learning shows the promise of enhancing learner motivation and engagement, advancing critical thinking skills, encouraging reflection and knowledge sharing, and improving professional self-efficacy. Digital learning objects take many forms including interactive media, apps and games, video and other e-learning activities and…

Improving the basic skills of teaching mathematics through learning with search-solve-create-share strategy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahayu, D. V.; Kusumah, Y. S.; Darhim

2018-05-01

This study examined to see the improvement of prospective teachers’ basic skills of teaching mathematics through search-solve-create-share learning strategy based on overall and Mathematical Prior Knowledge (MPK) and interaction of both. Quasi experiments with the design of this experimental-non-equivalent control group design involved 67 students at the mathematics program of STKIP Garut. The instrument used in this study included pre-test and post-test. The result of this study showed that: (1) The improvement and achievement of the basic skills of teaching mathematics of the prospective teachers who get the learning of search-solve-create-share strategy is better than the improvement and achievement of the prospective teachers who get the conventional learning as a whole and based on MPK; (2) There is no interaction between the learning used and MPK on improving and achieving basic skills of teaching mathematics.

Deal or No Deal: using games to improve student learning, retention and decision-making

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chow, Alan F.; Woodford, Kelly C.; Maes, Jeanne

2011-03-01

Student understanding and retention can be enhanced and improved by providing alternative learning activities and environments. Education theory recognizes the value of incorporating alternative activities (games, exercises and simulations) to stimulate student interest in the educational environment, enhance transfer of knowledge and improve learned retention with meaningful repetition. In this case study, we investigate using an online version of the television game show, 'Deal or No Deal', to enhance student understanding and retention by playing the game to learn expected value in an introductory statistics course, and to foster development of critical thinking skills necessary to succeed in the modern business environment. Enhancing the thinking process of problem solving using repetitive games should also improve a student's ability to follow non-mathematical problem-solving processes, which should improve the overall ability to process information and make logical decisions. Learning and retention are measured to evaluate the success of the students' performance.

Critical steps in learning from incidents: using learning potential in the process from reporting an incident to accident prevention.

PubMed

Drupsteen, Linda; Groeneweg, Jop; Zwetsloot, Gerard I J M

2013-01-01

Many incidents have occurred because organisations have failed to learn from lessons of the past. This means that there is room for improvement in the way organisations analyse incidents, generate measures to remedy identified weaknesses and prevent reoccurrence: the learning from incidents process. To improve that process, it is necessary to gain insight into the steps of this process and to identify factors that hinder learning (bottlenecks). This paper presents a model that enables organisations to analyse the steps in a learning from incidents process and to identify the bottlenecks. The study describes how this model is used in a survey and in 3 exploratory case studies in The Netherlands. The results show that there is limited use of learning potential, especially in the evaluation stage. To improve learning, an approach that considers all steps is necessary.

An Intervention Model of Constructive Conflict Resolution and Cooperative Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Quanwu

1994-01-01

Tests an intervention model of constructive conflict resolution (CCR) and cooperative learning in three urban high schools. Findings show that improvements in CCR increased social support and decreased victimization for the students. These changes improved student's attitudes, self-esteem, interpersonal relations, and academic achievement. (GLR)

Using a collaborative Mobile Augmented Reality learning application (CoMARLA) to improve Improve Student Learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hanafi, Hafizul Fahri bin; Soh Said, Che; Hanee Ariffin, Asma; Azlan Zainuddin, Nur; Samsuddin, Khairulanuar

2016-11-01

This study was carried out to improve student learning in ICT course using a collaborative mobile augmented reality learning application (CoMARLA). This learning application was developed based on the constructivist framework that would engender collaborative learning environment, in which students could learn collaboratively using their mobile phones. The research design was based on the pretest posttest control group design. The dependent variable was students’ learning performance after learning, and the independent variables were learning method and gender. Students’ learning performance before learning was treated as the covariate. The sample of the study comprised 120 non-IT (non-technical) undergraduates, with the mean age of 19.5. They were randomized into two groups, namely the experimental and control group. The experimental group used CoMARLA to learn one of the topics of the ICT Literacy course, namely Computer System; whereas the control group learned using the conventional approach. The research instrument used was a set of multiple-choice questions pertaining to the above topic. Pretesting was carried out before the learning sessions, and posttesting was performed after 6 hours of learning. Using the SPSS, Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was performed on the data. The analysis showed that there were main effects attributed to the learning method and gender. The experimental group outperformed the control group by almost 9%, and male students outstripped their opposite counterparts by as much as 3%. Furthermore, an interaction effect was also observed showing differential performances of male students based on the learning methods, which did not occur among female students. Hence, the tool can be used to help undergraduates learn with greater efficacy when contextualized in an appropriate setting.

Improving students’ understanding of mathematical concept using maple

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ningsih, Y. L.; Paradesa, R.

2018-01-01

This study aimed to improve students’ understanding of mathematical concept ability through implementation of using Maple in learning and expository learning. This study used a quasi-experimental research with pretest-posttest control group design. The sample on this study was 61 students in the second semester of Mathematics Education of Universitas PGRI Palembang, South Sumatera in academic year 2016/2017. The sample was divided into two classes, one class as the experiment class who using Maple in learning and the other class as a control class who received expository learning. Data were collective through the test of mathematical initial ability and mathematical concept understanding ability. Data were analyzed by t-test and two ways ANOVA. The results of this study showed (1) the improvement of students’ mathematical concept understanding ability who using Maple in learning is better than those who using expository learning; (2) there is no interaction between learning model and students’ mathematical initial ability toward the improvement of students’ understanding of mathematical concept ability.

Perceptual learning improves visual performance in juvenile amblyopia.

PubMed

Li, Roger W; Young, Karen G; Hoenig, Pia; Levi, Dennis M

2005-09-01

To determine whether practicing a position-discrimination task improves visual performance in children with amblyopia and to determine the mechanism(s) of improvement. Five children (age range, 7-10 years) with amblyopia practiced a positional acuity task in which they had to judge which of three pairs of lines was misaligned. Positional noise was produced by distributing the individual patches of each line segment according to a Gaussian probability function. Observers were trained at three noise levels (including 0), with each observer performing between 3000 and 4000 responses in 7 to 10 sessions. Trial-by-trial feedback was provided. Four of the five observers showed significant improvement in positional acuity. In those four observers, on average, positional acuity with no noise improved by approximately 32% and with high noise by approximately 26%. A position-averaging model was used to parse the improvement into an increase in efficiency or a decrease in equivalent input noise. Two observers showed increased efficiency (51% and 117% improvements) with no significant change in equivalent input noise across sessions. The other two observers showed both a decrease in equivalent input noise (18% and 29%) and an increase in efficiency (17% and 71%). All five observers showed substantial improvement in Snellen acuity (approximately 26%) after practice. Perceptual learning can improve visual performance in amblyopic children. The improvement can be parsed into two important factors: decreased equivalent input noise and increased efficiency. Perceptual learning techniques may add an effective new method to the armamentarium of amblyopia treatments.

Operant Conditioning Principles in the Treatment of Learning and Behavior Problems with Delinquent Boys

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bednar, Richard L.; And Others

1970-01-01

This study on operant conditioning showed that both groups showed significant improvement in reading skills from pretest to posttest, but that the reinforced group showed significantly more improvement than the nonreinforced group. (Author)

Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulation Increases Hippocampal Activity during Probabilistic Association Learning in Schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Kindler, Jochen; Weickert, Cynthia Shannon; Skilleter, Ashley J; Catts, Stanley V; Lenroot, Rhoshel; Weickert, Thomas W

2015-01-01

People with schizophrenia show probabilistic association learning impairment in conjunction with abnormal neural activity. The selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) raloxifene preserves neural activity during memory in healthy older men and improves memory in schizophrenia. Here, we tested the extent to which raloxifene modifies neural activity during learning in schizophrenia. Nineteen people with schizophrenia participated in a twelve-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over adjunctive treatment trial of the SERM raloxifene administered orally at 120 mg daily to assess brain activity during probabilistic association learning using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Raloxifene improved probabilistic association learning and significantly increased fMRI BOLD activity in the hippocampus and parahippocampal gyrus relative to placebo. A separate region of interest confirmatory analysis in 21 patients vs 36 healthy controls showed a positive association between parahippocampal neural activity and learning in patients, but no such relationship in the parahippocampal gyrus of healthy controls. Thus, selective estrogen receptor modulation by raloxifene concurrently increases activity in the parahippocampal gyrus and improves probabilistic association learning in schizophrenia. These results support a role for estrogen receptor modulation of mesial temporal lobe neural activity in the remediation of learning disabilities in both men and women with schizophrenia. PMID:25829142

Improving Science Process Skills for Primary School Students Through 5E Instructional Model-Based Learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choirunnisa, N. L.; Prabowo, P.; Suryanti, S.

2018-01-01

The main objective of this study is to describe the effectiveness of 5E instructional model-based learning to improve primary school students’ science process skills. The science process skills is important for students as it is the foundation for enhancing the mastery of concepts and thinking skills needed in the 21st century. The design of this study was experimental involving one group pre-test and post-test design. The result of this study shows that (1) the implementation of learning in both of classes, IVA and IVB, show that the percentage of learning implementation increased which indicates a better quality of learning and (2) the percentage of students’ science process skills test results on the aspects of observing, formulating hypotheses, determining variable, interpreting data and communicating increased as well.

An improved clustering algorithm based on reverse learning in intelligent transportation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qiu, Guoqing; Kou, Qianqian; Niu, Ting

2017-05-01

With the development of artificial intelligence and data mining technology, big data has gradually entered people's field of vision. In the process of dealing with large data, clustering is an important processing method. By introducing the reverse learning method in the clustering process of PAM clustering algorithm, to further improve the limitations of one-time clustering in unsupervised clustering learning, and increase the diversity of clustering clusters, so as to improve the quality of clustering. The algorithm analysis and experimental results show that the algorithm is feasible.

Making perceptual learning practical to improve visual functions.

PubMed

Polat, Uri

2009-10-01

Task-specific improvement in performance after training is well established. The finding that learning is stimulus-specific and does not transfer well between different stimuli, between stimulus locations in the visual field, or between the two eyes has been used to support the notion that neurons or assemblies of neurons are modified at the earliest stage of cortical processing. However, a debate regarding the proposed mechanism underlying perceptual learning is an ongoing issue. Nevertheless, generalization of a trained task to other functions is an important key, for both understanding the neural mechanisms and the practical value of the training. This manuscript describes a structured perceptual learning method that previously used (amblyopia, myopia) and a novel technique and results that were applied for presbyopia. In general, subjects were trained for contrast detection of Gabor targets under lateral masking conditions. Training improved contrast sensitivity and diminished the lateral suppression when it existed (amblyopia). The improvement was transferred to unrelated functions such as visual acuity. The new results of presbyopia show substantial improvement of the spatial and temporal contrast sensitivity, leading to improved processing speed of target detection as well as reaction time. Consequently, the subjects, who were able to eliminate the need for reading glasses, benefited. Thus, here we show that the transfer of functions indicates that the specificity of improvement in the trained task can be generalized by repetitive practice of target detection, covering a sufficient range of spatial frequencies and orientations, leading to an improvement in unrelated visual functions. Thus, perceptual learning can be a practical method to improve visual functions in people with impaired or blurred vision.

Sleep and Native Language Interference Affect Non-Native Speech Sound Learning

PubMed Central

Earle, F. Sayako; Myers, Emily B.

2015-01-01

Adults learning a new language are faced with a significant challenge: non-native speech sounds that are perceptually similar to sounds in one’s native language can be very difficult to acquire. Sleep and native language interference, two factors that may help to explain this difficulty in acquisition, are addressed in three studies. Results of Experiment 1 showed that participants trained on a non-native contrast at night improved in discrimination 24 hours after training, while those trained in the morning showed no such improvement. Experiments 2 and 3 addressed the possibility that incidental exposure to perceptually similar native language speech sounds during the day interfered with maintenance in the morning group. Taken together, results show that the ultimate success of non-native speech sound learning depends not only on the similarity of learned sounds to the native language repertoire, but also to interference from native language sounds before sleep. PMID:26280264

Sleep and native language interference affect non-native speech sound learning.

PubMed

Earle, F Sayako; Myers, Emily B

2015-12-01

Adults learning a new language are faced with a significant challenge: non-native speech sounds that are perceptually similar to sounds in one's native language can be very difficult to acquire. Sleep and native language interference, 2 factors that may help to explain this difficulty in acquisition, are addressed in 3 studies. Results of Experiment 1 showed that participants trained on a non-native contrast at night improved in discrimination 24 hr after training, while those trained in the morning showed no such improvement. Experiments 2 and 3 addressed the possibility that incidental exposure to perceptually similar native language speech sounds during the day interfered with maintenance in the morning group. Taken together, results show that the ultimate success of non-native speech sound learning depends not only on the similarity of learned sounds to the native language repertoire, but also to interference from native language sounds before sleep. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Experiences with establishing and implementing learning management system and computer-based test system in medical college.

PubMed

Park, Joo Hyun; Son, Ji Young; Kim, Sun

2012-09-01

The purpose of this study was to establish an e-learning system to support learning in medical education and identify solutions for improving the system. A learning management system (LMS) and computer-based test (CBT) system were established to support e-learning for medical students. A survey of 219 first- and second-grade medical students was administered. The questionnaire included 9 forced choice questions about the usability of system and 2 open-ended questions about necessary improvements to the system. The LMS consisted of a class management, class evaluation, and class attendance system. CBT consisted of a test management, item bank, and authoring tool system. The results of the survey showed a high level of satisfaction in all system usability items except for stability. Further, the advantages of the e-learning system were ensuring information accessibility, providing constant feedback, and designing an intuitive interface. Necessary improvements to the system were stability, user control, readability, and diverse device usage. Based on the findings, suggestions for developing an e-learning system to improve usability by medical students and support learning effectively are recommended.

Ubiquitous learning model using interactive internet messenger group (IIMG) to improve engagement and behavior for smart campus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Umam, K.; Mardi, S. N. S.; Hariadi, M.

2017-01-01

The recent popularity of internet messenger based smartphone technologies has motivated some university lecturers to use them for educational activities. These technologies have enormous potential to enhance the teaching and ubiquitous learning experience for smart campus development. However, the design ubiquitous learning model using interactive internet messenger group (IIMG) and empirical evidence that would favor a broad application of mobile and ubiquitous learning in smart campus settings to improve engagement and behavior is still limited. In addition, the expectation that mobile learning could improve engagement and behavior on smart campus cannot be confirmed because the majority of the reviewed studies followed instructions paradigms. This article aims to present ubiquitous learning model design and showing learners’ experiences in improved engagement and behavior using IIMG for learner-learner and learner-lecturer interactions. The method applied in this paper includes design process and quantitative analysis techniques, with the purpose of identifying scenarios of ubiquitous learning and realize the impressions of learners and lecturers about engagement and behavior aspect, and its contribution to learning.

SemiBoost: boosting for semi-supervised learning.

PubMed

Mallapragada, Pavan Kumar; Jin, Rong; Jain, Anil K; Liu, Yi

2009-11-01

Semi-supervised learning has attracted a significant amount of attention in pattern recognition and machine learning. Most previous studies have focused on designing special algorithms to effectively exploit the unlabeled data in conjunction with labeled data. Our goal is to improve the classification accuracy of any given supervised learning algorithm by using the available unlabeled examples. We call this as the Semi-supervised improvement problem, to distinguish the proposed approach from the existing approaches. We design a metasemi-supervised learning algorithm that wraps around the underlying supervised algorithm and improves its performance using unlabeled data. This problem is particularly important when we need to train a supervised learning algorithm with a limited number of labeled examples and a multitude of unlabeled examples. We present a boosting framework for semi-supervised learning, termed as SemiBoost. The key advantages of the proposed semi-supervised learning approach are: 1) performance improvement of any supervised learning algorithm with a multitude of unlabeled data, 2) efficient computation by the iterative boosting algorithm, and 3) exploiting both manifold and cluster assumption in training classification models. An empirical study on 16 different data sets and text categorization demonstrates that the proposed framework improves the performance of several commonly used supervised learning algorithms, given a large number of unlabeled examples. We also show that the performance of the proposed algorithm, SemiBoost, is comparable to the state-of-the-art semi-supervised learning algorithms.

Transferring learning to practice with e-learning--experiences in continuing education in the field of ambient assisted living.

PubMed

Illiger, Kristin; Egbert, Nicole; Krückeberg, Jörn; Stiller, Gerald; Kupka, Thomas; Hübner, Ursula; Behrends, Marianne

2014-01-01

The article describes an analysis of the use of e-learning to improve the learning transfer to practice in continuing education. Therefore an e-learning offer has been developed as a part between two attendance periods of a training course in the field of Ambient Assisted Living (AAL). All participants of the course were free to use the e-learning offer. After the end of the e-learning part we compared the e-learning users to the other participants. Using an online questionnaire we explored if there are differences in the activities in the field AAL after the training course. The results show that e-learning is beneficial especially for communication processes. Due to the fact that the possibility to talk about the learning content is an essential factor for the learning transfer, e-learning can improve the learning success.

Effect of quantum learning model in improving creativity and memory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sujatmika, S.; Hasanah, D.; Hakim, L. L.

2018-04-01

Quantum learning is a combination of many interactions that exist during learning. This model can be applied by current interesting topic, contextual, repetitive, and give opportunities to students to demonstrate their abilities. The basis of the quantum learning model are left brain theory, right brain theory, triune, visual, auditorial, kinesthetic, game, symbol, holistic, and experiential learning theory. Creativity plays an important role to be success in the working world. Creativity shows alternatives way to problem-solving or creates something. Good memory plays a role in the success of learning. Through quantum learning, students will use all of their abilities, interested in learning and create their own ways of memorizing concepts of the material being studied. From this idea, researchers assume that quantum learning models can improve creativity and memory of the students.

A Study of Work Based Learning For Construction Building Workers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siregar, Syafiatun

2018-03-01

Work-based learning (WBL) is designed to improve the competence of participants. This study aims to apply the WBL and to develop attitudes, knowledge, skills, behaviors, and habits, which in turn can improve the competence of construction workers in the field to be sampled. This research was conducted on building construction workers in Medan City with 30 research subjects. The results showed that the evaluation of learning increased in phase I obtained the difference of the average score of 20.9 (the meeting I) and 25.50 (meeting II). The final result shows that the level of activity and competence increased significantly after WBL

Deliberate Learning in Health Care: The Effect of Importing Best Practices and Creative Problem Solving on Hospital Performance Improvement

PubMed Central

Nembhard, Ingrid M.; Cherian, Praseetha; Bradley, Elizabeth H.

2015-01-01

This article examines the effect on quality improvement of two common but distinct approaches to organizational learning: importing best practices (an externally oriented approach rooted in learning by imitating others’ best practices) and internal creative problem solving (an internally oriented approach rooted in learning by experimenting with self-generated solutions). We propose that independent and interaction effects of these approaches depend on where organizations are in their improvement journey – initial push or later phase. We examine this contingency in hospitals focused on improving treatment time for patients with heart attacks. Our results show that importing best practices helps hospitals achieve initial phase but not later phase improvement. Once hospitals enter the later phase of their efforts, however, significant improvement requires creative problem solving as well. Together, our results suggest that importing best practices delivers greater short-term improvement, but continued improvement depends on creative problem solving. PMID:24876100

Self-Regulated Learning from Illustrated Text: Eye Movement Modelling to Support Use and Regulation of Cognitive Processes during Learning from Multimedia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scheiter, Katharina; Schubert, Carina; Schüler, Anne

2018-01-01

Background: When learning with text and pictures, learners often fail to adequately process the materials, which can be explained as a failure to self-regulate one's learning by choosing adequate cognitive learning processes. Eye movement modelling examples (EMME) showing how to process multimedia instruction have improved elementary school…

The effect of multiple intelligence-based learning towards students’ concept mastery and interest in learning matter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pratiwi, W. N.; Rochintaniawati, D.; Agustin, R. R.

2018-05-01

This research was focused on investigating the effect of multiple intelligence -based learning as a learning approach towards students’ concept mastery and interest in learning matter. The one-group pre-test - post-test design was used in this research towards a sample which was according to the suitable situation of the research sample, n = 13 students of the 7th grade in a private school in Bandar Seri Begawan. The students’ concept mastery was measured using achievement test and given at the pre-test and post-test, meanwhile the students’ interest level was measured using a Likert Scale for interest. Based on the analysis of the data, the result shows that the normalized gain was .61, which was considered as a medium improvement. in other words, students’ concept mastery in matter increased after being taught using multiple intelligence-based learning. The Likert scale of interest shows that most students have a high interest in learning matter after being taught by multiple intelligence-based learning. Therefore, it is concluded that multiple intelligence – based learning helped in improving students’ concept mastery and gain students’ interest in learning matter.

Using paper presentation breaks during didactic lectures improves learning of physiology in undergraduate students.

PubMed

Ghorbani, Ahmad; Ghazvini, Kiarash

2016-03-01

Many studies have emphasized the incorporation of active learning into classrooms to reinforce didactic lectures for physiology courses. This work aimed to determine if presenting classic papers during didactic lectures improves the learning of physiology among undergraduate students. Twenty-two students of health information technology were randomly divided into the following two groups: 1) didactic lecture only (control group) and 2) didactic lecture plus paper presentation breaks (DLPP group). In the control group, main topics of gastrointestinal and endocrine physiology were taught using only the didactic lecture technique. In the DLPP group, some topics were presented by the didactic lecture method (similar to the control group) and some topics were taught by the DLPP technique (first, concepts were covered briefly in a didactic format and then reinforced with presentation of a related classic paper). The combination of didactic lecture and paper breaks significantly improved learning so that students in the DLPP group showed higher scores on related topics compared with those in the control group (P < 0.001). Comparison of the scores of topics taught by only the didactic lecture and those using both the didactic lecture and paper breaks showed significant improvement only in the DLPP group (P < 0.001). Data obtained from the final exam showed that in the DLPP group, the mean score of the topics taught by the combination of didactic lecture and paper breaks was significantly higher than those taught by only didactic lecture (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the combination of paper presentation breaks and didactic lectures improves the learning of physiology. Copyright © 2016 The American Physiological Society.

Socio-cognitive profiles for visual learning in young and older adults

PubMed Central

Christian, Julie; Goldstone, Aimee; Kuai, Shu-Guang; Chin, Wynne; Abrams, Dominic; Kourtzi, Zoe

2015-01-01

It is common wisdom that practice makes perfect; but why do some adults learn better than others? Here, we investigate individuals’ cognitive and social profiles to test which variables account for variability in learning ability across the lifespan. In particular, we focused on visual learning using tasks that test the ability to inhibit distractors and select task-relevant features. We tested the ability of young and older adults to improve through training in the discrimination of visual global forms embedded in a cluttered background. Further, we used a battery of cognitive tasks and psycho-social measures to examine which of these variables predict training-induced improvement in perceptual tasks and may account for individual variability in learning ability. Using partial least squares regression modeling, we show that visual learning is influenced by cognitive (i.e., cognitive inhibition, attention) and social (strategic and deep learning) factors rather than an individual’s age alone. Further, our results show that independent of age, strong learners rely on cognitive factors such as attention, while weaker learners use more general cognitive strategies. Our findings suggest an important role for higher-cognitive circuits involving executive functions that contribute to our ability to improve in perceptual tasks after training across the lifespan. PMID:26113820

The Use of Conceptual Change Text toward Students’ Argumentation Skills in Learning Sound

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sari, B. P.; Feranie, S.; Winarno, N.

2017-09-01

This research aim is to investigate the effect of Conceptual Change Text toward students’ argumentation skills in learning sound concept. The participant comes from one of International school in Bandung, Indonesia. The method that used in this research is a quasi-experimental design with one control group (N=21) and one experimental group (N=21) were involves in this research. The learning model that used in both classes is demonstration model which included teacher explanation and examples, the difference only in teaching materials. In experiment group learn with Conceptual Change Text, while control group learn with conventional book which is used in school. The results showed that Conceptual Change Text instruction was better than the conventional book to improved students’ argumentation skills of sound concept. Based on this results showed that Conceptual Change Text instruction can be an alternative tool to improve students’ argumentation skills significantly.

Impact E-Learning Platform Moodle on the Physic's Learning Process in the High School's Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Torres-Montealban, Jonas; Ruiz-Chavarria, Gregorio; Gomez-Lozoya, Enrique Armando

2011-03-01

As a didactic proposal, moodle e-learning platform was implemented in one of two Physics High School's group at UACH, in order to show how the use of new technologies can improve the learning progress linked to physics concepts. As a result, the first group worked at the same time with inside class activities as well as outside resources from the moodle e-platform. The second group only worked with inside class activities. This teaching application was developed in six sections. Section I defines the educational framework. Section II identifies the key physic's concepts to be studied in each proposed activity. Section III describes the didactic model. Section IV displays the compared results between similarities and differences in both groups. Section VI shows the gathered information in order to be discussed as a topic related on how new technologies improve the Physic's learning process in the high school' students.

Machine Learning for Treatment Assignment: Improving Individualized Risk Attribution

PubMed Central

Weiss, Jeremy; Kuusisto, Finn; Boyd, Kendrick; Liu, Jie; Page, David

2015-01-01

Clinical studies model the average treatment effect (ATE), but apply this population-level effect to future individuals. Due to recent developments of machine learning algorithms with useful statistical guarantees, we argue instead for modeling the individualized treatment effect (ITE), which has better applicability to new patients. We compare ATE-estimation using randomized and observational analysis methods against ITE-estimation using machine learning, and describe how the ITE theoretically generalizes to new population distributions, whereas the ATE may not. On a synthetic data set of statin use and myocardial infarction (MI), we show that a learned ITE model improves true ITE estimation and outperforms the ATE. We additionally argue that ITE models should be learned with a consistent, nonparametric algorithm from unweighted examples and show experiments in favor of our argument using our synthetic data model and a real data set of D-penicillamine use for primary biliary cirrhosis. PMID:26958271

Machine Learning for Treatment Assignment: Improving Individualized Risk Attribution.

PubMed

Weiss, Jeremy; Kuusisto, Finn; Boyd, Kendrick; Liu, Jie; Page, David

2015-01-01

Clinical studies model the average treatment effect (ATE), but apply this population-level effect to future individuals. Due to recent developments of machine learning algorithms with useful statistical guarantees, we argue instead for modeling the individualized treatment effect (ITE), which has better applicability to new patients. We compare ATE-estimation using randomized and observational analysis methods against ITE-estimation using machine learning, and describe how the ITE theoretically generalizes to new population distributions, whereas the ATE may not. On a synthetic data set of statin use and myocardial infarction (MI), we show that a learned ITE model improves true ITE estimation and outperforms the ATE. We additionally argue that ITE models should be learned with a consistent, nonparametric algorithm from unweighted examples and show experiments in favor of our argument using our synthetic data model and a real data set of D-penicillamine use for primary biliary cirrhosis.

Perceptual Learning in Children With Infantile Nystagmus: Effects on Visual Performance.

PubMed

Huurneman, Bianca; Boonstra, F Nienke; Goossens, Jeroen

2016-08-01

To evaluate whether computerized training with a crowded or uncrowded letter-discrimination task reduces visual impairment (VI) in 6- to 11-year-old children with infantile nystagmus (IN) who suffer from increased foveal crowding, reduced visual acuity, and reduced stereopsis. Thirty-six children with IN were included. Eighteen had idiopathic IN and 18 had oculocutaneous albinism. These children were divided in two training groups matched on age and diagnosis: a crowded training group (n = 18) and an uncrowded training group (n = 18). Training occurred two times per week during 5 weeks (3500 trials per training). Eleven age-matched children with normal vision were included to assess baseline differences in task performance and test-retest learning. Main outcome measures were task-specific performance, distance and near visual acuity (DVA and NVA), intensity and extent of (foveal) crowding at 5 m and 40 cm, and stereopsis. Training resulted in task-specific improvements. Both training groups also showed uncrowded and crowded DVA improvements (0.10 ± 0.02 and 0.11 ± 0.02 logMAR) and improved stereopsis (670 ± 249″). Crowded NVA improved only in the crowded training group (0.15 ± 0.02 logMAR), which was also the only group showing a reduction in near crowding intensity (0.08 ± 0.03 logMAR). Effects were not due to test-retest learning. Perceptual learning with or without distractors reduces the extent of crowding and improves visual acuity in children with IN. Training with distractors improves near vision more than training with single optotypes. Perceptual learning also transfers to DVA and NVA under uncrowded and crowded conditions and even stereopsis. Learning curves indicated that improvements may be larger after longer training.

The implementation of multiple intelligences based teaching model to improve mathematical problem solving ability for student of junior high school

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fasni, Nurli; Fatimah, Siti; Yulanda, Syerli

2017-05-01

This research aims to achieve some purposes such as: to know whether mathematical problem solving ability of students who have learned mathematics using Multiple Intelligences based teaching model is higher than the student who have learned mathematics using cooperative learning; to know the improvement of the mathematical problem solving ability of the student who have learned mathematics using Multiple Intelligences based teaching model., to know the improvement of the mathematical problem solving ability of the student who have learned mathematics using cooperative learning; to know the attitude of the students to Multiple Intelligences based teaching model. The method employed here is quasi-experiment which is controlled by pre-test and post-test. The population of this research is all of VII grade in SMP Negeri 14 Bandung even-term 2013/2014, later on two classes of it were taken for the samples of this research. A class was taught using Multiple Intelligences based teaching model and the other one was taught using cooperative learning. The data of this research were gotten from the test in mathematical problem solving, scale questionnaire of the student attitudes, and observation. The results show the mathematical problem solving of the students who have learned mathematics using Multiple Intelligences based teaching model learning is higher than the student who have learned mathematics using cooperative learning, the mathematical problem solving ability of the student who have learned mathematics using cooperative learning and Multiple Intelligences based teaching model are in intermediate level, and the students showed the positive attitude in learning mathematics using Multiple Intelligences based teaching model. As for the recommendation for next author, Multiple Intelligences based teaching model can be tested on other subject and other ability.

The Effects of Brain Based Learning Approach on Motivation and Students Achievement in Mathematics Learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mekarina, M.; Ningsih, Y. P.

2017-09-01

This classroom action research is based by the facts that the students motivation and achievement mathematics learning is less. One of the factors causing is learning that does not provide flexibility to students to empower the potential of the brain optimally. The aim of this research was to improve the student motivation and achievement in mathematics learning by implementing brain based learning approach. The subject of this research was student of grade XI in senior high school. The research consisted of two cycles. Data of student achievement from test, and the student motivation through questionnaire. Furthermore, the finding of this research showed the result of the analysis was the implementation of brain based learning approach can improve student’s achievement and motivation in mathematics learning.

Improving self-regulated learning junior high school students through computer-based learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nurjanah; Dahlan, J. A.

2018-05-01

This study is back grounded by the importance of self-regulated learning as an affective aspect that determines the success of students in learning mathematics. The purpose of this research is to see how the improvement of junior high school students' self-regulated learning through computer based learning is reviewed in whole and school level. This research used a quasi-experimental research method. This is because individual sample subjects are not randomly selected. The research design used is Pretest-and-Posttest Control Group Design. Subjects in this study were students of grade VIII junior high school in Bandung taken from high school (A) and middle school (B). The results of this study showed that the increase of the students' self-regulated learning who obtain learning with computer-based learning is higher than students who obtain conventional learning. School-level factors have a significant effect on increasing of the students' self-regulated learning.

Validating YouTube Factors Affecting Learning Performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pratama, Yoga; Hartanto, Rudy; Suning Kusumawardani, Sri

2018-03-01

YouTube is often used as a companion medium or a learning supplement. One of the educational places that often uses is Jogja Audio School (JAS) which focuses on music production education. Music production is a difficult material to learn, especially at the audio mastering. With tutorial contents from YouTube, students find it easier to learn and understand audio mastering and improved their learning performance. This study aims to validate the role of YouTube as a medium of learning in improving student’s learning performance by looking at the factors that affect student learning performance. The sample involves 100 respondents from JAS at audio mastering level. The results showed that student learning performance increases seen from factors that have a significant influence of motivation, instructional content, and YouTube usefulness. Overall findings suggest that YouTube has a important role to student learning performance in music production education and as an innovative and efficient learning medium.

A Meta-Analysis Suggests Different Neural Correlates for Implicit and Explicit Learning.

PubMed

Loonis, Roman F; Brincat, Scott L; Antzoulatos, Evan G; Miller, Earl K

2017-10-11

A meta-analysis of non-human primates performing three different tasks (Object-Match, Category-Match, and Category-Saccade associations) revealed signatures of explicit and implicit learning. Performance improved equally following correct and error trials in the Match (explicit) tasks, but it improved more after correct trials in the Saccade (implicit) task, a signature of explicit versus implicit learning. Likewise, error-related negativity, a marker for error processing, was greater in the Match (explicit) tasks. All tasks showed an increase in alpha/beta (10-30 Hz) synchrony after correct choices. However, only the implicit task showed an increase in theta (3-7 Hz) synchrony after correct choices that decreased with learning. In contrast, in the explicit tasks, alpha/beta synchrony increased with learning and decreased thereafter. Our results suggest that explicit versus implicit learning engages different neural mechanisms that rely on different patterns of oscillatory synchrony. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Robust Deep Model for Improved Classification of AD/MCI Patients

PubMed Central

Li, Feng; Tran, Loc; Thung, Kim-Han; Ji, Shuiwang; Shen, Dinggang; Li, Jiang

2015-01-01

Accurate classification of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and its prodromal stage, Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), plays a critical role in possibly preventing progression of memory impairment and improving quality of life for AD patients. Among many research tasks, it is of particular interest to identify noninvasive imaging biomarkers for AD diagnosis. In this paper, we present a robust deep learning system to identify different progression stages of AD patients based on MRI and PET scans. We utilized the dropout technique to improve classical deep learning by preventing its weight co-adaptation, which is a typical cause of over-fitting in deep learning. In addition, we incorporated stability selection, an adaptive learning factor, and a multi-task learning strategy into the deep learning framework. We applied the proposed method to the ADNI data set and conducted experiments for AD and MCI conversion diagnosis. Experimental results showed that the dropout technique is very effective in AD diagnosis, improving the classification accuracies by 5.9% on average as compared to the classical deep learning methods. PMID:25955998

Strategies to improve learning of all students in a class

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suraishkumar, G. K.

2018-05-01

The statistical distribution of the student learning abilities in a typical undergraduate engineering class poses a significant challenge to simultaneously improve the learning of all the students in the class. With traditional instruction styles, the students with significantly high learning abilities are not satisfied due to a feeling of unfulfilled potential, and the students with significantly low learning abilities feel lost. To address the challenge in an undergraduate core/required course on 'transport phenomena in biological systems', a combination of learning strategies such as active learning including co-operative group learning, challenge exercises, and others were employed in a pro-advising context. The short-term and long-term impacts were evaluated through student course performances and input, respectively. The results show that it is possible to effectively address the challenge posed by the distribution of student learning abilities in a class.

Applications of bioactive material from snakehead fish (Channa striata) for repairing of learning-memory capability and motoric activity: a case study of physiological aging and aging-caused oxidative stress in rats

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sunarno, Sunarno; Muflichatun Mardiati, Siti; Rahadian, Rully

2018-05-01

Physiological aging and aging due to oxidative stress are a major factor cause accelerated brain aging. Aging is characterized by a decrease of brain function of the hippocampus which is linked to the decline in the capability of learning-memory and motoric activity. The objective of this research is to obtain the important information about the mechanisms of brain antiaging associated with the improvement of hippocampus function, which includes aspects of learning-memory capability and motoric activity as well as mitochondrial ultrastructure profile of hippocampus cornu ammonis cells after treated by fish snakehead fish extract. Snakehead fish in Rawa Pening Semarang District allegedly holds the potential of endemic, which contains bioactive antiaging material that can prevent aging or improve the function of the hippocampus. This research has been conducted using a completely randomized design consisting of four treatments with five replications. The treatments were including rats with physiological aging or aging due to oxidative stress which was treated and without treated with meat extract of snakehead fish. The research was divided into two stages, i.e., determining of learning-memory capability, and determining motoric activity. The measured-parameters are time response to find feed, distance travel, time stereotypes, ambulatory time, and resting time. The result showed that the snakehead fish meat extract might improve function hippocampus, both in physiological aging or aging due to oxidative stress. The capability of learning and memory showed that the rats in both conditions of aging after getting treatment of meat extract of snakehead fish could get a feed in the fourth arm maze faster than rats untreated snakehead fish meat extract. Similarly, the measurement of the distance traveled, time stereotypes, ambulatory time, and resting time showed that rats which received treatment of meat extract of snakehead fish were better than the untreated rats. To conclude, the meat extract of snakehead fish can be used as antiaging material to improve the function of the hippocampus, to improve the capability of learning and memory, to improve motoric activity, and to prevent aging. These findings are expected to provide comprehensive information for the development of antiaging research as an effort to improve public health and to improve learning-memory capability and motoric activity.

The Comparison of Solitary and Collaborative Modes of Game-Based Learning on Students' Science Learning and Motivation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Ching-Huei; Wang, Kuan-Chieh; Lin, Yu-Hsuan

2015-01-01

In this study, we investigated and compared solitary and collaborative modes of game-based learning in promoting students' science learning and motivation. A total of fifty seventh grade students participated in this study. The results showed that students who played in a solitary or collaborative mode demonstrated improvement in learning…

Improving AACSB Assurance of Learning with Importance-Performance and Learning Growth: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harvey, James W.; McCrohan, Kevin F.

2017-01-01

Two fallacious assumptions can mislead assurance of learning (AoL) loop closing. Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business guidance states that learning goals should reflect the outcomes most valued by the program, but evidence shows that schools assign equal priorities to the skills selected. The second false assumption is that…

The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: Challenges for Malaysian Academics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harland, Tony; Raja Hussain, Raja Maznah; Bakar, Aishah Abu

2014-01-01

This paper explores the adoption of the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) by 10 Malaysian university academics. SoTL was part of a pioneering sector-wide initiative for improving teaching and learning. The qualitative study showed that there had been no true learning phase for SoTL because academics had high expectations of rapid success…

The Implementation of Collaborative Learning Using AfL through Giving Feedback Strategy for Improving Students’ Attention to Mathematics Lesson

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurniasih, R.; Sujadi, I.; Pramesti, G.

2016-02-01

This research aims to describe the process of implementation collaborative learning with AfL through giving feedback strategy for improving students’ attention to mathematics lesson. Data which is collected in this research are students’ attention towards learning and students’ achievement. The result of this research showed that the learning steps by using collaborative learning with AfL through giving feedback strategy which can improve students’ attention are: 1) pre activity: the teacher delivers the purpose of the learning, successful criteria, apperception, and motivation. 2) main activity: the teacher gives the background of learning activity, explains learning materials at a glance, divides students discuss, the teacher observes and guides students to the problem solving, present their discussion result, gives feedback, the students do AfL problem and the answer is collected and result will be given before next meeting. 3) post activity: the teacher with students concludes the material. Test result, the percentage of students who complete the examination in the second cycle is 77.27%. Based on those results can be concluded that the implementation of collaborative learning using AfL through giving feedback can improve students’ attention towards learning and students’ achievement of XI IPA Students MA Al-Islam Jamsaren Surakarta academic year 2013/2014.

Experience of cooperative learning in engineering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maceiras, Rocio; Cancela, Angeles; Urréjola, Santiago; Sánchez, Angel

2011-03-01

The objective of this work is to share the authors' experience towards a different mode of teaching/learning method. Cooperative learning (Jigsaw) was employed on the University of Vigo's fourth-year engineering students. The results of the experience show that cooperative learning is quite a viable alternative to the classical way of lecturing at the university when the number of students is not too high. The authors' observation indicates that students did not show a lot of interest towards the new learning style but their resistance changed once they began the activity. The Jigsaw method has proved to be a useful tool for improving the learning process so that students have the opportunity to participate actively in the learning activities.

A professional learning community model: a case study of primary teachers community in west Bandung

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sari, A.; Suryadi, D.; Syaodih, E.

2018-05-01

The purpose of this study is to provide an alternative model of professional learning community for primary school teachers in improving the knowledge and professional skills. This study is a qualitative research with case study method with data collection is an interview, observation and document and triangulation technique for validation data that focuses on thirteen people 5th grade elementary school teacher. The results showed that by joining a professional learning community, teachers can share both experience and knowledge to other colleagues so that they can be able to continue to improve and enhance the quality of their learning. This happens because of the reflection done together before, during and after the learning activities. It was also revealed that by learning in a professional learning community, teachers can learn in their own way, according to need, and can collaborate with their colleagues in improving the effectiveness of learning. Based on the implementation of professional learning community primary school teachers can be concluded that teachers can develop the curriculum, the students understand the development, overcome learning difficulties faced by students and can make learning design more effective and efficient.

Developing Learning Model P3E to Improve Students’ Critical Thinking Skills of Islamic Senior High School

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bahtiar; Rahayu, Y. S.; Wasis

2018-01-01

This research aims to produce P3E learning model to improve students’ critical thinking skills. The developed model is named P3E, consisting of 4 (four) stages namely; organization, inquiry, presentation, and evaluation. This development research refers to the development stage by Kemp. The design of the wide scale try-out used pretest-posttest group design. The wide scale try-out was conducted in grade X of 2016/2017 academic year. The analysis of the results of this development research inludes three aspects, namely: validity, practicality, and effectiveness of the model developed. The research results showed; (1) the P3E learning model was valid, according to experts with an average value of 3.7; (2) The completion of the syntax of the learning model developed obtained 98.09% and 94.39% for two schools based on the assessment of the observers. This shows that the developed model is practical to be implemented; (3) the developed model is effective for improving students’ critical thinking skills, although the n-gain of the students’ critical thinking skills was 0.54 with moderate category. Based on the results of the research above, it can be concluded that the developed P3E learning model is suitable to be used to improve students’ critical thinking skills.

Physical Activity Breaks and Student Learning: A Teacher-Research Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Camahalan, Faye Marsha G.; Ipock, Amanda R.

2015-01-01

This study is a teacher initiated action research. The purpose is to improve student learning in math using physical activity breaks during classroom lessons. The study was conducted by tracking the results of ten 5th grade students for a period of one week. Using anecdotal notes, students showed improvement on attentiveness during class…

How to Create the Conditions for Learning: Continuous Improvement in Classrooms, Schools, and Districts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jaquith, Ann

2017-01-01

"How to Create the Conditions for Learning" shows how the conditions for continuously improving instruction can be created at every level--from the classroom to the school to the central office. More Ann Jaquith presents a framework for understanding and building instructional capacity, based on her original research in schools and…

Acquisition of an instrumental activity of daily living in patients with Korsakoff's syndrome: a comparison of trial and error and errorless learning.

PubMed

Oudman, Erik; Nijboer, Tanja C W; Postma, Albert; Wijnia, Jan W; Kerklaan, Sandra; Lindsen, Karen; Van der Stigchel, Stefan

2013-01-01

Patients with Korsakoff's syndrome show devastating amnesia and executive deficits. Consequently, the ability to perform instrumental activities such as making coffee is frequently diminished. It is currently unknown whether patients with Korsakoff's syndrome are able to (re)learn instrumental activities. A good candidate for an effective teaching technique in Korsakoff's syndrome is errorless learning as it is based on intact implicit memory functioning. Therefore, the aim of the current study was two-fold: to investigate whether patients with Korsakoff's syndrome are able to (re)learn instrumental activities, and to compare the effectiveness of errorless learning with trial and error learning in the acquisition and maintenance of an instrumental activity, namely using a washing machine to do the laundry. Whereas initial learning performance in the errorless learning condition was superior, both intervention techniques resulted in similar improvement over eight learning sessions. Moreover, performance in a different spatial layout showed a comparable improvement. Notably, in follow-up sessions starting after four weeks without practice, performance was still elevated in the errorless learning condition, but not in the trial and error condition. The current study demonstrates that (re)learning and maintenance of an instrumental activity is possible in patients with Korsakoff's syndrome.

E-Learning in Massachusetts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Graziano, April

2005-01-01

This document presents some of the many ways schools are using online technologies. The report illustrates how Massachusetts educators are taking advantage of e-learning opportunities to improve student learning. Educators across the state are using online courses and resources, engaging in online events and projects, and showing interest in…

Learning Deep Representations for Ground to Aerial Geolocalization (Open Access)

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-10-15

proposed approach, Where-CNN, is inspired by deep learning success in face verification and achieves significant improvements over tra- ditional hand...crafted features and existing deep features learned from other large-scale databases. We show the ef- fectiveness of Where-CNN in finding matches

Applying active learning to supervised word sense disambiguation in MEDLINE.

PubMed

Chen, Yukun; Cao, Hongxin; Mei, Qiaozhu; Zheng, Kai; Xu, Hua

2013-01-01

This study was to assess whether active learning strategies can be integrated with supervised word sense disambiguation (WSD) methods, thus reducing the number of annotated samples, while keeping or improving the quality of disambiguation models. We developed support vector machine (SVM) classifiers to disambiguate 197 ambiguous terms and abbreviations in the MSH WSD collection. Three different uncertainty sampling-based active learning algorithms were implemented with the SVM classifiers and were compared with a passive learner (PL) based on random sampling. For each ambiguous term and each learning algorithm, a learning curve that plots the accuracy computed from the test set as a function of the number of annotated samples used in the model was generated. The area under the learning curve (ALC) was used as the primary metric for evaluation. Our experiments demonstrated that active learners (ALs) significantly outperformed the PL, showing better performance for 177 out of 197 (89.8%) WSD tasks. Further analysis showed that to achieve an average accuracy of 90%, the PL needed 38 annotated samples, while the ALs needed only 24, a 37% reduction in annotation effort. Moreover, we analyzed cases where active learning algorithms did not achieve superior performance and identified three causes: (1) poor models in the early learning stage; (2) easy WSD cases; and (3) difficult WSD cases, which provide useful insight for future improvements. This study demonstrated that integrating active learning strategies with supervised WSD methods could effectively reduce annotation cost and improve the disambiguation models.

Applying active learning to supervised word sense disambiguation in MEDLINE

PubMed Central

Chen, Yukun; Cao, Hongxin; Mei, Qiaozhu; Zheng, Kai; Xu, Hua

2013-01-01

Objectives This study was to assess whether active learning strategies can be integrated with supervised word sense disambiguation (WSD) methods, thus reducing the number of annotated samples, while keeping or improving the quality of disambiguation models. Methods We developed support vector machine (SVM) classifiers to disambiguate 197 ambiguous terms and abbreviations in the MSH WSD collection. Three different uncertainty sampling-based active learning algorithms were implemented with the SVM classifiers and were compared with a passive learner (PL) based on random sampling. For each ambiguous term and each learning algorithm, a learning curve that plots the accuracy computed from the test set as a function of the number of annotated samples used in the model was generated. The area under the learning curve (ALC) was used as the primary metric for evaluation. Results Our experiments demonstrated that active learners (ALs) significantly outperformed the PL, showing better performance for 177 out of 197 (89.8%) WSD tasks. Further analysis showed that to achieve an average accuracy of 90%, the PL needed 38 annotated samples, while the ALs needed only 24, a 37% reduction in annotation effort. Moreover, we analyzed cases where active learning algorithms did not achieve superior performance and identified three causes: (1) poor models in the early learning stage; (2) easy WSD cases; and (3) difficult WSD cases, which provide useful insight for future improvements. Conclusions This study demonstrated that integrating active learning strategies with supervised WSD methods could effectively reduce annotation cost and improve the disambiguation models. PMID:23364851

Learning new faces in typical and atypical populations of children.

PubMed

Jones, Rebecca R; Blades, Mark; Coleman, Mike; Pascalis, Olivier

2013-02-01

Recognizing an individual as familiar is an important aspect of our social cognition, which requires both learning a face and recalling it. It has been suggested that children with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) have deficits and abnormalities in face processing. We investigated whether the process by which unfamiliar faces become familiar differs in typically developing (TD) children, children with ASD, and children with developmental delay. Children were familiarized with a set of moving novel faces presented over a three-day period. Recognition of the learned faces was assessed at five time points during the three-day period. Both immediate and delayed recall of faces was tested. All groups showed improvements in face recognition at immediate recall, which indicated that learning had occurred. The TD population showed slightly better performance than the two other groups, however no difference was specific to the ASD group. All groups showed similar levels of improvements with time. Our results are discussed in terms of learning in ASD. © 2013 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology © 2013 The Scandinavian Psychological Associations.

The Implementation of Levels of Inquiry With Writing-To-Learn Assignment To Improve Vocational School Student’s Science Literacy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amarulloh, R. R.; Utari, S.; Feranie, S.

2017-02-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of writing-to-learn assignment in a levels of inquiry learning to improve vocational school student’s science literacy competence and knowledge on the subject of temperature and heat. This study used quasi experiment research methods. The data were obtained using 16 item of science literacy instrument with essay format. The result shows that there was a significant difference on the improvement of science literacy ability between the experimental class and control class. A significant difference occurred in the evaluating and designing experiments competency, interpretating data and science evidence competency, and procedural knowledge. Therefore it can be concluded that the implementation of levels of inquiry with writing-to-learn assignment can improve vocational student’s science literacy competence and knowledge.

Virtual laboratory learning media development to improve science literacy skills of mechanical engineering students on basic physics concept of material measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jannati, E. D.; Setiawan, A.; Siahaan, P.; Rochman, C.

2018-05-01

This study aims to determine the description of virtual laboratory learning media development to improve science literacy skills of Mechanical Engineering students on the concept of basic Physics. Quasi experimental method was employed in this research. The participants of this research were first semester students of mechanical engineering in Majalengka University. The research instrument was readability test of instructional media. The results of virtual laboratory learning media readability test show that the average score is 78.5%. It indicates that virtual laboratory learning media development are feasible to be used in improving science literacy skill of Mechanical Engineering students in Majalengka University, specifically on basic Physics concepts of material measurement.

Using Ensemble Decisions and Active Selection to Improve Low-Cost Labeling for Multi-View Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rebbapragada, Umaa; Wagstaff, Kiri L.

2011-01-01

This paper seeks to improve low-cost labeling in terms of training set reliability (the fraction of correctly labeled training items) and test set performance for multi-view learning methods. Co-training is a popular multiview learning method that combines high-confidence example selection with low-cost (self) labeling. However, co-training with certain base learning algorithms significantly reduces training set reliability, causing an associated drop in prediction accuracy. We propose the use of ensemble labeling to improve reliability in such cases. We also discuss and show promising results on combining low-cost ensemble labeling with active (low-confidence) example selection. We unify these example selection and labeling strategies under collaborative learning, a family of techniques for multi-view learning that we are developing for distributed, sensor-network environments.

Open-Book Assessment: A Contribution to Improved Learning?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eilertsen, Tor Vidar; Valdermo, Odd

2000-01-01

Studied the effects of open-book testing on instruction and student learning in an action research project involving 13 teachers and approximately 350 secondary school students in Norway. Results show open-book testing to be instrumental in strengthening understanding in both cooperative learning and more traditional classrooms. (SLD)

Enhanced Memory as a Common Effect of Active Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Markant, Douglas B.; Ruggeri, Azzurra; Gureckis, Todd M.; Xu, Fei

2016-01-01

Despite widespread consensus among educators that "active learning" leads to better outcomes than comparatively passive forms of instruction, it is often unclear why these benefits arise. In this article, we review research showing that the opportunity to control the information experienced while learning leads to improved memory…

Flipping the Classroom: An Empirical Study Examining Student Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sparks, Roland J.

2013-01-01

Flipping the classroom is the latest reported teaching technique to improve student learning at all levels. Prior studies showed significant increases in learning by employing this technique. However, an examination of the previous studies indicates significant flaws in the testing procedure controls. Moreover, most studies were based on anecdotal…

Evaluating Active Learning: A New Initiative for a General Chemistry Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Sullivan, Daniel W.; Copper, Christine L.

2003-01-01

Explains the results of an effort to introduce active learning strategies into the general chemistry curriculum at the United States Naval Academy. Reports that students in an active learning classroom showed significant improvement in performance compared to students in a lecture-based course. (Author/YDS)

Interactive Videos Enhance Learning about Socio-Ecological Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smithwick, Erica; Baxter, Emily; Kim, Kyung; Edel-Malizia, Stephanie; Rocco, Stevie; Blackstock, Dean

2018-01-01

Two forms of interactive video were assessed in an online course focused on conservation. The hypothesis was that interactive video enhances student perceptions about learning and improves mental models of social-ecological systems. Results showed that students reported greater learning and attitudes toward the subject following interactive video.…

Airline Safety Improvement Through Experience with Near-Misses: A Cautionary Tale.

PubMed

Madsen, Peter; Dillon, Robin L; Tinsley, Catherine H

2016-05-01

In recent years, the U.S. commercial airline industry has achieved unprecedented levels of safety, with the statistical risk associated with U.S. commercial aviation falling to 0.003 fatalities per 100 million passengers. But decades of research on organizational learning show that success often breeds complacency and failure inspires improvement. With accidents as rare events, can the airline industry continue safety advancements? This question is complicated by the complex system in which the industry operates where chance combinations of multiple factors contribute to what are largely probabilistic (rather than deterministic) outcomes. Thus, some apparent successes are realized because of good fortune rather than good processes, and this research intends to bring attention to these events, the near-misses. The processes that create these near-misses could pose a threat if multiple contributing factors combine in adverse ways without the intervention of good fortune. Yet, near-misses (if recognized as such) can, theoretically, offer a mechanism for continuing safety improvements, above and beyond learning gleaned from observable failure. We test whether or not this learning is apparent in the airline industry. Using data from 1990 to 2007, fixed effects Poisson regressions show that airlines learn from accidents (their own and others), and from one category of near-misses-those where the possible dangers are salient. Unfortunately, airlines do not improve following near-miss incidents when the focal event has no clear warnings of significant danger. Therefore, while airlines need to and can learn from certain near-misses, we conclude with recommendations for improving airline learning from all near-misses. © 2015 Society for Risk Analysis.

Improved discriminability of spatiotemporal neural patterns in rat motor cortical areas as directional choice learning progresses

PubMed Central

Mao, Hongwei; Yuan, Yuan; Si, Jennie

2015-01-01

Animals learn to choose a proper action among alternatives to improve their odds of success in food foraging and other activities critical for survival. Through trial-and-error, they learn correct associations between their choices and external stimuli. While a neural network that underlies such learning process has been identified at a high level, it is still unclear how individual neurons and a neural ensemble adapt as learning progresses. In this study, we monitored the activity of single units in the rat medial and lateral agranular (AGm and AGl, respectively) areas as rats learned to make a left or right side lever press in response to a left or right side light cue. We noticed that rat movement parameters during the performance of the directional choice task quickly became stereotyped during the first 2–3 days or sessions. But learning the directional choice problem took weeks to occur. Accompanying rats' behavioral performance adaptation, we observed neural modulation by directional choice in recorded single units. Our analysis shows that ensemble mean firing rates in the cue-on period did not change significantly as learning progressed, and the ensemble mean rate difference between left and right side choices did not show a clear trend of change either. However, the spatiotemporal firing patterns of the neural ensemble exhibited improved discriminability between the two directional choices through learning. These results suggest a spatiotemporal neural coding scheme in a motor cortical neural ensemble that may be responsible for and contributing to learning the directional choice task. PMID:25798093

Mathematics authentic assessment on statistics learning: the case for student mini projects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fauziah, D.; Mardiyana; Saputro, D. R. S.

2018-03-01

Mathematics authentic assessment is a form of meaningful measurement of student learning outcomes for the sphere of attitude, skill and knowledge in mathematics. The construction of attitude, skill and knowledge achieved through the fulfilment of tasks which involve active and creative role of the students. One type of authentic assessment is student mini projects, started from planning, data collecting, organizing, processing, analysing and presenting the data. The purpose of this research is to learn the process of using authentic assessments on statistics learning which is conducted by teachers and to discuss specifically the use of mini projects to improving students’ learning in the school of Surakarta. This research is an action research, where the data collected through the results of the assessments rubric of student mini projects. The result of data analysis shows that the average score of rubric of student mini projects result is 82 with 96% classical completeness. This study shows that the application of authentic assessment can improve students’ mathematics learning outcomes. Findings showed that teachers and students participate actively during teaching and learning process, both inside and outside of the school. Student mini projects also provide opportunities to interact with other people in the real context while collecting information and giving presentation to the community. Additionally, students are able to exceed more on the process of statistics learning using authentic assessment.

QUICR-learning for Multi-Agent Coordination

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Agogino, Adrian K.; Tumer, Kagan

2006-01-01

Coordinating multiple agents that need to perform a sequence of actions to maximize a system level reward requires solving two distinct credit assignment problems. First, credit must be assigned for an action taken at time step t that results in a reward at time step t > t. Second, credit must be assigned for the contribution of agent i to the overall system performance. The first credit assignment problem is typically addressed with temporal difference methods such as Q-learning. The second credit assignment problem is typically addressed by creating custom reward functions. To address both credit assignment problems simultaneously, we propose the "Q Updates with Immediate Counterfactual Rewards-learning" (QUICR-learning) designed to improve both the convergence properties and performance of Q-learning in large multi-agent problems. QUICR-learning is based on previous work on single-time-step counterfactual rewards described by the collectives framework. Results on a traffic congestion problem shows that QUICR-learning is significantly better than a Q-learner using collectives-based (single-time-step counterfactual) rewards. In addition QUICR-learning provides significant gains over conventional and local Q-learning. Additional results on a multi-agent grid-world problem show that the improvements due to QUICR-learning are not domain specific and can provide up to a ten fold increase in performance over existing methods.

Design e-learning with flipped learning model to improve layout understanding the concepts basic of the loop control structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Handayani, D. P.; Sutarno, H.; Wihardi, Y.

2018-05-01

This study aimed in design and build e-learning with classroom flipped model to improve the concept of understanding of SMK students on the basic programming subject. Research and development obtained research data from survey questionnaire given to students of SMK class X RPL in SMK Negeri 2 Bandung and interviews to RPL productive teacher. Data also obtained from questionnaire of expert validation and students' assessment from e-learning with flipped classroom models. Data also obtained from multiple-choice test to measure improvements in conceptual understanding. The results of this research are: 1) Developed e- learning with flipped classroom model considered good and worthy of use by the average value of the percentage of 86,3% by media experts, and 85,5% by subjects matter experts, then students gave judgment is very good on e-learning either flipped classroom model with a percentage of 79,15% votes. 2) e-learning with classroom flipped models show an increase in the average value of pre-test before using e-learning 26.67 compared to the average value post-test after using e- learning at 63.37 and strengthened by the calculation of the index gains seen Increased understanding of students 'concepts by 50% with moderate criteria indicating that students' understanding is improving.

Practice makes it better: A psychophysical study of visual perceptual learning and its transfer effects on aging.

PubMed

Li, Xuan; Allen, Philip A; Lien, Mei-Ching; Yamamoto, Naohide

2017-02-01

Previous studies on perceptual learning, acquiring a new skill through practice, appear to stimulate brain plasticity and enhance performance (Fiorentini & Berardi, 1981). The present study aimed to determine (a) whether perceptual learning can be used to compensate for age-related declines in perceptual abilities, and (b) whether the effect of perceptual learning can be transferred to untrained stimuli and subsequently improve capacity of visual working memory (VWM). We tested both healthy younger and older adults in a 3-day training session using an orientation discrimination task. A matching-to-sample psychophysical method was used to measure improvements in orientation discrimination thresholds and reaction times (RTs). Results showed that both younger and older adults improved discrimination thresholds and RTs with similar learning rates and magnitudes. Furthermore, older adults exhibited a generalization of improvements to 3 untrained orientations that were close to the training orientation and benefited more compared with younger adults from the perceptual learning as they transferred learning effects to the VWM performance. We conclude that through perceptual learning, older adults can partially counteract age-related perceptual declines, generalize the learning effect to other stimulus conditions, and further overcome the limitation of using VWM capacity to perform a perceptual task. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

An implementation of 7E Learning Cycle Model to Improve Student Self-esteem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Firdaus, F.; Priatna, N.; Suhendra, S.

2017-09-01

One of the affective factors that affect student learning outcomes is student self-esteem in mathematics, learning achievement and self-esteem influence each other. The purpose of this research is to know whether self-esteem students who get 7E learning cycle model is better than students who get conventional learning. This research method is a non-control group design. Based on the results obtained that the normal and homogeneous data so that the t test and from the test results showed there are significant differences in self-esteem students learning with 7E learning cycle model compared with students who get conventional learning. The implications of the results of this study are that students should be required to conduct many discussions, presentations and evaluations on classroom activities as these learning stages can improve students’ self-esteem especially pride in the results achieved.

Using Storytelling Strategies to Improve Student Comprehension in Online Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Powell, Rasby Marlene; Murray, Ottis

2012-01-01

Previous research shows that presenting class material in story formats can improve student learning in lecture classes. This pilot study of eight sociology classes investigates the efficacy of using storytelling as a means to improve student comprehension in online classes. Our findings show that when material is presented in story format rather…

Stochastic abstract policies: generalizing knowledge to improve reinforcement learning.

PubMed

Koga, Marcelo L; Freire, Valdinei; Costa, Anna H R

2015-01-01

Reinforcement learning (RL) enables an agent to learn behavior by acquiring experience through trial-and-error interactions with a dynamic environment. However, knowledge is usually built from scratch and learning to behave may take a long time. Here, we improve the learning performance by leveraging prior knowledge; that is, the learner shows proper behavior from the beginning of a target task, using the knowledge from a set of known, previously solved, source tasks. In this paper, we argue that building stochastic abstract policies that generalize over past experiences is an effective way to provide such improvement and this generalization outperforms the current practice of using a library of policies. We achieve that contributing with a new algorithm, AbsProb-PI-multiple and a framework for transferring knowledge represented as a stochastic abstract policy in new RL tasks. Stochastic abstract policies offer an effective way to encode knowledge because the abstraction they provide not only generalizes solutions but also facilitates extracting the similarities among tasks. We perform experiments in a robotic navigation environment and analyze the agent's behavior throughout the learning process and also assess the transfer ratio for different amounts of source tasks. We compare our method with the transfer of a library of policies, and experiments show that the use of a generalized policy produces better results by more effectively guiding the agent when learning a target task.

The Easy-to-Hard Effect in Human (Homo sapiens) and Rat (Rattus norvegicus) Auditory Identification

PubMed Central

Liu, Estella H.; Mercado, Eduardo; Church, Barbara A.; Orduña, Itzel

2009-01-01

Training exercises can improve perceptual sensitivities. We examined whether progressively training humans and rats to perform a difficult auditory identification task led to larger improvements than extensive training with highly similar sounds (the easy-to-hard effect). Practice improved humans’ ability to distinguish sounds regardless of the training regimen. However, progressively trained participants were more accurate and showed more generalization, despite significantly less training with the stimuli that were the most difficult to distinguish. Rats showed less capacity to improve with practice, but still benefited from progressive training. These findings indicate that transitioning from an easier to a more difficult task during training can facilitate, and in some cases may be essential for, auditory perceptual learning. The results are not predicted by an explanation that assumes interaction of generalized excitation and inhibition, but are consistent with a hierarchical account of perceptual learning in which the representational precision required to distinguish stimuli determines the mechanisms engaged during learning. PMID:18489229

Improved motor sequence retention by motionless listening.

PubMed

Lahav, Amir; Katz, Tal; Chess, Roxanne; Saltzman, Elliot

2013-05-01

This study examined the effect of listening to a newly learned musical piece on subsequent motor retention of the piece. Thirty-six non-musicians were trained to play an unfamiliar melody on a piano keyboard. Next, they were randomly assigned to participate in three follow-up listening sessions over 1 week. Subjects who, during their listening sessions, listened to the same initial piece showed significant improvements in motor memory and retention of the piece despite the absence of physical practice. These improvements included increased pitch accuracy, time accuracy, and dynamic intensity of key pressing. Similar improvements, though to a lesser degree, were observed in subjects who, during their listening sessions, were distracted by another task. Control subjects, who after learning the piece had listened to nonmusical sounds, showed impaired motoric retention of the piece at 1 week from the initial acquisition day. These results imply that motor sequences can be established in motor memory without direct access to motor-related information. In addition, the study revealed that the listening-induced improvements did not generalize to the learning of a new musical piece composed of the same notes as the initial piece learned, limiting the effects to musical motor sequences that are already part of the individual's motor repertoire.

Second Language Experience Facilitates Statistical Learning of Novel Linguistic Materials.

PubMed

Potter, Christine E; Wang, Tianlin; Saffran, Jenny R

2017-04-01

Recent research has begun to explore individual differences in statistical learning, and how those differences may be related to other cognitive abilities, particularly their effects on language learning. In this research, we explored a different type of relationship between language learning and statistical learning: the possibility that learning a new language may also influence statistical learning by changing the regularities to which learners are sensitive. We tested two groups of participants, Mandarin Learners and Naïve Controls, at two time points, 6 months apart. At each time point, participants performed two different statistical learning tasks: an artificial tonal language statistical learning task and a visual statistical learning task. Only the Mandarin-learning group showed significant improvement on the linguistic task, whereas both groups improved equally on the visual task. These results support the view that there are multiple influences on statistical learning. Domain-relevant experiences may affect the regularities that learners can discover when presented with novel stimuli. Copyright © 2016 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

Second language experience facilitates statistical learning of novel linguistic materials

PubMed Central

Potter, Christine E.; Wang, Tianlin; Saffran, Jenny R.

2016-01-01

Recent research has begun to explore individual differences in statistical learning, and how those differences may be related to other cognitive abilities, particularly their effects on language learning. In the present research, we explored a different type of relationship between language learning and statistical learning: the possibility that learning a new language may also influence statistical learning by changing the regularities to which learners are sensitive. We tested two groups of participants, Mandarin Learners and Naïve Controls, at two time points, six months apart. At each time point, participants performed two different statistical learning tasks: an artificial tonal language statistical learning task and a visual statistical learning task. Only the Mandarin-learning group showed significant improvement on the linguistic task, while both groups improved equally on the visual task. These results support the view that there are multiple influences on statistical learning. Domain-relevant experiences may affect the regularities that learners can discover when presented with novel stimuli. PMID:27988939

Cooperative and Active Learning in Undergraduate Biological Laboratories at FIU--Implications to TA Teaching and Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Penwell, Rebecca A.; Elsawa, Sherine F.; Pitzer, Thomas

2004-01-01

There were several changes in the laboratory teaching program in the Biological Sciences at Florida International University (FIU) between 1993-1994. The underlying goal was the improvement of the amount of material learned and retained by the student, but these changes showed little positive improvement. It was deemed necessary for FIU to…

Data Wise: A Step by Step Guide to Using Assessment Results to Improve Teaching and Learning. Revised and Expanded Edition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boudett, Kathryn Parker, Ed.; City, Elizabeth A., Ed.; Murnane, Richard J., Ed.

2013-01-01

"Data Wise: A Step-by-Step Guide to Using Assessment Results to Improve Teaching and Learning" presents a clear and carefully tested blueprint for school leaders. It shows how examining test scores and other classroom data can become a catalyst for important schoolwide conversations that will enhance schools' abilities to capture…

Data Wise: A Step-by-Step Guide to Using Assessment Results to Improve Teaching and Learning. Revised and Expanded Edition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boudett, Kathryn Parker, Ed.; City, Elizabeth A., Ed.; Murnane, Richard J., Ed.

2013-01-01

"Data Wise: A Step-by-Step Guide to Using Assessment Results to Improve Teaching and Learning" presents a clear and carefully tested blueprint for school leaders. It shows how examining test scores and other classroom data can become a catalyst for important schoolwide conversations that will enhance schools' abilities to capture…

ECG interpretation in Emergency Department residents: an update and e-learning as a resource to improve skills.

PubMed

Barthelemy, Francois X; Segard, Julien; Fradin, Philippe; Hourdin, Nicolas; Batard, Eric; Pottier, Pierre; Potel, Gilles; Montassier, Emmanuel

2017-04-01

ECG interpretation is a pivotal skill to acquire during residency, especially for Emergency Department (ED) residents. Previous studies reported that ECG interpretation competency among residents was rather low. However, the optimal resource to improve ECG interpretation skills remains unclear. The aim of our study was to compare two teaching modalities to improve the ECG interpretation skills of ED residents: e-learning and lecture-based courses. The participants were first-year and second-year ED residents, assigned randomly to the two groups. The ED residents were evaluated by means of a precourse test at the beginning of the study and a postcourse test after the e-learning and lecture-based courses. These evaluations consisted of the interpretation of 10 different ECGs. We included 39 ED residents from four different hospitals. The precourse test showed that the overall average score of ECG interpretation was 40%. Nineteen participants were then assigned to the e-learning course and 20 to the lecture-based course. Globally, there was a significant improvement in ECG interpretation skills (accuracy score=55%, P=0.0002). However, this difference was not significant between the two groups (P=0.14). Our findings showed that the ECG interpretation was not optimal and that our e-learning program may be an effective tool for enhancing ECG interpretation skills among ED residents. A large European study should be carried out to evaluate ECG interpretation skills among ED residents before the implementation of ECG learning, including e-learning strategies, during ED residency.

Using Neuroplasticity-Based Auditory Training to Improve Verbal Memory in Schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Fisher, Melissa; Holland, Christine; Merzenich, Michael M.; Vinogradov, Sophia

2009-01-01

Objective Impaired verbal memory in schizophrenia is a key rate-limiting factor for functional outcome, does not respond to currently available medications, and shows only modest improvement after conventional behavioral remediation. The authors investigated an innovative approach to the remediation of verbal memory in schizophrenia, based on principles derived from the basic neuroscience of learning-induced neuroplasticity. The authors report interim findings in this ongoing study. Method Fifty-five clinically stable schizophrenia subjects were randomly assigned to either 50 hours of computerized auditory training or a control condition using computer games. Those receiving auditory training engaged in daily computerized exercises that placed implicit, increasing demands on auditory perception through progressively more difficult auditory-verbal working memory and verbal learning tasks. Results Relative to the control group, subjects who received active training showed significant gains in global cognition, verbal working memory, and verbal learning and memory. They also showed reliable and significant improvement in auditory psychophysical performance; this improvement was significantly correlated with gains in verbal working memory and global cognition. Conclusions Intensive training in early auditory processes and auditory-verbal learning results in substantial gains in verbal cognitive processes relevant to psychosocial functioning in schizophrenia. These gains may be due to a training method that addresses the early perceptual impairments in the illness, that exploits intact mechanisms of repetitive practice in schizophrenia, and that uses an intensive, adaptive training approach. PMID:19448187

Performance in physiology evaluation: possible improvement by active learning strategies.

PubMed

Montrezor, Luís H

2016-12-01

The evaluation process is complex and extremely important in the teaching/learning process. Evaluations are constantly employed in the classroom to assist students in the learning process and to help teachers improve the teaching process. The use of active methodologies encourages students to participate in the learning process, encourages interaction with their peers, and stimulates thinking about physiological mechanisms. This study examined the performance of medical students on physiology over four semesters with and without active engagement methodologies. Four activities were used: a puzzle, a board game, a debate, and a video. The results show that engaging in activities with active methodologies before a physiology cognitive monitoring test significantly improved student performance compared with not performing the activities. We integrate the use of these methodologies with classic lectures, and this integration appears to improve the teaching/learning process in the discipline of physiology and improves the integration of physiology with cardiology and neurology. In addition, students enjoy the activities and perform better on their evaluations when they use them. Copyright © 2016 The American Physiological Society.

Learning Perfectly Secure Cryptography to Protect Communications with Adversarial Neural Cryptography

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

Researches in Artificial Intelligence (AI) have achieved many important breakthroughs, especially in recent years. In some cases, AI learns alone from scratch and performs human tasks faster and better than humans. With the recent advances in AI, it is natural to wonder whether Artificial Neural Networks will be used to successfully create or break cryptographic algorithms. Bibliographic review shows the main approach to this problem have been addressed throughout complex Neural Networks, but without understanding or proving the security of the generated model. This paper presents an analysis of the security of cryptographic algorithms generated by a new technique called Adversarial Neural Cryptography (ANC). Using the proposed network, we show limitations and directions to improve the current approach of ANC. Training the proposed Artificial Neural Network with the improved model of ANC, we show that artificially intelligent agents can learn the unbreakable One-Time Pad (OTP) algorithm, without human knowledge, to communicate securely through an insecure communication channel. This paper shows in which conditions an AI agent can learn a secure encryption scheme. However, it also shows that, without a stronger adversary, it is more likely to obtain an insecure one. PMID:29695066

Learning Perfectly Secure Cryptography to Protect Communications with Adversarial Neural Cryptography.

PubMed

Coutinho, Murilo; de Oliveira Albuquerque, Robson; Borges, Fábio; García Villalba, Luis Javier; Kim, Tai-Hoon

2018-04-24

Researches in Artificial Intelligence (AI) have achieved many important breakthroughs, especially in recent years. In some cases, AI learns alone from scratch and performs human tasks faster and better than humans. With the recent advances in AI, it is natural to wonder whether Artificial Neural Networks will be used to successfully create or break cryptographic algorithms. Bibliographic review shows the main approach to this problem have been addressed throughout complex Neural Networks, but without understanding or proving the security of the generated model. This paper presents an analysis of the security of cryptographic algorithms generated by a new technique called Adversarial Neural Cryptography (ANC). Using the proposed network, we show limitations and directions to improve the current approach of ANC. Training the proposed Artificial Neural Network with the improved model of ANC, we show that artificially intelligent agents can learn the unbreakable One-Time Pad (OTP) algorithm, without human knowledge, to communicate securely through an insecure communication channel. This paper shows in which conditions an AI agent can learn a secure encryption scheme. However, it also shows that, without a stronger adversary, it is more likely to obtain an insecure one.

Transcranial infrared laser stimulation improves rule-based, but not information-integration, category learning in humans.

PubMed

Blanco, Nathaniel J; Saucedo, Celeste L; Gonzalez-Lima, F

2017-03-01

This is the first randomized, controlled study comparing the cognitive effects of transcranial laser stimulation on category learning tasks. Transcranial infrared laser stimulation is a new non-invasive form of brain stimulation that shows promise for wide-ranging experimental and neuropsychological applications. It involves using infrared laser to enhance cerebral oxygenation and energy metabolism through upregulation of the respiratory enzyme cytochrome oxidase, the primary infrared photon acceptor in cells. Previous research found that transcranial infrared laser stimulation aimed at the prefrontal cortex can improve sustained attention, short-term memory, and executive function. In this study, we directly investigated the influence of transcranial infrared laser stimulation on two neurobiologically dissociable systems of category learning: a prefrontal cortex mediated reflective system that learns categories using explicit rules, and a striatally mediated reflexive learning system that forms gradual stimulus-response associations. Participants (n=118) received either active infrared laser to the lateral prefrontal cortex or sham (placebo) stimulation, and then learned one of two category structures-a rule-based structure optimally learned by the reflective system, or an information-integration structure optimally learned by the reflexive system. We found that prefrontal rule-based learning was substantially improved following transcranial infrared laser stimulation as compared to placebo (treatment X block interaction: F(1, 298)=5.117, p=0.024), while information-integration learning did not show significant group differences (treatment X block interaction: F(1, 288)=1.633, p=0.202). These results highlight the exciting potential of transcranial infrared laser stimulation for cognitive enhancement and provide insight into the neurobiological underpinnings of category learning. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Computer Instruction in Handwriting, Spelling, and Composing for Students with Specific Learning Disabilities in Grades 4 to 9.

PubMed

Berninger, Virginia W; Nagy, William; Tanimoto, Steve; Thompson, Rob; Abbott, Robert D

2015-02-01

Effectiveness of iPad computerized writing instruction was evaluated for 4 th to 9 th graders ( n =35) with diagnosed specific learning disabilities (SLDs) affecting writing: dysgraphia (impaired handwriting), dyslexia (impaired spelling), and oral and written language learning disability (OWL LD) (impaired syntax composing). Each of the 18 two-hour lessons had multiple learning activities aimed at improving subword - (handwriting), word - (spelling), and syntax - (sentence composing) level language skills by engaging all four language systems (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) to create a functional writing system. To evaluate treatment effectiveness, normed measures of handwriting, spelling, and composing were used with the exception of one non-normed alphabet writing task. Results showed that the sample as a whole improved significantly from pretest to posttest in three handwriting measures, four spelling measures, and both written and oral syntax construction measures. All but oral syntax was evaluated with pen and paper tasks, showing that the computer writing instruction transferred to better writing with pen and paper. Performance on learning activities during instruction correlated with writing outcomes; and individual students tended to improve in the impaired skill associated with their diagnosis. Thus, although computers are often used in upper elementary school and middle school in the United States (US) for accommodations (alternatives to pen and paper) for students with persisting SLDs affecting writing, this study shows computers can also be used for Tier 3 instruction to improve the writing skills of students in grades 4 to 9 with history of persisting writing disabilities.

Identifying Cognitive Remediation Change Through Computational Modelling—Effects on Reinforcement Learning in Schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Cella, Matteo; Bishara, Anthony J.; Medin, Evelina; Swan, Sarah; Reeder, Clare; Wykes, Til

2014-01-01

Objective: Converging research suggests that individuals with schizophrenia show a marked impairment in reinforcement learning, particularly in tasks requiring flexibility and adaptation. The problem has been associated with dopamine reward systems. This study explores, for the first time, the characteristics of this impairment and how it is affected by a behavioral intervention—cognitive remediation. Method: Using computational modelling, 3 reinforcement learning parameters based on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) trial-by-trial performance were estimated: R (reward sensitivity), P (punishment sensitivity), and D (choice consistency). In Study 1 the parameters were compared between a group of individuals with schizophrenia (n = 100) and a healthy control group (n = 50). In Study 2 the effect of cognitive remediation therapy (CRT) on these parameters was assessed in 2 groups of individuals with schizophrenia, one receiving CRT (n = 37) and the other receiving treatment as usual (TAU, n = 34). Results: In Study 1 individuals with schizophrenia showed impairment in the R and P parameters compared with healthy controls. Study 2 demonstrated that sensitivity to negative feedback (P) and reward (R) improved in the CRT group after therapy compared with the TAU group. R and P parameter change correlated with WCST outputs. Improvements in R and P after CRT were associated with working memory gains and reduction of negative symptoms, respectively. Conclusion: Schizophrenia reinforcement learning difficulties negatively influence performance in shift learning tasks. CRT can improve sensitivity to reward and punishment. Identifying parameters that show change may be useful in experimental medicine studies to identify cognitive domains susceptible to improvement. PMID:24214932

Computer Instruction in Handwriting, Spelling, and Composing for Students with Specific Learning Disabilities in Grades 4 to 9

PubMed Central

Berninger, Virginia W.; Nagy, William; Tanimoto, Steve; Thompson, Rob; Abbott, Robert D.

2014-01-01

Effectiveness of iPad computerized writing instruction was evaluated for 4th to 9th graders (n=35) with diagnosed specific learning disabilities (SLDs) affecting writing: dysgraphia (impaired handwriting), dyslexia (impaired spelling), and oral and written language learning disability (OWL LD) (impaired syntax composing). Each of the 18 two-hour lessons had multiple learning activities aimed at improving subword- (handwriting), word- (spelling), and syntax- (sentence composing) level language skills by engaging all four language systems (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) to create a functional writing system. To evaluate treatment effectiveness, normed measures of handwriting, spelling, and composing were used with the exception of one non-normed alphabet writing task. Results showed that the sample as a whole improved significantly from pretest to posttest in three handwriting measures, four spelling measures, and both written and oral syntax construction measures. All but oral syntax was evaluated with pen and paper tasks, showing that the computer writing instruction transferred to better writing with pen and paper. Performance on learning activities during instruction correlated with writing outcomes; and individual students tended to improve in the impaired skill associated with their diagnosis. Thus, although computers are often used in upper elementary school and middle school in the United States (US) for accommodations (alternatives to pen and paper) for students with persisting SLDs affecting writing, this study shows computers can also be used for Tier 3 instruction to improve the writing skills of students in grades 4 to 9 with history of persisting writing disabilities. PMID:25378768

The Effectiveness of Guided Inquiry-based Learning Material on Students’ Science Literacy Skills

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aulia, E. V.; Poedjiastoeti, S.; Agustini, R.

2018-01-01

The purpose of this research is to describe the effectiveness of guided inquiry-based learning material to improve students’ science literacy skills on solubility and solubility product concepts. This study used Research and Development (R&D) design and was implemented to the 11th graders of Muhammadiyah 4 Senior High School Surabaya in 2016/2017 academic year with one group pre-test and post-test design. The data collection techniques used were validation, observation, test, and questionnaire. The results of this research showed that the students’ science literacy skills are different after implementation of guided inquiry-based learning material. The guided inquiry-based learning material is effective to improve students’ science literacy skills on solubility and solubility product concepts by getting N-gain score with medium and high category. This improvement caused by the developed learning material such as lesson plan, student worksheet, and science literacy skill tests were categorized as valid and very valid. In addition, each of the learning phases in lesson plan has been well implemented. Therefore, it can be concluded that the guided inquiry-based learning material are effective to improve students’ science literacy skills on solubility and solubility product concepts in senior high school.

The scientific learning approach using multimedia-based maze game to improve learning outcomes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Setiawan, Wawan; Hafitriani, Sarah; Prabawa, Harsa Wara

2016-02-01

The objective of curriculum 2013 is to improve the quality of education in Indonesia, which leads to improving the quality of learning. The scientific approach and supported empowerment media is one approach as massaged of curriculum 2013. This research aims to design a labyrinth game based multimedia and apply in the scientific learning approach. This study was conducted in one of the Vocational School in Subjects of Computer Network on 2 (two) classes of experimental and control. The method used Mix Method Research (MMR) which combines qualitative in multimedia design, and quantitative in the study of learning impact. The results of a survey showed that the general of vocational students like of network topology material (68%), like multimedia (74%), and in particular, like interactive multimedia games and flash (84%). Multimediabased maze game developed good eligibility based on media and material aspects of each value 840% and 82%. Student learning outcomes as a result of using a scientific approach to learning with a multimediabased labyrinth game increase with an average of gain index about (58%) and higher than conventional multimedia with index average gain of 0.41 (41%). Based on these results the scientific approach to learning by using multimediabased labyrinth game can improve the quality of learning and increase understanding of students. Multimedia of learning based labyrinth game, which developed, got a positive response from the students with a good qualification level (75%).

Less is more: latent learning is maximized by shorter training sessions in auditory perceptual learning.

PubMed

Molloy, Katharine; Moore, David R; Sohoglu, Ediz; Amitay, Sygal

2012-01-01

The time course and outcome of perceptual learning can be affected by the length and distribution of practice, but the training regimen parameters that govern these effects have received little systematic study in the auditory domain. We asked whether there was a minimum requirement on the number of trials within a training session for learning to occur, whether there was a maximum limit beyond which additional trials became ineffective, and whether multiple training sessions provided benefit over a single session. We investigated the efficacy of different regimens that varied in the distribution of practice across training sessions and in the overall amount of practice received on a frequency discrimination task. While learning was relatively robust to variations in regimen, the group with the shortest training sessions (∼8 min) had significantly faster learning in early stages of training than groups with longer sessions. In later stages, the group with the longest training sessions (>1 hr) showed slower learning than the other groups, suggesting overtraining. Between-session improvements were inversely correlated with performance; they were largest at the start of training and reduced as training progressed. In a second experiment we found no additional longer-term improvement in performance, retention, or transfer of learning for a group that trained over 4 sessions (∼4 hr in total) relative to a group that trained for a single session (∼1 hr). However, the mechanisms of learning differed; the single-session group continued to improve in the days following cessation of training, whereas the multi-session group showed no further improvement once training had ceased. Shorter training sessions were advantageous because they allowed for more latent, between-session and post-training learning to emerge. These findings suggest that efficient regimens should use short training sessions, and optimized spacing between sessions.

Less Is More: Latent Learning Is Maximized by Shorter Training Sessions in Auditory Perceptual Learning

PubMed Central

Molloy, Katharine; Moore, David R.; Sohoglu, Ediz; Amitay, Sygal

2012-01-01

Background The time course and outcome of perceptual learning can be affected by the length and distribution of practice, but the training regimen parameters that govern these effects have received little systematic study in the auditory domain. We asked whether there was a minimum requirement on the number of trials within a training session for learning to occur, whether there was a maximum limit beyond which additional trials became ineffective, and whether multiple training sessions provided benefit over a single session. Methodology/Principal Findings We investigated the efficacy of different regimens that varied in the distribution of practice across training sessions and in the overall amount of practice received on a frequency discrimination task. While learning was relatively robust to variations in regimen, the group with the shortest training sessions (∼8 min) had significantly faster learning in early stages of training than groups with longer sessions. In later stages, the group with the longest training sessions (>1 hr) showed slower learning than the other groups, suggesting overtraining. Between-session improvements were inversely correlated with performance; they were largest at the start of training and reduced as training progressed. In a second experiment we found no additional longer-term improvement in performance, retention, or transfer of learning for a group that trained over 4 sessions (∼4 hr in total) relative to a group that trained for a single session (∼1 hr). However, the mechanisms of learning differed; the single-session group continued to improve in the days following cessation of training, whereas the multi-session group showed no further improvement once training had ceased. Conclusions/Significance Shorter training sessions were advantageous because they allowed for more latent, between-session and post-training learning to emerge. These findings suggest that efficient regimens should use short training sessions, and optimized spacing between sessions. PMID:22606309

Magnetic Resonance Super-resolution Imaging Measurement with Dictionary-optimized Sparse Learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jun-Bao; Liu, Jing; Pan, Jeng-Shyang; Yao, Hongxun

2017-06-01

Magnetic Resonance Super-resolution Imaging Measurement (MRIM) is an effective way of measuring materials. MRIM has wide applications in physics, chemistry, biology, geology, medical and material science, especially in medical diagnosis. It is feasible to improve the resolution of MR imaging through increasing radiation intensity, but the high radiation intensity and the longtime of magnetic field harm the human body. Thus, in the practical applications the resolution of hardware imaging reaches the limitation of resolution. Software-based super-resolution technology is effective to improve the resolution of image. This work proposes a framework of dictionary-optimized sparse learning based MR super-resolution method. The framework is to solve the problem of sample selection for dictionary learning of sparse reconstruction. The textural complexity-based image quality representation is proposed to choose the optimal samples for dictionary learning. Comprehensive experiments show that the dictionary-optimized sparse learning improves the performance of sparse representation.

Gains following perceptual learning are closely linked to the initial visual acuity.

PubMed

Yehezkel, Oren; Sterkin, Anna; Lev, Maria; Levi, Dennis M; Polat, Uri

2016-04-28

The goal of the present study was to evaluate the dependence of perceptual learning gains on initial visual acuity (VA), in a large sample of subjects with a wide range of VAs. A large sample of normally sighted and presbyopic subjects (N = 119; aged 40 to 63) with a wide range of uncorrected near visual acuities (VA, -0.12 to 0.8 LogMAR), underwent perceptual learning. Training consisted of detecting briefly presented Gabor stimuli under spatial and temporal masking conditions. Consistent with previous findings, perceptual learning induced a significant improvement in near VA and reading speed under conditions of limited exposure duration. Our results show that the improvements in VA and reading speed observed following perceptual learning are closely linked to the initial VA, with only a minor fraction of the observed improvement that may be attributed to the additional sessions performed by those with the worse VA.

e-Learning competency for practice nurses: an evaluation report.

PubMed

Heartfield, Marie; Morello, Andrea; Harris, Melanie; Lawn, Sharon; Pols, Vincenza; Stapleton, Carolyn; Battersby, Malcolm

2013-01-01

Practice nurses in Australia are now funded to facilitate chronic condition management, including self-management support. Chronic disease management requires an established rapport, support and proactivity between general practitioners, patients and the practice nurses. To achieve this, training in shared decision making is needed. e-Learning supports delivery and achievement of such policy outcomes, service improvements and skill development. However, e-learning effectiveness for health care professionals' is determined by several organisational, economic, pedagogical and individual factors, with positive e-learning experience linked closely to various supports. This paper reinforces previous studies showing nurses' expanding role across general practice teams and reports on some of the challenges of e-learning. Merely providing practice nurses with necessary information via web-based learning systems does not ensure successful learning or progress toward improving health outcomes for patients.

Reaching Students: What Research Says about Effective Instruction in Undergraduate Science and Engineering

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kober, Nancy

2015-01-01

The undergraduate years are a turning point in producing scientifically literate citizens and future scientists and engineers. Evidence from research about how students learn science and engineering shows that teaching strategies that motivate and engage students will improve their learning. So how do students best learn science and engineering?…

Assessment for Learning: Understanding Theory to Improve Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taras, Maddalena

2007-01-01

The assessment for learning framework in education has become big business: huge quantities of time, money and energy have been invested in England, Wales and more recently the USA. This article shows that the assessment for learning theory is inefficient and often contradictory. Black and Wiliam's earlier work provides much of the theoretical…

Neural correlates of face gender discrimination learning.

PubMed

Su, Junzhu; Tan, Qingleng; Fang, Fang

2013-04-01

Using combined psychophysics and event-related potentials (ERPs), we investigated the effect of perceptual learning on face gender discrimination and probe the neural correlates of the learning effect. Human subjects were trained to perform a gender discrimination task with male or female faces. Before and after training, they were tested with the trained faces and other faces with the same and opposite genders. ERPs responding to these faces were recorded. Psychophysical results showed that training significantly improved subjects' discrimination performance and the improvement was specific to the trained gender, as well as to the trained identities. The training effect indicates that learning occurs at two levels-the category level (gender) and the exemplar level (identity). ERP analyses showed that the gender and identity learning was associated with the N170 latency reduction at the left occipital-temporal area and the N170 amplitude reduction at the right occipital-temporal area, respectively. These findings provide evidence for the facilitation model and the sharpening model on neuronal plasticity from visual experience, suggesting a faster processing speed and a sparser representation of face induced by perceptual learning.

Rapid learning in visual cortical networks.

PubMed

Wang, Ye; Dragoi, Valentin

2015-08-26

Although changes in brain activity during learning have been extensively examined at the single neuron level, the coding strategies employed by cell populations remain mysterious. We examined cell populations in macaque area V4 during a rapid form of perceptual learning that emerges within tens of minutes. Multiple single units and LFP responses were recorded as monkeys improved their performance in an image discrimination task. We show that the increase in behavioral performance during learning is predicted by a tight coordination of spike timing with local population activity. More spike-LFP theta synchronization is correlated with higher learning performance, while high-frequency synchronization is unrelated with changes in performance, but these changes were absent once learning had stabilized and stimuli became familiar, or in the absence of learning. These findings reveal a novel mechanism of plasticity in visual cortex by which elevated low-frequency synchronization between individual neurons and local population activity accompanies the improvement in performance during learning.

An active learning curriculum improves fellows' knowledge and faculty teaching skills.

PubMed

Inra, Jennifer A; Pelletier, Stephen; Kumar, Navin L; Barnes, Edward L; Shields, Helen M

2017-01-01

Traditional didactic lectures are the mainstay of teaching for graduate medical education, although this method may not be the most effective way to transmit information. We created an active learning curriculum for Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) gastroenterology fellows to maximize learning. We evaluated whether this new curriculum improved perceived knowledge acquisition and knowledge base. In addition, our study assessed whether coaching faculty members in specific methods to enhance active learning improved their perceived teaching and presentation skills. We compared the Gastroenterology Training Exam (GTE) scores before and after the implementation of this curriculum to assess whether an improved knowledge base was documented. In addition, fellows and faculty members were asked to complete anonymous evaluations regarding their learning and teaching experiences. Fifteen fellows were invited to 12 lectures over a 2-year period. GTE scores improved in the areas of stomach ( p <0.001), general gastroenterology ( p =0.005), esophagus ( p <0.001), and small bowel ( p =0.001), and the total score ( p =0.001) between pre- and postimplementation of the active learning curriculum. Scores in hepatology, as well as biliary and pancreatic study, showed a trend toward improvement ( p >0.05). All fellows believed the lectures were helpful, felt more prepared to take the GTE, and preferred the interactive format to traditional didactic lectures. All lecturers agreed that they acquired new teaching skills, improved teaching and presentation skills, and learned new tools that could help them teach better in the future. An active learning curriculum is preferred by GI fellows and may be helpful for improving transmission of information in any specialty in medical education. Individualized faculty coaching sessions demonstrating new ways to transmit information may be important for an individual faculty member's teaching excellence.

Game Multimedia in Numeracy Learning for Elementary School Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rohendi, D.; Sumarna, N.; Sutarno, H.

2017-03-01

Numeracy is one of the basic skills for elementary students to understand further concepts of mathematics. However teaching numeracy is still using recitation that can overload student’s memory and make them reluctant to learn mathematics, so an innovative way by using multimedia to attract student interest in numeracy is needed. Therefore, the purpose of this study are: 1) to develop numeracy learning multimedia for elementary school students; and 2) to find out whether the implementation of numeracy learning multimedia can improve the students numeracy skills, and how is the response of elementary school students by using multimedia in learning numeracy? The results showed that multimedia can improve students’ numeracy skill which is quit medium and the student response by using multimedia in numeracy learning are good.

Machine Learning Based Multi-Physical-Model Blending for Enhancing Renewable Energy Forecast -- Improvement via Situation Dependent Error Correction

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

Lu, Siyuan; Hwang, Youngdeok; Khabibrakhmanov, Ildar

With increasing penetration of solar and wind energy to the total energy supply mix, the pressing need for accurate energy forecasting has become well-recognized. Here we report the development of a machine-learning based model blending approach for statistically combining multiple meteorological models for improving the accuracy of solar/wind power forecast. Importantly, we demonstrate that in addition to parameters to be predicted (such as solar irradiance and power), including additional atmospheric state parameters which collectively define weather situations as machine learning input provides further enhanced accuracy for the blended result. Functional analysis of variance shows that the error of individual modelmore » has substantial dependence on the weather situation. The machine-learning approach effectively reduces such situation dependent error thus produces more accurate results compared to conventional multi-model ensemble approaches based on simplistic equally or unequally weighted model averaging. Validation over an extended period of time results show over 30% improvement in solar irradiance/power forecast accuracy compared to forecasts based on the best individual model.« less

Learning Experience on Transformer Using HOT Lab for Pre-service Physics Teacher’s

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malik, A.; Setiawan, A.; Suhandi, A.; Permanasari, A.

2017-09-01

This study aimed at investigating pre-service teacher’s critical thinking skills improvement through Higher Order Thinking (HOT) Lab on transformer learning. This research used mix method with the embedded experimental model. Research subjects are 60 students of Physics Education in UIN Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung. The results showed that based on the results of the analysis of practical reports and observation sheet shows students in the experimental group was better in carrying out the practicum and can solve the real problem while the control group was going on the opposite. The critical thinking skills of students applying the HOT Lab were higher than the verification lab. Critical thinking skills could increase due to HOT Lab based problems solving that can develop higher order thinking skills through laboratory activities. Therefore, it was concluded that the application of HOT Lab was more effective than verification lab on improving students’ thinking skills on transformer topic learning. Finally, HOT Lab can be implemented in other subject learning and could be used to improve another higher order thinking skills.

Using m-learning on nursing courses to improve learning.

PubMed

de Marcos Ortega, Luis; Barchino Plata, Roberto; Jiménez Rodríguez, María Lourdes; Hilera González, José Ramón; Martínez Herráiz, José Javier; Gutiérrez de Mesa, José Antonio; Gutiérrez Martínez, José María; Otón Tortosa, Salvador

2011-05-01

Modern handheld devices and wireless communications foster new kinds of communication and interaction that can define new approaches to teaching and learning. Mobile learning (m-learning) seeks to use them extensively, exactly in the same way in which e-learning uses personal computers and wired communication technologies. In this new mobile environment, new applications and educational models need to be created and tested to confirm (or reject) their validity and usefulness. In this article, we present a mobile tool aimed at self-assessment, which allows students to test their knowledge at any place and at any time. The degree to which the students' achievement improved is also evaluated, and a survey on the students' opinion of the new tool was also conducted. An experimental group of 20- to 21-year-old nursing students was chosen to test the tool. Results show that this kind of tool improves students' achievement and does not make necessary to introduce substantial changes in current teaching activities and methodology.

Organizational learning and continuous quality improvement: examining the impact on nursing home performance.

PubMed

Rondeau, Kent V; Wagar, Terry H

2002-01-01

Interest is growing in learning more about the ability of total quality management and continuous quality improvement (TQM/CQI) initiatives to contribute to the performance of healthcare organizations. A major factor in the successful implementation of TQM/CQI is the seminal contribution of an organization's culture. Many implementation efforts have not succeeded because of a corporate culture that failed to stress broader organizational learning. This may help to explain why some TQM/CQI programs have been unsuccessful in improving healthcare organization performance. Organizational performance variables and organizational learning orientation were assessed in a sample of 181 Canadian long-term care organizations that had implemented a formal TQM/CQI program. Categorical regression analysis shows that, in the absence of a strong corporAte culture that stresses organizational learning and employee development, few performance enhancements are reported. The results of the assessment suggest that a TQM/CQI program without the backing of a strong organizational learning culture may be insufficient to achieve augmented organizational performance.

Parietotemporal Stimulation Affects Acquisition of Novel Grapheme-Phoneme Mappings in Adult Readers

PubMed Central

Younger, Jessica W.; Booth, James R.

2018-01-01

Neuroimaging work from developmental and reading intervention research has suggested a cause of reading failure may be lack of engagement of parietotemporal cortex during initial acquisition of grapheme-phoneme (letter-sound) mappings. Parietotemporal activation increases following grapheme-phoneme learning and successful reading intervention. Further, stimulation of parietotemporal cortex improves reading skill in lower ability adults. However, it is unclear whether these improvements following stimulation are due to enhanced grapheme-phoneme mapping abilities. To test this hypothesis, we used transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to manipulate parietotemporal function in adult readers as they learned a novel artificial orthography with new grapheme-phoneme mappings. Participants received real or sham stimulation to the left inferior parietal lobe (L IPL) for 20 min before training. They received explicit training over the course of 3 days on 10 novel words each day. Learning of the artificial orthography was assessed at a pre-training baseline session, the end of each of the three training sessions, an immediate post-training session and a delayed post-training session about 4 weeks after training. Stimulation interacted with baseline reading skill to affect learning of trained words and transfer to untrained words. Lower skill readers showed better acquisition, whereas higher skill readers showed worse acquisition, when training was paired with real stimulation, as compared to readers who received sham stimulation. However, readers of all skill levels showed better maintenance of trained material following parietotemporal stimulation, indicating a differential effect of stimulation on initial learning and consolidation. Overall, these results indicate that parietotemporal stimulation can enhance learning of new grapheme-phoneme relationships in readers with lower reading skill. Yet, while parietotemporal function is critical to new learning, its role in continued reading improvement likely changes as readers progress in skill. PMID:29628882

The effect of the use of android-based application in learning together to improve students' academic performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ulfa, Andi Maria; Sugiyarto, Kristian H.; Ikhsan, Jaslin

2017-05-01

Poor achievement of students' performance on Chemistry may result from unfavourable learning processes. Therefore, innovation on learning process must be created. Regarding fast development of mobile technology, learning process cannot ignore the crucial role of the technology. This research and development (R&D) studies was done to develop android based application and to study the effect of its integration in Learning together (LT) into the improvement of students' learning creativity and cognitive achievement. The development of the application was carried out by adapting Borg & Gall and Dick & Carey model. The developed-product was reviewed by chemist, learning media practitioners, peer reviewers, and educators. After the revision based on the reviews, the application was used in the LT model on the topic of Stoichiometry in a senior high school. The instruments were questionnaires to get comments and suggestion from the reviewers about the application, and the another questionnaire was to collect the data of learning creativity. Another instrument used was a set of test by which data of students' achievement was collected. The results showed that the use of the mobile based application on Learning Together can bring about significant improvement of students' performance including creativity and cognitive achievement.

A Matter of Time: Faster Percolator Analysis via Efficient SVM Learning for Large-Scale Proteomics.

PubMed

Halloran, John T; Rocke, David M

2018-05-04

Percolator is an important tool for greatly improving the results of a database search and subsequent downstream analysis. Using support vector machines (SVMs), Percolator recalibrates peptide-spectrum matches based on the learned decision boundary between targets and decoys. To improve analysis time for large-scale data sets, we update Percolator's SVM learning engine through software and algorithmic optimizations rather than heuristic approaches that necessitate the careful study of their impact on learned parameters across different search settings and data sets. We show that by optimizing Percolator's original learning algorithm, l 2 -SVM-MFN, large-scale SVM learning requires nearly only a third of the original runtime. Furthermore, we show that by employing the widely used Trust Region Newton (TRON) algorithm instead of l 2 -SVM-MFN, large-scale Percolator SVM learning is reduced to nearly only a fifth of the original runtime. Importantly, these speedups only affect the speed at which Percolator converges to a global solution and do not alter recalibration performance. The upgraded versions of both l 2 -SVM-MFN and TRON are optimized within the Percolator codebase for multithreaded and single-thread use and are available under Apache license at bitbucket.org/jthalloran/percolator_upgrade .

Memory in Elementary School Children Is Improved by an Unrelated Novel Experience.

PubMed

Ballarini, Fabricio; Martínez, María Cecilia; Díaz Perez, Magdalena; Moncada, Diego; Viola, Haydée

2013-01-01

Education is the most traditional means with formative effect on the human mind, learning and memory being its fundamental support. For this reason, it is essential to find different strategies to improve the studentś performance. Based on previous work, we hypothesized that a novel experience could exert an enhancing effect on learning and memory within the school environment. Here we show that novel experience improved the memory of literary or graphical activities when it is close to these learning sessions. We found memory improvements in groups of students who had experienced a novel science lesson 1 hour before or after the reading of a story, but not when these events were 4 hours apart. Such promoting effect on long-term memory (LTM) was also reproduced with another type of novelty (a music lesson) and also after another type of learning task (a visual memory). Interestingly, when the lesson was familiar, it failed to enhance the memory of the other task. Our results show that educationally relevant novel events experienced during normal school hours can improve LTM for tasks/activities learned during regular school lessons. This effect is restricted to a critical time window around learning and is particularly dependent on the novel nature of the associated experience. These findings provide a tool that could be easily transferred to the classroom by the incorporation of educationally novel events in the school schedule as an extrinsic adjuvant of other information acquired some time before or after it. This approach could be a helpful tool for the consolidation of certain types of topics that generally demand a great effort from the children.

Playing off the curve - testing quantitative predictions of skill acquisition theories in development of chess performance.

PubMed

Gaschler, Robert; Progscha, Johanna; Smallbone, Kieran; Ram, Nilam; Bilalić, Merim

2014-01-01

Learning curves have been proposed as an adequate description of learning processes, no matter whether the processes manifest within minutes or across years. Different mechanisms underlying skill acquisition can lead to differences in the shape of learning curves. In the current study, we analyze the tournament performance data of 1383 chess players who begin competing at young age and play tournaments for at least 10 years. We analyze the performance development with the goal to test the adequacy of learning curves, and the skill acquisition theories they are based on, for describing and predicting expertise acquisition. On the one hand, we show that the skill acquisition theories implying a negative exponential learning curve do a better job in both describing early performance gains and predicting later trajectories of chess performance than those theories implying a power function learning curve. On the other hand, the learning curves of a large proportion of players show systematic qualitative deviations from the predictions of either type of skill acquisition theory. While skill acquisition theories predict larger performance gains in early years and smaller gains in later years, a substantial number of players begin to show substantial improvements with a delay of several years (and no improvement in the first years), deviations not fully accounted for by quantity of practice. The current work adds to the debate on how learning processes on a small time scale combine to large-scale changes.

Performance Appraisal of College-Level Learners Using Smart Boards

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Riyaz, Reeja

2010-01-01

This article reports on the evaluation of the use of Smart Boards in learning and teaching second-language writing skills. Results showed that the use of Smart Boards in learning and teaching improved students' second-language skills.

On the Conditioning of Machine-Learning-Assisted Turbulence Modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Jinlong; Sun, Rui; Wang, Qiqi; Xiao, Heng

2017-11-01

Recently, several researchers have demonstrated that machine learning techniques can be used to improve the RANS modeled Reynolds stress by training on available database of high fidelity simulations. However, obtaining improved mean velocity field remains an unsolved challenge, restricting the predictive capability of current machine-learning-assisted turbulence modeling approaches. In this work we define a condition number to evaluate the model conditioning of data-driven turbulence modeling approaches, and propose a stability-oriented machine learning framework to model Reynolds stress. Two canonical flows, the flow in a square duct and the flow over periodic hills, are investigated to demonstrate the predictive capability of the proposed framework. The satisfactory prediction performance of mean velocity field for both flows demonstrates the predictive capability of the proposed framework for machine-learning-assisted turbulence modeling. With showing the capability of improving the prediction of mean flow field, the proposed stability-oriented machine learning framework bridges the gap between the existing machine-learning-assisted turbulence modeling approaches and the demand of predictive capability of turbulence models in real applications.

Serotonin Transporter Knockout Rats Show Improved Strategy Set-Shifting and Reduced Latent Inhibition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nonkes, Lourens J. P.; van de Vondervoort, Ilse I. G. M.; de Leeuw, Mark J. C.; Wijlaars, Linda P.; Maes, Joseph H. R.; Homberg, Judith R.

2012-01-01

Behavioral flexibility is a cognitive process depending on prefrontal areas allowing adaptive responses to environmental changes. Serotonin transporter knockout (5-HTT[superscript -/-]) rodents show improved reversal learning in addition to orbitofrontal cortex changes. Another form of behavioral flexibility, extradimensional strategy set-shifting…

Inside Out: Active learning in fluid dynamics in and out of the classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaye, Nigel; Benson, Lisa; Sill, Ben

2014-11-01

Active learning can be broadly defined as any activity that engages students beyond just listening. But is it worth the effort, when we can just lecture and tell students all they need to know? Learning theories posit that students remember far more of what they say and do than of what they hear and see. The benefits of active learning include increased attendance (because class is now something different and attending is more worthwhile) and deeper understanding of concepts (because students get to practice answering and generating questions). A recent meta-analysis of research on active learning has summarized evidence of real outcomes of active learning. Research is showing that students' performance on exams are higher and that they fail at lower rates in classes that involve active learning compared to traditional lecturing. Other studies have shown evidence of improved performance in follow-on classes, showing that the improved learning lasts. There are some topics and concepts that are best taught (or at least introduced) through lecturing, but even lecturing can be broken up by short activities that engage students so they learn more effectively. In this presentation, we will review the findings of the meta study and provide examples of active learning both inside and outside the classroom that demonstrate simple ways of introducing this approach in fluid dynamics classes.

42 CFR 482.21 - Condition of participation: Quality assessment and performance improvement program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... projects, develop and implement an information technology system explicitly designed to improve patient... program that shows measurable improvement in indicators for which there is evidence that it will improve... learning throughout the hospital. (3) The hospital must take actions aimed at performance improvement and...

Spatial Cognition and Range Use in Free-Range Laying Hens

PubMed Central

Campbell, Dana L. M.; Loh, Ziyang A.; Dyall, Tim R.; Lee, Caroline

2018-01-01

Simple Summary Individual free-range laying hens vary in their use of the outdoor range. The outdoor environment is typically more complex and variable than indoor housing and thus range use may be related to differences in spatial abilities. Individual adult hens that never went outside were slower to learn a T-maze task—which requires birds to repeatedly find a food reward in one arm of the maze, compared to outdoor-preferring hens. Pullets that were faster to learn the maze also showed more visits to the range in their first month of range access but only in one of two tested groups. Early enrichment improved learning of the maze but only when the birds were tested before onset of lay. Fear may play a role in inhibiting bird’s spatial learning and their range use. More studies of different enriched rearing treatments and their impacts on fear and learning would be needed to confirm these findings. Overall, these results contribute to our understanding of why some birds choose to never access the outdoor range area. Abstract Radio-frequency identification tracking shows individual free-range laying hens vary in range use, with some never going outdoors. The range is typically more environmentally complex, requiring navigation to return to the indoor resources. Outdoor-preferring hens may have improved spatial abilities compared to indoor-preferring hens. Experiment 1 tested 32 adult ISA Brown hens in a T-maze learning task that showed exclusively-indoor birds were slowest to reach the learning success criterion (p < 0.05). Experiment 2 tested 117 pullets from enriched or non-enriched early rearing treatments (1 pen replicate per treatment) in the same maze at 15–16 or 17–18 weeks. Enriched birds reached learning success criterion faster at 15–16 weeks (p < 0.05) but not at 17–18 weeks (p > 0.05), the age that coincided with the onset of lay. Enriched birds that were faster to learn the maze task showed more range visits in the first 4 weeks of range access. Enriched and non-enriched birds showed no differences in telencephalon or hippocampal volume (p > 0.05). Fear may reduce spatial abilities but further testing with more pen replicates per early rearing treatments would improve our understanding of the relationship between spatial cognitive abilities and range use. PMID:29419742

An E-Learning Module to Improve Nongenetic Health Professionals' Assessment of Colorectal Cancer Genetic Risk: Feasibility Study.

PubMed

Douma, Kirsten Freya Lea; Aalfs, Cora M; Dekker, Evelien; Tanis, Pieter J; Smets, Ellen M

2017-12-18

Nongenetic health providers may lack the relevant knowledge, experience, and communication skills to adequately detect familial colorectal cancer (CRC), despite a positive attitude toward the assessment of history of cancer in a family. Specific training may enable them to more optimally refer patients to genetic counseling. The aim of this study was to develop an e-learning module for gastroenterologists and surgeons (in training) aimed at improving attitudes, knowledge, and comprehension of communication skills, and to assess the feasibility of the e-learning module for continued medical education of these specialists. A focus group helped to inform the development of a training framework. The e-learning module was then developed, followed by a feasibility test among a group of surgeons-in-training (3rd- and 4th-year residents) and then among gastroenterologists, using pre- and posttest questionnaires. A total of 124 surgeons-in-training and 14 gastroenterologists participated. The e-learning was positively received (7.5 on a scale of 1 to 10). Between pre- and posttest, attitude increased significantly on 6 out of the 10 items. Mean test score showed that knowledge and comprehension of communication skills improved significantly from 49% to 72% correct at pretest to 67% to 87% correct at posttest. This study shows the feasibility of a problem-based e-learning module to help surgeons-in-training and gastroenterologists in recognizing a hereditary predisposition in patients with CRC. The e-learning led to improvements in attitude toward the assessment of cancer family history, knowledge on criteria for referral to genetic counseling for CRC, and comprehension of communication skills. ©Kirsten Freya Lea Douma, Cora M Aalfs, Evelien Dekker, Pieter J Tanis, Ellen M Smets. Originally published in JMIR Medical Education (http://mededu.jmir.org), 18.12.2017.

An E-Learning Module to Improve Nongenetic Health Professionals’ Assessment of Colorectal Cancer Genetic Risk: Feasibility Study

PubMed Central

Aalfs, Cora M; Dekker, Evelien; Tanis, Pieter J; Smets, Ellen M

2017-01-01

Background Nongenetic health providers may lack the relevant knowledge, experience, and communication skills to adequately detect familial colorectal cancer (CRC), despite a positive attitude toward the assessment of history of cancer in a family. Specific training may enable them to more optimally refer patients to genetic counseling. Objective The aim of this study was to develop an e-learning module for gastroenterologists and surgeons (in training) aimed at improving attitudes, knowledge, and comprehension of communication skills, and to assess the feasibility of the e-learning module for continued medical education of these specialists. Methods A focus group helped to inform the development of a training framework. The e-learning module was then developed, followed by a feasibility test among a group of surgeons-in-training (3rd- and 4th-year residents) and then among gastroenterologists, using pre- and posttest questionnaires. Results A total of 124 surgeons-in-training and 14 gastroenterologists participated. The e-learning was positively received (7.5 on a scale of 1 to 10). Between pre- and posttest, attitude increased significantly on 6 out of the 10 items. Mean test score showed that knowledge and comprehension of communication skills improved significantly from 49% to 72% correct at pretest to 67% to 87% correct at posttest. Conclusions This study shows the feasibility of a problem-based e-learning module to help surgeons-in-training and gastroenterologists in recognizing a hereditary predisposition in patients with CRC. The e-learning led to improvements in attitude toward the assessment of cancer family history, knowledge on criteria for referral to genetic counseling for CRC, and comprehension of communication skills. PMID:29254907

Can an e-learning course improve nursing care for older people at risk of delirium: a stepped wedge cluster randomised trial.

PubMed

van de Steeg, Lotte; IJkema, Roelie; Langelaan, Maaike; Wagner, Cordula

2014-05-27

Delirium occurs frequently in older hospitalised patients and is associated with several adverse outcomes. Ignorance among healthcare professionals and a failure to recognise patients suffering from delirium have been identified as the possible causes of poor care. The objective of the study was to determine whether e-learning can be an effective means of improving implementation of a quality improvement project in delirium care. This project aims primarily at improving the early recognition of older patients who are at risk of delirium. In a stepped wedge cluster randomised trial an e-learning course on delirium was introduced, aimed at nursing staff. The trial was conducted on general medical and surgical wards from 18 Dutch hospitals. The primary outcome measure was the delirium risk screening conducted by nursing staff, measured through monthly patient record reviews. Patient records from patients aged 70 and over admitted onto wards participating in the study were used for data collection. Data was also collected on the level of delirium knowledge of these wards' nursing staff. Records from 1,862 older patients were included during the control phase and from 1,411 patients during the intervention phase. The e-learning course on delirium had a significant positive effect on the risk screening of older patients by nursing staff (OR 1.8, p-value <0.01), as well as on other aspects of delirium care. The number of patients diagnosed with delirium was reduced from 11.2% in the control phase to 8.7% in the intervention phase (p = 0.04). The e-learning course also showed a significant positive effect on nurses' knowledge of delirium. Nurses who undertook a delirium e-learning course showed a greater adherence to the quality improvement project in delirium care. This improved the recognition of patients at risk and demonstrated that e-learning can be a valuable instrument for hospitals when implementing improvements in delirium care. The Netherlands National Trial Register (NTR). NTR2885.

Can an e-learning course improve nursing care for older people at risk of delirium: a stepped wedge cluster randomised trial

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Delirium occurs frequently in older hospitalised patients and is associated with several adverse outcomes. Ignorance among healthcare professionals and a failure to recognise patients suffering from delirium have been identified as the possible causes of poor care. The objective of the study was to determine whether e-learning can be an effective means of improving implementation of a quality improvement project in delirium care. This project aims primarily at improving the early recognition of older patients who are at risk of delirium. Methods In a stepped wedge cluster randomised trial an e-learning course on delirium was introduced, aimed at nursing staff. The trial was conducted on general medical and surgical wards from 18 Dutch hospitals. The primary outcome measure was the delirium risk screening conducted by nursing staff, measured through monthly patient record reviews. Patient records from patients aged 70 and over admitted onto wards participating in the study were used for data collection. Data was also collected on the level of delirium knowledge of these wards’ nursing staff. Results Records from 1,862 older patients were included during the control phase and from 1,411 patients during the intervention phase. The e-learning course on delirium had a significant positive effect on the risk screening of older patients by nursing staff (OR 1.8, p-value <0.01), as well as on other aspects of delirium care. The number of patients diagnosed with delirium was reduced from 11.2% in the control phase to 8.7% in the intervention phase (p = 0.04). The e-learning course also showed a significant positive effect on nurses’ knowledge of delirium. Conclusions Nurses who undertook a delirium e-learning course showed a greater adherence to the quality improvement project in delirium care. This improved the recognition of patients at risk and demonstrated that e-learning can be a valuable instrument for hospitals when implementing improvements in delirium care. Trial registration The Netherlands National Trial Register (NTR). Trial number: NTR2885. PMID:24884739

Towards Scalable Deep Learning via I/O Analysis and Optimization

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

Pumma, Sarunya; Si, Min; Feng, Wu-Chun

Deep learning systems have been growing in prominence as a way to automatically characterize objects, trends, and anomalies. Given the importance of deep learning systems, researchers have been investigating techniques to optimize such systems. An area of particular interest has been using large supercomputing systems to quickly generate effective deep learning networks: a phase often referred to as “training” of the deep learning neural network. As we scale existing deep learning frameworks—such as Caffe—on these large supercomputing systems, we notice that the parallelism can help improve the computation tremendously, leaving data I/O as the major bottleneck limiting the overall systemmore » scalability. In this paper, we first present a detailed analysis of the performance bottlenecks of Caffe on large supercomputing systems. Our analysis shows that the I/O subsystem of Caffe—LMDB—relies on memory-mapped I/O to access its database, which can be highly inefficient on large-scale systems because of its interaction with the process scheduling system and the network-based parallel filesystem. Based on this analysis, we then present LMDBIO, our optimized I/O plugin for Caffe that takes into account the data access pattern of Caffe in order to vastly improve I/O performance. Our experimental results show that LMDBIO can improve the overall execution time of Caffe by nearly 20-fold in some cases.« less

Post learning sleep improves cognitive-emotional decision-making: evidence for a 'deck B sleep effect' in the Iowa Gambling Task.

PubMed

Seeley, Corrine J; Beninger, Richard J; Smith, Carlyle T

2014-01-01

The Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) is widely used to assess real life decision-making impairment in a wide variety of clinical populations. Our study evaluated how IGT learning occurs across two sessions, and whether a period of intervening sleep between sessions can enhance learning. Furthermore, we investigate whether pre-sleep learning is necessary for this improvement. A 200-trial version of the IGT was administered at two sessions separated by wake, sleep or sleep and wake (time-of-day control). Participants were categorized as learners and non-learners based on initial performance in session one. In session one, participants initially preferred the high-frequency reward decks B and D, however, a subset of learners decreased choice from negative expected value 'bad' deck B and increased choices towards with a positive expected value 'good' decks (decks C and D). The learners who had a period of sleep (sleep and sleep/wake control conditions) between sessions showed significantly larger reduction in choices from deck B and increase in choices from good decks compared to learners that had intervening wake. Our results are the first to show that post-learning sleep can improve performance on a complex decision-making task such as the IGT. These results provide new insights into IGT learning and have important implications for understanding the neural mechanisms of "sleeping on" a decision.

Effects of Three Pedagogies on Learning Outcomes in a Psychology of Gender Lecture: A Quasi-Experimental Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reber, Jeffrey S.; Downs, Samuel D.; Peterson Nelson, Julie A.

2017-01-01

This study employed a quasi-experimental design to test the effects of three pedagogies on learning outcomes in a simulated psychology of gender lecture. Results showed that meaning and relational pedagogies, as well as a combination of meaning, relational, and explanatory pedagogies, significantly improved participant learning beyond self-study…

Designing Work-Integrated Learning Placements That Improve Student Employability: Six Facets of the Curriculum That Matter

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Calvin; Ferns, Sonia; Russell, Leoni

2016-01-01

Research into work-integrated learning continues to show through a variety of small-scale and anecdotal studies, various positive impacts on student learning, work-readiness, personal and cognitive development and other outcomes. Seldom are these research findings strongly generalizable because of such factors as small sample sizes,…

Gender-Inclusive Game-Based Learning in Secondary Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Admiraal, Wilfried; Huizenga, Jantina; Heemskerk, Irma; Kuiper, Els; Volman, Monique; ten Dam, Geert

2014-01-01

Boys show a stronger preference for digital entertainment games than girls. For this reason, it may be that game-based learning is more acceptable to boys than to girls. Yet game-based learning might improve the performance of both boys and girls, depending upon the instructional design. In a quasi-experimental study with a secret-trail game,…

The Brain-Compatible Classroom: Using What We Know about Learning To Improve Teaching.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erlauer, Laura

This book summarizes current brain research and shows how teachers can use this knowledge in the classroom every day. It explores how the brain works, how students' emotions and stress affect their ability to learn, how the physical classroom environment influences learning, and what forms of assessment work best. An introduction discusses the…

Using Video Modeling via Handheld Computers to Improve Geometry Skills for High School Students with Learning Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cihak, David F.; Bowlin, Tammy

2009-01-01

The researchers examined the use of video modeling by means of a handheld computer as an alternative instructional delivery system for learning basic geometry skills. Three high school students with learning disabilities participated in this study. Through video modeling, teacher-developed video clips showing step-by-step problem solving processes…

Comparison of Visual-Spatial Performance Strategy Training in Children with Turner Syndrome and Learning Disabilities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Janet K.; And Others

1992-01-01

Thirteen females with Turner syndrome, 13 females with nonverbal learning disabilities, and 14 males with nonverbal learning disabilities, ages 7-14, were taught via a cognitive behavioral modification approach to verbally mediate a spatial matching task. All three groups showed significant task improvement after the training, with no significant…

The Blended Learning Shift: New Report Shows Blended Learning Growing in U.S. Private Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Warren, Travis

2015-01-01

The technology conversation in independent schools has evolved considerably over the last five years. In particular, it has moved beyond the question of how can schools augment traditional classroom practices with hardware (laptops, interactive whiteboards, etc.) to the question of how software can improve outcomes and enable new learning models,…

Social incentives improve deliberative but not procedural learning in older adults.

PubMed

Gorlick, Marissa A; Maddox, W Todd

2015-01-01

Age-related deficits are seen across tasks where learning depends on asocial feedback processing, however plasticity has been observed in some of the same tasks in social contexts suggesting a novel way to attenuate deficits. Socioemotional selectivity theory suggests this plasticity is due to a deliberative motivational shift toward achieving well-being with age (positivity effect) that reverses when executive processes are limited (negativity effect). The present study examined the interaction of feedback valence (positive, negative) and social salience (emotional face feedback - happy; angry, asocial point feedback - gain; loss) on learning in a deliberative task that challenges executive processes and a procedural task that does not. We predict that angry face feedback will improve learning in a deliberative task when executive function is challenged. We tested two competing hypotheses regarding the interactive effects of deliberative emotional biases on automatic feedback processing: (1) If deliberative emotion regulation and automatic feedback are interactive we expect happy face feedback to improve learning and angry face feedback to impair learning in older adults because cognitive control is available. (2) If deliberative emotion regulation and automatic feedback are not interactive we predict that emotional face feedback will not improve procedural learning regardless of valence. Results demonstrate that older adults show persistent deficits relative to younger adults during procedural category learning suggesting that deliberative emotional biases do not interact with automatic feedback processing. Interestingly, a subgroup of older adults identified as potentially using deliberative strategies tended to learn as well as younger adults with angry relative to happy feedback, matching the pattern observed in the deliberative task. Results suggest that deliberative emotional biases can improve deliberative learning, but have no effect on procedural learning.

Frequent video game players resist perceptual interference.

PubMed

Berard, Aaron V; Cain, Matthew S; Watanabe, Takeo; Sasaki, Yuka

2015-01-01

Playing certain types of video games for a long time can improve a wide range of mental processes, from visual acuity to cognitive control. Frequent gamers have also displayed generalized improvements in perceptual learning. In the Texture Discrimination Task (TDT), a widely used perceptual learning paradigm, participants report the orientation of a target embedded in a field of lines and demonstrate robust over-night improvement. However, changing the orientation of the background lines midway through TDT training interferes with overnight improvements in overall performance on TDT. Interestingly, prior research has suggested that this effect will not occur if a one-hour break is allowed in between the changes. These results have suggested that after training is over, it may take some time for learning to become stabilized and resilient against interference. Here, we tested whether frequent gamers have faster stabilization of perceptual learning compared to non-gamers and examined the effect of daily video game playing on interference of training of TDT with one background orientation on perceptual learning of TDT with a different background orientation. As a result, we found that non-gamers showed overnight performance improvement only on one background orientation, replicating previous results with the interference in TDT. In contrast, frequent gamers demonstrated overnight improvements in performance with both background orientations, suggesting that they are better able to overcome interference in perceptual learning. This resistance to interference suggests that video game playing not only enhances the amplitude and speed of perceptual learning but also leads to faster and/or more robust stabilization of perceptual learning.

Assimilative domain proficiency and performance in chemistry coursework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Byrnes, Scott William

The assimilation and synthesis of knowledge is essential for students to be successful in chemistry, yet not all students synthesize knowledge as intended. The study used the Learning Preference Checklist to classify students into one of three learning modalities -- visual, auditory, or kinesthetic (VAK). It also used the Kolb Learning Style Inventory (KLSI), which utilizes four learning domains - Converging, Accommodating, Diverging, and Assimilating - to explain the students' maturation process by showing shift from any domain towards the Assimilating domain. A shift approaching this domain was considered as improvement in the assimilation and synthesis of knowledge. This pre-experimental one-group pretest-posttest study was used to test the hypothesis that modifying a high school chemistry curriculum to accentuate a student's learning preference would result in a shift towards the Assimilative domain on the KLSI and if there was a correlation between the improvement in student learning and a shift towards the KLSI Assimilating domain. Forty-two high school students were issued the VAK and provided with differentiated instruction via homologous cooperative learning groups. Pre- and post-KLSI and chemistry concepts tests were administered. T test analyses showed no significant shift towards the Assimilating domain. Further Pearson's r analyses showed no significant correlation between the KLSI and exam scores. This study contributes to social change by providing empirical evidence related to the effectiveness infusing learning styles into the science curriculum and the integration of the KLSI to monitor cognitive development as tools in raising standardized test scores and enhancing academic achievement. Results from the study can also inform future research into learning styles through their incorporation into the science curriculum.

A Simple Model for Learning Improvement: Weigh Pig, Feed Pig, Weigh Pig. Occasional Paper #23

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fulcher, Keston H.; Good, Megan R.; Coleman, Chris M.; Smith, Kristen L.

2014-01-01

Assessing learning does not by itself result in increased student accomplishment, much like a pig never fattened up because it was weighed. Indeed, recent research shows that while institutions are more regularly engaging in assessment, they have little to show in the way of stronger student performance. This paper clarifies how assessment results…

Create a good learning environment and motivate active learning enthusiasm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bi, Weihong; Fu, Guangwei; Fu, Xinghu; Zhang, Baojun; Liu, Qiang; Jin, Wa

2017-08-01

In view of the current poor learning initiative of undergraduates, the idea of creating a good learning environment and motivating active learning enthusiasm is proposed. In practice, the professional tutor is allocated and professional introduction course is opened for college freshman. It can promote communication between the professional teachers and students as early as possible, and guide students to know and devote the professional knowledge by the preconceived form. Practice results show that these solutions can improve the students interest in learning initiative, so that the active learning and self-learning has become a habit in the classroom.

When kinesthetic information is neglected in learning a Novel bimanual rhythmic coordination.

PubMed

Zhu, Qin; Mirich, Todd; Huang, Shaochen; Snapp-Childs, Winona; Bingham, Geoffrey P

2017-08-01

Many studies have shown that rhythmic interlimb coordination involves perception of the coupled limb movements, and different sensory modalities can be used. Using visual displays to inform the coupled bimanual movement, novel bimanual coordination patterns can be learned with practice. A recent study showed that similar learning occurred without vision when a coach provided manual guidance during practice. The information provided via the two different modalities may be same (amodal) or different (modality specific). If it is different, then learning with both is a dual task, and one source of information might be used in preference to the other in performing the task when both are available. In the current study, participants learned a novel 90° bimanual coordination pattern without or with visual information in addition to kinesthesis. In posttest, all participants were tested without and with visual information in addition to kinesthesis. When tested with visual information, all participants exhibited performance that was significantly improved by practice. When tested without visual information, participants who practiced using only kinesthetic information showed improvement, but those who practiced with visual information in addition showed remarkably less improvement. The results indicate that (1) the information is not amodal, (2) use of a single type of information was preferred, and (3) the preferred information was visual. We also hypothesized that older participants might be more likely to acquire dual task performance given their greater experience of the two sensory modes in combination, but results were replicated with both 20- and 50-year-olds.

The impact of project-based learning on improving student learning outcomes of sustainability concepts in transportation engineering courses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fini, Elham H.; Awadallah, Faisal; Parast, Mahour M.; Abu-Lebdeh, Taher

2018-05-01

This paper describes an intervention to enhance students' learning by involving students in brainstorming activities about sustainability concepts and their implications in transportation engineering. The paper discusses the process of incorporating the intervention into a transportation course, as well as the impact of this intervention on students' learning outcomes. To evaluate and compare students' learning as a result of the intervention, the Laboratory for Innovative Technology and Engineering Education survey instrument was used. The survey instrument includes five constructs: higher-order cognitive skills, self-efficacy, ease of learning subject matter, teamwork, and communication skills. Pre- and post-intervention surveys of student learning outcomes were conducted to determine the effectiveness of the intervention on enhancing students' learning outcomes. The results show that the implementation of the intervention significantly improved higher-order cognitive skills, self-efficacy, teamwork, and communication skills. Involving students in brainstorming activities related to sustainability concepts and their implications in transportation proved to be an effective teaching and learning strategy.

The Relationship of Vocabulary Learning Strategies and Self-Efficacy with Medical English and Terminology.

PubMed

Wang, Ya-Huei; Kao, Pan-Fu; Liao, Hung-Chang

2016-02-01

This study examined the relationship between the use of vocabulary learning strategies and self-efficacy in medical English learning, and whether after an initial six-week course to master the basics of medical terminology, those with higher use of vocabulary learning strategies and those with a higher degree of self-efficacy would have significant score improvements in the medical English proficiency. Second-year medical students (N = 115; M age = 19.6, SD = 0.5; 82 men, 33 women) participated in the study. A one-group pretest-posttest design was used. Measures included medical English tests, the English Vocabulary Learning Strategies Survey (EVLSS), and the English Learning Self-Efficacy Scale (ELSES). Results showed that there was no significant correlation between vocabulary learning strategies and English learning self-efficacy. In addition, as a whole, vocabulary learning strategies and self-efficacy significantly predicted students' score improvements in medical English proficiency. © The Author(s) 2016.

Computer-assisted CI fitting: Is the learning capacity of the intelligent agent FOX beneficial for speech understanding?

PubMed

Meeuws, Matthias; Pascoal, David; Bermejo, Iñigo; Artaso, Miguel; De Ceulaer, Geert; Govaerts, Paul J

2017-07-01

The software application FOX ('Fitting to Outcome eXpert') is an intelligent agent to assist in the programing of cochlear implant (CI) processors. The current version utilizes a mixture of deterministic and probabilistic logic which is able to improve over time through a learning effect. This study aimed at assessing whether this learning capacity yields measurable improvements in speech understanding. A retrospective study was performed on 25 consecutive CI recipients with a median CI use experience of 10 years who came for their annual CI follow-up fitting session. All subjects were assessed by means of speech audiometry with open set monosyllables at 40, 55, 70, and 85 dB SPL in quiet with their home MAP. Other psychoacoustic tests were executed depending on the audiologist's clinical judgment. The home MAP and the corresponding test results were entered into FOX. If FOX suggested to make MAP changes, they were implemented and another speech audiometry was performed with the new MAP. FOX suggested MAP changes in 21 subjects (84%). The within-subject comparison showed a significant median improvement of 10, 3, 1, and 7% at 40, 55, 70, and 85 dB SPL, respectively. All but two subjects showed an instantaneous improvement in their mean speech audiometric score. Persons with long-term CI use, who received a FOX-assisted CI fitting at least 6 months ago, display improved speech understanding after MAP modifications, as recommended by the current version of FOX. This can be explained only by intrinsic improvements in FOX's algorithms, as they have resulted from learning. This learning is an inherent feature of artificial intelligence and it may yield measurable benefit in speech understanding even in long-term CI recipients.

News Teaching: The epiSTEMe project: KS3 maths and science improvement Field trip: Pupils learn physics in a stately home Conference: ShowPhysics welcomes fun in Europe Student numbers: Physics numbers increase in UK Tournament: Physics tournament travels to Singapore Particle physics: Hadron Collider sets new record Astronomy: Take your classroom into space Forthcoming Events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2010-05-01

Teaching: The epiSTEMe project: KS3 maths and science improvement Field trip: Pupils learn physics in a stately home Conference: ShowPhysics welcomes fun in Europe Student numbers: Physics numbers increase in UK Tournament: Physics tournament travels to Singapore Particle physics: Hadron Collider sets new record Astronomy: Take your classroom into space Forthcoming Events

Improvement of Learning and Memory Induced by Cordyceps Polypeptide Treatment and the Underlying Mechanism

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

Our previous research revealed that Cordyceps militaris can improve the learning and memory, and although the main active ingredient should be its polypeptide complexes, the underlying mechanism of its activity remains poorly understood. In this study, we explored the mechanisms by which Cordyceps militaris improves learning and memory in a mouse model. Mice were given scopolamine hydrobromide intraperitoneally to establish a mouse model of learning and memory impairment. The effects of Cordyceps polypeptide in this model were tested using the Morris water maze test; serum superoxide dismutase activity; serum malondialdehyde levels; activities of acetyl cholinesterase, Na+-k+-ATPase, and nitric oxide synthase; and gamma aminobutyric acid and glutamate contents in brain tissue. Moreover, differentially expressed genes and the related cellular signaling pathways were screened using an mRNA expression profile chip. The results showed that the genes Pik3r5, Il-1β, and Slc18a2 were involved in the effects of Cordyceps polypeptide on the nervous system of these mice. Our findings suggest that Cordyceps polypeptide may improve learning and memory in the scopolamine-induced mouse model of learning and memory impairment by scavenging oxygen free radicals, preventing oxidative damage, and protecting the nervous system. PMID:29736181

Identifying cognitive remediation change through computational modelling--effects on reinforcement learning in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Cella, Matteo; Bishara, Anthony J; Medin, Evelina; Swan, Sarah; Reeder, Clare; Wykes, Til

2014-11-01

Converging research suggests that individuals with schizophrenia show a marked impairment in reinforcement learning, particularly in tasks requiring flexibility and adaptation. The problem has been associated with dopamine reward systems. This study explores, for the first time, the characteristics of this impairment and how it is affected by a behavioral intervention-cognitive remediation. Using computational modelling, 3 reinforcement learning parameters based on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) trial-by-trial performance were estimated: R (reward sensitivity), P (punishment sensitivity), and D (choice consistency). In Study 1 the parameters were compared between a group of individuals with schizophrenia (n = 100) and a healthy control group (n = 50). In Study 2 the effect of cognitive remediation therapy (CRT) on these parameters was assessed in 2 groups of individuals with schizophrenia, one receiving CRT (n = 37) and the other receiving treatment as usual (TAU, n = 34). In Study 1 individuals with schizophrenia showed impairment in the R and P parameters compared with healthy controls. Study 2 demonstrated that sensitivity to negative feedback (P) and reward (R) improved in the CRT group after therapy compared with the TAU group. R and P parameter change correlated with WCST outputs. Improvements in R and P after CRT were associated with working memory gains and reduction of negative symptoms, respectively. Schizophrenia reinforcement learning difficulties negatively influence performance in shift learning tasks. CRT can improve sensitivity to reward and punishment. Identifying parameters that show change may be useful in experimental medicine studies to identify cognitive domains susceptible to improvement. © The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Incorporating Early Learning Strategies in the School Improvement Grants (SIG) Program: How Three Schools Integrated Early Childhood Strategies into School Turnaround Efforts to Improve Instruction for All Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Connors-Tadros, Lori; Dunn, Lenay; Martella, Jana; McCauley, Carlas

2015-01-01

A significant body of research shows that achievement gaps evident in persistently low-performing schools, in many instances, manifest prior to children entering kindergarten. High-quality early learning programs have proven to demonstrate positive effects on closing academic gaps both for individual children and in the aggregate for the school.…

Using Real-Time Data and Corrective Teacher-Feedback as a Mechanism to Improve Children's Reading Skills: An Exploratory Study in the Millennium Village Site of Bonsaaso, Ghana

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iyengar, Radhika; Muffly, Sarah; Akomaning-Mensah, Charles; Karim, Alia; Pokharel, Prabhas; Adeni, Sarayu

2016-01-01

Educational outcomes across multiple countries show large gaps between children's grade level curricular expectations and the actual learning levels of children. This paper discusses findings from an early grades literacy study and attempts to explore factors that potentially improve the English language learning results of Grades 3 and 4 learners…

Rule-Based Category Learning in Children: The Role of Age and Executive Functioning

PubMed Central

Rabi, Rahel; Minda, John Paul

2014-01-01

Rule-based category learning was examined in 4–11 year-olds and adults. Participants were asked to learn a set of novel perceptual categories in a classification learning task. Categorization performance improved with age, with younger children showing the strongest rule-based deficit relative to older children and adults. Model-based analyses provided insight regarding the type of strategy being used to solve the categorization task, demonstrating that the use of the task appropriate strategy increased with age. When children and adults who identified the correct categorization rule were compared, the performance deficit was no longer evident. Executive functions were also measured. While both working memory and inhibitory control were related to rule-based categorization and improved with age, working memory specifically was found to marginally mediate the age-related improvements in categorization. When analyses focused only on the sample of children, results showed that working memory ability and inhibitory control were associated with categorization performance and strategy use. The current findings track changes in categorization performance across childhood, demonstrating at which points performance begins to mature and resemble that of adults. Additionally, findings highlight the potential role that working memory and inhibitory control may play in rule-based category learning. PMID:24489658

Impact of Learning Model Based on Cognitive Conflict toward Student’s Conceptual Understanding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mufit, F.; Festiyed, F.; Fauzan, A.; Lufri, L.

2018-04-01

The problems that often occur in the learning of physics is a matter of misconception and low understanding of the concept. Misconceptions do not only happen to students, but also happen to college students and teachers. The existing learning model has not had much impact on improving conceptual understanding and remedial efforts of student misconception. This study aims to see the impact of cognitive-based learning model in improving conceptual understanding and remediating student misconceptions. The research method used is Design / Develop Research. The product developed is a cognitive conflict-based learning model along with its components. This article reports on product design results, validity tests, and practicality test. The study resulted in the design of cognitive conflict-based learning model with 4 learning syntaxes, namely (1) preconception activation, (2) presentation of cognitive conflict, (3) discovery of concepts & equations, (4) Reflection. The results of validity tests by some experts on aspects of content, didactic, appearance or language, indicate very valid criteria. Product trial results also show a very practical product to use. Based on pretest and posttest results, cognitive conflict-based learning models have a good impact on improving conceptual understanding and remediating misconceptions, especially in high-ability students.

Consolidation and transfer of learning after observing hand gesture.

PubMed

Cook, Susan Wagner; Duffy, Ryan G; Fenn, Kimberly M

2013-01-01

Children who observe gesture while learning mathematics perform better than children who do not, when tested immediately after training. How does observing gesture influence learning over time? Children (n = 184, ages = 7-10) were instructed with a videotaped lesson on mathematical equivalence and tested immediately after training and 24 hr later. The lesson either included speech and gesture or only speech. Children who saw gesture performed better overall and performance improved after 24 hr. Children who only heard speech did not improve after the delay. The gesture group also showed stronger transfer to different problem types. These findings suggest that gesture enhances learning of abstract concepts and affects how learning is consolidated over time. © 2013 The Authors. Child Development © 2013 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

Improving the Science Excursion: An Educational Technologist's View

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Balson, M.

1973-01-01

Analyzes the nature of the learning process and attempts to show how the three components of a reinforcement contingency, the stimulus, the response and the reinforcement can be utilized to increase the efficiency of a typical science learning experience, the excursion. (JR)

High or low? Comparing high and low-variability phonetic training in adult and child second language learners

PubMed Central

Brown, Helen; Clayards, Meghan

2017-01-01

Background High talker variability (i.e., multiple voices in the input) has been found effective in training nonnative phonetic contrasts in adults. A small number of studies suggest that children also benefit from high-variability phonetic training with some evidence that they show greater learning (more plasticity) than adults given matched input, although results are mixed. However, no study has directly compared the effectiveness of high versus low talker variability in children. Methods Native Greek-speaking eight-year-olds (N = 52), and adults (N = 41) were exposed to the English /i/-/ɪ/ contrast in 10 training sessions through a computerized word-learning game. Pre- and post-training tests examined discrimination of the contrast as well as lexical learning. Participants were randomly assigned to high (four talkers) or low (one talker) variability training conditions. Results Both age groups improved during training, and both improved more while trained with a single talker. Results of a three-interval oddity discrimination test did not show the predicted benefit of high-variability training in either age group. Instead, children showed an effect in the reverse direction—i.e., reliably greater improvements in discrimination following single talker training, even for untrained generalization items, although the result is qualified by (accidental) differences between participant groups at pre-test. Adults showed a numeric advantage for high-variability but were inconsistent with respect to voice and word novelty. In addition, no effect of variability was found for lexical learning. There was no evidence of greater plasticity for phonetic learning in child learners. Discussion This paper adds to the handful of studies demonstrating that, like adults, child learners can improve their discrimination of a phonetic contrast via computerized training. There was no evidence of a benefit of training with multiple talkers, either for discrimination or word learning. The results also do not support the findings of greater plasticity in child learners found in a previous paper (Giannakopoulou, Uther & Ylinen, 2013a). We discuss these results in terms of various differences between training and test tasks used in the current work compared with previous literature. PMID:28584698

High or low? Comparing high and low-variability phonetic training in adult and child second language learners.

PubMed

Giannakopoulou, Anastasia; Brown, Helen; Clayards, Meghan; Wonnacott, Elizabeth

2017-01-01

High talker variability (i.e., multiple voices in the input) has been found effective in training nonnative phonetic contrasts in adults. A small number of studies suggest that children also benefit from high-variability phonetic training with some evidence that they show greater learning (more plasticity) than adults given matched input, although results are mixed. However, no study has directly compared the effectiveness of high versus low talker variability in children. Native Greek-speaking eight-year-olds ( N = 52), and adults ( N = 41) were exposed to the English /i/-/ɪ/ contrast in 10 training sessions through a computerized word-learning game. Pre- and post-training tests examined discrimination of the contrast as well as lexical learning. Participants were randomly assigned to high (four talkers) or low (one talker) variability training conditions. Both age groups improved during training, and both improved more while trained with a single talker. Results of a three-interval oddity discrimination test did not show the predicted benefit of high-variability training in either age group. Instead, children showed an effect in the reverse direction-i.e., reliably greater improvements in discrimination following single talker training, even for untrained generalization items, although the result is qualified by (accidental) differences between participant groups at pre-test. Adults showed a numeric advantage for high-variability but were inconsistent with respect to voice and word novelty. In addition, no effect of variability was found for lexical learning. There was no evidence of greater plasticity for phonetic learning in child learners. This paper adds to the handful of studies demonstrating that, like adults, child learners can improve their discrimination of a phonetic contrast via computerized training. There was no evidence of a benefit of training with multiple talkers, either for discrimination or word learning. The results also do not support the findings of greater plasticity in child learners found in a previous paper (Giannakopoulou, Uther & Ylinen, 2013a). We discuss these results in terms of various differences between training and test tasks used in the current work compared with previous literature.

Improvement of uncorrected visual acuity and contrast sensitivity with perceptual learning and transcranial random noise stimulation in individuals with mild myopia

PubMed Central

Camilleri, Rebecca; Pavan, Andrea; Ghin, Filippo; Battaglini, Luca; Campana, Gianluca

2014-01-01

Perceptual learning has been shown to produce an improvement of visual acuity (VA) and contrast sensitivity (CS) both in subjects with amblyopia and refractive defects such as myopia or presbyopia. Transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) has proven to be efficacious in accelerating neural plasticity and boosting perceptual learning in healthy participants. In this study, we investigated whether a short behavioral training regime using a contrast detection task combined with online tRNS was as effective in improving visual functions in participants with mild myopia compared to a 2-month behavioral training regime without tRNS (Camilleri et al., 2014). After 2 weeks of perceptual training in combination with tRNS, participants showed an improvement of 0.15 LogMAR in uncorrected VA (UCVA) that was comparable with that obtained after 8 weeks of training with no tRNS, and an improvement in uncorrected CS (UCCS) at various spatial frequencies (whereas no UCCS improvement was seen after 8 weeks of training with no tRNS). On the other hand, a control group that trained for 2 weeks without stimulation did not show any significant UCVA or UCCS improvement. These results suggest that the combination of behavioral and neuromodulatory techniques can be fast and efficacious in improving sight in individuals with mild myopia. PMID:25400610

The effectiveness of multi modal representation text books to improve student's scientific literacy of senior high school students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zakiya, Hanifah; Sinaga, Parlindungan; Hamidah, Ida

2017-05-01

The results of field studies showed the ability of science literacy of students was still low. One root of the problem lies in the books used in learning is not oriented toward science literacy component. This study focused on the effectiveness of the use of textbook-oriented provisioning capability science literacy by using multi modal representation. The text books development method used Design Representational Approach Learning to Write (DRALW). Textbook design which was applied to the topic of "Kinetic Theory of Gases" is implemented in XI grade students of high school learning. Effectiveness is determined by consideration of the effect and the normalized percentage gain value, while the hypothesis was tested using Independent T-test. The results showed that the textbooks which were developed using multi-mode representation science can improve the literacy skills of students. Based on the size of the effect size textbooks developed with representation multi modal was found effective in improving students' science literacy skills. The improvement was occurred in all the competence and knowledge of scientific literacy. The hypothesis testing showed that there was a significant difference on the ability of science literacy between class that uses textbooks with multi modal representation and the class that uses the regular textbook used in schools.

Health and Social Care Interventions Which Promote Social Participation for Adults with Learning Disabilities: A Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howarth, Sharon; Morris, David; Newlin, Meredith; Webber, Martin

2016-01-01

People with learning disabilities are among the most socially excluded in society. There is a significant gap in research evidence showing how health and social care workers can intervene to improve the social participation of adults with learning disabilities. A systematic review and modified narrative synthesis was used to appraise the quality…

A Look inside a MUVE Design Process: Blending Instructional Design and Game Principles to Target Writing Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Warren, Scott J.; Stein, Richard A.; Dondlinger, Mary Jo; Barab, Sasha A.

2009-01-01

The number of games, simulations, and multi-user virtual environments designed to promote learning, engagement with subject matter, or intended to contextualize learning has been steadily increasing over the past decade. While the use of these digital designs in educational settings has begun to show promise for improving learning, motivation, and…

Validation of Assessment for Learning Questionnaires for Teachers and Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pat-El, Ron Jonathan; Tillema, Harm; Segers, Mien; Vedder, Paul

2013-01-01

Background: Assessment can be a powerful force in promoting student learning. Still, few measures exist to gauge Assessment for Learning (AFL) in the classroom. Literature on AFL suggests that it encompasses both a monitor to track student progress as well as a scaffold to show or help students recognize in what areas they need to improve. Aims:…

Optimizing Estimated Loss Reduction for Active Sampling in Rank Learning

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-01-01

active learning framework for SVM-based and boosting-based rank learning. Our approach suggests sampling based on maximizing the estimated loss differential over unlabeled data. Experimental results on two benchmark corpora show that the proposed model substantially reduces the labeling effort, and achieves superior performance rapidly with as much as 30% relative improvement over the margin-based sampling

Mirror neuron system and observational learning: behavioral and neurophysiological evidence.

PubMed

Lago-Rodriguez, Angel; Lopez-Alonso, Virginia; Fernández-del-Olmo, Miguel

2013-07-01

Three experiments were performed to study observational learning using behavioral, perceptual, and neurophysiological data. Experiment 1 investigated whether observing an execution model, during physical practice of a transitive task that only presented one execution strategy, led to performance improvements compared with physical practice alone. Experiment 2 investigated whether performing an observational learning protocol improves subjects' action perception. In experiment 3 we evaluated whether the type of practice performed determined the activation of the Mirror Neuron System during action observation. Results showed that, compared with physical practice, observing an execution model during a task that only showed one execution strategy does not provide behavioral benefits. However, an observational learning protocol allows subjects to predict more precisely the outcome of the learned task. Finally, intersperse observation of an execution model with physical practice results in changes of primary motor cortex activity during the observation of the motor pattern previously practiced, whereas modulations in the connectivity between primary and non primary motor areas (PMv-M1; PPC-M1) were not affected by the practice protocol performed by the observer. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Physical exercise improves learning in zebrafish, Danio rerio.

PubMed

Luchiari, Ana Carolina; Chacon, Diana Marques Martins

2013-11-01

Zebrafish is an ideal vertebrate model for neuroscience studies focusing on learning and memory. Although genetic manipulation of zebrafish is available, behavioral protocols are often lacking. In this study we tested whether physical activity can facilitate zebrafish's learning process in an associative conditioning task. Learning was inferred by the approach of the feeding area just after the conditioned stimulus (light). Unexercised zebrafish showed conditioning response from the 5th testing day while fish previously submitted to swim against the water current showed learning by the 3rd day of testing. It seems that physical activity may accelerate associative learning response in zebrafish, indicating the benefits of exercise for cognitive processes. We suggest that this preliminary work could be useful for high throughput screening. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Deep Logic Networks: Inserting and Extracting Knowledge From Deep Belief Networks.

PubMed

Tran, Son N; d'Avila Garcez, Artur S

2018-02-01

Developments in deep learning have seen the use of layerwise unsupervised learning combined with supervised learning for fine-tuning. With this layerwise approach, a deep network can be seen as a more modular system that lends itself well to learning representations. In this paper, we investigate whether such modularity can be useful to the insertion of background knowledge into deep networks, whether it can improve learning performance when it is available, and to the extraction of knowledge from trained deep networks, and whether it can offer a better understanding of the representations learned by such networks. To this end, we use a simple symbolic language-a set of logical rules that we call confidence rules-and show that it is suitable for the representation of quantitative reasoning in deep networks. We show by knowledge extraction that confidence rules can offer a low-cost representation for layerwise networks (or restricted Boltzmann machines). We also show that layerwise extraction can produce an improvement in the accuracy of deep belief networks. Furthermore, the proposed symbolic characterization of deep networks provides a novel method for the insertion of prior knowledge and training of deep networks. With the use of this method, a deep neural-symbolic system is proposed and evaluated, with the experimental results indicating that modularity through the use of confidence rules and knowledge insertion can be beneficial to network performance.

Effects of Higher-Order Cognitive Strategy Training on Gist-Reasoning and Fact-Learning in Adolescents

PubMed Central

Gamino, Jacquelyn F.; Chapman, Sandra B.; Hull, Elizabeth L.; Lyon, G. Reid

2010-01-01

Improving the reasoning skills of adolescents across the United States has become a major concern for educators and scientists who are dedicated to identifying evidence-based protocols to improve student outcome. This small sample randomized, control pilot study sought to determine the efficacy of higher-order cognitive training on gist-reasoning and fact-learning in an inner-city public middle school. The study compared gist-reasoning and fact-learning performances after training in a smaller sample when tested in Spanish, many of the students’ native language, versus English. The 54 eighth grade students who participated in this pilot study were enroled in an urban middle school, predominantly from lower socio-economic status families, and were primarily of minority descent. The students were randomized into one of three groups, one that learned cognitive strategies promoting abstraction of meaning, a group that learned rote memory strategies, or a control group to ascertain the impact of each program on gist-reasoning and fact-learning from text-based information. We found that the students who had cognitive strategy instruction that entailed abstraction of meaning significantly improved their gist-reasoning and fact-learning ability. The students who learned rote memory strategies significantly improved their fact-learning scores from a text but not gist-reasoning ability. The control group showed no significant change in either gist-reasoning or fact-learning ability. A trend toward significant improvement in overall reading scores for the group that learned to abstract meaning as well as a significant correlation between gist-reasoning ability and the critical thinking on a state-mandated standardized reading test was also found. There were no significant differences between English and Spanish performance of gist-reasoning and fact-learning. Our findings suggest that teaching higher-order cognitive strategies facilitates gist-reasoning ability and student learning. PMID:21833248

Complexity, Training Paradigm Design, and the Contribution of Memory Subsystems to Grammar Learning

PubMed Central

Ettlinger, Marc; Wong, Patrick C. M.

2016-01-01

Although there is variability in nonnative grammar learning outcomes, the contributions of training paradigm design and memory subsystems are not well understood. To examine this, we presented learners with an artificial grammar that formed words via simple and complex morphophonological rules. Across three experiments, we manipulated training paradigm design and measured subjects' declarative, procedural, and working memory subsystems. Experiment 1 demonstrated that passive, exposure-based training boosted learning of both simple and complex grammatical rules, relative to no training. Additionally, procedural memory correlated with simple rule learning, whereas declarative memory correlated with complex rule learning. Experiment 2 showed that presenting corrective feedback during the test phase did not improve learning. Experiment 3 revealed that structuring the order of training so that subjects are first exposed to the simple rule and then the complex improved learning. The cumulative findings shed light on the contributions of grammatical complexity, training paradigm design, and domain-general memory subsystems in determining grammar learning success. PMID:27391085

Model-Free control performance improvement using virtual reference feedback tuning and reinforcement Q-learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Radac, Mircea-Bogdan; Precup, Radu-Emil; Roman, Raul-Cristian

2017-04-01

This paper proposes the combination of two model-free controller tuning techniques, namely linear virtual reference feedback tuning (VRFT) and nonlinear state-feedback Q-learning, referred to as a new mixed VRFT-Q learning approach. VRFT is first used to find stabilising feedback controller using input-output experimental data from the process in a model reference tracking setting. Reinforcement Q-learning is next applied in the same setting using input-state experimental data collected under perturbed VRFT to ensure good exploration. The Q-learning controller learned with a batch fitted Q iteration algorithm uses two neural networks, one for the Q-function estimator and one for the controller, respectively. The VRFT-Q learning approach is validated on position control of a two-degrees-of-motion open-loop stable multi input-multi output (MIMO) aerodynamic system (AS). Extensive simulations for the two independent control channels of the MIMO AS show that the Q-learning controllers clearly improve performance over the VRFT controllers.

Effectiveness of guided inquiry learning model to improve students’ critical thinking skills at senior high school

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nisa, E. K.; Koestiari, T.; Habibbulloh, M.; Jatmiko, Budi

2018-03-01

This research aimed to describe the effectiveness of guided inquiry learning model to improve students' critical thinking skills. Subjects in the research were 90 students at three groups of senior high school grade X on Tarik (Indonesia), which follows a physics lesson on static fluid material in academic year 2016/2017. The research was used one group pre-test and post-test design. Before and after being given physics learning with guided discovery learning model, students in the three groups were given the same test (pre-test and post-test). The results of this research showed: 1) there is an increased score of students' critical thinking skills in each group on α = 5%; 2) average N-gain of students' critical thinking skills of each group is a high category; and 3) average N-gain of the three groups did not differ. The conclusion of this research is that learning model of guided inquiry effective to improve students' critical thinking skills.

Proposal of e-learning strategy to teach Atraumatic Restorative Treatment (ART) to undergraduate and graduate students.

PubMed

Camargo, Lucila Basto; Raggio, Daniela Prócida; Bonacina, Carlos Felipe; Wen, Chao Lung; Mendes, Fausto Medeiros; Bönecker, Marcelo José Strazzeri; Haddad, Ana Estela

2014-07-17

The aim of this study was to evaluate e-learning strategy in teaching Atraumatic Restorative Treatment (ART) to undergraduate and graduate students. The sample comprised 76 participants-38 dental students and 38 pediatric dentistry students-in a specialization course. To evaluate knowledge improvement, participants were subjected to a test performed before and after the course. A single researcher corrected the tests and intraexaminer reproducibility was calculated (CCI = 0.991; 95% IC = 0.975-0.996). All students improved their performances after the e-learning course (Paired t-tests p < 0.001). The means of undergraduate students were 4.7 (initial) and 6.4 (final) and those of graduate students were 6.8 (initial) and 8.2 (final). The comparison of the final evaluation means showed a statistically significant difference (t-tests p < 0.0001). The e-learning strategy has the potential of improving students' knowledge in ART. Mature students perform better in this teaching modality when it is applied exclusively via distance learning.

Development of soft scaffolding strategy to improve student’s creative thinking ability in physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nurulsari, Novinta; Abdurrahman; Suyatna, Agus

2017-11-01

Student’s creative thinking ability in physics learning can be developed through a learning experience. However, many students fail to gain a learning experience because of the lack of teacher roles in providing assistance to students when they face learning difficulties. In this study, a soft scaffolding strategy developed to improve student’s creative thinking ability in physics, especially in optical instruments. The methods used were qualitative and quantitative. The soft scaffolding strategy developed was called the 6E Soft Scaffolding Strategy where 6E stands for Explore real-life problems, Engage students with web technology, Enable experiment using analogies, Elaborate data through multiple representations, Encourage questioning, and Ensure the feedback. The strategy was applied to 60 students in secondary school through cooperative learning. As a comparison, conventional strategies were also applied to 60 students in the same school and grade. The result of the study showed that the soft scaffolding strategy was effective in improving student’s creative thinking ability.

Internet messenger based smart virtual class learning using ubiquitous computing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Umam, K.; Mardi, S. N. S.; Hariadi, M.

2017-06-01

Internet messenger (IM) has become an important educational technology component in college education, IM makes it possible for students to engage in learning and collaborating at smart virtual class learning (SVCL) using ubiquitous computing. However, the model of IM-based smart virtual class learning using ubiquitous computing and empirical evidence that would favor a broad application to improve engagement and behavior are still limited. In addition, the expectation that IM based SVCL using ubiquitous computing could improve engagement and behavior on smart class cannot be confirmed because the majority of the reviewed studies followed instructions paradigms. This article aims to present the model of IM-based SVCL using ubiquitous computing and showing learners’ experiences in improved engagement and behavior for learner-learner and learner-lecturer interactions. The method applied in this paper includes design process and quantitative analysis techniques, with the purpose of identifying scenarios of ubiquitous computing and realize the impressions of learners and lecturers about engagement and behavior aspect and its contribution to learning

Global view of the mechanisms of improved learning and memory capability in mice with music-exposure by microarray.

PubMed

Meng, Bo; Zhu, Shujia; Li, Shijia; Zeng, Qingwen; Mei, Bing

2009-08-28

Music has been proved beneficial to improve learning and memory in many species including human in previous research work. Although some genes have been identified to contribute to the mechanisms, it is believed that the effect of music is manifold, behind which must concern a complex regulation network. To further understand the mechanisms, we exposed the mice to classical music for one month. The subsequent behavioral experiments showed improvement of spatial learning capability and elevation of fear-motivated memory in the mice with music-exposure as compared to the naïve mice. Meanwhile, we applied the microarray to compare the gene expression profiles of the hippocampus and cortex between the mice with music-exposure and the naïve mice. The results showed approximately 454 genes in cortex (200 genes up-regulated and 254 genes down-regulated) and 437 genes in hippocampus (256 genes up-regulated and 181 genes down-regulated) were significantly affected in music-exposing mice, which mainly involved in ion channel activity and/or synaptic transmission, cytoskeleton, development, transcription, hormone activity. Our work may provide some hints for better understanding the effects of music on learning and memory.

Beyond Effectiveness: A Pragmatic Evaluation Framework for Learning and Continuous Quality Improvement of e-Learning Interventions in Healthcare.

PubMed

Dafalla, Tarig Dafalla Mohamed; Kushniruk, Andre W; Borycki, Elizabeth M

2015-01-01

A pragmatic evaluation framework for evaluating the usability and usefulness of an e-learning intervention for a patient clinical information scheduling system is presented in this paper. The framework was conceptualized based on two different but related concepts (usability and usefulness) and selection of appropriate and valid methods of data collection and analysis that included: (1) Low-Cost Rapid Usability Engineering (LCRUE), (2) Cognitive Task Analysis (CTA), (3) Heuristic Evaluation (HE) criteria for web-based learning, and (4) Software Usability Measurement Inventory (SUMI). The results of the analysis showed some areas where usability that were related to General Interface Usability (GIU), instructional design and content was problematic; some of which might account for the poorly rated aspects of usability when subjectively measured. This paper shows that using a pragmatic framework can be a useful way, not only for measuring the usability and usefulness, but also for providing a practical objective evidences for learning and continuous quality improvement of e-learning systems. The findings should be of interest to educators, developers, designers, researchers, and usability practitioners involved in the development of e-learning systems in healthcare. This framework could be an appropriate method for assessing the usability, usefulness and safety of health information systems both in the laboratory and in the clinical context.

Boring but important: a self-transcendent purpose for learning fosters academic self-regulation.

PubMed

Yeager, David S; Henderson, Marlone D; Paunesku, David; Walton, Gregory M; D'Mello, Sidney; Spitzer, Brian J; Duckworth, Angela Lee

2014-10-01

Many important learning tasks feel uninteresting and tedious to learners. This research proposed that promoting a prosocial, self-transcendent purpose could improve academic self-regulation on such tasks. This proposal was supported in 4 studies with over 2,000 adolescents and young adults. Study 1 documented a correlation between a self-transcendent purpose for learning and self-reported trait measures of academic self-regulation. Those with more of a purpose for learning also persisted longer on a boring task rather than giving in to a tempting alternative and, many months later, were less likely to drop out of college. Study 2 addressed causality. It showed that a brief, one-time psychological intervention promoting a self-transcendent purpose for learning could improve high school science and math grade point average (GPA) over several months. Studies 3 and 4 were short-term experiments that explored possible mechanisms. They showed that the self-transcendent purpose manipulation could increase deeper learning behavior on tedious test review materials (Study 3), and sustain self-regulation over the course of an increasingly boring task (Study 4). More self-oriented motives for learning--such as the desire to have an interesting or enjoyable career--did not, on their own, consistently produce these benefits (Studies 1 and 4). 2014 APA, all rights reserved

Meta-analysis of the efficacy of psychological and educational interventions to improve academic performance of students with learning disabilities in Iran

PubMed Central

Faramarzi, Salar; Shamsi, Abdolhossein; Samadi, Maryam; Ahmadzade, Maryam

2015-01-01

Introduction: with due attention to the importance of learning disabilities and necessity of presenting interventions for improvement of these disorders in order to prevent future problems, this study used meta-analysis of the research model on the impact of psychological and educational interventions to improve academic performance of students with learning disabilities. Methods: with the use of meta-analysis method by integrating the results of various researches, this study specifies the effect of psychological and educational interventions. In this order, 57 studies, which their methodology was accepted, were selected and meta-analysis was performed on them. The research instrument was a meta-analysis checklist. Results: The effect size for the effectiveness of psychological-educational interventions on improving the academic performance of students with mathematics disorder (0.57), impaired writing (0.50) and dyslexia (0.55) were reported. Conclusions: The result of meta-analysis showed that according to Cohen's table, the effect size is above average, and it can be said that educational and psychological interventions improve the academic performance of students with learning disabilities. PMID:26430685

Improving students’ creativity using cooperative learning with virtual media on static fluida concept

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gunawan; Harjono, A.; Sahidu, H.; Nisrina

2018-04-01

Creativity is an important component of global competition in the 21st century. Therefore, learning innovation is needed to make students more creative. This research was conducted to improve students' creativity through cooperative learning using virtual media for the static fluid concept. This study was a quasi-experiment through a pre-test post-test design. The samples were chosen using cluster random sampling technique to obtain two groups, namely experimental group and control group. Data were collected using a creativity test in the form of an essay consisting of verbal and figural tests. The data were analyzed using t-test and N-gain test to determine the improvement of creativity in both groups. The results showed that the improvement of students' creativity in the experimental group was higher than the control group. The difference in the improvement of students’ creativity in both group is significant. Students become more creative especially related to indicators of fluency and elaboration. We conclude that the application of cooperative learning model using virtual media has a positive effect on students’ creativity.

Meta-analysis of the efficacy of psychological and educational interventions to improve academic performance of students with learning disabilities in Iran.

PubMed

Faramarzi, Salar; Shamsi, Abdolhossein; Samadi, Maryam; Ahmadzade, Maryam

2015-01-01

with due attention to the importance of learning disabilities and necessity of presenting interventions for improvement of these disorders in order to prevent future problems, this study used meta-analysis of the research model on the impact of psychological and educational interventions to improve academic performance of students with learning disabilities. with the use of meta-analysis method by integrating the results of various researches, this study specifies the effect of psychological and educational interventions. In this order, 57 studies, which their methodology was accepted, were selected and meta-analysis was performed on them. The research instrument was a meta-analysis checklist. The effect size for the effectiveness of psychological-educational interventions on improving the academic performance of students with mathematics disorder (0.57), impaired writing (0.50) and dyslexia (0.55) were reported. The result of meta-analysis showed that according to Cohen's table, the effect size is above average, and it can be said that educational and psychological interventions improve the academic performance of students with learning disabilities.

Effects of a case-based interactive e-learning course on knowledge and attitudes about patient safety: a quasi-experimental study with third-year medical students.

PubMed

Gaupp, Rainer; Körner, Mirjam; Fabry, Götz

2016-07-11

Patient safety (PS) is influenced by a set of factors on various levels of the healthcare system. Therefore, a systems-level approach and systems thinking is required to understand and improve PS. The use of e-learning may help to develop a systems thinking approach in medical students, as case studies featuring audiovisual media can be used to visualize systemic relationships in organizations. The goal of this quasi-experimental study was to determine if an e-learning can be utilized to improve systems thinking, knowledge, and attitudes towards PS. A quasi-experimental, longitudinal within- subjects design was employed. Participants were 321 third-year medical students who received online surveys before and after they participated in an e-learning course on PS. Primary outcome measures where levels of systems thinking and attitudes towards PS. Secondary outcome measures were the improvement of PS specific knowledge through the e-learning course. Levels of systems thinking showed significant improvement (58.72 vs. 61.27; p < .001) after the e-learning. Student's attitudes towards patient safety improved in several dimensions: After the course, students rated the influence of fatigue on safety higher (6.23 vs. 6.42, p < .01), considered patient empowerment more important (5.16 vs. 5.93, p < .001) and realized more often that human error is inevitable (5.75 vs. 5.97, p < .05). Knowledge on PS improved from 36.27 % correct answers before to 76.45 % after the e-learning (p < .001). Our results suggest that e-learning can be used to teach PS. Attitudes towards PS improved on several dimensions. Furthermore, we were able to demonstrate that a specifically designed e-learning program can foster the development of conceptual frameworks such as systems thinking, which facilitates the understanding of complex socio-technical systems within healthcare organisations.

Reducing statistics anxiety and enhancing statistics learning achievement: effectiveness of a one-minute strategy.

PubMed

Chiou, Chei-Chang; Wang, Yu-Min; Lee, Li-Tze

2014-08-01

Statistical knowledge is widely used in academia; however, statistics teachers struggle with the issue of how to reduce students' statistics anxiety and enhance students' statistics learning. This study assesses the effectiveness of a "one-minute paper strategy" in reducing students' statistics-related anxiety and in improving students' statistics-related achievement. Participants were 77 undergraduates from two classes enrolled in applied statistics courses. An experiment was implemented according to a pretest/posttest comparison group design. The quasi-experimental design showed that the one-minute paper strategy significantly reduced students' statistics anxiety and improved students' statistics learning achievement. The strategy was a better instructional tool than the textbook exercise for reducing students' statistics anxiety and improving students' statistics achievement.

Learning classification models with soft-label information.

PubMed

Nguyen, Quang; Valizadegan, Hamed; Hauskrecht, Milos

2014-01-01

Learning of classification models in medicine often relies on data labeled by a human expert. Since labeling of clinical data may be time-consuming, finding ways of alleviating the labeling costs is critical for our ability to automatically learn such models. In this paper we propose a new machine learning approach that is able to learn improved binary classification models more efficiently by refining the binary class information in the training phase with soft labels that reflect how strongly the human expert feels about the original class labels. Two types of methods that can learn improved binary classification models from soft labels are proposed. The first relies on probabilistic/numeric labels, the other on ordinal categorical labels. We study and demonstrate the benefits of these methods for learning an alerting model for heparin induced thrombocytopenia. The experiments are conducted on the data of 377 patient instances labeled by three different human experts. The methods are compared using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) score. Our AUC results show that the new approach is capable of learning classification models more efficiently compared to traditional learning methods. The improvement in AUC is most remarkable when the number of examples we learn from is small. A new classification learning framework that lets us learn from auxiliary soft-label information provided by a human expert is a promising new direction for learning classification models from expert labels, reducing the time and cost needed to label data.

Modafinil combined with cognitive training is associated with improved learning in healthy volunteers--a randomised controlled trial.

PubMed

Gilleen, J; Michalopoulou, P G; Reichenberg, A; Drake, R; Wykes, T; Lewis, S W; Kapur, S

2014-04-01

Improving cognition in people with neuropsychiatric disorders remains a major clinical target. By themselves pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches have shown only modest effects in improving cognition. In the present study we tested a recently-proposed methodology to combine CT with a 'cognitive-enhancing' drug to improve cognitive test scores and expanded on previous approaches by delivering combination drug and CT, over a long intervention of repeated sessions, and used multiple tasks to reveal the cognitive processes being enhanced. We also aimed to determine whether gains from this combination approach generalised to untrained tests. In this proof of principle randomised-controlled trial thirty-three healthy volunteers were randomised to receive either modafinil or placebo combined with daily cognitive training over two weeks. Volunteers were trained on tasks of new-language learning, working memory and verbal learning following 200 mg modafinil or placebo for ten days. Improvements in trained and untrained tasks were measured. Rate of new-language learning was significantly enhanced with modafinil, and effects were greatest over the first five sessions. Modafinil improved within-day learning rather than between-day retention. No enhancement of gains with modafinil was observed in working memory nor rate of verbal learning. Gains in all tasks were retained post drug-administration, but transfer effects to broad cognitive abilities were not seen. This study shows that combining CT with modafinil specifically elevates learning over early training sessions compared to CT with placebo and provides a proof of principle experimental paradigm for pharmacological enhancement of cognitive remediation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. and ECNP. All rights reserved.

Development of Problem-Based Learning Oriented Teaching Learning Materials to Facilitate Students’ Mastery of Concept and Critical Thinking Skill

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reza, M.; Ibrahim, M.; Rahayu, Y. S.

2018-01-01

This research aims to develop problem-based learning oriented teaching materials to improve students’ mastery of concept and critical thinking skill. Its procedure was divided into two phases; developmental phase and experimental phase. This developmental research used Four-D Model. However, within this research, the process of development would not involve the last stages, which is disseminate. The teaching learning materials which were developed consist of lesson plan, student handbook, student worksheet, achievement test and critical thinking skill test. The experimental phase employs a research design called one group pretest-posttest design. Results show that the validity of the teaching materials which were developed was good and revealed the enhancement of students’ activities with positive response to the teaching learning process. Furthermore, the learning materials improve the students’ mastery of concept and critical thinking skill.

[Transposition errors during learning to reproduce a sequence by the right- and the left-hand movements: simulation of positional and movement coding].

PubMed

Liakhovetskiĭ, V A; Bobrova, E V; Skopin, G N

2012-01-01

Transposition errors during the reproduction of a hand movement sequence make it possible to receive important information on the internal representation of this sequence in the motor working memory. Analysis of such errors showed that learning to reproduce sequences of the left-hand movements improves the system of positional coding (coding ofpositions), while learning of the right-hand movements improves the system of vector coding (coding of movements). Learning of the right-hand movements after the left-hand performance involved the system of positional coding "imposed" by the left hand. Learning of the left-hand movements after the right-hand performance activated the system of vector coding. Transposition errors during learning to reproduce movement sequences can be explained by neural network using either vector coding or both vector and positional coding.

[Information technology in learning sign language].

PubMed

Hernández, Cesar; Pulido, Jose L; Arias, Jorge E

2015-01-01

To develop a technological tool that improves the initial learning of sign language in hearing impaired children. The development of this research was conducted in three phases: the lifting of requirements, design and development of the proposed device, and validation and evaluation device. Through the use of information technology and with the advice of special education professionals, we were able to develop an electronic device that facilitates the learning of sign language in deaf children. This is formed mainly by a graphic touch screen, a voice synthesizer, and a voice recognition system. Validation was performed with the deaf children in the Filadelfia School of the city of Bogotá. A learning methodology was established that improves learning times through a small, portable, lightweight, and educational technological prototype. Tests showed the effectiveness of this prototype, achieving a 32 % reduction in the initial learning time for sign language in deaf children.

[Evaluating a blended-learning program on developing teamwork competence].

PubMed

Aguado, David; Arranz, Virginia; Valera-Rubio, Ana; Marín-Torres, Susana

2011-08-01

The knowledge, skills and abilities that are required to work optimally in teams are critical for many types of work. Organizations can provide access to these skills by means of training programs. Diverse studies show how traditional in-site training methodologies can improve teamwork knowledge, skills and abilities. Nevertheless, in-site methods can be complemented with on-line strategies that result in blended-learning programs. The aim of this work is to analyze, following Kirkpatrick's assessment levels, the effectiveness of a blended-learning program of teamwork training in an organizational context. Carried out with 102 professionals, the results show participants' satisfaction with the program, high level of learning (of both declarative and procedural knowledge), and a moderate level of transfer of learning to the job.

Mutual interference between statistical summary perception and statistical learning.

PubMed

Zhao, Jiaying; Ngo, Nhi; McKendrick, Ryan; Turk-Browne, Nicholas B

2011-09-01

The visual system is an efficient statistician, extracting statistical summaries over sets of objects (statistical summary perception) and statistical regularities among individual objects (statistical learning). Although these two kinds of statistical processing have been studied extensively in isolation, their relationship is not yet understood. We first examined how statistical summary perception influences statistical learning by manipulating the task that participants performed over sets of objects containing statistical regularities (Experiment 1). Participants who performed a summary task showed no statistical learning of the regularities, whereas those who performed control tasks showed robust learning. We then examined how statistical learning influences statistical summary perception by manipulating whether the sets being summarized contained regularities (Experiment 2) and whether such regularities had already been learned (Experiment 3). The accuracy of summary judgments improved when regularities were removed and when learning had occurred in advance. In sum, calculating summary statistics impeded statistical learning, and extracting statistical regularities impeded statistical summary perception. This mutual interference suggests that statistical summary perception and statistical learning are fundamentally related.

Peer Online Discourse Analysis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Ke; Carr-Chellman, Ali

Research shows that learning in groups improves students' achievement of learning objectives. Some indicate that a facilitator will smooth the process of collaboration (Johnson et al, 1987; Hooper, 1992; Moore and Kearsley, 1996; Brandon & Hollingshead, 1999; Bernard et al, 2000). Advocates for peer-controlled collaboration claim that learners…

Use of EMG Biofeedback Procedures with Learning Disabled Children in a Clinical and an Educational Setting.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carter, John L.; Russell, Harold L.

1985-01-01

In two studies, 16 learning disabled elementary-aged boys receiving electromyographs for biofeedback muscle relaxation training showed significant improvement over controls on a variety of measures, including reading, spelling, verbal IQ, eye-hand coordination, and handwriting. (CL)

Brain Jogging Training to Improve Motivation and Learning Result of Tennis Skills

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tafaqur, M.; Komarudin; Mulyana; Saputra, M. Y.

2017-03-01

This research is aimed to determine the effect of brain jogging towards improvement of motivation and learning result of tennis skills. The method used in this research is experimental method. The population of this research is 15 tennis athletes of Core Siliwangi Bandung Tennis Club. The sampling technique used in this research is purposive sampling technique. Sample of this research is the 10 tennis athletes of Core Siliwangi Bandung Tennis Club. Design used for this research is pretest-posttest group design. Data analysis technique used in this research is by doing Instrument T-test to measure motivation using The Sport Motivation Scale questionnaire (SMS-28) and Instrument to measure learning result of tennis skill by using tennis skills test, which include: (1) forehand test, (2) backhand test, and (3) service placement test. The result of this research showed that brain jogging significantly impact the improvement of motivation and learning result of tennis skills.

Global Optimization Ensemble Model for Classification Methods

PubMed Central

Anwar, Hina; Qamar, Usman; Muzaffar Qureshi, Abdul Wahab

2014-01-01

Supervised learning is the process of data mining for deducing rules from training datasets. A broad array of supervised learning algorithms exists, every one of them with its own advantages and drawbacks. There are some basic issues that affect the accuracy of classifier while solving a supervised learning problem, like bias-variance tradeoff, dimensionality of input space, and noise in the input data space. All these problems affect the accuracy of classifier and are the reason that there is no global optimal method for classification. There is not any generalized improvement method that can increase the accuracy of any classifier while addressing all the problems stated above. This paper proposes a global optimization ensemble model for classification methods (GMC) that can improve the overall accuracy for supervised learning problems. The experimental results on various public datasets showed that the proposed model improved the accuracy of the classification models from 1% to 30% depending upon the algorithm complexity. PMID:24883382

A pilot study on conducting mobile learning activities for clinical nursing courses based on the repertory grid approach.

PubMed

Wu, Po-Han; Hwang, Gwo-Jen; Tsai, Chin-Chung; Chen, Ya-Chun; Huang, Yueh-Min

2011-11-01

In clinical nursing courses, students are trained to identify the status of the target patients. The mastery of such ability and skills is very important since patients frequently need to be cared for immediately. In this pilot study, a repertory grid-oriented clinical mobile learning system is developed for a nursing training program. With the assistance of the mobile learning system, the nursing school students are able to learn in an authentic learning scenario, in which they can physically face the target patients, with the personal guidance and supplementary materials from the learning system to support them. To show the effectiveness of this innovative approach, an experiment has been conducted on the "respiratory system" unit of a nursing course. The experimental results show that the innovative approach is helpful to students in improving their learning achievements. Moreover, from the questionnaire surveys, it was found that most students showed favorable attitudes toward the usage of the mobile learning system and their participation in the training program. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Does effect of rehabilitation based on sensory conflicts in patients with vestibular deficits exceed learning effect?

PubMed

Pierchała, Katarzyna; Lachowska, Magdalena; Morawski, Krzysztof; Niemczyk, Kazimierz

2014-01-01

The purpose was to assess learning and rehabilitation effect and their influence on Sensory Organization Test results in young and elderly patients with peripheral, central and mixed vestibular pathology. 26 patients with different vestibular system deficits participated in this study. Rehabilitation was held five days a week, for two weeks. To assess learning effect, SOT was administered to each patient twice and compared: 1) on the day preceding the beginning of rehabilitation (SOT1), and 2) on the first day of rehabilitation (SOT2). To evaluate rehabilitation effect, results of SOT2 were compared to SOT3 (administered on the last day of rehabilitation). Learning effect showed similar improvement in CS in all groups but young. Rehabilitation caused further improvement in CS in all groups but central pathology. This improvement was similar between those groups. There was no significant difference found between learning and rehabilitation effect in CS. The results of our study indicate that none of the groups achieved significant benefit from rehabilitation based on sensory conflicts that would overcome the learning effect. However, the lack of significant advantage of rehabilitation over learning does not mean that it does not exist.

Slope And Equation of Line: Teach And Analysis In Terms of Emotional Intelligence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dewi, A. C.; Budiyono; Riyadi

2017-09-01

Slope and equation of line is a sub-material of algebra and is one that is difficult for students to understand. The purpose of this study is to understand and explore the slope and equation so that students feel easy and ultimately improve their academic achievement. Experimental research was conducted by applying Jigsaw II learning model and Teams Games Tournament (TGT) and improvement in emotional intelligence (EI). The study sample was students from 3 different schools who were selected stratified cluster random sampling. The results showed that there is no influence of learning model and EI on academic achievement. This can happen even in the learning process students feel happy and interest. Although research shows different results with most theories, but it is expected that this research can be a good reference for students, teachers, and other researchers.

Learning Evaluation: blending quality improvement and implementation research methods to study healthcare innovations.

PubMed

Balasubramanian, Bijal A; Cohen, Deborah J; Davis, Melinda M; Gunn, Rose; Dickinson, L Miriam; Miller, William L; Crabtree, Benjamin F; Stange, Kurt C

2015-03-10

In healthcare change interventions, on-the-ground learning about the implementation process is often lost because of a primary focus on outcome improvements. This paper describes the Learning Evaluation, a methodological approach that blends quality improvement and implementation research methods to study healthcare innovations. Learning Evaluation is an approach to multi-organization assessment. Qualitative and quantitative data are collected to conduct real-time assessment of implementation processes while also assessing changes in context, facilitating quality improvement using run charts and audit and feedback, and generating transportable lessons. Five principles are the foundation of this approach: (1) gather data to describe changes made by healthcare organizations and how changes are implemented; (2) collect process and outcome data relevant to healthcare organizations and to the research team; (3) assess multi-level contextual factors that affect implementation, process, outcome, and transportability; (4) assist healthcare organizations in using data for continuous quality improvement; and (5) operationalize common measurement strategies to generate transportable results. Learning Evaluation principles are applied across organizations by the following: (1) establishing a detailed understanding of the baseline implementation plan; (2) identifying target populations and tracking relevant process measures; (3) collecting and analyzing real-time quantitative and qualitative data on important contextual factors; (4) synthesizing data and emerging findings and sharing with stakeholders on an ongoing basis; and (5) harmonizing and fostering learning from process and outcome data. Application to a multi-site program focused on primary care and behavioral health integration shows the feasibility and utility of Learning Evaluation for generating real-time insights into evolving implementation processes. Learning Evaluation generates systematic and rigorous cross-organizational findings about implementing healthcare innovations while also enhancing organizational capacity and accelerating translation of findings by facilitating continuous learning within individual sites. Researchers evaluating change initiatives and healthcare organizations implementing improvement initiatives may benefit from a Learning Evaluation approach.

Effects of nurses' personality traits and their environmental characteristics on their workplace learning and nursing competence.

PubMed

Takase, Miyuki; Yamamoto, Masako; Sato, Yoko

2018-04-01

A good fit between an individual's personality traits and job characteristics motivates employees, and thus enhances their work behavior. However, how nurses' personality traits and their environmental characteristics relate to nurses' engagement in workplace learning, which improves their competence, has not been investigated. The aim of this study was to investigate how nurses' personality traits, environmental characteristics, and workplace learning were related to nursing competence. A cross-sectional survey design was used. Questionnaires were distributed to 1167 Japanese registered nurses. Multiple regression analysis was used to examine the relationships between nurses' personality traits, the environmental characteristics, the nurses' engagement in workplace learning, and their competence. A total of 315 nurses returned questionnaires (i.e., a return rate of 27.0%). The results showed that both the personality traits (extraversion, conscientiousness, openness to experience) and environmental characteristics (autonomy at work and feedback given) were related to workplace learning and self-rated nursing competence. The results also showed that the relationship between extraversion (active, adventurous and ambitious dispositions of an individual) and self-rated nursing competence was moderated by environmental characteristics, and partially mediated by workplace learning. Positive personality traits, such as extraversion, conscientiousness, and openness to experience could enhance workplace learning and nursing competence. Moreover, environmental characteristics that allow nurses to express their personality traits have the potential to improve their learning and competence further. © 2017 Japan Academy of Nursing Science.

Innovative learning model for improving students’ argumentation skill and concept understanding on science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nafsiati Astuti, Rini

2018-04-01

Argumentation skill is the ability to compose and maintain arguments consisting of claims, supports for evidence, and strengthened-reasons. Argumentation is an important skill student needs to face the challenges of globalization in the 21st century. It is not an ability that can be developed by itself along with the physical development of human, but it must be developed under nerve like process, giving stimulus so as to require a person to be able to argue. Therefore, teachers should develop students’ skill of arguing in science learning in the classroom. The purpose of this study is to obtain an innovative learning model that are valid in terms of content and construct in improving the skills of argumentation and concept understanding of junior high school students. The assessment of content validity and construct validity was done through Focus Group Discussion (FGD), using the content and construct validation sheet, book model, learning video, and a set of learning aids for one meeting. Assessment results from 3 (three) experts showed that the learning model developed in the category was valid. The validity itself shows that the developed learning model has met the content requirement, the student needs, state of the art, strong theoretical and empirical foundation and construct validity, which has a connection of syntax stages and components of learning model so that it can be applied in the classroom activities

Instructional strategies for online introductory college physics based on learning styles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ekwue, Eleazer U.

The practical nature of physics and its reliance on mathematical presentations and problem solving pose a challenge toward presentation of the course in an online environment for effective learning experience. Most first-time introductory college physics students fail to grasp the basic concepts of the course and the problem solving skills if the instructional strategy used to deliver the course is not compatible with the learners' preferred learning styles. This study investigates the effect of four instructional strategies based on four learning styles (listening, reading, iconic, and direct-experience) to improve learning for introductory college physics in an online environment. Learning styles of 146 participants were determined with Canfield Learning Style inventory. Of the 85 learners who completed the study, research results showed a statistically significant increase in learning performance following the online instruction in all four learning style groups. No statistically significant differences in learning were found among the four groups. However, greater significant academic improvement was found among learners with iconic and direct-experience modes of learning. Learners in all four groups expressed that the design of the unit presentation to match their individual learning styles contributed most to their learning experience. They were satisfied with learning a new physics concept online that, in their opinion, is either comparable or better than an instructor-led classroom experience. Findings from this study suggest that learners' performance and satisfaction in an online introductory physics course could be improved by using instructional designs that are tailored to learners' preferred ways of learning. It could contribute toward the challenge of providing viable online physics instruction in colleges and universities.

Teacher recommended academic and student engagement strategies for learning disabled students: A qualitative study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nwachukwu, Bethel C.

There has been a push towards the education of students with Learning Disabilities in inclusive educational settings with their non-disabled peers. Zigmond (2003) stated that it is not the placement of students with disabilities in general education setting alone that would guarantee their successes; instead, the strategies teachers use to ensure that these children are being engaged and learning will enable them become successful. Despite the fact that there are several bodies of research on effective teaching of students with learning disabilities, special education teachers continue to have difficulties concerning the appropriate strategies for promoting student engagement and improving learning for students with learning disabilities placed in inclusive educational settings (Zigmond, 2003). This qualitative study interviewed and collected data from fifteen high performing special education teachers who were employed in a Southern state elementary school district to uncover the strategies they have found useful in their attempts to promote student engagement and attempts to improve student achievement for students with learning disabilities placed in inclusive educational settings. The study uncovered strategies for promoting engagement and improving learning outcomes for students with learning disabilities placed in inclusive classrooms. The findings showed that in order to actually reach the students with learning disabilities, special education teachers must go the extra miles by building rapport with the school communities, possess good classroom management skills, and become student advocates.

Multi-representation based on scientific investigation for enhancing students’ representation skills

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siswanto, J.; Susantini, E.; Jatmiko, B.

2018-03-01

This research aims to implementation learning physics with multi-representation based on the scientific investigation for enhancing students’ representation skills, especially on the magnetic field subject. The research design is one group pretest-posttest. This research was conducted in the department of mathematics education, Universitas PGRI Semarang, with the sample is students of class 2F who take basic physics courses. The data were obtained by representation skills test and documentation of multi-representation worksheet. The Results show gain analysis value of .64 which means some medium improvements. The result of t-test (α = .05) is shows p-value = .001. This learning significantly improves students representation skills.

Survey of outcomes in a faculty development program on simulation pedagogy.

PubMed

Roh, Young Sook; Kim, Mi Kang; Tangkawanich, Thitiarpha

2016-06-01

Although many nursing programs use simulation as a teaching-learning modality, there are few systematic approaches to help nursing educators learn this pedagogy. This study evaluates the effects of a simulation pedagogy nursing faculty development program on participants' learning perceptions using a retrospective pre-course and post-course design. Sixteen Thai participants completed a two-day nursing faculty development program on simulation pedagogy. Thirteen questionnaires were used in the final analysis. The participants' self-perceived learning about simulation teaching showed significant post-course improvement. On a five-point Likert scale, the composite mean attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control scores, as well as intention to use a simulator, showed a significant post-course increase. A faculty development program on simulation pedagogy induced favorable learning and attitudes. Further studies must test how faculty performance affects the cognitive, emotional, and social dimensions of learning in a simulation-based learning domain. © 2015 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Pilot Study Evaluating a Practice-Based Learning and Improvement Curriculum Focusing on the Development of System-Level Quality Improvement Skills

PubMed Central

Tomolo, Anne M; Lawrence, Renée H; Watts, Brook; Augustine, Sarah; Aron, David C; Singh, Mamta K

2011-01-01

Background We developed a practice-based learning and improvement (PBLI) curriculum to address important gaps in components of content and experiential learning activities through didactics and participation in systems-level quality improvement projects that focus on making changes in health care processes. Methods We evaluated the impact of our curriculum on resident PBLI knowledge, self-efficacy, and application skills. A quasi-experimental design assessed the impact of a curriculum (PBLI quality improvement systems compared with non-PBLI) on internal medicine residents' learning during a 4-week ambulatory block. We measured application skills, self-efficacy, and knowledge by using the Systems Quality Improvement Training and Assessment Tool. Exit evaluations assessed time invested and experiences related to the team projects and suggestions for improving the curriculum. Results The 2 groups showed differences in change scores. Relative to the comparison group, residents in the PBLI curriculum demonstrated a significant increase in the belief about their ability to implement a continuous quality improvement project (P  =  .020), comfort level in developing data collection plans (P  =  .010), and total knowledge scores (P < .001), after adjusting for prior PBLI experience. Participants in the PBLI curriculum also demonstrated significant improvement in providing a more complete aim statement for a proposed project after adjusting for prior PBLI experience (P  =  .001). Exit evaluations were completed by 96% of PBLI curriculum participants who reported high satisfaction with team performance. Conclusion Residents in our curriculum showed gains in areas fundamental for PBLI competency. The observed improvements were related to fundamental quality improvement knowledge, with limited gain in application skills. This suggests that while heading in the right direction, we need to conceptualize and structure PBLI training in a way that integrates it throughout the residency program and fosters the application of this knowledge and these skills. PMID:22379523

Pilot study evaluating a practice-based learning and improvement curriculum focusing on the development of system-level quality improvement skills.

PubMed

Tomolo, Anne M; Lawrence, Renée H; Watts, Brook; Augustine, Sarah; Aron, David C; Singh, Mamta K

2011-03-01

We developed a practice-based learning and improvement (PBLI) curriculum to address important gaps in components of content and experiential learning activities through didactics and participation in systems-level quality improvement projects that focus on making changes in health care processes. We evaluated the impact of our curriculum on resident PBLI knowledge, self-efficacy, and application skills. A quasi-experimental design assessed the impact of a curriculum (PBLI quality improvement systems compared with non-PBLI) on internal medicine residents' learning during a 4-week ambulatory block. We measured application skills, self-efficacy, and knowledge by using the Systems Quality Improvement Training and Assessment Tool. Exit evaluations assessed time invested and experiences related to the team projects and suggestions for improving the curriculum. The 2 groups showed differences in change scores. Relative to the comparison group, residents in the PBLI curriculum demonstrated a significant increase in the belief about their ability to implement a continuous quality improvement project (P  =  .020), comfort level in developing data collection plans (P  =  .010), and total knowledge scores (P < .001), after adjusting for prior PBLI experience. Participants in the PBLI curriculum also demonstrated significant improvement in providing a more complete aim statement for a proposed project after adjusting for prior PBLI experience (P  =  .001). Exit evaluations were completed by 96% of PBLI curriculum participants who reported high satisfaction with team performance. Residents in our curriculum showed gains in areas fundamental for PBLI competency. The observed improvements were related to fundamental quality improvement knowledge, with limited gain in application skills. This suggests that while heading in the right direction, we need to conceptualize and structure PBLI training in a way that integrates it throughout the residency program and fosters the application of this knowledge and these skills.

Use a Variety Of Practices to Connect with All

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drago-Severson, Eleanor

2016-01-01

Eleanor Drago-Severson's research, writing, teaching, and coaching has helped show that supporting adult learning and professional development improves outcomes for students. Given the mounting adaptive challenges educators face in education today, teachers and school leaders must continuously learn and grow as they manage these tremendously…

Spatial Cognition and Range Use in Free-Range Laying Hens.

PubMed

Campbell, Dana L M; Talk, Andrew C; Loh, Ziyang A; Dyall, Tim R; Lee, Caroline

2018-02-08

Radio-frequency identification tracking shows individual free-range laying hens vary in range use, with some never going outdoors. The range is typically more environmentally complex, requiring navigation to return to the indoor resources. Outdoor-preferring hens may have improved spatial abilities compared to indoor-preferring hens. Experiment 1 tested 32 adult ISA Brown hens in a T-maze learning task that showed exclusively-indoor birds were slowest to reach the learning success criterion ( p < 0.05). Experiment 2 tested 117 pullets from enriched or non-enriched early rearing treatments (1 pen replicate per treatment) in the same maze at 15-16 or 17-18 weeks. Enriched birds reached learning success criterion faster at 15-16 weeks ( p < 0.05) but not at 17-18 weeks ( p > 0.05), the age that coincided with the onset of lay. Enriched birds that were faster to learn the maze task showed more range visits in the first 4 weeks of range access. Enriched and non-enriched birds showed no differences in telencephalon or hippocampal volume ( p > 0.05). Fear may reduce spatial abilities but further testing with more pen replicates per early rearing treatments would improve our understanding of the relationship between spatial cognitive abilities and range use.

Edmodo social learning network for elementary school mathematics learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ariani, Y.; Helsa, Y.; Ahmad, S.; Prahmana, RCI

2017-12-01

A developed instructional media can be as printed media, visual media, audio media, and multimedia. The development of instructional media can also take advantage of technological development by utilizing Edmodo social network. This research aims to develop a digital classroom learning model using Edmodo social learning network for elementary school mathematics learning which is practical, valid and effective in order to improve the quality of learning activities. The result of this research showed that the prototype of mathematics learning device for elementary school students using Edmodo was in good category. There were 72% of students passed the assessment as a result of Edmodo learning. Edmodo has become a promising way to engage students in a collaborative learning process.

Inquiry-Based Integrated Science Education: Implementation of Local Content “Soil Washing” Project To Improve Junior High School Students’ Environmental Literacy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Syifahayu

2017-02-01

The study was conducted based on teaching and learning problems led by conventional method that had been done in the process of learning science. It gave students lack opportunities to develop their competence and thinking skills. Consequently, the process of learning science was neglected. Students did not have opportunity to improve their critical attitude and creative thinking skills. To cope this problem, the study was conducted using Project-Based Learning model through inquiry-based science education about environment. The study also used an approach called Sains Lingkungan and Teknologi masyarakat - “Saling Temas” (Environmental science and Technology in Society) which promoted the local content in Lampung as a theme in integrated science teaching and learning. The study was a quasi-experimental with pretest-posttest control group design. Initially, the subjects were given a pre-test. The experimental group was given inquiry learning method while the control group was given conventional learning. After the learning process, the subjects of both groups were given post-test. Quantitative analysis was performed using the Mann-Whitney U-test and also a qualitative descriptive. Based on the result, environmental literacy skills of students who get inquiry learning strategy, with project-based learning model on the theme soil washing, showed significant differences. The experimental group is better than the control group. Data analysis showed the p-value or sig. (2-tailed) is 0.000 <α = 0.05 with the average N-gain of experimental group is 34.72 and control group is 16.40. Besides, the learning process becomes more meaningful.

Improving mathematical problem solving ability through problem-based learning and authentic assessment for the students of Bali State Polytechnic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Darma, I. K.

2018-01-01

This research is aimed at determining: 1) the differences of mathematical problem solving ability between the students facilitated with problem-based learning model and conventional learning model, 2) the differences of mathematical problem solving ability between the students facilitated with authentic and conventional assessment model, and 3) interaction effect between learning and assessment model on mathematical problem solving. The research was conducted in Bali State Polytechnic, using the 2x2 experiment factorial design. The samples of this research were 110 students. The data were collected using a theoretically and empirically-validated test. Instruments were validated by using Aiken’s approach of technique content validity and item analysis, and then analyzed using anova stylistic. The result of the analysis shows that the students facilitated with problem-based learning and authentic assessment models get the highest score average compared to the other students, both in the concept understanding and mathematical problem solving. The result of hypothesis test shows that, significantly: 1) there is difference of mathematical problem solving ability between the students facilitated with problem-based learning model and conventional learning model, 2) there is difference of mathematical problem solving ability between the students facilitated with authentic assessment model and conventional assessment model, and 3) there is interaction effect between learning model and assessment model on mathematical problem solving. In order to improve the effectiveness of mathematics learning, collaboration between problem-based learning model and authentic assessment model can be considered as one of learning models in class.

How to Improve Interest, IQ, and Motivation of Vocational Students?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sumual, H.; Ombuh, D. M.

2018-02-01

The aim of this research was to study the effect of interest, motivation and IQ of students on the learning result. The survey method with quantitative approach was used in this study. The data were then analysed using path paradigm. Data were collected by questionnaire technique, special tests for IQ and documentation for learning outcomes. The results showed that the interest, IQ and the motivation influence significantly and positively on learning result as well as interest to learning motivation. However, no significant influence of IQ on Learning Motivation was detected in this research.

An adaptive deep Q-learning strategy for handwritten digit recognition.

PubMed

Qiao, Junfei; Wang, Gongming; Li, Wenjing; Chen, Min

2018-02-22

Handwritten digits recognition is a challenging problem in recent years. Although many deep learning-based classification algorithms are studied for handwritten digits recognition, the recognition accuracy and running time still need to be further improved. In this paper, an adaptive deep Q-learning strategy is proposed to improve accuracy and shorten running time for handwritten digit recognition. The adaptive deep Q-learning strategy combines the feature-extracting capability of deep learning and the decision-making of reinforcement learning to form an adaptive Q-learning deep belief network (Q-ADBN). First, Q-ADBN extracts the features of original images using an adaptive deep auto-encoder (ADAE), and the extracted features are considered as the current states of Q-learning algorithm. Second, Q-ADBN receives Q-function (reward signal) during recognition of the current states, and the final handwritten digits recognition is implemented by maximizing the Q-function using Q-learning algorithm. Finally, experimental results from the well-known MNIST dataset show that the proposed Q-ADBN has a superiority to other similar methods in terms of accuracy and running time. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of Internet-Based Cognitive Apprenticeship Model (i-CAM) on Statistics Learning among Postgraduate Students.

PubMed

Saadati, Farzaneh; Ahmad Tarmizi, Rohani; Mohd Ayub, Ahmad Fauzi; Abu Bakar, Kamariah

2015-01-01

Because students' ability to use statistics, which is mathematical in nature, is one of the concerns of educators, embedding within an e-learning system the pedagogical characteristics of learning is 'value added' because it facilitates the conventional method of learning mathematics. Many researchers emphasize the effectiveness of cognitive apprenticeship in learning and problem solving in the workplace. In a cognitive apprenticeship learning model, skills are learned within a community of practitioners through observation of modelling and then practice plus coaching. This study utilized an internet-based Cognitive Apprenticeship Model (i-CAM) in three phases and evaluated its effectiveness for improving statistics problem-solving performance among postgraduate students. The results showed that, when compared to the conventional mathematics learning model, the i-CAM could significantly promote students' problem-solving performance at the end of each phase. In addition, the combination of the differences in students' test scores were considered to be statistically significant after controlling for the pre-test scores. The findings conveyed in this paper confirmed the considerable value of i-CAM in the improvement of statistics learning for non-specialized postgraduate students.

Boosting compound-protein interaction prediction by deep learning.

PubMed

Tian, Kai; Shao, Mingyu; Wang, Yang; Guan, Jihong; Zhou, Shuigeng

2016-11-01

The identification of interactions between compounds and proteins plays an important role in network pharmacology and drug discovery. However, experimentally identifying compound-protein interactions (CPIs) is generally expensive and time-consuming, computational approaches are thus introduced. Among these, machine-learning based methods have achieved a considerable success. However, due to the nonlinear and imbalanced nature of biological data, many machine learning approaches have their own limitations. Recently, deep learning techniques show advantages over many state-of-the-art machine learning methods in some applications. In this study, we aim at improving the performance of CPI prediction based on deep learning, and propose a method called DL-CPI (the abbreviation of Deep Learning for Compound-Protein Interactions prediction), which employs deep neural network (DNN) to effectively learn the representations of compound-protein pairs. Extensive experiments show that DL-CPI can learn useful features of compound-protein pairs by a layerwise abstraction, and thus achieves better prediction performance than existing methods on both balanced and imbalanced datasets. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Initial Skill Acquisition of Handrim Wheelchair Propulsion: A New Perspective.

PubMed

Vegter, Riemer J K; de Groot, Sonja; Lamoth, Claudine J; Veeger, Dirkjan Hej; van der Woude, Lucas H V

2014-01-01

To gain insight into cyclic motor learning processes, hand rim wheelchair propulsion is a suitable cyclic task, to be learned during early rehabilitation and novel to almost every individual. To propel in an energy efficient manner, wheelchair users must learn to control bimanually applied forces onto the rims, preserving both speed and direction of locomotion. The purpose of this study was to evaluate mechanical efficiency and propulsion technique during the initial stage of motor learning. Therefore, 70 naive able-bodied men received 12-min uninstructed wheelchair practice, consisting of three 4-min blocks separated by 2 min rest. Practice was performed on a motor-driven treadmill at a fixed belt speed and constant power output relative to body mass. Energy consumption and the kinetics of propulsion technique were continuously measured. Participants significantly increased their mechanical efficiency and changed their propulsion technique from a high frequency mode with a lot of negative work to a longer-slower movement pattern with less power losses. Furthermore a multi-level model showed propulsion technique to relate to mechanical efficiency. Finally improvers and non-improvers were identified. The non-improving group was already more efficient and had a better propulsion technique in the first block of practice (i.e., the fourth minute). These findings link propulsion technique to mechanical efficiency, support the importance of a correct propulsion technique for wheelchair users and show motor learning differences.

Development of simulation-based learning programme for improving adherence to time-out protocol on high-risk invasive procedures outside of operating room.

PubMed

Jeong, Eun Ju; Chung, Hyun Soo; Choi, Jeong Yun; Kim, In Sook; Hong, Seong Hee; Yoo, Kyung Sook; Kim, Mi Kyoung; Won, Mi Yeol; Eum, So Yeon; Cho, Young Soon

2017-06-01

The aim of this study was to develop a simulation-based time-out learning programme targeted to nurses participating in high-risk invasive procedures and to figure out the effects of application of the new programme on acceptance of nurses. This study was performed using a simulation-based learning predesign and postdesign to figure out the effects of implementation of this programme. It was targeted to 48 registered nurses working in the general ward and the emergency department in a tertiary teaching hospital. Difference between acceptance and performance rates has been figured out by using mean, standard deviation, and Wilcoxon-signed rank test. The perception survey and score sheet have been validated through content validation index, and the reliability of evaluator has been verified by using intraclass correlation coefficient. Results showed high level of acceptance of high-risk invasive procedure (P<.01). Further, improvement was consistent regardless of clinical experience, workplace, or experience in simulation-based learning. The face validity of the programme showed over 4.0 out of 5.0. This simulation-based learning programme was effective in improving the recognition of time-out protocol and has given the participants the opportunity to become proactive in cases of high-risk invasive procedures performed outside of operating room. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

The contribution of temporary storage and executive processes to category learning.

PubMed

Wang, Tengfei; Ren, Xuezhu; Schweizer, Karl

2015-09-01

Three distinctly different working memory processes, temporary storage, mental shifting and inhibition, were proposed to account for individual differences in category learning. A sample of 213 participants completed a classic category learning task and two working memory tasks that were experimentally manipulated for tapping specific working memory processes. Fixed-links models were used to decompose data of the category learning task into two independent components representing basic performance and improvement in performance in category learning. Processes of working memory were also represented by fixed-links models. In a next step the three working memory processes were linked to components of category learning. Results from modeling analyses indicated that temporary storage had a significant effect on basic performance and shifting had a moderate effect on improvement in performance. In contrast, inhibition showed no effect on any component of the category learning task. These results suggest that temporary storage and the shifting process play different roles in the course of acquiring new categories. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A teaching-learning sequence on a socio-scientific issue: analysis and evaluation of its implementation in the classroom*

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vázquez-Alonso, Ángel; Aponte, Abdiel; Manassero-Mas, María-Antonia; Montesano, Marisa

2016-07-01

This study examines the effectiveness of a teaching-learning sequence (TLS) to improve the understanding of the influences and interactions between a technology (mining) and society. The aim of the study is also to show the possibility of both teaching and assessing the most innovative issues and aspects of scientific competence and their impact on the understanding of the nature of science. The methodology used a quasi-experimental, pre-post-test design with a control group, with pre-post-test differences as the empirical indicators of improved understanding. Improvements were modest, as the empirical differences (pre-post and experimental-control group) were not large, but the experimental group scored more highly than the control group. The areas that showed improvement were identified. The paper includes the TLS itself and the standardized assessment tools that are functional and transferable to other researchers and teachers.

A single exercise bout and locomotor learning after stroke: physiological, behavioural, and computational outcomes.

PubMed

Charalambous, Charalambos C; Alcantara, Carolina C; French, Margaret A; Li, Xin; Matt, Kathleen S; Kim, Hyosub E; Morton, Susanne M; Reisman, Darcy S

2018-05-15

Previous work demonstrated an effect of a single high-intensity exercise bout coupled with motor practice on the retention of a newly acquired skilled arm movement, in both neurologically intact and impaired adults. In the present study, using behavioural and computational analyses we demonstrated that a single exercise bout, regardless of its intensity and timing, did not increase the retention of a novel locomotor task after stroke. Considering both present and previous work, we postulate that the benefits of exercise effect may depend on the type of motor learning (e.g. skill learning, sensorimotor adaptation) and/or task (e.g. arm accuracy-tracking task, walking). Acute high-intensity exercise coupled with motor practice improves the retention of motor learning in neurologically intact adults. However, whether exercise could improve the retention of locomotor learning after stroke is still unknown. Here, we investigated the effect of exercise intensity and timing on the retention of a novel locomotor learning task (i.e. split-belt treadmill walking) after stroke. Thirty-seven people post stroke participated in two sessions, 24 h apart, and were allocated to active control (CON), treadmill walking (TMW), or total body exercise on a cycle ergometer (TBE). In session 1, all groups exercised for a short bout (∼5 min) at low (CON) or high (TMW and TBE) intensity and before (CON and TMW) or after (TBE) the locomotor learning task. In both sessions, the locomotor learning task was to walk on a split-belt treadmill in a 2:1 speed ratio (100% and 50% fast-comfortable walking speed) for 15 min. To test the effect of exercise on 24 h retention, we applied behavioural and computational analyses. Behavioural data showed that neither high-intensity group showed greater 24 h retention compared to CON, and computational data showed that 24 h retention was attributable to a slow learning process for sensorimotor adaptation. Our findings demonstrated that acute exercise coupled with a locomotor adaptation task, regardless of its intensity and timing, does not improve retention of the novel locomotor task after stroke. We postulate that exercise effects on motor learning may be context specific (e.g. type of motor learning and/or task) and interact with the presence of genetic variant (BDNF Val66Met). © 2018 The Authors. The Journal of Physiology © 2018 The Physiological Society.

Learning diagnostic models using speech and language measures.

PubMed

Peintner, Bart; Jarrold, William; Vergyriy, Dimitra; Richey, Colleen; Tempini, Maria Luisa Gorno; Ogar, Jennifer

2008-01-01

We describe results that show the effectiveness of machine learning in the automatic diagnosis of certain neurodegenerative diseases, several of which alter speech and language production. We analyzed audio from 9 control subjects and 30 patients diagnosed with one of three subtypes of Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration. From this data, we extracted features of the audio signal and the words the patient used, which were obtained using our automated transcription technologies. We then automatically learned models that predict the diagnosis of the patient using these features. Our results show that learned models over these features predict diagnosis with accuracy significantly better than random. Future studies using higher quality recordings will likely improve these results.

Effects of Cooperative Learning STAD on Mathematical Communication Ability of Elementary School Student

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maelasari, E.; Wahyudin

2017-09-01

The aim of this study is to describe the increasing of mathematical communications capability, and difference between students who get STAD cooperative learning and students who receive Direct Instruction. This study is a quasi-experimental study with pretest posttest study design. Subjects in this study in one of the fifth grade elementary school located in Cibeureum District, Kuningan. The research instrument used was a written test mathematical communication skills. The results showed that the improvement of mathematical communication capabilities Direct Instruction students who scored significantly better than students who learned with STAD cooperative learning. By grouping according to the ability of students will show a positive impact on student achievement in the classroom.

Sleep to the beat: A nap favours consolidation of timing.

PubMed

Verweij, Ilse M; Onuki, Yoshiyuki; Van Someren, Eus J W; Van der Werf, Ysbrand D

2016-06-01

Growing evidence suggests that sleep is important for procedural learning, but few studies have investigated the effect of sleep on the temporal aspects of motor skill learning. We assessed the effect of a 90-min day-time nap on learning a motor timing task, using 2 adaptations of a serial interception sequence learning (SISL) task. Forty-two right-handed participants performed the task before and after a 90-min period of sleep or wake. Electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded throughout. The motor task consisted of a sequential spatial pattern and was performed according to 2 different timing conditions, that is, either following a sequential or a random temporal pattern. The increase in accuracy was compared between groups using a mixed linear regression model. Within the sleep group, performance improvement was modeled based on sleep characteristics, including spindle- and slow-wave density. The sleep group, but not the wake group, showed improvement in the random temporal, but especially and significantly more strongly in the sequential temporal condition. None of the sleep characteristics predicted improvement on either general of the timing conditions. In conclusion, a daytime nap improves performance on a timing task. We show that performance on the task with a sequential timing sequence benefits more from sleep than motor timing. More important, the temporal sequence did not benefit initial learning, because differences arose only after an offline period and specifically when this period contained sleep. Sleep appears to aid in the extraction of regularities for optimal subsequent performance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Power in the Classroom VII: Linking Behavior Alteration Techniques to Cognitive Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richmond, Virginia P.; And Others

1987-01-01

Argues that Behavior Alteration Techniques (BATs) improve students' on-task compliance which, in turn, is consistently associated with achievement. Indicates a substantial relationship between BAT use and cognitive learning on both absolute and relative measures of achievement. Shows that the teachers perceived by students as "good"…

Using Self-Regulated Learning Strategies to Develop Students' Multicultural Counseling Competency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zeleke, Waganesh A.; Karayigit, Cebrail; Myers-Brooks, Kaitlyn

2018-01-01

This study examines the effect of self-regulated learning strategies on students' multicultural competency development. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 26 students who took a semester-long multicultural counseling course. Results show statistically significant improvement in students' multicultural awareness and knowledge and…

Linking Leadership to Student Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leithwood, Kenneth; Seashore-Louis, Karen

2011-01-01

"Linking Leadership to Student Learning" clearly shows how school leadership improves student achievement. The book is based on an ambitious five-year study on educational leadership that was sponsored by The Wallace Foundation. The authors studied 43 districts, across 9 states and 180 elementary, middle, and secondary schools. In this book,…

Adaptive Learning and Pruning Using Periodic Packet for Fast Invariance Extraction and Recognition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Sheng-Jiang; Zhang, Bian-Li; Lin, Lie; Xiong, Tao; Shen, Jin-Yuan

2005-02-01

A new learning scheme using a periodic packet as the neuronal activation function is proposed for invariance extraction and recognition of handwritten digits. Simulation results show that the proposed network can extract the invariant feature effectively and improve both the convergence and the recognition rate.

Technology to Enhance Learning in the Multi-Lingual Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hollenbeck, James E.; Hollenbeck, Darina Z.

2004-01-01

Research and various studies have showed that using multimedia in the classroom increases creativity, innovation problem solving and improves communication between people. Technology addresses equity and access issues for learners. Technology allows educators to refine teaching strategies and learning processes, and to be more inclusive of all…

Review of the Status of Learning in Research on Sport Education: Future Research and Practice

PubMed Central

Araújo, Rui; Mesquita, Isabel; Hastie, Peter A.

2014-01-01

Research concerning Sport Education’s educational impact has shown unequivocal results according to students’ personal and social development. Nevertheless, research is still sparse with respect to the model’s impact on student learning outcomes. The goal of the present review is to therefore scrutinize what is currently known regarding students’ learning during their participation in Sport Education. This research spans a variety of studies, cross various countries, school grades, the sports studied, as well as the methods applied and dimensions of student learning analyzed. While research on the impact of Sport Education on students’ learning, as well as teachers’ and students’ perceptions about student learning has shown students’ improvements during the participation in Sport Education seasons, there is still considerable variance in these results. For example, some studies report superior learning opportunities to boys and higher skill-level students while other studies have identified superior learning opportunities for girls and lower skill-level students. These inconsistent results can be explained by factors not considered in the Sport Education research, such as the effect of time on students’ learning and the control of the teaching-learning process within Sport Education units. In this review directions for future research and practice are also described. Future research should define, implement, and evaluate protocols for student-coaches’ preparation in order to understand the influence of this issue on students’ learning as well as consider the implementation of hybrid approaches. Moreover, future studies should consider the interaction of gender and skill level and a retention test in the analysis of students’ learning improvements in order to obtain a more realist and complete portrait of the impact of Sport Education. Finally, in order to reach an entirely understanding of the teaching-learning process, it is necessary to use research designs that attend to the complexity of this process. Key Points Despite research regarding has showed students’ improvements during the participation in Sport Education seasons, it remains somewhat equivocal. The studies included in this review show students’ improvements on skill, knowledge and tactical development, as we as game play, during the participation in Sport Education units. Some studies report superior learning opportunities to boys and higher skill-level students while other studies exposed superior learning opportunities to girls and lower skill-level students. The effect of time on students’ learning and the control of the teaching-learning process within Sport Education units can explain these equivocal results. Future research is encouraged to consider the implementation of protocols for student-coaches’ preparation, hybrid models, a retention test, the interaction of gender and skill level, and use research designs that attend to the complexity of the teaching-learning process. PMID:25435778

Review of the status of learning in research on sport education: future research and practice.

PubMed

Araújo, Rui; Mesquita, Isabel; Hastie, Peter A

2014-12-01

Research concerning Sport Education's educational impact has shown unequivocal results according to students' personal and social development. Nevertheless, research is still sparse with respect to the model's impact on student learning outcomes. The goal of the present review is to therefore scrutinize what is currently known regarding students' learning during their participation in Sport Education. This research spans a variety of studies, cross various countries, school grades, the sports studied, as well as the methods applied and dimensions of student learning analyzed. While research on the impact of Sport Education on students' learning, as well as teachers' and students' perceptions about student learning has shown students' improvements during the participation in Sport Education seasons, there is still considerable variance in these results. For example, some studies report superior learning opportunities to boys and higher skill-level students while other studies have identified superior learning opportunities for girls and lower skill-level students. These inconsistent results can be explained by factors not considered in the Sport Education research, such as the effect of time on students' learning and the control of the teaching-learning process within Sport Education units. In this review directions for future research and practice are also described. Future research should define, implement, and evaluate protocols for student-coaches' preparation in order to understand the influence of this issue on students' learning as well as consider the implementation of hybrid approaches. Moreover, future studies should consider the interaction of gender and skill level and a retention test in the analysis of students' learning improvements in order to obtain a more realist and complete portrait of the impact of Sport Education. Finally, in order to reach an entirely understanding of the teaching-learning process, it is necessary to use research designs that attend to the complexity of this process. Key PointsDespite research regarding has showed students' improvements during the participation in Sport Education seasons, it remains somewhat equivocal.The studies included in this review show students' improvements on skill, knowledge and tactical development, as we as game play, during the participation in Sport Education units.Some studies report superior learning opportunities to boys and higher skill-level students while other studies exposed superior learning opportunities to girls and lower skill-level students.The effect of time on students' learning and the control of the teaching-learning process within Sport Education units can explain these equivocal results.Future research is encouraged to consider the implementation of protocols for student-coaches' preparation, hybrid models, a retention test, the interaction of gender and skill level, and use research designs that attend to the complexity of the teaching-learning process.

Improving information management in primary care: the proof is in the pudding.

PubMed

Reed, Virginia A; Schifferdecker, Karen E; Homa, Karen

2008-01-01

Generalists in both the USA and UK have been at the forefront of improving information management skills, defined here as the abilities required to locate and utilise synthesised information for patient care that is accessible, current, relevant and valid. Over the past decade, a variety of interventions designed to improve knowledge and skills relative to information management has been implemented. The goals of training are for learners to demonstrate long-term retention of knowledge and skills gained and to be able to transfer this learning from the context of training into different situations and contexts, such as those encountered in the workplace. Thus, to conclude that learning has taken place, it is essential to study performance after learners have acquired knowledge and skills to see how well those have been retained and generalised. The current study builds on previous work conducted by the authors that described and evaluated an intervention designed to improve information management knowledge, skills and use of Web-based resources by participants from generalist primary care practices. This cross-over study found that both groups of participants--those who received training initially and those who received training later--showed the same improvements when assessed 15 months and three months, respectively, after training. Given the definition of learning as 'relatively permanent', we wondered if these improvements would last. Participants in the original three phases of the study completed questionnaires during each phase; for the current study they were asked to complete a fourth questionnaire administered 27 and 15 months, respectively, after their original training. All variables showed non-significant differences between participants' scores at the end of the original study, where learning was assessed as having occurred, and the current administration of the questionnaire. Demonstrated long-term retention of knowledge and skills and generalisation to the workplace show that the goals of training have been met.

Influence of the ICDAS e-learning program for occlusal caries detection on dental students.

PubMed

Diniz, Michele B; Lima, Luciana Monti; Santos-Pinto, Lourdes; Eckert, George J; Zandoná, Andrea G Ferreira; de Cássia Loiola Cordeiro, Rita

2010-08-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of ICDAS training in a group of dental students for occlusal caries detection in permanent teeth. Premolars and molars (N=104) with occlusal surfaces varying from ICDAS scores 0 to 6 were cleaned, one occlusal site per tooth was selected, and a photograph taken to identify the site. Eight senior dental students examined the teeth twice with a one-week interval between examinations during each of two phases: before and after the ICDAS e-learning program. Teeth were histologically assessed for caries extension. Intraclass correlation coefficients for intra- and interexaminer repeatability were high, both before (0.75 and 0.72, respectively) and after e-learning (0.82 and 0.78, respectively). The ICDAS scores decreased significantly from before to after e-learning (p=0.0001). Correlation between ICDAS scores and histology scores was moderate (0.57 before e-learning and 0.61 after). Although the ROC curve shows an improvement in the use of the ICDAS scoring after e-learning, the difference was not significant (p=0.10). Specificity of the ICDAS scores significantly improved after e-learning (77 percent vs. 36 percent), and sensitivity was reduced slightly after e-learning (87 percent vs. 92 percent). The ICDAS e-learning program improved the performance of the diagnostic skills of the investigated students for the detection of occlusal caries lesions.

Motor learning, retention and transfer after virtual-reality-based training in Parkinson's disease--effect of motor and cognitive demands of games: a longitudinal, controlled clinical study.

PubMed

dos Santos Mendes, Felipe Augusto; Pompeu, José Eduardo; Modenesi Lobo, Alexandra; Guedes da Silva, Keyte; Oliveira, Tatiana de Paula; Peterson Zomignani, Andrea; Pimentel Piemonte, Maria Elisa

2012-09-01

To evaluate the learning, retention and transfer of performance improvements after Nintendo Wii Fit™ training in patients with Parkinson's disease and healthy elderly people. Longitudinal, controlled clinical study. Sixteen patients with early-stage Parkinson's disease and 11 healthy elderly people. Warm-up exercises and Wii Fit training that involved training motor (shifts centre of gravity and step alternation) and cognitive skills. A follow-up evaluative Wii Fit session was held 60 days after the end of training. Participants performed a functional reach test before and after training as a measure of learning transfer. Learning and retention were determined based on the scores of 10 Wii Fit games over eight sessions. Transfer of learning was assessed after training using the functional reach test. Patients with Parkinson's disease showed no deficit in learning or retention on seven of the 10 games, despite showing poorer performance on five games compared with the healthy elderly group. Patients with Parkinson's disease showed marked learning deficits on three other games, independent of poorer initial performance. This deficit appears to be associated with cognitive demands of the games which require decision-making, response inhibition, divided attention and working memory. Finally, patients with Parkinson's disease were able to transfer motor ability trained on the games to a similar untrained task. The ability of patients with Parkinson's disease to learn, retain and transfer performance improvements after training on the Nintendo Wii Fit depends largely on the demands, particularly cognitive demands, of the games involved, reiterating the importance of game selection for rehabilitation purposes. Copyright © 2012 Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Short-term perceptual learning in visual conjunction search.

PubMed

Su, Yuling; Lai, Yunpeng; Huang, Wanyi; Tan, Wei; Qu, Zhe; Ding, Yulong

2014-08-01

Although some studies showed that training can improve the ability of cross-dimension conjunction search, less is known about the underlying mechanism. Specifically, it remains unclear whether training of visual conjunction search can successfully bind different features of separated dimensions into a new function unit at early stages of visual processing. In the present study, we utilized stimulus specificity and generalization to provide a new approach to investigate the mechanisms underlying perceptual learning (PL) in visual conjunction search. Five experiments consistently showed that after 40 to 50 min of training of color-shape/orientation conjunction search, the ability to search for a certain conjunction target improved significantly and the learning effects did not transfer to a new target that differed from the trained target in both color and shape/orientation features. However, the learning effects were not strictly specific. In color-shape conjunction search, although the learning effect could not transfer to a same-shape different-color target, it almost completely transferred to a same-color different-shape target. In color-orientation conjunction search, the learning effect partly transferred to a new target that shared same color or same orientation with the trained target. Moreover, the sum of transfer effects for the same color target and the same orientation target in color-orientation conjunction search was algebraically equivalent to the learning effect for trained target, showing an additive transfer effect. The different transfer patterns in color-shape and color-orientation conjunction search learning might reflect the different complexity and discriminability between feature dimensions. These results suggested a feature-based attention enhancement mechanism rather than a unitization mechanism underlying the short-term PL of color-shape/orientation conjunction search.

Can a virtual reality surgical simulation training provide a self-driven and mentor-free skills learning? Investigation of the practical influence of the performance metrics from the virtual reality robotic surgery simulator on the skill learning and associated cognitive workloads.

PubMed

Lee, Gyusung I; Lee, Mija R

2018-01-01

While it is often claimed that virtual reality (VR) training system can offer self-directed and mentor-free skill learning using the system's performance metrics (PM), no studies have yet provided evidence-based confirmation. This experimental study investigated what extent to which trainees achieved their self-learning with a current VR simulator and whether additional mentoring improved skill learning, skill transfer and cognitive workloads in robotic surgery simulation training. Thirty-two surgical trainees were randomly assigned to either the Control-Group (CG) or Experiment-Group (EG). While the CG participants reviewed the PM at their discretion, the EG participants had explanations about PM and instructions on how to improve scores. Each subject completed a 5-week training using four simulation tasks. Pre- and post-training data were collected using both a simulator and robot. Peri-training data were collected after each session. Skill learning, time spent on PM (TPM), and cognitive workloads were compared between groups. After the simulation training, CG showed substantially lower simulation task scores (82.9 ± 6.0) compared with EG (93.2 ± 4.8). Both groups demonstrated improved physical model tasks performance with the actual robot, but the EG had a greater improvement in two tasks. The EG exhibited lower global mental workload/distress, higher engagement, and a better understanding regarding using PM to improve performance. The EG's TPM was initially long but substantially shortened as the group became familiar with PM. Our study demonstrated that the current VR simulator offered limited self-skill learning and additional mentoring still played an important role in improving the robotic surgery simulation training.

The Implementation of Cumulative Learning Theory in Calculating Triangular Prism and Tube Volumes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muklis, M.; Abidin, C.; Pamungkas, M. D.; Masriyah

2018-01-01

This study aims at describing the application of cumulative learning theory in calculating the volume of a triangular prism and a tube as well as revealing the students’ responses toward the learning. The research method used was descriptive qualitative with elementary school students as the subjects of the research. Data obtained through observation, field notes, questionnaire, tests, and interviews. The results from the application of cumulative learning theory obtained positive students’ responses in following the learning and students’ learning outcomes was dominantly above the average. This showed that cumulative learning could be used as a reference to be implemented in learning, so as to improve the students’ achievement.

Modeling a student-classroom interaction in a tutorial-like system using learning automata.

PubMed

Oommen, B John; Hashem, M Khaled

2010-02-01

Almost all of the learning paradigms used in machine learning, learning automata (LA), and learning theory, in general, use the philosophy of a Student (learning mechanism) attempting to learn from a teacher. This paradigm has been generalized in a myriad of ways, including the scenario when there are multiple teachers or a hierarchy of mechanisms that collectively achieve the learning. In this paper, we consider a departure from this paradigm by allowing the Student to be a member of a classroom of Students, where, for the most part, we permit each member of the classroom not only to learn from the teacher(s) but also to "extract" information from any of his fellow Students. This paper deals with issues concerning the modeling, decision-making process, and testing of such a scenario within the LA context. The main result that we show is that a weak learner can actually benefit from this capability of utilizing the information that he gets from a superior colleague-if this information transfer is done appropriately. As far as we know, the whole concept of Students learning from both a teacher and from a classroom of Students is novel and unreported in the literature. The proposed Student-classroom interaction has been tested for numerous strategies and for different environments, including the established benchmarks, and the results show that Students can improve their learning by interacting with each other. For example, for some interaction strategies, a weak Student can improve his learning by up to 73% when interacting with a classroom of Students, which includes Students of various capabilities. In these interactions, the Student does not have a priori knowledge of the identity or characteristics of the Students who offer their assistance.

Improving the Effectiveness of Learning Using Pictures Cards "Rocky Dust" for Students with Disorder Autism Sensory Integration in SLB-B TPA Jember, East Java, Indonesia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nisa, Arida Choirun

2017-01-01

Classroom Action Research (PTK) was made after researchers observed the implementation of learning conducted mostly school teachers Extraordinary show symptoms not as expected, because the teacher still dominates teaching and learning activities centered on teachers, by looking at the lecture method is a method that The main. This raises a very…

Boring but Important: A Self-Transcendent Purpose for Learning Fosters Academic Self-Regulation

PubMed Central

Yeager, David S.; Henderson, Marlone D.; D’Mello, Sidney; Paunesku, David; Walton, Gregory M.; Spitzer, Brian J.; Duckworth, Angela Lee

2015-01-01

Many important learning tasks feel uninteresting and tedious to learners. This research proposed that promoting a prosocial, self-transcendent purpose could improve academic self-regulation on such tasks. This proposal was supported in four studies with over 2,000 adolescents and young adults. Study 1 documented a correlation between a self-transcendent purpose for learning and self-reported trait measures of academic self-regulation. Those with more of a purpose for learning also persisted longer on a boring task rather than giving in to a tempting alternative, and, many months later, were less likely to drop out of college. Study 2 addressed causality. It showed that a brief, one-time psychological intervention promoting a self-transcendent purpose for learning could improve high school science and math GPA over several months. Studies 3 and 4 were short-term experiments that explored possible mechanisms. They showed that the self-transcendent purpose manipulation could increase deeper learning behavior on tedious test review materials (Study 3), and sustain self-regulation over the course of an increasingly-boring task (Study 4). More self-oriented motives for learning—such as the desire to have an interesting or enjoyable career—did not, on their own, consistently produce these benefits (Studies 1 and 4). PMID:25222648

Developing a Practice-Based Learning and Improvement Curriculum for an Academic General Surgery Residency

PubMed Central

O'Connor, Erin S.; Mahvi, David M.; Foley, Eugene F.; Lund, Dennis; McDonald, Robert

2010-01-01

Background Program Directors in Surgery are now facing the challenge of incorporating the ACGME's practice-based learning and improvement (PBLI) competency into residency curriculum. We introduced a comprehensive PBLI experience for PG2 residents designed to integrate specific competency goals (quality improvement, clinical thinking, and self-directed learning) within the context of residents’ clinical practice. Study Design Fourteen PG2 residents participated in a three-week PBLI curriculum consisting of three components: Complex Clinical Decision Making (CCDM), Individual Learning Plan, and Quality Improvement (QI). To assess how effectively the curriculum addressed these three competencies, residents rated their understanding of PBLI by answering a 12-question written survey given pre- and post-rotation. Resident satisfaction was assessed through standard post-rotation evaluations. Results Analysis of the pre and post rotation surveys from the fourteen participants showed an increase in all measured elements, including knowledge of PBLI (p<0.001), ability to assess learning needs (p<0.001) and set learning goals (p<0.001), understanding of QI concepts (p=0.001), and experience with QI projects (p<0.001). Fourteen QI projects were developed. Although many residents found the creation of measurable learning goals to be challenging, the process of identifying strengths and weaknesses enhanced the resident's self-understanding, and contributed to overall satisfaction with the rotation. Conclusions The initial implementation of our PBLI curriculum demonstrated that residents report personal progress in their clinical decision making, self-directed learning, and familiarity with quality improvement. This comprehensive PBLI curriculum was accepted by surgical residents as a valuable part of their training. We are encouraged to continue a clinically-grounded PBLI experience for PG2 residents. PMID:20347732

Inter-individual differences in the initial 80 minutes of motor learning of handrim wheelchair propulsion.

PubMed

Vegter, Riemer J K; Lamoth, Claudine J; de Groot, Sonja; Veeger, Dirkjan H E J; van der Woude, Lucas H V

2014-01-01

Handrim wheelchair propulsion is a cyclic skill that needs to be learned during rehabilitation. Yet it is unclear how inter-individual differences in motor learning impact wheelchair propulsion practice. Therefore we studied how early-identified motor learning styles in novice able-bodied participants impact the outcome of a low-intensity wheelchair-practice intervention. Over a 12-minute pre-test, 39 participants were split in two groups based on a relative 10% increase in mechanical efficiency. Following the pretest the participants continued one of four different low-intensity wheelchair practice interventions, yet all performed in the same trial-setup with a total 80-minute dose at 1.11 m/s at 0.20 W/kg. Instead of focusing on the effect of the different interventions, we focused on differences in motor learning between participants over the intervention. Twenty-six participants started the pretest with a lower mechanical efficiency and a less optimal propulsion technique, but showed a fast improvement during the first 12 minutes and this effect continued over the 80 minutes of practice. Eventually these initially fast improvers benefitted more from the given practice indicated by a better propulsion technique (like reduced frequency and increased stroke angle) and a higher mechanical efficiency. The initially fast improvers also had a higher intra-individual variability in the pre and posttest, which possibly relates to the increased motor learning of the initially fast improvers. Further exploration of the common characteristics of different types of learners will help to better tailor rehabilitation to the needs of wheelchair-dependent persons and improve our understanding of cyclic motor learning processes.

Effect of chronotype and student learning time on mathematical ability based on self-regulated learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ratnaningsih, N.; El Akbar, R. R.; Hidayat, E.

2018-05-01

One of ways to improve students' learning ability is conduct a research, with purpose to obtain a method to improve students' ability. Research often carried out on the modification of teaching methods, uses of teaching media, motivation, interests and talents of students. Research related to the internal condition of students becomes very interesting to studied, including research on circadian rhythms. Every person in circadian rhythms has its own Chronotype, which divided into two types namely early type and night late type. Chronotype affects the comfort in activity, for example a person with Chronotype category of early type tends to be more comfort in daytime activities. The purpose of this study is to examine the conditions of students, related Chronotype suitable or appropriate for student learning time. This suitability then studied in relation to the ability of learning mathematics with self- regulated learning approach. This study consists of three stages; (i) student Chronotype measurement, (ii) data retrieval, and (iii) analysis of research results. The results show the relationship between the students' learning ability in mathematics to learning time corresponding to Chronotype.

An ERP study on initial second language vocabulary learning.

PubMed

Yum, Yen Na; Midgley, Katherine J; Holcomb, Phillip J; Grainger, Jonathan

2014-04-01

This study examined the very initial phases of orthographic and semantic acquisition in monolingual native English speakers learning Chinese words under controlled laboratory conditions. Participants engaged in 10 sessions of vocabulary learning, four of which were used to obtain ERPs. Performance in behavioral tests improved over sessions, and these data were used to define fast and slow learners. Most important is that ERPs in the two groups of learners revealed qualitatively distinct learning patterns. Only fast learners showed a left-lateralized increase in N170 amplitude with training. Furthermore, only fast learners showed an increased N400 amplitude with training, with a distinct anterior distribution. Slow learners, on the other hand, showed a posterior positive effect, with increasingly positive-going waveforms in occipital sites as training progressed. Possible mechanisms underlying these qualitative differences are discussed. Copyright © 2014 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

Brief Report: A Pilot Summer Robotics Camp to Reduce Social Anxiety and Improve Social/Vocational Skills in Adolescents with ASD.

PubMed

Kaboski, Juhi R; Diehl, Joshua John; Beriont, Jane; Crowell, Charles R; Villano, Michael; Wier, Kristin; Tang, Karen

2015-12-01

This pilot study evaluated a novel intervention designed to reduce social anxiety and improve social/vocational skills for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The intervention utilized a shared interest in robotics among participants to facilitate natural social interaction between individuals with ASD and typically developing (TD) peers. Eight individuals with ASD and eight TD peers ages 12-17 participated in a weeklong robotics camp, during which they learned robotic facts, actively programmed an interactive robot, and learned "career" skills. The ASD group showed a significant decrease in social anxiety and both groups showed an increase in robotics knowledge, although neither group showed a significant increase in social skills. These initial findings suggest that this approach is promising and warrants further study.

The role of the central histaminergic receptors in the exercise-induced improvements of the spatial learning and memory in rats.

PubMed

Taati, Majid; Moghaddasi, Mehrnoush; Esmaeili, Masoumeh; Pourkhodadad, Soheila; Nayebzadeh, Hassan

2014-10-31

While it is well known that exercise can improve cognitive performance, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. There is now evidence that histamine can modulate learning and memory in different types of behavioral tasks. The present study was designed to examine the possible role of central histamine H1 and H2 receptors in forced treadmill running-induced enhancement of learning and memory in rats. For this purpose the animals received intracerebroventricularly chlorpheniramine (H1 receptor blocker) and cimetidine (H2 receptor blocker) before each day of fifteen consecutive days of exercise. Then their learning and memory were tested on the water maze task using a four-trial-per-day for 4 consecutive days. A probe trial was performed after the last training day. Our data showed that cimetidine reversed the exercise-induced improvement in learning and memory in rats; however, this was not the case regarding chlorpheniramine. Our findings indicate that central histamine H2 receptors play an important role in mediating the beneficial effects of forced exercise on learning and memory. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Design of Innovative Engineering Drawing Teaching Materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mujiarto; Djohar, A.; Komaro, M.

2018-02-01

Good teaching is influenced by several things such as effective school leaders and skilled teachers who are able to use information communication technology as a medium of learning. The purpose of this research in general is to develop innovative teaching materials in the form of multimedia animation for engineering drawing in the field of technology and engineering at vocational high school. Research method used research and development (research and development / R & D). The results showed that the E-book Multimedia Animation Engineering Drawing (E-MMAED) is easy to possess and contains complete material. Students stated that the use of E-MMAED adds to learning motivation and improves learning outcomes (student competencies). We recommend that teachers apply E-MMAED as a learning medium and create other innovations to improve student competences.

Blue Corn Tortillas: Effects on Learning and Spatial Memory in Rats.

PubMed

Aguirre López, L O; Chávez Servia, J L; Gómez Rodiles, C C; Beltrán Ramírez, J R; Bañuelos Pineda, J

2017-12-01

Consumption of pigmented corn has been associated with health benefits due to its flavonoid contents (mainly anthocyanins) and antioxidant ability. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the effect of blue corn tortilla (BM) consumption on memory and learning ability adult rats. Eighteen adult female rats were divided into three groups and fed for 38 consecutive days with commercial food (Control group) or the commercial food plus 6 g/day of either blue corn (BM) or white corn (WM) tortillas. Memory and learning capabilities were assessed using Barnes's labyrinth at the end of the feeding period. Short-and long-term memory was improved in the BM group, showing that consumption of blue maize tortillas improves learning and memory capabilities in adult rats.

Perceptual Learning in the Absence of Task or Stimulus Specificity

PubMed Central

Webb, Ben S.; Roach, Neil W.; McGraw, Paul V.

2007-01-01

Performance on most sensory tasks improves with practice. When making particularly challenging sensory judgments, perceptual improvements in performance are tightly coupled to the trained task and stimulus configuration. The form of this specificity is believed to provide a strong indication of which neurons are solving the task or encoding the learned stimulus. Here we systematically decouple task- and stimulus-mediated components of trained improvements in perceptual performance and show that neither provides an adequate description of the learning process. Twenty-four human subjects trained on a unique combination of task (three-element alignment or bisection) and stimulus configuration (vertical or horizontal orientation). Before and after training, we measured subjects' performance on all four task-configuration combinations. What we demonstrate for the first time is that learning does actually transfer across both task and configuration provided there is a common spatial axis to the judgment. The critical factor underlying the transfer of learning effects is not the task or stimulus arrangements themselves, but rather the recruitment of commons sets of neurons most informative for making each perceptual judgment. PMID:18094748

Evaluating an online pharmaceutical education system for pharmacy interns in critical care settings.

PubMed

Yeh, Yu-Ting; Chen, Hsiang-Yin; Cheng, Kuei-Ju; Hou, Ssu-An; Yen, Yu-Hsuan; Liu, Chien-Tsai

2014-02-01

Incorporating electronic learning (eLearning) system into professional experimental programs such as pharmacy internships is a challenge. However, none of the current systems can fully support the unique needs of clinical pharmacy internship. In this study we enhanced a commercial eLearning system for clinical pharmacy internship (The Clinical Pharmacy Internship eLearning System, CPIES). The KAP questionnaire was used to evaluate the performance of group A with the traditional teaching model and group B with the CPIES teaching model. The CPIES teaching model showed significant improvement in interns' knowledge and practice (p = 0.002 and 0.031, respectively). The traditional teaching model only demonstrated significant improvement in practice (p = 0.011). Moreover, professionalism, such as attitudes on cooperating with other health professionals, is developed by learning from a good mentor. The on-line teaching and traditional teaching methods should undoubtedly be blended in a complete teaching model in order to improve learners' professional knowledge, facilitate correct attitude, and influence good practice. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Indirect decentralized learning control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Longman, Richard W.; Lee, Soo C.; Phan, M.

1992-01-01

The new field of learning control develops controllers that learn to improve their performance at executing a given task, based on experience performing this specific task. In a previous work, the authors presented a theory of indirect learning control based on use of indirect adaptive control concepts employing simultaneous identification and control. This paper develops improved indirect learning control algorithms, and studies the use of such controllers in decentralized systems. The original motivation of the learning control field was learning in robots doing repetitive tasks such as on an assembly line. This paper starts with decentralized discrete time systems, and progresses to the robot application, modeling the robot as a time varying linear system in the neighborhood of the nominal trajectory, and using the usual robot controllers that are decentralized, treating each link as if it is independent of any coupling with other links. The basic result of the paper is to show that stability of the indirect learning controllers for all subsystems when the coupling between subsystems is turned off, assures convergence to zero tracking error of the decentralized indirect learning control of the coupled system, provided that the sample time in the digital learning controller is sufficiently short.

Conceptual and operational understanding of learning for sustainability: a case study of the beef industry in north-eastern Australia.

PubMed

Lankester, Ally J

2013-04-15

Extensive attention has been given to understanding learning processes that foster sustainability. Despite this focus there is still limited knowledge of learning processes that create changes in perspectives and practices. This paper aims to increase understanding of learning processes in the context of sustainability and refers to the beef industry in north-eastern Australia. A framework based on adult learning theories was developed and used to analyse the what, why and how of beef producers' learning to improve land condition. Twenty-eight producers were interviewed face-to-face and another 91 participated in a telephone survey. Most beef producers were motivated to learn due to perceived problems with existing practices and described mainly learning new skills and techniques to improve production. Beef producers main learning sources were their own experiences, observing others' practices and sharing experiences with peers and family members. Results showed that organised collective learning, adversity and active experimentation with natural resource management skills and techniques can facilitate critical reflection of practices, questioning of the self, others and cultural norms and an enhanced sense of environmental responsibility. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Exogenous and endogenous attention during perceptual learning differentially affect post-training target thresholds

PubMed Central

Mukai, Ikuko; Bahadur, Kandy; Kesavabhotla, Kartik; Ungerleider, Leslie G.

2012-01-01

There is conflicting evidence in the literature regarding the role played by attention in perceptual learning. To further examine this issue, we independently manipulated exogenous and endogenous attention and measured the rate of perceptual learning of oriented Gabor patches presented in different quadrants of the visual field. In this way, we could track learning at attended, divided-attended, and unattended locations. We also measured contrast thresholds of the Gabor patches before and after training. Our results showed that, for both exogenous and endogenous attention, accuracy in performing the orientation discrimination improved to a greater extent at attended than at unattended locations. Importantly, however, only exogenous attention resulted in improved contrast thresholds. These findings suggest that both exogenous and endogenous attention facilitate perceptual learning, but that these two types of attention may be mediated by different neural mechanisms. PMID:21282340

The effect of red grape juice on Alzheimer's disease in rats

PubMed Central

Siahmard, Zahra; Alaei, Hojjatollah; Reisi, Parham; Pilehvarian, Ali Asghar

2012-01-01

Background: Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disease appearing as a result of free radicals and oxidative stress. Antioxidants agents boost memory and control Alzheimer's disease. Since red grape juice contains antioxidant agents, its effects on speed of learning and improvement of memory was studied in Alzheimer's rats. Materials and Methods: Alzheimer's model was induced by bilateral infusion of streptozocine into lateral ventricles of brain of male rats. Rats drank 10% red grape juice for 21 days. Passive avoidance learning test was used for measuring memory and learning in rats. Results: Our results showed that learning and memory in STZ-group decreased significantly compared to Sham group. However, intake of red grape juice increased speed of learning and improvement of memory in Alzheimer's rats. Conclusions: Our results suggest that there are active ingredients in red grape juice, which probably have therapeutic and preventive effects on cognitive impairments in Alzheimer's disease. PMID:23326794

The effect of red grape juice on Alzheimer's disease in rats.

PubMed

Siahmard, Zahra; Alaei, Hojjatollah; Reisi, Parham; Pilehvarian, Ali Asghar

2012-01-01

Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disease appearing as a result of free radicals and oxidative stress. Antioxidants agents boost memory and control Alzheimer's disease. Since red grape juice contains antioxidant agents, its effects on speed of learning and improvement of memory was studied in Alzheimer's rats. Alzheimer's model was induced by bilateral infusion of streptozocine into lateral ventricles of brain of male rats. Rats drank 10% red grape juice for 21 days. Passive avoidance learning test was used for measuring memory and learning in rats. Our results showed that learning and memory in STZ-group decreased significantly compared to Sham group. However, intake of red grape juice increased speed of learning and improvement of memory in Alzheimer's rats. Our results suggest that there are active ingredients in red grape juice, which probably have therapeutic and preventive effects on cognitive impairments in Alzheimer's disease.

Improving Middle School Students’ Critical Thinking Skills Through Reading Infusion-Loaded Discovery Learning Model in the Science Instruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nuryakin; Riandi

2017-02-01

A study has been conducted to obtain a depiction of middle school students’ critical thinking skills improvement through the implementation of reading infusion-loaded discovery learning model in science instruction. A quasi-experimental study with the pretest-posttest control group design was used to engage 55 eighth-year middle school students in Tasikmalaya, which was divided into the experimental and control group respectively were 28 and 27 students. Critical thinking skills were measured using a critical thinking skills test in multiple-choice with reason format questions that administered before and after a given instruction. The test was 28 items encompassing three essential concepts, vibration, waves and auditory senses. The critical thinking skills improvement was determined by using the normalized gain score and statistically analyzed by using Mann-Whitney U test.. The findings showed that the average of students’ critical thinking skills normalized gain score of both groups were 59 and 43, respectively for experimental and control group in the medium category. There were significant differences between both group’s improvement. Thus, the implementation of reading infusion-loaded discovery learning model could further improve middle school students’ critical thinking skills than conventional learning.

Flammulina velutipes polysaccharides improve scopolamine-induced learning and memory impairment in mice by modulating gut microbiota composition.

PubMed

Su, Anxiang; Yang, Wenjian; Zhao, Liyan; Pei, Fei; Yuan, Biao; Zhong, Lei; Ma, Gaoxing; Hu, Qiuhui

2018-03-01

Flammulina velutipes polysaccharides (FVP) have been proved to be effective in improving learning and memory impairment in mice. However, their underlying mechanism remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between memory improvement and gut microbiota regulation of FVP. The results showed a significant decrease in the relative abundances of Clostridia and Bacilli but a significant increase in Bacteroidia, Erysipelotrichia and Actinobacteria in the FVP-treated group versus the control group. Fecal microbiota transplantation of mice with 'FVP microbiota' derived from FVP-fed mice resulted in improved learning and memory function compared to colonization with 'common microbiota' derived from control individuals. FVP and 'FVP microbiota' significantly increased the numbers of platform crossings and the swimming distance of mice in the probe test and decreased the escape latency and total swimming distance of mice in the hidden platform test. Moreover, FVP and 'FVP microbiota' regulated cytokines, such as IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-10, suggesting a mechanism involving the suppression of neuroinflammation. This study indicated that the regulation of the gut microbiome may have a causal role in improving scopolamine-induced impairment of learning and memory.

Practice-based learning for improvement: the pursuit of clinical excellence.

PubMed

Staker, L V

2000-10-01

Physicians often seem to be paralyzed waiting for a health plan, a health maintenance organization, or an integrated health care system to bring about change or improvement in health care. But small changes in individual practices (microsystems) can have a profound impact on outcomes in an organization (microsystem). With simple graphical measurement tools, physicians can teach patients to measure and empower themselves to learn to improve both their health and their health care. At the same time, physicians can learn a great deal from their patient population data. When these measurement tools and a well-known and widely accepted method for clinical practice improvement called rapid cycle testing were used in a population of patients with diabetes, the average fasting blood sugar changed from 187 to 110 and the average hemoglobin A1c from 10.5 to 7.2. This article shows that measurement using specification charts and control charts in patient care can have a profound impact on patients, physicians, and organizations. Understanding these principles and using time-sequence measurement with graphical data feedback, physicians can engage in practice-based learning and can participate in improvement in the microsystems over which they have control.

Collaboration of chemistry instructional games and group investigation (Gi) model to improve learning outcome in high school students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Puspita, Ita; Sugiyarto, Kristian H.; Ikhsan, Jaslin

2017-05-01

The aims of this research are to: (1) develop chemistry instructional games on reaction rate matter; and (2) reveal the collaboration of chemistry instructional games and group investigation model to improvement learning outcome in high school student. This study is research and development (R&D). The procedure of developing product was adapted from Borg & Gall that modified into three principal steps: product planning, product developing, and product evaluating. The product planning step consist of field study, literature study, and manufacturing product. Product developing was developed product using Adobe Flash Professional CS 6 program. The last, product evaluating was performed by year XI of high school students, uses experimental methods nonequivalent control-group design by control class and experiment class. The results of this research show that: (1) a software of chemistry instructional games successfully developed using Adobe Flash Professional CS 6 and can be run on Android device; and (2) the test results of students showed that the collaboration of instructional games and group investigation model able to improvement learning outcome of hight school student.

Changes in behavior and salivary cortisol after targeted cognitive training in typical 12-month-old infants.

PubMed

Wass, Sam V; Cook, Clare; Clackson, Kaili

2017-05-01

Previous research has suggested that early development may be an optimal period to implement cognitive training interventions, particularly those relating to attention control, a basic ability that is essential for the development of other cognitive skills. In the present study, we administered gaze-contingent training (95 min across 2 weeks) targeted at voluntary attention control to a cohort of typical 12-month-old children (N = 24) and sham training to a control group (N = 24). We assessed training effects on (a) tasks involving nontrained aspects of attention control: visual sustained attention, habituation speed, visual recognition memory, sequence learning, and reversal learning; (b) general attentiveness (on-task behaviors during testing); and (c) salivary cortisol levels. Assessments were administered immediately after the cessation of training and at a 6-week follow-up. On the immediate posttest infants showed significantly more sustained visual attention, faster habituation, and improved sequence learning. Significant effects were also found for increased general attentiveness and decreased salivary cortisol. Some of these effects were still evident at the 6-week follow-up (significantly improved sequence learning and marginally improved sustained attention). These findings extend the emerging literature showing that attention training is possible in infancy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Predicting Individuals' Learning Success from Patterns of Pre-Learning MRI Activity

PubMed Central

Vo, Loan T. K.; Walther, Dirk B.; Kramer, Arthur F.; Erickson, Kirk I.; Boot, Walter R.; Voss, Michelle W.; Prakash, Ruchika S.; Lee, Hyunkyu; Fabiani, Monica; Gratton, Gabriele; Simons, Daniel J.; Sutton, Bradley P.; Wang, Michelle Y.

2011-01-01

Performance in most complex cognitive and psychomotor tasks improves with training, yet the extent of improvement varies among individuals. Is it possible to forecast the benefit that a person might reap from training? Several behavioral measures have been used to predict individual differences in task improvement, but their predictive power is limited. Here we show that individual differences in patterns of time-averaged T2*-weighted MRI images in the dorsal striatum recorded at the initial stage of training predict subsequent learning success in a complex video game with high accuracy. These predictions explained more than half of the variance in learning success among individuals, suggesting that individual differences in neuroanatomy or persistent physiology predict whether and to what extent people will benefit from training in a complex task. Surprisingly, predictions from white matter were highly accurate, while voxels in the gray matter of the dorsal striatum did not contain any information about future training success. Prediction accuracy was higher in the anterior than the posterior half of the dorsal striatum. The link between trainability and the time-averaged T2*-weighted signal in the dorsal striatum reaffirms the role of this part of the basal ganglia in learning and executive functions, such as task-switching and task coordination processes. The ability to predict who will benefit from training by using neuroimaging data collected in the early training phase may have far-reaching implications for the assessment of candidates for specific training programs as well as the study of populations that show deficiencies in learning new skills. PMID:21264257

An Exploration of Students' Science Learning Interest Related to Their Cognitive Anxiety, Cognitive Load, Self-Confidence and Learning Progress Using Inquiry-Based Learning With an iPad

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hong, Jon-Chao; Hwang, Ming-Yueh; Tai, Kai-Hsin; Tsai, Chi-Ruei

2017-12-01

Based on the cognitive-affective theory, the present study designed a science inquiry learning model, predict-observe-explain (POE), and implemented it in an app called "WhyWhy" to examine the effectiveness of students' science inquiry learning practice. To understand how POE can affect the cognitive-affective learning process, as well as the learning progress, a pretest and a posttest were given to 152 grade 5 elementary school students. The students practiced WhyWhy during six sessions over 6 weeks, and data related to interest in learning science (ILS), cognitive anxiety (CA), and extraneous cognitive load (ECL) were collected and analyzed through confirmatory factor analysis with structure equation modeling. The results showed that students with high ILS have low CA and ECL. In addition, the results also indicated that students with a high level of self-confidence enhancement showed significant improvement in the posttest. The implications of this study suggest that by using technology-enhanced science learning, the POE model is a practical approach to motivate students to learn.

Leveraging Paraphrase Labels to Extract Synonyms from Twitter

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

Antoniak, Maria A.; Bell, Eric B.; Xia, Fei

2015-05-18

We present an approach for automatically learning synonyms from a paraphrase corpus of tweets. This work shows improvement on the task of paraphrase detection when we substitute our extracted synonyms into the training set. The synonyms are learned by using chunks from a shallow parse to create candidate synonyms and their context windows, and the synonyms are incorporated into a paraphrase detection system that uses machine translation metrics as features for a classifier. We demonstrate a 2.29% improvement in F1 when we train and test on the paraphrase training set, providing better coverage than previous systems, which shows the potentialmore » power of synonyms that are representative of a specific topic.« less

A Cross-Correlated Delay Shift Supervised Learning Method for Spiking Neurons with Application to Interictal Spike Detection in Epilepsy.

PubMed

Guo, Lilin; Wang, Zhenzhong; Cabrerizo, Mercedes; Adjouadi, Malek

2017-05-01

This study introduces a novel learning algorithm for spiking neurons, called CCDS, which is able to learn and reproduce arbitrary spike patterns in a supervised fashion allowing the processing of spatiotemporal information encoded in the precise timing of spikes. Unlike the Remote Supervised Method (ReSuMe), synapse delays and axonal delays in CCDS are variants which are modulated together with weights during learning. The CCDS rule is both biologically plausible and computationally efficient. The properties of this learning rule are investigated extensively through experimental evaluations in terms of reliability, adaptive learning performance, generality to different neuron models, learning in the presence of noise, effects of its learning parameters and classification performance. Results presented show that the CCDS learning method achieves learning accuracy and learning speed comparable with ReSuMe, but improves classification accuracy when compared to both the Spike Pattern Association Neuron (SPAN) learning rule and the Tempotron learning rule. The merit of CCDS rule is further validated on a practical example involving the automated detection of interictal spikes in EEG records of patients with epilepsy. Results again show that with proper encoding, the CCDS rule achieves good recognition performance.

Peripheral Administration of GSK-3β Antisense Oligonucleotide Improves Learning and Memory in SAMP8 and Tg2576 Mouse Models of Alzheimer's Disease.

PubMed

Farr, Susan A; Sandoval, Karin E; Niehoff, Michael L; Witt, Ken A; Kumar, Vijaya B; Morley, John E

2016-10-18

Glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3β is a multifunctional protein that has been implicated in the pathological characteristics of Alzheimer's disease (AD), including the heightened levels of neurofibrillary tangles, amyloid-beta (Aβ), and neurodegeneration. We have previously shown that an antisense oligonucleotide directed at the Tyr 216 site on GSK-3β (GAO) when injected centrally can decrease GSK-3β levels, improve learning and memory, and decrease oxidative stress. In addition, we showed that GAO can cross the blood-brain barrier. Herein the impact of peripherally administered GAO in both the non-transgenic SAMP8 and transgenic Tg2576 (APPswe) models of AD were examined respective to learning and memory. Brain tissues were then evaluated for expression changes in the phosphorylated-Tyr 216 residue, which leads to GSK-3β activation, and the phosphorylated-Ser9 residue, which reduces GSK-3β activity. SAMP8 GAO-treated mice showed improved acquisition and retention using aversive T-maze, and improved declarative memory as measured by the novel object recognition (NOR) test. Expression of the phosphorylated-Tyr 216 was decreased and the phosphorylated-Ser9 was increased in GAO-treated SAMP8 mice. Tg2576 GAO-treated mice improved acquisition and retention in both the T-maze and NOR tests, with an increased phosphorylated-Ser9 GSK-3β expression. Results demonstrate that peripheral administration of GAO improves learning and memory, corresponding with alterations in GSK-3β phosphorylation state. This study supports peripherally administered GAO as a viable means to mediate GSK-3β activity within the brain and a possible treatment for AD.

Learning through student-authored interactive media: A mixed methods exploration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakai-Miller, Sharon (Sam)

2009-12-01

The purpose of this study was to improve student achievement in science and proficiency in information and communication technologies (ICT), which are vital 21st century workforce skills. Instead of isolating the issues, the study proposed an integrated solution that applied the constructivist approach to help students learn about a unit in biology using three software applications to create interactive, self-correcting eModules within a two-week period. Research questions focused on the effectiveness of the instructional strategy, the experience of students authoring eModules, obstacles they encountered, and the role of the teacher. Fifty-one out of the possible 55 eleventh and twelfth grade students in the two Advanced Biology classes consented to participate in the study. A comparison of pre and post-test scores showed an average 547% improvement. Students with low initial scores of 10% or less improved an average of 1229%. Ten students (20%) went from 20% or below on the pre-test to 80% or above on the post-test, and were analyzed as a subgroup called "big gainers." Student journals and exit surveys were explored to understand the process students followed to develop eModules. The majority of student responses in the exit survey (85%) described the overall experience as a positive one. Journals showed how students were able to follow the process of creating a concept map using Inspiration software, converting the outline into a PowerPoint slide show, editing the slides and importing them into Adobe Captivate files, inserting self-correcting questions, completing their eModules, and submitting them to their teacher. Students identified obstacles they encountered to help them to problem solve and provided data for improving the instructional strategy. Addressing technology learning objectives within the context and pacing of a content area class was accomplished, but it required providing a collaborative learning environment, an appropriate task, mediating tools, and assessment. The data analysis suggests that the instructional strategy of student-authored eModules had a positive impact on learning science content and ICT proficiencies. Historically students have been consumers of interactive media or producers of presentational media. This study suggests that they will learn more when they are the authors of interactive media.

Modeling trial by trial and block feedback in perceptual learning

PubMed Central

Liu, Jiajuan; Dosher, Barbara; Lu, Zhong-Lin

2014-01-01

Feedback has been shown to play a complex role in visual perceptual learning. It is necessary for performance improvement in some conditions while not others. Different forms of feedback, such as trial-by-trial feedback or block feedback, may both facilitate learning, but with different mechanisms. False feedback can abolish learning. We account for all these results with the Augmented Hebbian Reweight Model (AHRM). Specifically, three major factors in the model advance performance improvement: the external trial-by-trial feedback when available, the self-generated output as an internal feedback when no external feedback is available, and the adaptive criterion control based on the block feedback. Through simulating a comprehensive feedback study (Herzog & Fahle 1997, Vision Research, 37 (15), 2133–2141), we show that the model predictions account for the pattern of learning in seven major feedback conditions. The AHRM can fully explain the complex empirical results on the role of feedback in visual perceptual learning. PMID:24423783

Utilization of Illustrations during Learning of Science Textbook Passages among Low- and High-Ability Children.

PubMed

Hannus; Hyönä

1999-04-01

Effects of illustrations on learning authentic textbook materials were studied among 10-year-old elementary school children of high and low intellectual ability. Experiment 1 showed that the presence of illustrations improved learning of illustrated text content, but not that of nonillustrated text content. Comprehension scores were improved by the presence of illustrations for high-ability children, but not for low-ability children. In Experiment 2, children's eye movements were measured during learning of illustrated textbook passages to study how children divide their attention between text and illustrations. The results suggest that learning is heavily driven by the text and that children inspect illustrations only minimally. High-ability students were more strategic in processing in the sense that they spent relatively more time on pertinent segments of text and illustrations. It is concluded that the learning of illustrated science textbook materials involves requirements that may be more readily met by more intellectually capable students. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.

Effects of Simulation With Problem-Based Learning Program on Metacognition, Team Efficacy, and Learning Attitude in Nursing Students: Nursing Care With Increased Intracranial Pressure Patient.

PubMed

Lee, Myung-Nam; Nam, Kyung-Dong; Kim, Hyeon-Young

2017-03-01

Nursing care for patients with central nervous system problems requires advanced professional knowledge and care skills. Nursing students are more likely to have difficulty in dealing with adult patients who have severe neurological problems in clinical practice. This study investigated the effect on the metacognition, team efficacy, and learning attitude of nursing students after an integrated simulation and problem-based learning program. A real scenario of a patient with increased intracranial pressure was simulated for the students. The results showed that this method was effective in improving the metacognitive ability of the students. Furthermore, we used this comprehensive model of simulation with problem-based learning in order to assess the consequences of student satisfaction with the nursing major, interpersonal relationships, and importance of simulation-based education in relation to the effectiveness of the integrated simulation with problem-based learning. The results can be used to improve the design of clinical practicum and nursing education.

Rethinking the learning of belief network probabilities

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

Musick, R.

Belief networks are a powerful tool for knowledge discovery that provide concise, understandable probabilistic models of data. There are methods grounded in probability theory to incrementally update the relationships described by the belief network when new information is seen, to perform complex inferences over any set of variables in the data, to incorporate domain expertise and prior knowledge into the model, and to automatically learn the model from data. This paper concentrates on part of the belief network induction problem, that of learning the quantitative structure (the conditional probabilities), given the qualitative structure. In particular, the current practice of rotemore » learning the probabilities in belief networks can be significantly improved upon. We advance the idea of applying any learning algorithm to the task of conditional probability learning in belief networks, discuss potential benefits, and show results of applying neutral networks and other algorithms to a medium sized car insurance belief network. The results demonstrate from 10 to 100% improvements in model error rates over the current approaches.« less

Cholesterol and Copper Affect Learning and Memory in the Rabbit

PubMed Central

Schreurs, Bernard G.

2013-01-01

A rabbit model of Alzheimer's disease based on feeding a cholesterol diet for eight weeks shows sixteen hallmarks of the disease including beta amyloid accumulation and learning and memory changes. Although we have shown that feeding 2% cholesterol and adding copper to the drinking water can retard learning, other studies have shown that feeding dietary cholesterol before learning can improve acquisition and feeding cholesterol after learning can degrade long-term memory. We explore the development of this model, the issues surrounding the role of copper, and the particular contributions of the late D. Larry Sparks. PMID:24073355

Theories of willpower affect sustained learning.

PubMed

Miller, Eric M; Walton, Gregory M; Dweck, Carol S; Job, Veronika; Trzesniewski, Kali H; McClure, Samuel M

2012-01-01

Building cognitive abilities often requires sustained engagement with effortful tasks. We demonstrate that beliefs about willpower-whether willpower is viewed as a limited or non-limited resource-impact sustained learning on a strenuous mental task. As predicted, beliefs about willpower did not affect accuracy or improvement during the initial phases of learning; however, participants who were led to view willpower as non-limited showed greater sustained learning over the full duration of the task. These findings highlight the interactive nature of motivational and cognitive processes: motivational factors can substantially affect people's ability to recruit their cognitive resources to sustain learning over time.

Theories of Willpower Affect Sustained Learning

PubMed Central

Miller, Eric M.; Walton, Gregory M.; Dweck, Carol S.; Job, Veronika; Trzesniewski, Kali H.; McClure, Samuel M.

2012-01-01

Building cognitive abilities often requires sustained engagement with effortful tasks. We demonstrate that beliefs about willpower–whether willpower is viewed as a limited or non-limited resource–impact sustained learning on a strenuous mental task. As predicted, beliefs about willpower did not affect accuracy or improvement during the initial phases of learning; however, participants who were led to view willpower as non-limited showed greater sustained learning over the full duration of the task. These findings highlight the interactive nature of motivational and cognitive processes: motivational factors can substantially affect people’s ability to recruit their cognitive resources to sustain learning over time. PMID:22745675

Teaching Secondary Mathematics with ICT. Learning & Teaching with ICT

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnston-Wilder, Sue; Pimm, David

2004-01-01

This book shows the reader how to use Information and Communication Technology (ICT) effectively to enhance the teaching of mathematics in the secondary school. It explains which forms of technology can be used to improve mathematics teaching and learning, how to get started and where to go for further information. The book includes practical…

Writing Better: Effective Strategies for Teaching Students with Learning Difficulties

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Graham, Steve; Harris, Karen

2005-01-01

Whether they have learning disabilities or just need extra help, struggling writers can improve their skills dramatically if they get the detailed, explicit instruction they need. This practical guidebook shows elementary school teachers how to make this systematic instruction part of their classroom. Educators will find a wide range of specific…

Learning to Write, Writing to Learn: Theory and Research in Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Indrisano, Roselmina, Ed.; Paratore, Jeanne R., Ed.

2005-01-01

Improving the way to teach writing requires deepening one's understanding of the process of writing. Each chapter in this collection brings together the perspectives of a university researcher and a classroom teacher to show explicitly the connection between writing theory, and practice. The book covers writing development in grades K?12 and…

Show Me the Way: Future Faculty Prefer Directive Feedback When Trying Active Learning Approaches

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stephens, Jessica D.; Battle, David C.; Gormally, Cara L.; Brickman, Peggy

2017-01-01

Early training opportunities for future faculty, namely graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, can better prepare them to use active learning approaches. We know that instructional feedback supports sustained change and motivates instructors to improve teaching practices. Here, we incorporate feedback as a key component of a pedagogical…

What Whole Language in the Mainstream Means for Children with Learning Disabilities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scala, Marilyn A.

1993-01-01

Describes how a teacher of children with learning disabilities worked with three regular classroom teachers to teach mainstreamed children in whole-language classrooms. Shows how students' reading abilities, self-esteem, and motivation improved as the lines were blurred between abled and disabled, teacher and specialist, and right and wrong. (SR)

The Importance of Neurological and Cognitive Research for Reading Instruction.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MacRae-Campbell, Linda

New views of intelligence and cognitive learning styles highlight ways to increase educational effectiveness by improving instructional methods. Research shows that both hemispheres of the brain play a role in learning, but evidence indicates that one hemisphere may be more aroused than the other in the case of a particular child. Individuals with…

Early Boost and Slow Consolidation in Motor Skill Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hotermans, Christophe; Peigneux, Philippe; de Noordhout, Alain Maertens; Moonen, Gustave; Maquet, Pierre

2006-01-01

Motor skill learning is a dynamic process that continues covertly after training has ended and eventually leads to delayed increments in performance. Current theories suggest that this off-line improvement takes time and appears only after several hours. Here we show an early transient and short-lived boost in performance, emerging as early as…

Multithreading with separate data to improve the performance of Backpropagation method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dhamma, Mulia; Zarlis, Muhammad; Budhiarti Nababan, Erna

2017-12-01

Backpropagation is one method of artificial neural network that can make a prediction for a new data with learning by supervised of the past data. The learning process of backpropagation method will become slow if we give too much data for backpropagation method to learn the data. Multithreading with a separate data inside of each thread are being used in order to improve the performance of backpropagtion method . Base on the research for 39 data and also 5 times experiment with separate data into 2 thread, the result showed that the average epoch become 6490 when using 2 thread and 453049 epoch when using only 1 thread. The most lowest epoch for 2 thread is 1295 and 1 thread is 356116. The process of improvement is caused by the minimum error from 2 thread that has been compared to take the weight and bias value. This process will be repeat as long as the backpropagation do learning.

Larval antlions show a cognitive ability/hunting efficiency trade-off connected with the level of behavioural asymmetry.

PubMed

Miler, Krzysztof; Kuszewska, Karolina; Zuber, Gabriela; Woyciechowski, Michal

2018-05-14

Recently, antlion larvae with greater behavioural asymmetry were shown to have improved learning abilities. However, a major evolutionary question that remained unanswered was why this asymmetry does not increase in all individuals during development. Here, we show that a trade-off exists between learning ability of larvae and their hunting efficiency. Larvae with greater asymmetry learn better than those with less, but the latter are better able to sense vibrational signals used to detect prey and can capture prey more quickly. Both traits, learning ability and hunting efficiency, present obvious fitness advantages; the trade-off between them may explain why behavioural asymmetry, which presumably stems from brain lateralization, is relatively rare in natural antlion populations.

Using appreciative inquiry to help students identify strategies to overcome handicaps of their learning styles.

PubMed

Kumar, Latha Rajendra; Chacko, Thomas Vengail

2012-01-01

In India, as in some other neighboring Asian countries, students and teachers are generally unaware of the differences in the learning styles among learners, which can handicap students with learning styles alien to the common teaching/learning modality within the institution. This study aims to find out whether making students aware of their learning styles and then using the Appreciative Inquiry approach to help them discover learning strategies that worked for them and others with similar learning styles within the institution made them perceive that this experience improved their learning and performance in exams. The visual, auditory, read-write, and kinesthetic (VARK) inventory of learning styles questionnaire was administered to all 100 first-year medical students of the Father Muller's Medical College in Mangalore India to make them aware of their individual learning styles. An Appreciate Inquiry intervention was administered to 62 student volunteers who were counseled about the different learning styles and their adaptive strategies. Pre and post intervention change in student's perception about usefulness of knowing learning styles on their learning, learning behavior, and performance in examinations was collected from the students using a prevalidated questionnaire. Post intervention mean scores showed a significant change (P < 0.0001) in student's self-perceptions about usefulness of knowing one's learning style and discovering strategies that worked within the institutional environment. There was agreement among students that the intervention helped them become more confident in learning (84%), facilitating learning in general (100%), and in understanding concepts (100%). However, only 29% of the students agreed that the intervention has brought about their capability improvement in application of learning and 31% felt it improved their performance in exams. Appreciate Inquiry was perceived as useful in helping students discover learning strategies that work for different individual learning styles and sharing them within the group helped students choose strategies to help overcome the handicap presented by the school's teaching methods.

Measurement of Usability for Multimedia Interactive Learning Based on Website in Mathematics for SMK

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sukardjo, Moch.; Sugiyanta, Lipur

2018-04-01

Web usability, if evaluation done correctly, can significantly improve the quality of the website. Website containing multimedia for education shoud apply user interfaces that are both easy to learn and easy to use. Multimedia has big role in changing the mindset of a person in learning. Using multimedia, learners get easy to obtain information, adjust information and empower information. Therefore, multimedia is utilized by teachers in developing learning techniques to improve student learning outcomes. For students with self-directed learning, multimedia provides the ease and completeness of the courses in such a way that students can complete the learning independently both at school and at home without the guidance of teachers. The learning independence takes place in how students choose, absorb information, and follow the evaluation quickly and efficiently. The 2013 Curriculum 2013 for Vocational High School (SMK) requires teachers to create engaging teaching and learning activities that students enjoy in the classroom (also called invitation learning environment). The creation of learning activity environment is still problem for most teachers. Various researches reveal that teaching and learning activities will be more effective and easy when assisted by visual tools. Using multimedia, learning material can be presented more attractively that help students understand the material easily. The opposite is found in the learning activity environment who only rely on ordinary lectures. Usability is a quality level of multimedia with easy to learn, easy to use and encourages users to use it. The website Multimedia Interactive Learning for Mathematics SMK Class X is targeted object. Usability website in Multimedia Interactive Learning for Mathematics SMK Class X is important indicators to measure effectiveness, efficiency, and student satisfaction to access the functionality of website. This usability measurement should be done carefully before the design is implemented thoroughly. The only way to get test with high quality results is to start testing at the beginning of the design process and continuously testing each of the next steps. This research performs usability testing on of website by using WAMMI criterion (Website Analysis and Measurement Inventory) and will be focused on how convenience using the website application. Components of Attractiveness, Controllability, Efficiency, Helpfulness, and Learnability are applied. The website in Multimedia Interactive Learning for Mathematics SMK Class X can be in accordance with the purpose to be accepted by student to improve student learning outcomes. The results show that WAMMI method show the usability value of Multimedia Mathematics SMK Class X is about from 70% to 90%.

Quick Guide on Making School Climate Improvements. School Climate Improvement Resource Package

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments, 2016

2016-01-01

Students learn best when they are in environments in which they feel safe, supported, challenged, and accepted. In addition, environments that have strong school climates foster the social, emotional, and academic well-being of all students. Research shows that when schools and districts effectively focus on improving school climate, students are…

Sex Differences in Learned Helplessness: I. Differential Debilitation with Peer and Adult Evaluators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bush, Ellen S.; Dweck, Carol S.

1976-01-01

Peer and adult evaluators were used to examine sex differences in responses of 108 fifth graders to failure feedback. Performance in boys improved with feedback from adult agents but did not change with peer feedback. Performance in girls improved with peer feedback but showed little improvement with adult feedback. (GO)

Use of the 5E learning cycle model combined with problem-based learning for a fundamentals of nursing course.

PubMed

Jun, Won Hee; Lee, Eun Ju; Park, Han Jong; Chang, Ae Kyung; Kim, Mi Ja

2013-12-01

The 5E learning cycle model has shown a positive effect on student learning in science education, particularly in courses with theory and practice components. Combining problem-based learning (PBL) with the 5E learning cycle was suggested as a better option for students' learning of theory and practice. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of the traditional learning method with the 5E learning cycle model with PBL. The control group (n = 78) was subjected to a learning method that consisted of lecture and practice. The experimental group (n = 83) learned by using the 5E learning cycle model with PBL. The results showed that the experimental group had significantly improved self-efficacy, critical thinking, learning attitude, and learning satisfaction. Such an approach could be used in other countries to enhance students' learning of fundamental nursing. Copyright 2013, SLACK Incorporated.

Contextualizing learning to improve care using collaborative communities of practices.

PubMed

Jeffs, Lianne; McShane, Julie; Flintoft, Virginia; White, Peggy; Indar, Alyssa; Maione, Maria; Lopez, A J; Bookey-Bassett, Sue; Scavuzzo, Lauren

2016-09-02

The use of interorganizational, collaborative approaches to build capacity in quality improvement (QI) in health care is showing promise as a useful model for scaling up and accelerating the implementation of interventions that bridge the "know-do" gap to improve clinical care and provider outcomes. Fundamental to a collaborative approach is interorganizational learning whereby organizations acquire, share, and combine knowledge with other organizations and have the opportunity to learn from their respective successes and challenges in improvement areas. This learning approach aims to create the conditions for collaborative, reflective, and innovative experiential systems that enable collective discussions regarding daily practice issues and finding solutions for improvement. The concepts associated with interorganizational learning and deliberate learning activities within a collaborative 'Communities-of-practice'(CoP) approach formed the foundation of the of an interactive QI knowledge translation initiative entitled PERFORM KT. Nine teams participated including seven teams from two acute care hospitals, one from a long term care center, and one from a mental health sciences center. Six monthly CoP learning sessions were held and teams, with the support of an assigned mentor, implemented a QI project and monitored their results which were presented at an end of project symposium. 47 individuals participated in either a focus group or a personal interview. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using an iterative content analysis. Four key themes emerged from the narrative dataset around experiences and perceptions associated with the PERFORM KT initiative: 1) being successful and taking it to other levels by being systematic, structured, and mentored; 2) taking it outside the comfort zone by being exposed to new concepts and learning together; 3) hearing feedback, exchanging stories, and getting new ideas; and 4) having a pragmatic and accommodating approach to apply new learnings in local contexts. Study findings offer insights into collaborative, inter-organizational CoP learning approaches to build QI capabilities amongst clinicians, staff, and managers. In particular, our study delineates the need to contextualize QI learning by using deliberate learning activities to balance systematic and structured approaches alongside pragmatic and accommodating approaches with expert mentors.

Effect of Internet-Based Cognitive Apprenticeship Model (i-CAM) on Statistics Learning among Postgraduate Students

PubMed Central

Saadati, Farzaneh; Ahmad Tarmizi, Rohani

2015-01-01

Because students’ ability to use statistics, which is mathematical in nature, is one of the concerns of educators, embedding within an e-learning system the pedagogical characteristics of learning is ‘value added’ because it facilitates the conventional method of learning mathematics. Many researchers emphasize the effectiveness of cognitive apprenticeship in learning and problem solving in the workplace. In a cognitive apprenticeship learning model, skills are learned within a community of practitioners through observation of modelling and then practice plus coaching. This study utilized an internet-based Cognitive Apprenticeship Model (i-CAM) in three phases and evaluated its effectiveness for improving statistics problem-solving performance among postgraduate students. The results showed that, when compared to the conventional mathematics learning model, the i-CAM could significantly promote students’ problem-solving performance at the end of each phase. In addition, the combination of the differences in students' test scores were considered to be statistically significant after controlling for the pre-test scores. The findings conveyed in this paper confirmed the considerable value of i-CAM in the improvement of statistics learning for non-specialized postgraduate students. PMID:26132553

Tracking-Learning-Detection.

PubMed

Kalal, Zdenek; Mikolajczyk, Krystian; Matas, Jiri

2012-07-01

This paper investigates long-term tracking of unknown objects in a video stream. The object is defined by its location and extent in a single frame. In every frame that follows, the task is to determine the object's location and extent or indicate that the object is not present. We propose a novel tracking framework (TLD) that explicitly decomposes the long-term tracking task into tracking, learning, and detection. The tracker follows the object from frame to frame. The detector localizes all appearances that have been observed so far and corrects the tracker if necessary. The learning estimates the detector's errors and updates it to avoid these errors in the future. We study how to identify the detector's errors and learn from them. We develop a novel learning method (P-N learning) which estimates the errors by a pair of "experts": (1) P-expert estimates missed detections, and (2) N-expert estimates false alarms. The learning process is modeled as a discrete dynamical system and the conditions under which the learning guarantees improvement are found. We describe our real-time implementation of the TLD framework and the P-N learning. We carry out an extensive quantitative evaluation which shows a significant improvement over state-of-the-art approaches.

Mathematics Literacy on Problem Based Learning with Indonesian Realistic Mathematics Education Approach Assisted E-Learning Edmodo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wardono; Waluya, S. B.; Mariani, Scolastika; Candra D, S.

2016-02-01

This study aims to find out that there are differences in mathematical literacy ability in content Change and Relationship class VII Junior High School 19, Semarang by Problem Based Learning (PBL) model with an Indonesian Realistic Mathematics Education (called Pendidikan Matematika Realistik Indonesia or PMRI in Indonesia) approach assisted Elearning Edmodo, PBL with a PMRI approach, and expository; to know whether the group of students with learning PBL models with PMRI approach and assisted E-learning Edmodo can improve mathematics literacy; to know that the quality of learning PBL models with a PMRI approach assisted E-learning Edmodo has a good category; to describe the difficulties of students in working the problems of mathematical literacy ability oriented PISA. This research is a mixed methods study. The population was seventh grade students of Junior High School 19, Semarang Indonesia. Sample selection is done by random sampling so that the selected experimental class 1, class 2 and the control experiment. Data collected by the methods of documentation, tests and interviews. From the results of this study showed average mathematics literacy ability of students in the group PBL models with a PMRI approach assisted E-learning Edmodo better than average mathematics literacy ability of students in the group PBL models with a PMRI approach and better than average mathematics literacy ability of students in the expository models; Mathematics literacy ability in the class using the PBL model with a PMRI approach assisted E-learning Edmodo have increased and the improvement of mathematics literacy ability is higher than the improvement of mathematics literacy ability of class that uses the model of PBL learning with PMRI approach and is higher than the improvement of mathematics literacy ability of class that uses the expository models; The quality of learning using PBL models with a PMRI approach assisted E-learning Edmodo have very good category.

School Gardens Enhance Academic Performance and Dietary Outcomes in Children.

PubMed

Berezowitz, Claire K; Bontrager Yoder, Andrea B; Schoeller, Dale A

2015-08-01

Schools face increasing demands to provide education on healthy living and improve core academic performance. Although these appear to be competing concerns, they may interact beneficially. This article focuses on school garden programs and their effects on students' academic and dietary outcomes. Database searches in CABI, Web of Science, Web of Knowledge, PubMed, Education Full Text, Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), and PsychINFO were conducted through May 2013 for peer-reviewed literature related to school-day garden interventions with measures of dietary and/or academic outcomes. Among 12 identified garden studies with dietary measures, all showed increases/improvements in predictors of fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption. Seven of these also included self-reported FV intake with 5 showing an increase and 2 showing no change. Four additional interventions that included a garden component measured academic outcomes; of these, 2 showed improvements in science achievement and 1 measured and showed improvements in math scores. This small set of studies offers evidence that garden-based learning does not negatively impact academic performance or FV consumption and may favorably impact both. Additional studies with more robust experimental designs and outcome measures are necessary to understand the effects of experiential garden-based learning on children's academic and dietary outcomes. © 2015, American School Health Association.

Combined uridine and choline administration improves cognitive deficits in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

PubMed

De Bruin, N M W J; Kiliaan, A J; De Wilde, M C; Broersen, L M

2003-07-01

Rationale. Hypertension is considered a risk factor for the development of cognitive disorders, because of its negative effects on cerebral vasculature and blood flow. Genetically induced hypertension in rats has been associated with a range of cognitive impairments. Therefore, spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) can potentially be used as a model for cognitive deficits in human subjects. Consecutively, it can be determined whether certain food components can improve cognition in these rats. Objective. The present study aimed to determine whether SHR display specific deficits in attention, learning, and memory function. Additionally, effects of chronic uridine and choline administration were studied. Methods. 5-7 months old SHR were compared with normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) and Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. (a) The operant delayed non-matching-to-position (DNMTP) test was used to study short-term memory function. (b) The five-choice serial reaction time (5-CSRT) task was used to assess selective visual attention processes. (c) Finally, the Morris water maze (MWM) acquisition was used as a measure for spatial learning and mnemonic capabilities. Results. (1) SHR exhibited significantly impaired performance in the 5-CSRT test in comparison with the two other rat strains. Both the SHR and WKY showed deficits in spatial learning when compared with the SD rats. (2) Uridine and choline supplementation normalized performance of SHR in the 5-CSRT test. (3) In addition, uridine and choline treatment improved MWM acquisition in both WKY and SHR rats. Conclusion. The present results show that the SHR have a deficiency in visual selective attention and spatial learning. Therefore, the SHR may provide an interesting model in the screening of substances with therapeutic potential for treatment of cognitive disorders. A combination of uridine and choline administration improved selective attention and spatial learning in SHR.

Learning by Doing Approach in the Internet Environment to Improve the Teaching Efficiency of Information Technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, X.-S.; Xie, Hua

This paper presents a learning-by-doing method in the Internet environment to enhance the results of information technology education by experimental work in the classroom of colleges. In this research, an practical approach to apply the "learning by doing" paradigm in Internet-based learning, both for higher educational environments and life-long training systems, taking into account available computer and network resources, such as blogging, podcasting, social networks, wiki etc. We first introduce the different phases in the learning process, which aimed at showing to the readers that the importance of the learning by doing paradigm, which is not implemented in many Internet-based educational environments. Secondly, we give the concept of learning by doing in the different perfective. Then, we identify the most important trends in this field, and give a real practical case for the application of this approach. The results show that the attempt methods are much better than traditional teaching methods.

How Does the Low-Rank Matrix Decomposition Help Internal and External Learnings for Super-Resolution.

PubMed

Wang, Shuang; Yue, Bo; Liang, Xuefeng; Jiao, Licheng

2018-03-01

Wisely utilizing the internal and external learning methods is a new challenge in super-resolution problem. To address this issue, we analyze the attributes of two methodologies and find two observations of their recovered details: 1) they are complementary in both feature space and image plane and 2) they distribute sparsely in the spatial space. These inspire us to propose a low-rank solution which effectively integrates two learning methods and then achieves a superior result. To fit this solution, the internal learning method and the external learning method are tailored to produce multiple preliminary results. Our theoretical analysis and experiment prove that the proposed low-rank solution does not require massive inputs to guarantee the performance, and thereby simplifying the design of two learning methods for the solution. Intensive experiments show the proposed solution improves the single learning method in both qualitative and quantitative assessments. Surprisingly, it shows more superior capability on noisy images and outperforms state-of-the-art methods.

The effectiveness of CCDSR learning model to improve skills of creating lesson plan and worksheet science process skill (SPS) for pre-service physics teacher

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Limatahu, I.; Sutoyo, S.; Wasis; Prahani, B. K.

2018-03-01

In the previous research, CCDSR (Condition, Construction, Development, Simulation, and Reflection) learning model has been developed to improve science process skills for pre-service physics teacher. This research is aimed to analyze the effectiveness of CCDSR learning model towards the improvement skills of creating lesson plan and worksheet of Science Process Skill (SPS) for pre-service physics teacher in academic year 2016/2017. This research used one group pre-test and post-test design on 12 pre-service physics teacher at Physics Education, University of Khairun. Data collection was conducted through test and observation. Creating lesson plan and worksheet SPS skills of pre-service physics teacher measurement were conducted through Science Process Skill Evaluation Sheet (SPSES). The data analysis technique was done by Wilcoxon t-test and n-gain. The CCDSR learning model consists of 5 phases, including (1) Condition, (2) Construction, (3) Development, (4) Simulation, and (5) Reflection. The results showed that there was a significant increase in creating lesson plan and worksheet SPS skills of pre-service physics teacher at α = 5% and n-gain average of moderate category. Thus, the CCDSR learning model is effective for improving skills of creating lesson plan and worksheet SPS for pre-service physics teacher.

Integration of Traditional and E-Learning Methods to Improve Learning Outcomes for Dental Students in Histopathology.

PubMed

Ariana, Armin; Amin, Moein; Pakneshan, Sahar; Dolan-Evans, Elliot; Lam, Alfred K

2016-09-01

Dental students require a basic ability to explain and apply general principles of pathology to systemic, dental, and oral pathology. Although there have been recent advances in electronic and online resources, the academic effectiveness of using self-directed e-learning tools in pathology courses for dental students is unclear. The aim of this study was to determine if blended learning combining e-learning with traditional learning methods of lectures and tutorials would improve students' scores and satisfaction over those who experienced traditional learning alone. Two consecutive cohorts of Bachelor of Dentistry and Oral Health students taking the general pathology course at Griffith University in Australia were compared. The control cohort experienced traditional methods only, while members of the study cohort were also offered self-directed learning materials including online resources and online microscopy classes. Final assessments for the course were used to compare the differences in effectiveness of the intervention, and students' satisfaction with the teaching format was evaluated using questionnaires. On the final course assessments, students in the study cohort had significantly higher scores than students in the control cohort (p<0.01). Analysis of questionnaire results showed improved student satisfaction with the course in the study cohort. These findings suggest that the use of e-learning tools such as virtual microscopy and interactive online resources for delivering pathology instruction can be an effective supplement for developing dental students' competence, confidence, and satisfaction.

There is plenty of room for motor learning at the bottom of the Fugl-Meyer: Acquisition of a novel bimanual wheelchair skill after chronic stroke using an unmasking technology.

PubMed

Sarigul-Klijn, Yasemin; Lobo-Prat, Joan; Smith, Brendan W; Thayer, Sage; Zondervan, Daniel; Chan, Vicky; Stoller, Oliver; Reinkensmeyer, David J

2017-07-01

Many people with a stroke have a severely paretic arm, and it is often assumed that they are unable to learn novel, skilled behaviors that incorporate use of that arm. Here, we show that a group of people with chronic stroke (n = 5, upper extremity Fugl-Meyer scores: 31, 30, 26, 22, 8) learned to use their impaired arm to propel a novel, yoked-clutch lever drive wheelchair. Over six daily training sessions, each involving about 134 training movements with their "useless" arm, the users gradually achieved a 3-fold increase in wheelchair speed on average, with a 4-6 fold increase for three of the participants. They did this by learning a bimanual skill: pushing the levers with both arms while activating the yoked-clutches at the right time with their ipsilesional (i.e. "good") hand to propel the wheelchair forward. They perceived the task as highly motivating and useful. The speed improvements exceeded a 1.5-factor improvement observed when young, unimpaired users learned to propel the chair. The learning rate also exceeded a sample of learning rates from a variety of classic learning studies. These results suggest that appropriately-designed assistive technologies (or "unmasking technologies - UTs") can unleash a powerful, latent ability for motor learning even for severely paretic arms. While UTs may not reduce clinical impairment, they may facilitate large improvements in a specific functional ability.

Healthcare students' experiences when integrating e-learning and flipped classroom instructional approaches.

PubMed

Telford, Mark; Senior, Emma

2017-06-08

This article describes the experiences of undergraduate healthcare students taking a module adopting a 'flipped classroom' approach. Evidence suggests that flipped classroom as a pedagogical tool has the potential to enhance student learning and to improve healthcare practice. This innovative approach was implemented within a healthcare curriculum and in a module looking at public health delivered at the beginning of year two of a 3-year programme. The focus of the evaluation study was on the e-learning resources used in the module and the student experiences of these; with a specific aim to evaluate this element of the flipped classroom approach. A mixed-methods approach was adopted and data collected using questionnaires, which were distributed across a whole cohort, and a focus group involving ten participants. Statistical analysis of the data showed the positive student experience of engaging with e-learning. The thematic analysis identified two key themes; factors influencing a positive learning experience and the challenges when developing e-learning within a flipped classroom approach. The study provides guidance for further developments and improvements when developing e-learning as part of the flipped classroom approach.

Development of Interactive Learning Media on Kinetic Gas Theory at SMAN 2 Takalar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yanti, M.; Ihsan, N.; Subaer

2017-02-01

Learning media is the one of the most factor in supporting successfully in the learning process. The purpose of this interactive media is preparing students to improve skills in laboratory practice without need for assistance and are not bound by time and place. The subject of this study was 30 students grade XI IPA SMAN 2 Takalar. This paper discuss about the development of learning media based in theory of gas kinetic. This media designed to assist students in learning independently. This media made using four software, they are Microsoft word, Snagit Editor, Macromedia Flash Player and Lectora. This media are interactive, dynamic and could support the users desires to learn and understand course of gas theory. The development produce followed the four D models. Consisted of definition phase, design phase, development phase and disseminate phase. The results showed 1) the media were valid and reliable, 2) learning tools as well as hardcopy and softcopy which links to website 3) activity learners above 80% and 4) according to the test results, the concept of comprehension of student was improved than before given interactive media.

Problem Based Learning and the scientific process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schuchardt, Daniel Shaner

This research project was developed to inspire students to constructively use problem based learning and the scientific process to learn middle school science content. The student population in this study consisted of male and female seventh grade students. Students were presented with authentic problems that are connected to physical and chemical properties of matter. The intent of the study was to have students use the scientific process of looking at existing knowledge, generating learning issues or questions about the problems, and then developing a course of action to research and design experiments to model resolutions to the authentic problems. It was expected that students would improve their ability to actively engage with others in a problem solving process to achieve a deeper understanding of Michigan's 7th Grade Level Content Expectations, the Next Generation Science Standards, and a scientific process. Problem based learning was statistically effective in students' learning of the scientific process. Students statistically showed improvement on pre to posttest scores. The teaching method of Problem Based Learning was effective for seventh grade science students at Dowagiac Middle School.

Computer-enhanced visual learning method: a paradigm to teach and document surgical skills.

PubMed

Maizels, Max; Mickelson, Jennie; Yerkes, Elizabeth; Maizels, Evelyn; Stork, Rachel; Young, Christine; Corcoran, Julia; Holl, Jane; Kaplan, William E

2009-09-01

Changes in health care are stimulating residency training programs to develop new methods for teaching surgical skills. We developed Computer-Enhanced Visual Learning (CEVL) as an innovative Internet-based learning and assessment tool. The CEVL method uses the educational procedures of deliberate practice and performance to teach and learn surgery in a stylized manner. CEVL is a learning and assessment tool that can provide students and educators with quantitative feedback on learning a specific surgical procedure. Methods involved examine quantitative data of improvement in surgical skills. Herein, we qualitatively describe the method and show how program directors (PDs) may implement this technique in their residencies. CEVL allows an operation to be broken down into teachable components. The process relies on feedback and remediation to improve performance, with a focus on learning that is applicable to the next case being performed. CEVL has been shown to be effective for teaching pediatric orchiopexy and is being adapted to additional adult and pediatric procedures and to office examination skills. The CEVL method is available to other residency training programs.

Computer-Enhanced Visual Learning Method: A Paradigm to Teach and Document Surgical Skills

PubMed Central

Maizels, Max; Mickelson, Jennie; Yerkes, Elizabeth; Maizels, Evelyn; Stork, Rachel; Young, Christine; Corcoran, Julia; Holl, Jane; Kaplan, William E.

2009-01-01

Innovation Changes in health care are stimulating residency training programs to develop new methods for teaching surgical skills. We developed Computer-Enhanced Visual Learning (CEVL) as an innovative Internet-based learning and assessment tool. The CEVL method uses the educational procedures of deliberate practice and performance to teach and learn surgery in a stylized manner. Aim of Innovation CEVL is a learning and assessment tool that can provide students and educators with quantitative feedback on learning a specific surgical procedure. Methods involved examine quantitative data of improvement in surgical skills. Herein, we qualitatively describe the method and show how program directors (PDs) may implement this technique in their residencies. Results CEVL allows an operation to be broken down into teachable components. The process relies on feedback and remediation to improve performance, with a focus on learning that is applicable to the next case being performed. CEVL has been shown to be effective for teaching pediatric orchiopexy and is being adapted to additional adult and pediatric procedures and to office examination skills. The CEVL method is available to other residency training programs. PMID:21975716

Rapid Improvement in Visual Selective Attention Related to Action Video Gaming Experience.

PubMed

Qiu, Nan; Ma, Weiyi; Fan, Xin; Zhang, Youjin; Li, Yi; Yan, Yuening; Zhou, Zhongliang; Li, Fali; Gong, Diankun; Yao, Dezhong

2018-01-01

A central issue in cognitive science is understanding how learning induces cognitive and neural plasticity, which helps illuminate the biological basis of learning. Research in the past few decades showed that action video gaming (AVG) offered new, important perspectives on learning-related cognitive and neural plasticity. However, it is still unclear whether cognitive and neural plasticity is observable after a brief AVG session. Using behavioral and electrophysiological measures, this study examined the plasticity of visual selective attention (VSA) associated with a 1 h AVG session. Both AVG experts and non-experts participated in this study. Their VSA was assessed prior to and after the AVG session. Within-group comparisons on the participants' performance before and after the AVG session showed improvements in response time in both groups and modulations of electrophysiological measures in the non-experts. Furthermore, between-group comparisons showed that the experts had superior VSA, relative to the non-experts, prior to the AVG session. These findings suggested an association between the plasticity of VSA and AVG. Most importantly, this study showed that the plasticity of VSA was observable after even a 1 h AVG session.

Rapid Improvement in Visual Selective Attention Related to Action Video Gaming Experience

PubMed Central

Qiu, Nan; Ma, Weiyi; Fan, Xin; Zhang, Youjin; Li, Yi; Yan, Yuening; Zhou, Zhongliang; Li, Fali; Gong, Diankun; Yao, Dezhong

2018-01-01

A central issue in cognitive science is understanding how learning induces cognitive and neural plasticity, which helps illuminate the biological basis of learning. Research in the past few decades showed that action video gaming (AVG) offered new, important perspectives on learning-related cognitive and neural plasticity. However, it is still unclear whether cognitive and neural plasticity is observable after a brief AVG session. Using behavioral and electrophysiological measures, this study examined the plasticity of visual selective attention (VSA) associated with a 1 h AVG session. Both AVG experts and non-experts participated in this study. Their VSA was assessed prior to and after the AVG session. Within-group comparisons on the participants' performance before and after the AVG session showed improvements in response time in both groups and modulations of electrophysiological measures in the non-experts. Furthermore, between-group comparisons showed that the experts had superior VSA, relative to the non-experts, prior to the AVG session. These findings suggested an association between the plasticity of VSA and AVG. Most importantly, this study showed that the plasticity of VSA was observable after even a 1 h AVG session. PMID:29487514

Amnesic patients show superior generalization in category learning.

PubMed

O'Connell, Garret; Myers, Catherine E; Hopkins, Ramona O; McLaren, R P; Gluck, Mark A; Wills, Andy J

2016-11-01

Generalization is the application of existing knowledge to novel situations. Questions remain about the precise role of the hippocampus in this facet of learning, but a connectionist model by Gluck and Myers (1993) predicts that generalization should be enhanced following hippocampal damage. In a two-category learning task, a group of amnesic patients (n = 9) learned the training items to a similar level of accuracy as matched controls (n = 9). Both groups then classified new items at various levels of distortion. The amnesic group showed significantly more accurate generalization to high-distortion novel items, a difference also present compared to a larger group of unmatched controls (n = 33). The model prediction of a broadening of generalization gradients in amnesia, at least for items near category boundaries, was supported by the results. Our study shows for the first time that amnesia can sometimes improve generalization. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

The effect of an e-learning supported Train-the-Trainer programme on implementation of suicide guidelines in mental health care.

PubMed

de Beurs, Derek P; de Groot, Marieke H; de Keijser, Jos; Mokkenstorm, Jan; van Duijn, Erik; de Winter, Remco F P; Kerkhof, Ad J F M

2015-04-01

Randomized studies examining the effect of training of mental health professionals in suicide prevention guidelines are scarce. We assessed whether professionals benefited from an e-learning supported Train-the-Trainer programme aimed at the application of the Dutch multidisciplinary suicide prevention guideline. 45 psychiatric departments from all over the Netherlands were clustered in pairs and randomized. In the experimental condition, all of the staff of psychiatric departments was trained by peers with an e-learning supported Train-the-Trainer programme. Guideline adherence of individual professionals was measured by means of the response to on-line video fragments. Multilevel analyses were used to establish whether variation between conditions was due to differences between individual professionals or departments. Multilevel analysis showed that the intervention resulted in an improvement of individual professionals. At the 3 month follow-up, professionals who received the intervention showed greater guideline adherence, improved self-perceived knowledge and improved confidence as providers of care than professionals who were only exposed to traditional guideline dissemination. Subgroup analyses showed that improved guideline adherence was found among nurses but not among psychiatrists and psychologists. No significant effect of the intervention on team performance was found. The ICT environment in departments was often technically inadequate when displaying the video clips clip of the survey. This may have caused considerable drop-out and possibly introduced selection bias, as professionals who were strongly affiliated to the theme of the study might have been more likely to finish the study. Our results support the idea that an e-learning supported Train-the-Trainer programme is an effective strategy for implementing clinical guidelines and improving care for suicidal patients. Netherlands Trial Register (NTR3092 www.trialregister.nl). Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Time Course of Task-Specific Memory Consolidation Effects in Resting State Networks

PubMed Central

Sami, Saber; Robertson, Edwin M.

2014-01-01

Previous studies have reported functionally localized changes in resting-state brain activity following a short period of motor learning, but their relationship with memory consolidation and their dependence on the form of learning is unclear. We investigate these questions with implicit or explicit variants of the serial reaction time task (SRTT). fMRI resting-state functional connectivity was measured in human subjects before the tasks, and 0.1, 0.5, and 6 h after learning. There was significant improvement in procedural skill in both groups, with the group learning under explicit conditions showing stronger initial acquisition, and greater improvement at the 6 h retest. Immediately following acquisition, this group showed enhanced functional connectivity in networks including frontal and cerebellar areas and in the visual cortex. Thirty minutes later, enhanced connectivity was observed between cerebellar nuclei, thalamus, and basal ganglia, whereas at 6 h there was enhanced connectivity in a sensory-motor cortical network. In contrast, immediately after acquisition under implicit conditions, there was increased connectivity in a network including precentral and sensory-motor areas, whereas after 30 min a similar cerebello-thalamo-basal ganglionic network was seen as in explicit learning. Finally, 6 h after implicit learning, we found increased connectivity in medial temporal cortex, but reduction in precentral and sensory-motor areas. Our findings are consistent with predictions that two variants of the SRTT task engage dissociable functional networks, although there are also networks in common. We also show a converging and diverging pattern of flux between prefrontal, sensory-motor, and parietal areas, and subcortical circuits across a 6 h consolidation period. PMID:24623776

Inter-Individual Differences in the Initial 80 Minutes of Motor Learning of Handrim Wheelchair Propulsion

PubMed Central

Vegter, Riemer J. K.; Lamoth, Claudine J.; de Groot, Sonja; Veeger, Dirkjan H. E. J.; van der Woude, Lucas H. V.

2014-01-01

Handrim wheelchair propulsion is a cyclic skill that needs to be learned during rehabilitation. Yet it is unclear how inter-individual differences in motor learning impact wheelchair propulsion practice. Therefore we studied how early-identified motor learning styles in novice able-bodied participants impact the outcome of a low-intensity wheelchair-practice intervention. Over a 12-minute pre-test, 39 participants were split in two groups based on a relative 10% increase in mechanical efficiency. Following the pretest the participants continued one of four different low-intensity wheelchair practice interventions, yet all performed in the same trial-setup with a total 80-minute dose at 1.11 m/s at 0.20 W/kg. Instead of focusing on the effect of the different interventions, we focused on differences in motor learning between participants over the intervention. Twenty-six participants started the pretest with a lower mechanical efficiency and a less optimal propulsion technique, but showed a fast improvement during the first 12 minutes and this effect continued over the 80 minutes of practice. Eventually these initially fast improvers benefitted more from the given practice indicated by a better propulsion technique (like reduced frequency and increased stroke angle) and a higher mechanical efficiency. The initially fast improvers also had a higher intra-individual variability in the pre and posttest, which possibly relates to the increased motor learning of the initially fast improvers. Further exploration of the common characteristics of different types of learners will help to better tailor rehabilitation to the needs of wheelchair-dependent persons and improve our understanding of cyclic motor learning processes. PMID:24586992

Treating Anxiety Disorders | NIH MedlinePlus the Magazine

MedlinePlus

... anxiety disorders that shows improved results— Coordinated Anxiety Learning and Management (CALM). CALM includes cognitive behavioral therapy ("talk therapy"), along with medication, tailored ...

Visual search and contextual cueing: differential effects in 10-year-old children and adults.

PubMed

Couperus, Jane W; Hunt, Ruskin H; Nelson, Charles A; Thomas, Kathleen M

2011-02-01

The development of contextual cueing specifically in relation to attention was examined in two experiments. Adult and 10-year-old participants completed a context cueing visual search task (Jiang & Chun, The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 54A(4), 1105-1124, 2001) containing stimuli presented in an attended (e.g., red) and unattended (e.g., green) color. When the spatial configuration of stimuli in the attended and unattended color was invariant and consistently paired with the target location, adult reaction times improved, demonstrating learning. Learning also occurred if only the attended stimuli's configuration remained fixed. In contrast, while 10 year olds, like adults, showed incrementally slower reaction times as the number of attended stimuli increased, they did not show learning in the standard paradigm. However, they did show learning when the ratio of attended to unattended stimuli was high, irrespective of the total number of attended stimuli. Findings suggest children show efficient attentional guidance by color in visual search but differences in contextual cueing.

Use of the challenge point framework to guide motor learning of stepping reactions for improved balance control in people with stroke: a case series.

PubMed

Pollock, Courtney L; Boyd, Lara A; Hunt, Michael A; Garland, S Jayne

2014-04-01

Stepping reactions are important for walking balance and community-level mobility. Stepping reactions of people with stroke are characterized by slow reaction times, poor coordination of motor responses, and low amplitude of movements, which may contribute to their decreased ability to recover their balance when challenged. An important aspect of rehabilitation of mobility after stroke is optimizing the motor learning associated with retraining effective stepping reactions. The Challenge Point Framework (CPF) is a model that can be used to promote motor learning through manipulation of conditions of practice to modify task difficulty, that is, the interaction of the skill of the learner and the difficulty of the task to be learned. This case series illustrates how the retraining of multidirectional stepping reactions may be informed by the CPF to improve balance function in people with stroke. Four people (53-68 years of age) with chronic stroke (>1 year) and mild to moderate motor recovery received 4 weeks of multidirectional stepping reaction retraining. Important tenets of motor learning were optimized for each person during retraining in accordance with the CPF. Participants demonstrated improved community-level walking balance, as determined with the Community Balance and Mobility Scale. These improvements were evident 1 year later. Aspects of balance-related self-efficacy and movement kinematics also showed improvements during the course of the intervention. The application of CPF motor learning principles in the retraining of stepping reactions to improve community-level walking balance in people with chronic stroke appears to be promising. The CPF provides a plausible theoretical framework for the progression of functional task training in neurorehabilitation.

Errorless (re)learning of everyday activities in patients with Korsakoff's syndrome: A feasibility study.

PubMed

Rensen, Yvonne C M; Egger, Jos I M; Westhoff, Josette; Walvoort, Serge J W; Kessels, Roy P C

2017-10-02

Errorless learning has proven to be an effective method for (re)learning tasks in several patient groups with amnesia. However, so far only a handful of studies have examined the effects of errorless learning in patients with Korsakoff's syndrome. The aims of this feasibility study were to (a) examine the effects of errorless learning training on (re)learning tasks in a patient with Korsakoff's syndrome, (b) examine the effects of the nature of the training on the execution of the tasks, and (c) examine characteristics that may mediate learning outcome. Professional caregivers, who were trained in errorless learning principles, taught 51 patients with Korsakoff's syndrome two everyday tasks. Significant improvements in the performance were found after an errorless intervention for different types of trained tasks (activities of daily living, chores, mobility, housekeeping). Moreover, the results of this study suggest that all patients, despite of age, educational level, or level of cognitive functioning, may benefit from errorless learning. The results showed that, despite severe amnesia, patients with Korsakoff's syndrome have the potential to (re)learn everyday skills. Errorless learning might be beneficial for memory rehabilitation in patients with Korsakoff's syndrome in clinical practice. The results of this study are clinically relevant, as successfully learning tasks using errorless learning principles might improve autonomy and independence in the daily lives of patients with Korsakoff's syndrome.

PowerPoint presentation in learning physiology by undergraduates with different learning styles.

PubMed

Ankad, Roopa B; Shashikala, G V; Herur, Anita; Manjula, R; Chinagudi, Surekharani; Patil, Shailaja

2015-12-01

PowerPoint presentations (PPTs) have become routine in medical colleges because of their flexible and varied presentation capabilities. Research indicates that students prefer PPTs over the chalk-and-talk method, and there is a lot of debate over advantages and disadvantages of PPTs. However, there is no clear evidence that PPTs improve student learning/performance. Furthermore, there are a variety of learning styles with sex differences in classrooms. It is the responsibility of teacher/facilitator and student to be aware of learning style preferences to improve learning. The present study asked the following research question: do PPTs equally affect the learning of students with different learning styles in a mixed sex classroom? After we assessed students' predominant learning style according to the sensory modality that one most prefers to use when learning, a test was conducted before and after a PPT to assess student performance. The results were analyzed using Student's t-test and ANOVA with a Bonferroni post hoc test. A z-test showed no sex differences in preferred learning styles. There was significant increase in posttest performance compared with that of the pretest in all types of learners of both sexes. There was also a nonsignificant relationship among sex, learning style, and performance after the PPT. A PPT is equally effective for students with different learning style preferences and supports mixed sex classrooms. Copyright © 2015 The American Physiological Society.

Repetitive Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Induced Excitability Changes of Primary Visual Cortex and Visual Learning Effects-A Pilot Study.

PubMed

Sczesny-Kaiser, Matthias; Beckhaus, Katharina; Dinse, Hubert R; Schwenkreis, Peter; Tegenthoff, Martin; Höffken, Oliver

2016-01-01

Studies on noninvasive motor cortex stimulation and motor learning demonstrated cortical excitability as a marker for a learning effect. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive tool to modulate cortical excitability. It is as yet unknown how tDCS-induced excitability changes and perceptual learning in visual cortex correlate. Our study aimed to examine the influence of tDCS on visual perceptual learning in healthy humans. Additionally, we measured excitability in primary visual cortex (V1). We hypothesized that anodal tDCS would improve and cathodal tDCS would have minor or no effects on visual learning. Anodal, cathodal or sham tDCS were applied over V1 in a randomized, double-blinded design over four consecutive days (n = 30). During 20 min of tDCS, subjects had to learn a visual orientation-discrimination task (ODT). Excitability parameters were measured by analyzing paired-stimulation behavior of visual-evoked potentials (ps-VEP) and by measuring phosphene thresholds (PTs) before and after the stimulation period of 4 days. Compared with sham-tDCS, anodal tDCS led to an improvement of visual discrimination learning (p < 0.003). We found reduced PTs and increased ps-VEP ratios indicating increased cortical excitability after anodal tDCS (PT: p = 0.002, ps-VEP: p = 0.003). Correlation analysis within the anodal tDCS group revealed no significant correlation between PTs and learning effect. For cathodal tDCS, no significant effects on learning or on excitability could be seen. Our results showed that anodal tDCS over V1 resulted in improved visual perceptual learning and increased cortical excitability. tDCS is a promising tool to alter V1 excitability and, hence, perceptual visual learning.

Prolonged Perceptual Learning of Positional Acuity in Adult Amblyopia

PubMed Central

Li, Roger W; Klein, Stanley A; Levi, Dennis M

2009-01-01

Amblyopia is a developmental abnormality that results in physiological alterations in the visual cortex and impairs form vision. It is often successfully treated by patching the sound eye in infants and young children, but is generally considered to be untreatable in adults. However, a number of recent studies suggest that repetitive practice of a visual task using the amblyopic eye results in improved performance in both children and adults with amblyopia. These perceptual learning studies have used relatively brief periods of practice; however, clinical studies have shown that the time-constant for successful patching is long. The time-constant for perceptual learning in amblyopia is still unknown. Here we show that the time-constant for perceptual learning depends on the degree of amblyopia. Severe amblyopia requires more than 50 hours (≈35,000 trials) to reach plateau, yielding as much as a five-fold improvement in performance at a rate of ≈1.5% per hour. There is significant transfer of learning from the amblyopic to the dominant eye, suggesting that the learning reflects alterations in higher decision stages of processing. Using a reverse correlation technique, we document, for the first time, a dynamic retuning of the amblyopic perceptual decision template and a substantial reduction in internal spatial distortion. These results show that the mature amblyopic brain is surprisingly malleable, and point to more intensive treatment methods for amblyopia. PMID:19109504

Implementation of cooperative learning through collaboration with foreign lecturer to improve students' understanding and soft skills in the course of drug delivery system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Syukri, Yandi; Nugroho, Bambang Hernawan

2017-03-01

The course of Drug Delivery Systems is an elective that supports the development of new products in pharmaceutical industry. The existing learning process has been in the form of one-direction face-to-face lecturing. During the lecture, students find it difficult to follow or understand the materials, so they become passive. Also, class effectiveness is low because it cannot develop students' active participation during the learning process. To improve the learning outcomes and to achieve the desired competence, innovations in the learning process should be attempted. This learning model aimed to improve students' understanding of and soft skills in the course of Drug Delivery Systems through a cooperative learning method and collaboration with foreign lecturers. The order of cooperative learning included explaining the desired learning outcomes of each topic, providing reading materials for students to learn when preparing their papers, instructing students to work on group assignments and to help each other to master the lesson through question-answer sessions and discussions among group members, encouraging group presentations, and evaluating through quizzes. The foreign lecturers played a role in enriching teaching materials and providing an international class atmosphere. The students' hard skills assessed from the quiz, midterm exam, and final semester exam showed a minimum score of 70 > 80% in the quiz and final semester exam components, while the midterm exam value with a minimum of 70 > 80% was only 6%. The assessment of soft skills obtained from the students' independence in constructing knowledge to complete assignments and resolve problems indicated such outcomes as each group's better ability to access relevant journals, their active participation in group discussions, discipline to submit assignments, discipline to be punctual, and good communication skills. It can be concluded that cooperative learning method could improve the soft skills of students, and the role of foreign lecturers was successful in providing an international class atmosphere.

Assessment of a Learning Strategy among Spine Surgeons.

PubMed

Gotfryd, Alberto Ofenhejm; Corredor, Jose Alfredo; Teixeira, William Jacobsen; Martins, Delio Eulálio; Milano, Jeronimo; Iutaka, Alexandre Sadao

2017-02-01

Pilot test, observational study. To evaluate objectively the knowledge transfer provided by theoretical and practical activities during AOSpine courses for spine surgeons. During two AOSpine principles courses, 62 participants underwent precourse assessment, which consisted of questions about their professional experience, preferences regarding adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) classification, and classifying the curves by means of the Lenke classification of two AIS clinical cases. Two learning strategies were used during the course. A postcourse questionnaire was applied to reclassify the same deformity cases. Differences in the correct answers of clinical cases between pre- and postcourse were analyzed, revealing the number of participants whose accuracy in classification improved after the course. Analysis showed a decrease in the number of participants with wrong answers in both cases after the course. In the first case, statistically significant differences were observed in both curve pattern (83.3%, p   =  0.005) and lumbar spine modifier (46.6%, p   =  0.049). No statistically significant improvement was seen in the sagittal thoracic modifier (33.3%, p   =  0.309). In the second case, statistical improvement was obtained in curve pattern (27.4%, p   =  0.018). No statistically significant improvement was seen regarding lumbar spine modifier (9.8%, p   =  0.121) and sagittal thoracic modifier (12.9%, p   =  0.081). This pilot test showed objectively that learning strategies used during AOSpine courses improved the participants' knowledge. Teaching strategies must be continually improved to ensure an optimal level of knowledge transfer.

Assessment of a Learning Strategy among Spine Surgeons

PubMed Central

Gotfryd, Alberto Ofenhejm; Teixeira, William Jacobsen; Martins, Delio Eulálio; Milano, Jeronimo; Iutaka, Alexandre Sadao

2017-01-01

Study Design Pilot test, observational study. Objective To evaluate objectively the knowledge transfer provided by theoretical and practical activities during AOSpine courses for spine surgeons. Methods During two AOSpine principles courses, 62 participants underwent precourse assessment, which consisted of questions about their professional experience, preferences regarding adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) classification, and classifying the curves by means of the Lenke classification of two AIS clinical cases. Two learning strategies were used during the course. A postcourse questionnaire was applied to reclassify the same deformity cases. Differences in the correct answers of clinical cases between pre- and postcourse were analyzed, revealing the number of participants whose accuracy in classification improved after the course. Results Analysis showed a decrease in the number of participants with wrong answers in both cases after the course. In the first case, statistically significant differences were observed in both curve pattern (83.3%, p  =  0.005) and lumbar spine modifier (46.6%, p  =  0.049). No statistically significant improvement was seen in the sagittal thoracic modifier (33.3%, p  =  0.309). In the second case, statistical improvement was obtained in curve pattern (27.4%, p  =  0.018). No statistically significant improvement was seen regarding lumbar spine modifier (9.8%, p  =  0.121) and sagittal thoracic modifier (12.9%, p  =  0.081). Conclusion This pilot test showed objectively that learning strategies used during AOSpine courses improved the participants' knowledge. Teaching strategies must be continually improved to ensure an optimal level of knowledge transfer. PMID:28451507

How School Administrators and Board Members Are Improving Learning and Saving Money. Energy-Smart Building Choices.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Department of Energy, Washington, DC.

This guide shows ways that school administrators and board members can contribute to energy choice decisions for educational facilities, and it discusses how reducing operating costs also can create better learning environments. The guide reveals how design guidelines help create high-performance school buildings. It explains the use of energy…

1-to-1 Computing: Project RED's Tools for Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hayes, Jeanne; Greaves, Thomas W.

2013-01-01

Educators have seen the excitement and focus that students show when using digital devices. In hopes of increasing attendance, reducing dropout rates, and improving learning overall, more and more superintendents are driving their districts toward a 1-to-1 environment in which students take control of their own learning. The question is no longer…

Mistakes as Stepping Stones: Effects of Errors on Episodic Memory among Younger and Older Adults

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cyr, Andrée-Ann; Anderson, Nicole D.

2015-01-01

The memorial costs and benefits of trial-and-error learning have clear pedagogical implications for students, and increasing evidence shows that generating errors during episodic learning can improve memory among younger adults. Conversely, the aging literature has found that errors impair memory among healthy older adults and has advocated for…

Teacher Collaborative Learning through the Lesson Study: Identifying Pathways for Instructional Success in a Singapore High School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawrence, Christine Anne; Chong, Wan Har

2010-01-01

Research shows teacher collaborative learning to be a powerful vehicle to mobilise teacher instructional change and pedagogical practices, and to improve student achievement. For such undertakings to have positive impact, understanding the visible features of collaborative structures may not be sufficient to ensure sustainable practice. Instead,…

Affective Education and Foreign Language Learning. The Challenge of Communication. ACTFL Review of Foreign Language Education, Vol. 6.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Disick, Renee S.; Barbanel, Laura

The affective education movement and applications to foreign language learning are surveyed. Affective, or humanistic, education seeks to include self-knowledge, improved interpersonal communication, and clarification of one's values. Research studies show that thinking and feeling are intertwined. Emotion is present in the classroom and cannot be…

Navigating Law School: Paths in Legal Education. Annual Survey Results, 2011

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Law School Survey of Student Engagement, 2011

2011-01-01

The Law School Survey of Student Engagement (LSSSE) focuses on activities that affect learning in law school. This year's results show how law students spend their time, what they think about their experience in law school, and guide schools in their efforts to improve engagement and learning. The selected results are based on responses from more…

Using Music to Improve Task Learning. FPG Snapshot #43

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

FPG Child Development Institute, 2007

2007-01-01

Learning to wash hands, go to the bathroom and other self-care skills are significant steps toward independence for young children. Each step toward independent self-care is a milestone that is expected and valued. However, for young children with autism such steps may not occur naturally. Research shows that songs can assist children with…

Learning efficient visual search for stimuli containing diagnostic spatial configurations and color-shape conjunctions.

PubMed

Reavis, Eric A; Frank, Sebastian M; Tse, Peter U

2018-04-12

Visual search is often slow and difficult for complex stimuli such as feature conjunctions. Search efficiency, however, can improve with training. Search for stimuli that can be identified by the spatial configuration of two elements (e.g., the relative position of two colored shapes) improves dramatically within a few hundred trials of practice. Several recent imaging studies have identified neural correlates of this learning, but it remains unclear what stimulus properties participants learn to use to search efficiently. Influential models, such as reverse hierarchy theory, propose two major possibilities: learning to use information contained in low-level image statistics (e.g., single features at particular retinotopic locations) or in high-level characteristics (e.g., feature conjunctions) of the task-relevant stimuli. In a series of experiments, we tested these two hypotheses, which make different predictions about the effect of various stimulus manipulations after training. We find relatively small effects of manipulating low-level properties of the stimuli (e.g., changing their retinotopic location) and some conjunctive properties (e.g., color-position), whereas the effects of manipulating other conjunctive properties (e.g., color-shape) are larger. Overall, the findings suggest conjunction learning involving such stimuli might be an emergent phenomenon that reflects multiple different learning processes, each of which capitalizes on different types of information contained in the stimuli. We also show that both targets and distractors are learned, and that reversing learned target and distractor identities impairs performance. This suggests that participants do not merely learn to discriminate target and distractor stimuli, they also learn stimulus identity mappings that contribute to performance improvements.

Perceptual Learning in Children With Infantile Nystagmus: Effects on Reading Performance.

PubMed

Huurneman, Bianca; Boonstra, F Nienke; Goossens, Jeroen

2016-08-01

Perceptual learning improves visual acuity and reduces crowding in children with infantile nystagmus (IN). Here, we compare reading performance of 6- to 11-year-old children with IN with normal controls, and evaluate whether perceptual learning improves their reading. Children with IN were divided in two training groups: a crowded training group (n = 18; albinism: n = 8; idiopathic IN: n = 10) and an uncrowded training group (n = 17; albinism: n = 9; idiopathic IN: n = 8). Also 11 children with normal vision participated. Outcome measures were: reading acuity (the smallest readable font size), maximum reading speed, critical print size (font size below which reading is suboptimal), and acuity reserve (difference between reading acuity and critical print size). We used multiple regression analyses to test if these reading parameters were related to the children's uncrowded distance acuity and/or crowding scores. Reading acuity and critical print size were 0.65 ± 0.04 and 0.69 ± 0.08 log units larger for children with IN than for children with normal vision. Maximum reading speed and acuity reserve did not differ between these groups. After training, reading acuity improved by 0.12 ± 0.02 logMAR and critical print size improved by 0.11 ± 0.04 logMAR in both IN training groups. The changes in reading acuity, critical print size, and acuity reserve of children with IN were tightly related to changes in their uncrowded distance acuity and the changes in magnitude and extent of crowding. Our findings are the first to show that visual acuity is not the only factor that restricts reading in children with IN, but that crowding also limits their reading performance. By targeting both of these spatial bottlenecks in children with IN, our perceptual learning paradigms significantly improved their reading acuity and critical print size. This shows that perceptual learning can effectively transfer to reading.

Distributional Learning of Lexical Tones: A Comparison of Attended vs. Unattended Listening.

PubMed

Ong, Jia Hoong; Burnham, Denis; Escudero, Paola

2015-01-01

This study examines whether non-tone language listeners can acquire lexical tone categories distributionally and whether attention in the training phase modulates the effect of distributional learning. Native Australian English listeners were trained on a Thai lexical tone minimal pair and their performance was assessed using a discrimination task before and after training. During Training, participants either heard a Unimodal distribution that would induce a single central category, which should hinder their discrimination of that minimal pair, or a Bimodal distribution that would induce two separate categories that should facilitate their discrimination. The participants either heard the distribution passively (Experiments 1A and 1B) or performed a cover task during training designed to encourage auditory attention to the entire distribution (Experiment 2). In passive listening (Experiments 1A and 1B), results indicated no effect of distributional learning: the Bimodal group did not outperform the Unimodal group in discriminating the Thai tone minimal pairs. Moreover, both Unimodal and Bimodal groups improved above chance on most test aspects from Pretest to Posttest. However, when participants' auditory attention was encouraged using the cover task (Experiment 2), distributional learning was found: the Bimodal group outperformed the Unimodal group on a novel test syllable minimal pair at Posttest relative to at Pretest. Furthermore, the Bimodal group showed above-chance improvement from Pretest to Posttest on three test aspects, while the Unimodal group only showed above-chance improvement on one test aspect. These results suggest that non-tone language listeners are able to learn lexical tones distributionally but only when auditory attention is encouraged in the acquisition phase. This implies that distributional learning of lexical tones is more readily induced when participants attend carefully during training, presumably because they are better able to compute the relevant statistics of the distribution.

Distributional Learning of Lexical Tones: A Comparison of Attended vs. Unattended Listening

PubMed Central

Ong, Jia Hoong; Burnham, Denis; Escudero, Paola

2015-01-01

This study examines whether non-tone language listeners can acquire lexical tone categories distributionally and whether attention in the training phase modulates the effect of distributional learning. Native Australian English listeners were trained on a Thai lexical tone minimal pair and their performance was assessed using a discrimination task before and after training. During Training, participants either heard a Unimodal distribution that would induce a single central category, which should hinder their discrimination of that minimal pair, or a Bimodal distribution that would induce two separate categories that should facilitate their discrimination. The participants either heard the distribution passively (Experiments 1A and 1B) or performed a cover task during training designed to encourage auditory attention to the entire distribution (Experiment 2). In passive listening (Experiments 1A and 1B), results indicated no effect of distributional learning: the Bimodal group did not outperform the Unimodal group in discriminating the Thai tone minimal pairs. Moreover, both Unimodal and Bimodal groups improved above chance on most test aspects from Pretest to Posttest. However, when participants’ auditory attention was encouraged using the cover task (Experiment 2), distributional learning was found: the Bimodal group outperformed the Unimodal group on a novel test syllable minimal pair at Posttest relative to at Pretest. Furthermore, the Bimodal group showed above-chance improvement from Pretest to Posttest on three test aspects, while the Unimodal group only showed above-chance improvement on one test aspect. These results suggest that non-tone language listeners are able to learn lexical tones distributionally but only when auditory attention is encouraged in the acquisition phase. This implies that distributional learning of lexical tones is more readily induced when participants attend carefully during training, presumably because they are better able to compute the relevant statistics of the distribution. PMID:26214002

Abnormality detection of mammograms by discriminative dictionary learning on DSIFT descriptors.

PubMed

Tavakoli, Nasrin; Karimi, Maryam; Nejati, Mansour; Karimi, Nader; Reza Soroushmehr, S M; Samavi, Shadrokh; Najarian, Kayvan

2017-07-01

Detection and classification of breast lesions using mammographic images are one of the most difficult studies in medical image processing. A number of learning and non-learning methods have been proposed for detecting and classifying these lesions. However, the accuracy of the detection/classification still needs improvement. In this paper we propose a powerful classification method based on sparse learning to diagnose breast cancer in mammograms. For this purpose, a supervised discriminative dictionary learning approach is applied on dense scale invariant feature transform (DSIFT) features. A linear classifier is also simultaneously learned with the dictionary which can effectively classify the sparse representations. Our experimental results show the superior performance of our method compared to existing approaches.

Using an improved association rules mining optimization algorithm in web-based mobile-learning system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Yin; Chen, Jianhua; Xiong, Shaojun

2009-07-01

Mobile-Learning (M-learning) makes many learners get the advantages of both traditional learning and E-learning. Currently, Web-based Mobile-Learning Systems have created many new ways and defined new relationships between educators and learners. Association rule mining is one of the most important fields in data mining and knowledge discovery in databases. Rules explosion is a serious problem which causes great concerns, as conventional mining algorithms often produce too many rules for decision makers to digest. Since Web-based Mobile-Learning System collects vast amounts of student profile data, data mining and knowledge discovery techniques can be applied to find interesting relationships between attributes of learners, assessments, the solution strategies adopted by learners and so on. Therefore ,this paper focus on a new data-mining algorithm, combined with the advantages of genetic algorithm and simulated annealing algorithm , called ARGSA(Association rules based on an improved Genetic Simulated Annealing Algorithm), to mine the association rules. This paper first takes advantage of the Parallel Genetic Algorithm and Simulated Algorithm designed specifically for discovering association rules. Moreover, the analysis and experiment are also made to show the proposed method is superior to the Apriori algorithm in this Mobile-Learning system.

Linear decentralized learning control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Soo C.; Longman, Richard W.; Phan, Minh

1992-01-01

The new field of learning control develops controllers that learn to improve their performance at executing a given task, based on experience performing this task. The simplest forms of learning control are based on the same concept as integral control, but operating in the domain of the repetitions of the task. This paper studies the use of such controllers in a decentralized system, such as a robot with the controller for each link acting independently. The basic result of the paper is to show that stability of the learning controllers for all subsystems when the coupling between subsystems is turned off, assures stability of the decentralized learning in the coupled system, provided that the sample time in the digital learning controller is sufficiently short.

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.

The Association Between Effective Dose of Magnesium and Mild Compulsive Exercise on Spatial Learning, Memory, and Motor Activity of Adult Male Rats.

PubMed

Hajizade Ghonsulakandi, Shahnaz; Sheikh, Mahmuod; Dehghan Shasaltaneh, Marzieh; Chopani, Samira; Naghdi, Nasser

2017-08-01

One of the most important survival mechanisms is learning and memory processes. To emphasize the role of physical exercises and magnesium (Mg) in improvement of cognitive performance, we planned to investigate the effect of Mg and mild compulsive exercise on spatial learning and memory of adult male rats. Accordingly, we divided male Wistar rats into four groups: (I) control, (II) Mg treatment, (III) exercise, and (IV) Mg-exercise in the different dosages of Mg (0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2 mmol/kbw) were injected in the form of gavage during 1 week. Also, 1-week mild running on treadmill was used for exercise treatment. The Morris water maze (MWM) test and open field tool were used to evaluate spatial learning, memory, and motor activity, respectively. Our results clearly showed that 1 mmol/kbw Mg was applied as an effective dosage. Strikingly, 1-week mild exercise on treadmill had no significant effect on spatial motor activity, learning, and memory. Feeding 1 mmol/kbw Mg for a week showed a significant difference in learning and exploration stages. Compared to control animals, these results reveal exercise and Mg simultaneously had effect on learning and reminding. As a consequence, although mild exercise had no effect on motor activity and memory, Mg intake improved spatial learning, memory, and locomotor activity. The Mg feeding could be a promising supplemental treatment in the neurodegenerative disease. It is worthwhile to mention consumption of Mg leads to enhancement of memory, so animals find the hidden platform with the highest velocity.

Effectiveness of Test-Enhanced Learning (TEL) in lectures for undergraduate medical students

PubMed Central

Ayyub, Aisha; Mahboob, Usman

2017-01-01

Objective: To determine the effectiveness of Test-Enhanced learning as a learning tool in lectures for undergraduate medical students Method: This quantitative, randomized controlled trial included eighty-four students of 4th year MBBS from Yusra Medical & Dental College, Islamabad. The duration of study was from March 2016 to August 2016. After obtaining the informed consent; participants were equally assigned to interventional and non-interventional study groups through stratified randomization. Single best answer MCQs of special pathology were used as data collection instrument after validation. A pre- and post-test was taken from both groups, before and after the intervention, respectively and their results were compared using SPSS version 21. Results: There were 13 male (31%) and 29 female (69%) participants in each study group who showed an equivalent baseline performance on pre-test (p=0.95). Statistically significant difference was found among mean scores of interventional and non-interventional study groups at exit exam (p=0.00). Interventional group also showed a significant improvement in their post-test scores (mean: 17.17±1.59) as compared to pre-test scores (mean: 6.19±1.81). Conclusions: Test-enhanced learning has significant effect on improving the learning of course content delivered to undergraduate medical students through lectures. PMID:29492055

Active Learning in the Physics Classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naron, Carol

Many students enter physics classes filled with misconceptions about physics concepts. Students tend to retain these misconceptions into their adult lives, even after physics instruction. Constructivist researchers have found that students gain understanding through their experiences. Researchers have also found that active learning practices increase conceptual understanding of introductory physics students. This project study sought to examine whether incorporating active learning practices in an advanced placement physics classroom increased conceptual understanding as measured by the force concept inventory (FCI). Physics students at the study site were given the FCI as both a pre- and posttest. Test data were analyzed using two different methods---a repeated-measures t test and the Hake gain method. The results of this research project showed that test score gains were statistically significant, as measured by the t test. The Hake gain results indicated a low (22.5%) gain for the class. The resulting project was a curriculum plan for teaching the mechanics portion of Advanced Placement (AP) physics B as well as several active learning classroom practices supported by the research. This project will allow AP physics teachers an opportunity to improve their curricular practices. Locally, the results of this project study showed that research participants gained understanding of physics concepts. Social change may occur as teachers implement active learning strategies, thus creating improved student understanding of physics concepts.

Writing Assignments with a Metacognitive Component Enhance Learning in a Large Introductory Biology Course

PubMed Central

Mynlieff, Michelle; Manogaran, Anita L.; St. Maurice, Martin

2014-01-01

Writing assignments, including note taking and written recall, should enhance retention of knowledge, whereas analytical writing tasks with metacognitive aspects should enhance higher-order thinking. In this study, we assessed how certain writing-intensive “interventions,” such as written exam corrections and peer-reviewed writing assignments using Calibrated Peer Review and including a metacognitive component, improve student learning. We designed and tested the possible benefits of these approaches using control and experimental variables across and between our three-section introductory biology course. Based on assessment, students who corrected exam questions showed significant improvement on postexam assessment compared with their nonparticipating peers. Differences were also observed between students participating in written and discussion-based exercises. Students with low ACT scores benefited equally from written and discussion-based exam corrections, whereas students with midrange to high ACT scores benefited more from written than discussion-based exam corrections. Students scored higher on topics learned via peer-reviewed writing assignments relative to learning in an active classroom discussion or traditional lecture. However, students with low ACT scores (17–23) did not show the same benefit from peer-reviewed written essays as the other students. These changes offer significant student learning benefits with minimal additional effort by the instructors. PMID:26086661

Preparing nursing students to be competent for future professional practice: applying the team-based learning-teaching strategy.

PubMed

Cheng, Ching-Yu; Liou, Shwu-Ru; Hsu, Tsui-Hua; Pan, Mei-Yu; Liu, Hsiu-Chen; Chang, Chia-Hao

2014-01-01

Team-based learning (TBL) has been used for many years in business and science, but little research has focused on its application in nursing education. This quasi-experimental study was to apply the TBL in four nursing courses at a university in Taiwan and to evaluate its effect on students' learning outcomes and behaviors. Adult health nursing, maternal-child nursing, community health nursing, and medical-surgical nursing were the 4 designated courses for this study. Three hundred ninety-nine students in 2-year registered nurse-bachelor of science in nursing, and regular 4-year nursing programs enrolled in the designated courses were contacted. Three hundred eighty-seven students agreed to participate in the data collection. Results showed that the TBL significantly improved the learning behaviors of students in both programs, including class engagement (p < .001) and self-directed learning (p < .001). The group readiness assurance test score was significantly higher than the mean individual readiness assurance test (IRAT) score. The final examination score was significantly higher than the IRAT score, which means that TBL is effective in improving students' academic performance. The study revealed that TBL generally improves students' learning behaviors and academic performance. These learning behaviors are important and beneficial for the students' future professional development. The TBL method can be considered for broader application in nursing education. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Learning style-based teaching harvests a superior comprehension of respiratory physiology.

PubMed

Anbarasi, M; Rajkumar, G; Krishnakumar, S; Rajendran, P; Venkatesan, R; Dinesh, T; Mohan, J; Venkidusamy, S

2015-09-01

Students entering medical college generally show vast diversity in their school education. It becomes the responsibility of teachers to motivate students and meet the needs of all diversities. One such measure is teaching students in their own preferred learning style. The present study was aimed to incorporate a learning style-based teaching-learning program for medical students and to reveal its significance and utility. Learning styles of students were assessed online using the visual-auditory-kinesthetic (VAK) learning style self-assessment questionnaire. When respiratory physiology was taught, students were divided into three groups, namely, visual (n = 34), auditory (n = 44), and kinesthetic (n = 28), based on their learning style. A fourth group (the traditional group; n = 40) was formed by choosing students randomly from the above three groups. Visual, auditory, and kinesthetic groups were taught following the appropriate teaching-learning strategies. The traditional group was taught via the routine didactic lecture method. The effectiveness of this intervention was evaluated by a pretest and two posttests, posttest 1 immediately after the intervention and posttest 2 after a month. In posttest 1, one-way ANOVA showed a significant statistical difference (P=0.005). Post hoc analysis showed significance between the kinesthetic group and traditional group (P=0.002). One-way ANOVA showed a significant difference in posttest 2 scores (P < 0.0001). Post hoc analysis showed significance between the three learning style-based groups compared with the traditional group [visual vs. traditional groups (p=0.002), auditory vs. traditional groups (p=0.03), and Kinesthetic vs. traditional groups (p=0.001)]. This study emphasizes that teaching methods tailored to students' style of learning definitely improve their understanding, performance, and retrieval of the subject. Copyright © 2015 The American Physiological Society.

Training directionally selective motion pathways can significantly improve reading efficiency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lawton, Teri

2004-06-01

This study examined whether perceptual learning at early levels of visual processing would facilitate learning at higher levels of processing. This was examined by determining whether training the motion pathways by practicing leftright movement discrimination, as found previously, would improve the reading skills of inefficient readers significantly more than another computer game, a word discrimination game, or the reading program offered by the school. This controlled validation study found that practicing left-right movement discrimination 5-10 minutes twice a week (rapidly) for 15 weeks doubled reading fluency, and significantly improved all reading skills by more than one grade level, whereas inefficient readers in the control groups barely improved on these reading skills. In contrast to previous studies of perceptual learning, these experiments show that perceptual learning of direction discrimination significantly improved reading skills determined at higher levels of cognitive processing, thereby being generalized to a new task. The deficits in reading performance and attentional focus experienced by the person who struggles when reading are suggested to result from an information overload, resulting from timing deficits in the direction-selectivity network proposed by Russell De Valois et al. (2000), that following practice on direction discrimination goes away. This study found that practicing direction discrimination rapidly transitions the inefficient 7-year-old reader to an efficient reader.

Does peer learning or higher levels of e-learning improve learning abilities? A randomized controlled trial

PubMed Central

Worm, Bjarne Skjødt; Jensen, Kenneth

2013-01-01

Background and aims The fast development of e-learning and social forums demands us to update our understanding of e-learning and peer learning. We aimed to investigate if higher, pre-defined levels of e-learning or social interaction in web forums improved students’ learning ability. Methods One hundred and twenty Danish medical students were randomized to six groups all with 20 students (eCases level 1, eCases level 2, eCases level 2+, eTextbook level 1, eTextbook level 2, and eTextbook level 2+). All students participated in a pre-test, Group 1 participated in an interactive case-based e-learning program, while Group 2 was presented with textbook material electronically. The 2+ groups were able to discuss the material between themselves in a web forum. The subject was head injury and associated treatment and observation guidelines in the emergency room. Following the e-learning, all students completed a post-test. Pre- and post-tests both consisted of 25 questions randomly chosen from a pool of 50 different questions. Results All students concluded the study with comparable pre-test results. Students at Level 2 (in both groups) improved statistically significant compared to students at level 1 (p>0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between level 2 and level 2+. However, level 2+ was associated with statistically significant greater student's satisfaction than the rest of the students (p>0.05). Conclusions This study applies a new way of comparing different types of e-learning using a pre-defined level division and the possibility of peer learning. Our findings show that higher levels of e-learning does in fact provide better results when compared with the same type of e-learning at lower levels. While social interaction in web forums increase student satisfaction, learning ability does not seem to change. Both findings are relevant when designing new e-learning materials. PMID:24229729

Does peer learning or higher levels of e-learning improve learning abilities? A randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Worm, Bjarne Skjødt; Jensen, Kenneth

2013-01-01

Background and aims The fast development of e-learning and social forums demands us to update our understanding of e-learning and peer learning. We aimed to investigate if higher, pre-defined levels of e-learning or social interaction in web forums improved students' learning ability. Methods One hundred and twenty Danish medical students were randomized to six groups all with 20 students (eCases level 1, eCases level 2, eCases level 2+, eTextbook level 1, eTextbook level 2, and eTextbook level 2+). All students participated in a pre-test, Group 1 participated in an interactive case-based e-learning program, while Group 2 was presented with textbook material electronically. The 2+ groups were able to discuss the material between themselves in a web forum. The subject was head injury and associated treatment and observation guidelines in the emergency room. Following the e-learning, all students completed a post-test. Pre- and post-tests both consisted of 25 questions randomly chosen from a pool of 50 different questions. Results All students concluded the study with comparable pre-test results. Students at Level 2 (in both groups) improved statistically significant compared to students at level 1 (p>0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between level 2 and level 2+. However, level 2+ was associated with statistically significant greater student's satisfaction than the rest of the students (p>0.05). Conclusions This study applies a new way of comparing different types of e-learning using a pre-defined level division and the possibility of peer learning. Our findings show that higher levels of e-learning does in fact provide better results when compared with the same type of e-learning at lower levels. While social interaction in web forums increase student satisfaction, learning ability does not seem to change. Both findings are relevant when designing new e-learning materials.

REM sleep selectively prunes and maintains new synapses in development and learning.

PubMed

Li, Wei; Ma, Lei; Yang, Guang; Gan, Wen-Biao

2017-03-01

The functions and underlying mechanisms of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep remain unclear. Here we show that REM sleep prunes newly formed postsynaptic dendritic spines of layer 5 pyramidal neurons in the mouse motor cortex during development and motor learning. This REM sleep-dependent elimination of new spines facilitates subsequent spine formation during development and when a new motor task is learned, indicating a role for REM sleep in pruning to balance the number of new spines formed over time. Moreover, REM sleep also strengthens and maintains newly formed spines, which are critical for neuronal circuit development and behavioral improvement after learning. We further show that dendritic calcium spikes arising during REM sleep are important for pruning and strengthening new spines. Together, these findings indicate that REM sleep has multifaceted functions in brain development, learning and memory consolidation by selectively eliminating and maintaining newly formed synapses via dendritic calcium spike-dependent mechanisms.

[Anaesthetists learn--do institutions also learn? Importance of institutional learning and corporate culture in clinics].

PubMed

Schüpfer, G; Gfrörer, R; Schleppers, A

2007-10-01

In only a few contexts is the need for substantial learning more pronounced than in health care. For a health care provider, the ability to learn is essential in a changing environment. Although individual humans are programmed to learn naturally, organisations are not. Learning that is limited to individual professions and traditional approaches to continuing medical education is not sufficient to bring about substantial changes in the learning capacity of an institution. Also, organisational learning is an important issue for anaesthesia departments. Future success of an organisation often depends on new capabilities and competencies. Organisational learning is the capacity or processes within an organisation to maintain or improve performance based on experience. Learning is seen as a system-level phenomenon as it stays in the organisation regardless of the players involved. Experience from other industries shows that learning strategies tend to focus on single loop learning, with relatively little double loop learning and virtually no meta-learning or non-learning. The emphasis on team delivery of health care reinforces the need for team learning. Learning organisations make learning an intrinsic part of their organisations and are a place where people continually learn how to learn together. Organisational learning practice can help to improve existing skills and competencies and to change outdated assumptions, procedures and structures. So far, learning theory has been ignored in medicine, due to a wide variety of complex political, economic, social, organisational culture and medical factors that prevent innovation and resist change. The organisational culture is central to every stage of the learning process. Learning organisations move beyond simple employee training into organisational problem solving, innovation and learning. Therefore, teamwork and leadership are necessary. Successful organisations change the competencies of individuals, the systems, the organisation, the strategy and the culture.

Laparoscopy Instructional Videos: The Effect of Preoperative Compared With Intraoperative Use on Learning Curves.

PubMed

Broekema, Theo H; Talsma, Aaldert K; Wevers, Kevin P; Pierie, Jean-Pierre E N

Previous studies have shown that the use of intraoperative instructional videos has a positive effect on learning laparoscopic procedures. This study investigated the effect of the timing of the instructional videos on learning curves in laparoscopic skills training. After completing a basic skills course on a virtual reality simulator, medical students and residents with less than 1 hour experience using laparoscopic instruments were randomized into 2 groups. Using an instructional video either preoperatively or intraoperatively, both groups then performed 4 repetitions of a standardized task on the TrEndo augmented reality. With the TrEndo, 9 motion analysis parameters (MAPs) were recorded for each session (4 MAPs for each hand and time). These were the primary outcome measurements for performance. The time spent watching the instructional video was also recorded. Improvement in performance was studied within and between groups. Medical Center Leeuwarden, a secondary care hospital located in Leeuwarden, The Netherlands. Right-hand dominant medical student and residents with more than 1 hour experience operating any kind of laparoscopic instruments were participated. A total of 23 persons entered the study, of which 21 completed the study course. In both groups, at least 5 of 9 MAPs showed significant improvements between repetition 1 and 4. When both groups were compared after completion of repetition 4, no significant differences in improvement were detected. The intraoperative group showed significant improvement in 3 MAPs of the left-nondominant-hand, compared with one MAP for the preoperative group. No significant differences in learning curves could be detected between the subjects who used intraoperative instructional videos and those who used preoperative instructional videos. Intraoperative video instruction may result in improved dexterity of the nondominant hand. Copyright © 2016 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Improving the redistribution of the security lessons in healthcare: An evaluation of the Generic Security Template.

PubMed

He, Ying; Johnson, Chris

2015-11-01

The recurrence of past security breaches in healthcare showed that lessons had not been effectively learned across different healthcare organisations. Recent studies have identified the need to improve learning from incidents and to share security knowledge to prevent future attacks. Generic Security Templates (GSTs) have been proposed to facilitate this knowledge transfer. The objective of this paper is to evaluate whether potential users in healthcare organisations can exploit the GST technique to share lessons learned from security incidents. We conducted a series of case studies to evaluate GSTs. In particular, we used a GST for a security incident in the US Veterans' Affairs Administration to explore whether security lessons could be applied in a very different Chinese healthcare organisation. The results showed that Chinese security professional accepted the use of GSTs and that cyber security lessons could be transferred to a Chinese healthcare organisation using this approach. The users also identified the weaknesses and strengths of GSTs, providing suggestions for future improvements. Generic Security Templates can be used to redistribute lessons learned from security incidents. Sharing cyber security lessons helps organisations consider their own practices and assess whether applicable security standards address concerns raised in previous breaches in other countries. The experience gained from this study provides the basis for future work in conducting similar studies in other healthcare organisations. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The effectiveness of problem-based learning on students’ problem solving ability in vector analysis course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mushlihuddin, R.; Nurafifah; Irvan

2018-01-01

The student’s low ability in mathematics problem solving proved to the less effective of a learning process in the classroom. Effective learning was a learning that affects student’s math skills, one of which is problem-solving abilities. Problem-solving capability consisted of several stages: understanding the problem, planning the settlement, solving the problem as planned, re-examining the procedure and the outcome. The purpose of this research was to know: (1) was there any influence of PBL model in improving ability Problem solving of student math in a subject of vector analysis?; (2) was the PBL model effective in improving students’ mathematical problem-solving skills in vector analysis courses? This research was a quasi-experiment research. The data analysis techniques performed from the test stages of data description, a prerequisite test is the normality test, and hypothesis test using the ANCOVA test and Gain test. The results showed that: (1) there was an influence of PBL model in improving students’ math problem-solving abilities in vector analysis courses; (2) the PBL model was effective in improving students’ problem-solving skills in vector analysis courses with a medium category.

Rapid and long-lasting learning of feature binding

PubMed Central

Yashar, Amit; Carrasco, Marisa

2016-01-01

How are features integrated (bound) into objects and how can this process be facilitated? Here we investigated the role of rapid perceptual learning in feature binding and its long-lasting effects. By isolating the contributions of individual features from their conjunctions between training and test displays, we demonstrate for the first time that training can rapidly and substantially improve feature binding. Observers trained on a conjunction search task consisting of a rapid display with one target-conjunction, then tested with a new target-conjunction. Features were the same between training and test displays. Learning transferred to the new target when its conjunction was presented as a distractor, but not when only its component features were presented in different conjunction distractors during training. Training improvement lasted for up to 16 months, but, in all conditions, it was specific to the trained target. Our findings suggest that with short training observers’ ability to bind two specific features into an object is improved, and that this learning effect can last for over a year. Moreover, our findings show that while the short-term learning effect reflects activation of presented items and their binding, long-term consolidation is task specific. PMID:27289484

Collaborative Learning in the Texas Medicaid 1115 Waiver Program.

PubMed

Revere, Lee; Semaan, Adele; Lievsay, Nicole; Hall, Jessica; Wang, Zheng M; Begley, Charles

The Texas Medicaid 1115 Transformation Waiver reforms the state's safety net systems by creating a Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment incentive pool for innovative healthcare delivery. The Waiver supports the design and implementation of transformative projects. As part of the Waiver requirements, regions created Learning Collaboratives to collaborate on project implementation and outcomes. This paper describes the experience of one region in adapting the Institute for Healthcare Improvement Breakthrough Series (IHI BTS) model, as a framework for their Learning Collaborative. Implementation of the Learning Collaborative was systematic, multidimensional, and regularly evaluated. Some features of the IHI model were adapted, specifically longer Plan-Do-Check-Act cycles and the lack of a single clinical focus. This experience demonstrates the ability of a region to improve health from a more diverse perspective than the traditional IHI BTS Collaboratives. Within the region, organizations are connecting, agencies are building continuums of care, and stakeholders are involved in healthcare delivery. The initial stages show a remarkable increase in communication and enhanced relationships between providers. At the end of the 5-year Waiver, evaluation of the impact of the regional and cohort Learning Collaboratives will determine how well the adapted IHI BTS model facilitated improvements in the community's health.

Developing a practice-based learning and improvement curriculum for an academic general surgery residency.

PubMed

O'Connor, Erin S; Mahvi, David M; Foley, Eugene F; Lund, Dennis; McDonald, Robert

2010-04-01

Program directors in surgery are now facing the challenge of incorporating the ACGME's practice-based learning and improvement (PBLI) competency into residency curriculum. We introduced a comprehensive PBLI experience for postgraduate year 2 (PGY2) residents designed to integrate specific competency goals (ie, quality improvement, clinical thinking, and self-directed learning) within the context of residents' clinical practice. Fourteen PGY2 residents participated in a 3-week PBLI curriculum consisting of 3 components: complex clinical decision making, individual learning plan, and quality improvement (QI). To assess how effectively the curriculum addressed these 3 competencies, residents rated their understanding of PBLI by answering a 12-question written survey given pre- and post-rotation. Resident satisfaction was assessed through standard post-rotation evaluations. Analysis of the pre- and post-rotation surveys from the 14 participants showed an increase in all measured elements, including knowledge of PBLI (p < 0.001), ability to assess learning needs (p < 0.001), set learning goals (p < 0.001), understanding of QI concepts (p = 0.001), and experience with QI projects (p < 0.001). Fourteen QI projects were developed. Although many residents found the creation of measurable learning goals to be challenging, the process of identifying strengths and weaknesses enhanced the resident's self-understanding and contributed to overall satisfaction with the rotation. The initial implementation of our PBLI curriculum demonstrated that residents report personal progress in their clinical decision making, self-directed learning, and familiarity with QI. This comprehensive PBLI curriculum was accepted by surgical residents as a valuable part of their training. We are encouraged to continue a clinically grounded PBLI experience for PGY2 residents. Copyright (c) 2010 American College of Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Collaborative Team Teaching Model for a MSW Capstone Course.

PubMed

Moore, Rebecca M; Darby, Kathleen H; Blake, Michelle E

2016-01-01

This exploratory study was embedded in a formative process for the purposes of improving content delivery to an evidence-based practice class, and improving students' performance on a comprehensive exam. A learning and teaching model was utilized by faculty from a three-university collaborative graduate social work program to examine the extent to which course texts and assignments explicitly supported the process, application, and evaluation of evidence-based practices. The model was grounded in a collaborative culture, allowing each faculty to share their collective skills and knowledge across a range of practice settings as they revised the course curriculum. As a result, faculty found they had created a unique community that allowed a wider context for learning and professional development that translated into the classroom. Students enrolled in the revised course across all three universities showed improvement on the comprehensive exam. When faculty themselves invest in collaborative learning and teaching, students benefit.

Role Playing Based on Multicultural for Understanding Fraction in Primary School

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aryanto, S.; Budiarti, T.; Rahmatullah, R.; Utami, S. R.; Jupri, A.

2017-09-01

Multicultural serve as a reference in the development of innovative mathematical learning materials and is expected to be a solution in improving the ability of students in understanding the fraction matter based on social and mathematical approach, so this study aims to determine the improvement of students’ understanding in fraction matter through role playing by integrating multicultural concepts as development learning content. Classroom Action Research conducted on 34 students in elementary school class proves that students’ understanding in fraction matter shows improvement in cycle II as much as 67% of students are able to apply the concept or formula exactly when compared with the result of cycles I of 33%. This research is expected to be the reference of teachers in developing innovative mathematical learning, let alone explicitly, this concept not only emphasizes the cognitive abilities of students, but implicitly can develop their social skills in mathematical perspective.

Inquiry-based Laboratory Activities on Drugs Analysis for High School Chemistry Learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahmawati, I.; Sholichin, H.; Arifin, M.

2017-09-01

Laboratory activity is an important part of chemistry learning, but cookbook instructions is still commonly used. However, the activity with that way do not improve students thinking skill, especially students creativity. This study aims to improve high school students creativity through inquiry-based laboratory on drugs analysis activity. Acid-base titration is used to be method for drugs analysis involving a color changing indicator. The following tools were used to assess the activity achievement: creative thinking test on acid base titration, creative attitude and action observation sheets, questionnaire of inquiry-based lab activities, and interviews. The results showed that the inquiry-based laboratory activity improving students creative thinking, creative attitude and creative action. The students reacted positively to this teaching strategy as demonstrated by results from questionnaire responses and interviews. This result is expected to help teachers to overcome the shortcomings in other laboratory learning.

Comparison of peer-tutoring learning model through problem-solving approach and traditional learning model on the cognitive ability of grade 10 students at SMKN 13 Bandung on the topic of Stoichiometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayat, A. Z.; Wahyu, W.; Kurnia

2018-05-01

This study aims to find out the improvement of cognitive ability of students on the implementation of cooperative learning model of peer-tutoring by using problem-solving approach. The research method used is mix method of Sequential Explanatory strategy and pretest post-test non-equivalent control group design. The participants involved in this study were 68 grade 10 students of Vocational High School in Bandung that consisted of 34 samples of experimental class and 34 samples of control class. The instruments used include written test and questionnaires. The improvement of cognitive ability of students was calculated using the N- gain formula. Differences of two average scores were calculated using t-test at significant level of α = 0.05. The result of study shows that the improvement of cognitive ability in experimental class was significantly different compared to the improvement in the control class at significant level of α = 0.05. The improvement of cognitive ability in experimental class is higher than in control class.

Case-based e-learning to improve the attitude of medical students towards occupational health, a randomised controlled trial.

PubMed

Smits, P B A; de Graaf, L; Radon, K; de Boer, A G; Bos, N R; van Dijk, F J H; Verbeek, J H A M

2012-04-01

Undergraduate medical teaching in occupational health (OH) is a challenge in universities around the world. Case-based e-learning with an attractive clinical context could improve the attitude of medical students towards OH. The study question is whether case-based e-learning for medical students is more effective in improving knowledge, satisfaction and a positive attitude towards OH than non-case-based textbook learning. Participants, 141 second year medical students, were randomised to either case-based e-learning or text-based learning. Outcome measures were knowledge, satisfaction and attitude towards OH, measured at baseline, directly after the intervention, after 1 week and at 3-month follow-up. Of the 141 participants, 130 (92%) completed the questionnaires at short-term follow-up and 41 (29%) at 3-month follow-up. At short-term follow-up, intervention and control groups did not show a significant difference in knowledge nor satisfaction but attitude towards OH was significantly more negative in the intervention group (F=4.041, p=0.047). At 3-month follow-up, there were no significant differences between intervention and control groups for knowledge, satisfaction and attitude. We found a significant decrease in favourable attitude during the internship in the experimental group compared with the control group. There were no significant differences in knowledge or satisfaction between case-based e-learning and text-based learning. The attitude towards OH should be further investigated as an outcome of educational programmes.

Various Cinematic Forms of Educational Videos About the Physical Examination - Are There Differences in the Evaluation by Medical Students?

PubMed

Behrends, Marianne; Stiller, Gerald; Dudzinska, Agnieszka; Schneidewind, Sabine

2016-01-01

To improve medical students' competences in physical examination videos clips were created, with and without an explaining commentary. The uncommented videos show the communication and interaction between physician and patient during a physical examination, the commented videos show the single steps of the physical examination supplemented with an off-screen commentary emphasizing important facts. To investigate whether uncommented and more authentic videos are more helpful to practice a physical examination than commented videos we interviewed 133 students via online surveys. 72% of the students used the uncommented videos for practicing with others, compared to 55% using the commented videos. 37% of the students think that practical skills can be learned better with the uncommented videos. In general, 97% state that the videos helped them to improve their skills. Our findings indicate that the cinematic form of an educational video has an effect on learning behavior, learning success and didactic quality.

Drafting and acting on feedback supports student learning when writing essay assignments.

PubMed

Freestone, Nicholas

2009-06-01

A diverse student population is a relatively recent feature of the higher education system in the United Kingdom. Consequently, it may be thought that more "traditional" types of assessment based around essay writing skills for science undergraduates may be of decreasing value and relevance to contemporary students. This article describes a study in which the process of feedback on, and associated redrafting of, an essay was closely supervised to improve essay writing skills and subsequent exam performance. The results of this study show that students can significantly improve their learning and academic performance, as assessed by final examination mark, by a process that more closely mimics a "real-world" situation of review and redrafting. Additionally, the data show that students benefit from feedback only when this is used appropriately by the student. The article also discusses the continuing importance and relevance of essay writing skills so that writing, and acting upon feedback to do with that writing, remains an integral part of the process of learning.

Unsupervised learning of facial emotion decoding skills.

PubMed

Huelle, Jan O; Sack, Benjamin; Broer, Katja; Komlewa, Irina; Anders, Silke

2014-01-01

Research on the mechanisms underlying human facial emotion recognition has long focussed on genetically determined neural algorithms and often neglected the question of how these algorithms might be tuned by social learning. Here we show that facial emotion decoding skills can be significantly and sustainably improved by practice without an external teaching signal. Participants saw video clips of dynamic facial expressions of five different women and were asked to decide which of four possible emotions (anger, disgust, fear, and sadness) was shown in each clip. Although no external information about the correctness of the participant's response or the sender's true affective state was provided, participants showed a significant increase of facial emotion recognition accuracy both within and across two training sessions two days to several weeks apart. We discuss several similarities and differences between the unsupervised improvement of facial decoding skills observed in the current study, unsupervised perceptual learning of simple stimuli described in previous studies and practice effects often observed in cognitive tasks.

Unsupervised learning of facial emotion decoding skills

PubMed Central

Huelle, Jan O.; Sack, Benjamin; Broer, Katja; Komlewa, Irina; Anders, Silke

2013-01-01

Research on the mechanisms underlying human facial emotion recognition has long focussed on genetically determined neural algorithms and often neglected the question of how these algorithms might be tuned by social learning. Here we show that facial emotion decoding skills can be significantly and sustainably improved by practice without an external teaching signal. Participants saw video clips of dynamic facial expressions of five different women and were asked to decide which of four possible emotions (anger, disgust, fear, and sadness) was shown in each clip. Although no external information about the correctness of the participant’s response or the sender’s true affective state was provided, participants showed a significant increase of facial emotion recognition accuracy both within and across two training sessions two days to several weeks apart. We discuss several similarities and differences between the unsupervised improvement of facial decoding skills observed in the current study, unsupervised perceptual learning of simple visual stimuli described in previous studies and practice effects often observed in cognitive tasks. PMID:24578686

Medial-Frontal Stimulation Enhances Learning in Schizophrenia by Restoring Prediction Error Signaling.

PubMed

Reinhart, Robert M G; Zhu, Julia; Park, Sohee; Woodman, Geoffrey F

2015-09-02

Posterror learning, associated with medial-frontal cortical recruitment in healthy subjects, is compromised in neuropsychiatric disorders. Here we report novel evidence for the mechanisms underlying learning dysfunctions in schizophrenia. We show that, by noninvasively passing direct current through human medial-frontal cortex, we could enhance the event-related potential related to learning from mistakes (i.e., the error-related negativity), a putative index of prediction error signaling in the brain. Following this causal manipulation of brain activity, the patients learned a new task at a rate that was indistinguishable from healthy individuals. Moreover, the severity of delusions interacted with the efficacy of the stimulation to improve learning. Our results demonstrate a causal link between disrupted prediction error signaling and inefficient learning in schizophrenia. These findings also demonstrate the feasibility of nonpharmacological interventions to address cognitive deficits in neuropsychiatric disorders. When there is a difference between what we expect to happen and what we actually experience, our brains generate a prediction error signal, so that we can map stimuli to responses and predict outcomes accurately. Theories of schizophrenia implicate abnormal prediction error signaling in the cognitive deficits of the disorder. Here, we combine noninvasive brain stimulation with large-scale electrophysiological recordings to establish a causal link between faulty prediction error signaling and learning deficits in schizophrenia. We show that it is possible to improve learning rate, as well as the neural signature of prediction error signaling, in patients to a level quantitatively indistinguishable from that of healthy subjects. The results provide mechanistic insight into schizophrenia pathophysiology and suggest a future therapy for this condition. Copyright © 2015 the authors 0270-6474/15/3512232-09$15.00/0.

Interactive Multimedia-Based Animation: A Study of Effectiveness on Fashion Design Technology Learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wiana, W.

2018-01-01

The learning process is believed will reach optimal results if facilitated by diversity of learning’s device from aspects of the approach, method, media or it’s evaluation system, in individually, groups, or as well as classical. One of the learning’s Device can be developed in an attempt to improve the results of the study is Computer Based Learning (CBL). CBL was developed aim to help students to understand the concepts of the learning material which presented interactively by the system and able to provide information and learning process better. This research is closely related to efforts to improve the quality of Fashion design in digital format learning, with specific targets to generate interactive multimedia-based animation as effective media and learning resources for fashion design learning. Applications that are generated may be an option for delivering learning material as well as to engender interest in learning as well as understanding with students against the subject matter so that it can improve the learning achievements of students. The instruments used to collect data is a test sheet of mastering the concept which developed on the basis of indicators understanding the concept of fashion design, the material elements and principles of fashion design as well as application on making fashion design. As for the skills test is done through test performance to making fashion design in digital format. The results of testing against the mastery of concepts and skills of fashion designing in digital formatted shows that experimental group obtained significantly higher qualifications compared to the control group. That means that the use of interactive multimedia-based animation, effective to increased mastery of concepts and skills on making fashion design in digital format.

Piano training in youths with hand motor impairments after damage to the developing brain

PubMed Central

Lampe, Renée; Thienel, Anna; Mitternacht, Jürgen; Blumenstein, Tobias; Turova, Varvara; Alves-Pinto, Ana

2015-01-01

Damage to the developing brain may lead to impairment of the hand motor function and negatively impact on patients’ quality of life. Development of manual dexterity and finger and hand motor function may be promoted by learning to play the piano. The latter brings together music with the intensive training of hand coordination and fine finger mobility. We investigated if learning to play the piano helped to improve hand motor skills in 18 youths with hand motor disorders resulting from damage during early brain development. Participants trained 35–40 minutes twice a week for 18 months with a professional piano teacher. With the use of a Musical Instrument Digital Interface piano, the uniformity of finger strokes could be objectively assessed from the timing of keystrokes. The analysis showed a significant improvement in the uniformity of keystrokes during the training. Furthermore, the youths showed strong motivation and engagement during the study. This is nevertheless an open study, and further studies remain needed to exclude effects of growth and concomitant therapies on the improvements observed and clarify which patients will more likely benefit from learning to play the piano. PMID:26345312

Piano training in youths with hand motor impairments after damage to the developing brain.

PubMed

Lampe, Renée; Thienel, Anna; Mitternacht, Jürgen; Blumenstein, Tobias; Turova, Varvara; Alves-Pinto, Ana

2015-01-01

Damage to the developing brain may lead to impairment of the hand motor function and negatively impact on patients' quality of life. Development of manual dexterity and finger and hand motor function may be promoted by learning to play the piano. The latter brings together music with the intensive training of hand coordination and fine finger mobility. We investigated if learning to play the piano helped to improve hand motor skills in 18 youths with hand motor disorders resulting from damage during early brain development. Participants trained 35-40 minutes twice a week for 18 months with a professional piano teacher. With the use of a Musical Instrument Digital Interface piano, the uniformity of finger strokes could be objectively assessed from the timing of keystrokes. The analysis showed a significant improvement in the uniformity of keystrokes during the training. Furthermore, the youths showed strong motivation and engagement during the study. This is nevertheless an open study, and further studies remain needed to exclude effects of growth and concomitant therapies on the improvements observed and clarify which patients will more likely benefit from learning to play the piano.

Improving the students’ skills in developing geometry learning by building the character of academic atmosphere in Study Program of Elementary School Teacher Universitas Negeri Semarang

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nugraheni, N.; Wahyuningsih

2018-03-01

The purposes of this study for knowing how to improve the character of academic atmosphere to improve the ability in designing geometry learning on Study Program of Elementary School TeacherUniversitas Negeri Semarang students. This research is a classroom action research conducted in two cycles and each cycle consists of two meetings. Each cycle consists of planning, execution, observation, and evaluation. The subjects of this study are lecturers of geometry and students who take geometry course. The technique in collecting data is using test and non-test techniques. The data analysis is done in quantitative and qualitative descriptive analysis. The result of research shows that the lecturers’ activity is in good category and student activity is on very good category. While the students’ learning outcomes are in good category. From the field notes, students are able to perform independent and structured tasks with their full responsibility, hard work, and diligence. It shows that the character of academic atmosphere has increased. It is suggested that a set of task bills so that prerequisites have been owned by the students. Structured tasks should be given to see the students’ ability.

Students' development of astronomy concepts across time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Plummer, Julia Diane

2006-02-01

The National Science Education Standards (NRC, 1996) recommend that students understand the apparent patterns of motion of the sun, moon and stars visible by the end of early elementary school. However, little information exists on students' knowledge of apparent celestial motion or instruction in this area. The goals of this dissertation were to describe children's knowledge of apparent celestial motion across elementary and middle school, explore early elementary students' ability to learn these topics through planetarium instruction, and begin the development of a learning progression for these concepts, First, third, and eighth grade students (N=60) were interviewed using a planetarium-like setting that allowed the students to demonstrate their ideas both verbally and with their own motions on an artificial sky. Analysis of these interviews suggests that students are not making the types of observations of the sky necessary to learn apparent celestial motion and any instruction they may have received has not helped them reach an accurate understanding of most topics. Most students at each grade level could not accurately describe the patterns of motion. Though the older students were more accurate in most of their descriptions than the younger students, in several areas the eighth grade students showed no improvement over the third grade students. The use of kinesthetic learning techniques in a planetarium program was also explored as a method to improve understanding of celestial motion. Pre- and post-interviews were conducted with participants from seven classes of first and second grade students (N=63). Students showed significant improvement in all areas of apparent celestial motion covered by the planetarium program and surpassed the middle school students' understanding of these concepts in most areas. This suggests that students in early elementary school are capable of learning the accurate description of apparent celestial motion. The results demonstrate the value of both kinesthetic learning techniques and the rich visual environment of the planetarium for improved understanding of celestial motion. Based on the results of these studies, I developed a learning progression describing how children may progress through successively more complex ways of understanding apparent celestial motion across elementary grades.

Implementation Learning and Forgetting Curve to Scheduling in Garment Industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muhamad Badri, Huda; Deros, Baba Md; Syahri, M.; Saleh, Chairul; Fitria, Aninda

2016-02-01

The learning curve shows the relationship between time and the cumulative number of units produced which using the mathematical description on the performance of workers in performing repetitive works. The problems of this study is level differences in the labors performance before and after the break which affects the company's production scheduling. The study was conducted in the garment industry, which the aims is to predict the company production scheduling using the learning curve and forgetting curve. By implementing the learning curve and forgetting curve, this paper contributes in improving the labors performance that is in line with the increase in maximum output 3 hours productive before the break are 15 unit product with learning curve percentage in the company is 93.24%. Meanwhile, the forgetting curve improving maximum output 3 hours productive after the break are 11 unit product with the percentage of forgetting curve in the company is 92.96%. Then, the obtained 26 units product on the productive hours one working day is used as the basic for production scheduling.

Classifying Acute Ischemic Stroke Onset Time using Deep Imaging Features

PubMed Central

Ho, King Chung; Speier, William; El-Saden, Suzie; Arnold, Corey W.

2017-01-01

Models have been developed to predict stroke outcomes (e.g., mortality) in attempt to provide better guidance for stroke treatment. However, there is little work in developing classification models for the problem of unknown time-since-stroke (TSS), which determines a patient’s treatment eligibility based on a clinical defined cutoff time point (i.e., <4.5hrs). In this paper, we construct and compare machine learning methods to classify TSS<4.5hrs using magnetic resonance (MR) imaging features. We also propose a deep learning model to extract hidden representations from the MR perfusion-weighted images and demonstrate classification improvement by incorporating these additional imaging features. Finally, we discuss a strategy to visualize the learned features from the proposed deep learning model. The cross-validation results show that our best classifier achieved an area under the curve of 0.68, which improves significantly over current clinical methods (0.58), demonstrating the potential benefit of using advanced machine learning methods in TSS classification. PMID:29854156

Cross-domain expression recognition based on sparse coding and transfer learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Yong; Zhang, Weiyi; Huang, Yong

2017-05-01

Traditional facial expression recognition methods usually assume that the training set and the test set are independent and identically distributed. However, in actual expression recognition applications, the conditions of independent and identical distribution are hardly satisfied for the training set and test set because of the difference of light, shade, race and so on. In order to solve this problem and improve the performance of expression recognition in the actual applications, a novel method based on transfer learning and sparse coding is applied to facial expression recognition. First of all, a common primitive model, that is, the dictionary is learnt. Then, based on the idea of transfer learning, the learned primitive pattern is transferred to facial expression and the corresponding feature representation is obtained by sparse coding. The experimental results in CK +, JAFFE and NVIE database shows that the transfer learning based on sparse coding method can effectively improve the expression recognition rate in the cross-domain expression recognition task and is suitable for the practical facial expression recognition applications.

Effects of peptides from Phascolosoma esculenta on spatial learning and memory via anti-oxidative character in mice.

PubMed

Liu, Lianliang; Cao, Jinxuan; Chen, Jiong; Zhang, Xin; Wu, Zufang; Xiang, Huan

2016-09-19

This study was aimed to evaluate effects of peptides from Phascolosoma esculenta and its ferrous-chelating peptides on spatial learning and memory in mice by Morris water maze test. 100mg/kg peptide on spatial learning and memory function about quadrant time and passing times through the platform better than 50 and 150mg/kg group during exploration period (P<0.05), without body weight between the weight and visual ability. 100mg/kg ferrous-chelating peptide group performed better ability of spatial learning and memory than 100mg/kg peptide group (P<0.05). qRT-PCR results showed that 50 and 100mg/kg administration peptide and 100mg/kg ferrous-chelating peptide can significantly improve mRNA expression of NR2A, NR2B and BDNF with oxidative stress status (GSH-Px, SOD, TAC and MDA), which explained mechanism for improving learning and memory ability in mice via anti-oxidative character. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Perceptual learning increases the strength of the earliest signals in visual cortex.

PubMed

Bao, Min; Yang, Lin; Rios, Cristina; He, Bin; Engel, Stephen A

2010-11-10

Training improves performance on most visual tasks. Such perceptual learning can modify how information is read out from, and represented in, later visual areas, but effects on early visual cortex are controversial. In particular, it remains unknown whether learning can reshape neural response properties in early visual areas independent from feedback arising in later cortical areas. Here, we tested whether learning can modify feedforward signals in early visual cortex as measured by the human electroencephalogram. Fourteen subjects were trained for >24 d to detect a diagonal grating pattern in one quadrant of the visual field. Training improved performance, reducing the contrast needed for reliable detection, and also reliably increased the amplitude of the earliest component of the visual evoked potential, the C1. Control orientations and locations showed smaller effects of training. Because the C1 arises rapidly and has a source in early visual cortex, our results suggest that learning can increase early visual area response through local receptive field changes without feedback from later areas.

Discovery learning with SAVI approach in geometry learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sahara, R.; Mardiyana; Saputro, D. R. S.

2018-05-01

Geometry is one branch of mathematics that an important role in learning mathematics in the schools. This research aims to find out about Discovery Learning with SAVI approach to achievement of learning geometry. This research was conducted at Junior High School in Surakarta city. Research data were obtained through test and questionnaire. Furthermore, the data was analyzed by using two-way Anova. The results showed that Discovery Learning with SAVI approach gives a positive influence on mathematics learning achievement. Discovery Learning with SAVI approach provides better mathematics learning outcomes than direct learning. In addition, students with high self-efficacy categories have better mathematics learning achievement than those with moderate and low self-efficacy categories, while student with moderate self-efficacy categories are better mathematics learning achievers than students with low self-efficacy categories. There is an interaction between Discovery Learning with SAVI approach and self-efficacy toward student's mathematics learning achievement. Therefore, Discovery Learning with SAVI approach can improve mathematics learning achievement.

Action video game play facilitates the development of better perceptual templates.

PubMed

Bejjanki, Vikranth R; Zhang, Ruyuan; Li, Renjie; Pouget, Alexandre; Green, C Shawn; Lu, Zhong-Lin; Bavelier, Daphne

2014-11-25

The field of perceptual learning has identified changes in perceptual templates as a powerful mechanism mediating the learning of statistical regularities in our environment. By measuring threshold-vs.-contrast curves using an orientation identification task under varying levels of external noise, the perceptual template model (PTM) allows one to disentangle various sources of signal-to-noise changes that can alter performance. We use the PTM approach to elucidate the mechanism that underlies the wide range of improvements noted after action video game play. We show that action video game players make use of improved perceptual templates compared with nonvideo game players, and we confirm a causal role for action video game play in inducing such improvements through a 50-h training study. Then, by adapting a recent neural model to this task, we demonstrate how such improved perceptual templates can arise from reweighting the connectivity between visual areas. Finally, we establish that action gamers do not enter the perceptual task with improved perceptual templates. Instead, although performance in action gamers is initially indistinguishable from that of nongamers, action gamers more rapidly learn the proper template as they experience the task. Taken together, our results establish for the first time to our knowledge the development of enhanced perceptual templates following action game play. Because such an improvement can facilitate the inference of the proper generative model for the task at hand, unlike perceptual learning that is quite specific, it thus elucidates a general learning mechanism that can account for the various behavioral benefits noted after action game play.

Action video game play facilitates the development of better perceptual templates

PubMed Central

Bejjanki, Vikranth R.; Zhang, Ruyuan; Li, Renjie; Pouget, Alexandre; Green, C. Shawn; Lu, Zhong-Lin; Bavelier, Daphne

2014-01-01

The field of perceptual learning has identified changes in perceptual templates as a powerful mechanism mediating the learning of statistical regularities in our environment. By measuring threshold-vs.-contrast curves using an orientation identification task under varying levels of external noise, the perceptual template model (PTM) allows one to disentangle various sources of signal-to-noise changes that can alter performance. We use the PTM approach to elucidate the mechanism that underlies the wide range of improvements noted after action video game play. We show that action video game players make use of improved perceptual templates compared with nonvideo game players, and we confirm a causal role for action video game play in inducing such improvements through a 50-h training study. Then, by adapting a recent neural model to this task, we demonstrate how such improved perceptual templates can arise from reweighting the connectivity between visual areas. Finally, we establish that action gamers do not enter the perceptual task with improved perceptual templates. Instead, although performance in action gamers is initially indistinguishable from that of nongamers, action gamers more rapidly learn the proper template as they experience the task. Taken together, our results establish for the first time to our knowledge the development of enhanced perceptual templates following action game play. Because such an improvement can facilitate the inference of the proper generative model for the task at hand, unlike perceptual learning that is quite specific, it thus elucidates a general learning mechanism that can account for the various behavioral benefits noted after action game play. PMID:25385590

Development of Ethnoscience Approach in The Module Theme Substance Additives to Improve the Cognitive Learning Outcome and Student’s entrepreneurship

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sudarmin; Febu, R.; Nuswowati, M.; Sumarni, W.

2017-04-01

Ethnoscience approach is an interesting research today. The purpose of this research is to develop approaches ethnoscience and modules ethnoscience theme additives based ethnoscience; as well as assess the feasibility and effectiveness of module theme additives based ethnoscience to improve learning outcomes and the entrepreneurial character of students. This type of research is the Research and Development (R & D). In this research consist of four stages, namely define, design, development and implementation. The subjects of this study were students of the School of MTs Maarif NU Brebes. Data were analyzed by descriptive qualitative and quantitative. The results showed that ethnoscience approach and the module theme substance additives used declared worthy of National Education Standards Agency (BNSP) with an average percentage of validation on the feasibility aspect of the content, language feasibility, and feasibility of presenting respectively for 94.3%, 86 % and 92% and a very decent entry criteria. The effect of the application modules substance additive based ethnoscience can improve on the cognitive learning classical amounted to 90.63%, and increased learning outcomes category was based on the scores of N-gain. Influence ethnoscience approach application and module theme substances additives based ethnoscience able to improve the entrepreneurial character of students. Based on the results of this study concluded that the ethnoscience approach and module theme substance additives based ethnoscience effective to improve learning outcomes and students’ entrepreneurship.

InSPAL: A Novel Immersive Virtual Learning Programme.

PubMed

Byrne, Julia; Ip, Horace H S; Shuk-Ying Lau, Kate; Chen Li, Richard; Tso, Amy; Choi, Catherine

2015-01-01

In this paper we introduce The Interactive Sensory Program for Affective Learning (InSPAL) a pioneering virtual learning programme designed for the severely intellectually disabled (SID) students, who are having cognitive deficiencies and other sensory-motor handicaps, and thus need more help and attention in overcoming their learning difficulties. Through combining and integrating interactive media and virtual reality technology with the principles of art therapy and relevant pedagogical techniques, InSPAL aims to strengthen SID students' pre-learning abilities, promote their self-awareness, decrease behavioral interferences with learning as well as social interaction, enhance their communication and thus promote their quality of life. Results of our study show that students who went through our programme were more focused, and the ability to do things more independently increased by 15%. Moreover, 50% of the students showed a marked improvement in the ability to raise their hands in response, thus increasing their communication skills. The use of therapeutic interventions enabled a better control to the body, mind and emotions, resulting a greater performance and better participation.

Deep learning improves prediction of CRISPR-Cpf1 guide RNA activity.

PubMed

Kim, Hui Kwon; Min, Seonwoo; Song, Myungjae; Jung, Soobin; Choi, Jae Woo; Kim, Younggwang; Lee, Sangeun; Yoon, Sungroh; Kim, Hyongbum Henry

2018-03-01

We present two algorithms to predict the activity of AsCpf1 guide RNAs. Indel frequencies for 15,000 target sequences were used in a deep-learning framework based on a convolutional neural network to train Seq-deepCpf1. We then incorporated chromatin accessibility information to create the better-performing DeepCpf1 algorithm for cell lines for which such information is available and show that both algorithms outperform previous machine learning algorithms on our own and published data sets.

Active Learning Using Hint Information.

PubMed

Li, Chun-Liang; Ferng, Chun-Sung; Lin, Hsuan-Tien

2015-08-01

The abundance of real-world data and limited labeling budget calls for active learning, an important learning paradigm for reducing human labeling efforts. Many recently developed active learning algorithms consider both uncertainty and representativeness when making querying decisions. However, exploiting representativeness with uncertainty concurrently usually requires tackling sophisticated and challenging learning tasks, such as clustering. In this letter, we propose a new active learning framework, called hinted sampling, which takes both uncertainty and representativeness into account in a simpler way. We design a novel active learning algorithm within the hinted sampling framework with an extended support vector machine. Experimental results validate that the novel active learning algorithm can result in a better and more stable performance than that achieved by state-of-the-art algorithms. We also show that the hinted sampling framework allows improving another active learning algorithm designed from the transductive support vector machine.

Dissociable effects of surprising rewards on learning and memory.

PubMed

Rouhani, Nina; Norman, Kenneth A; Niv, Yael

2018-03-19

Reward-prediction errors track the extent to which rewards deviate from expectations, and aid in learning. How do such errors in prediction interact with memory for the rewarding episode? Existing findings point to both cooperative and competitive interactions between learning and memory mechanisms. Here, we investigated whether learning about rewards in a high-risk context, with frequent, large prediction errors, would give rise to higher fidelity memory traces for rewarding events than learning in a low-risk context. Experiment 1 showed that recognition was better for items associated with larger absolute prediction errors during reward learning. Larger prediction errors also led to higher rates of learning about rewards. Interestingly we did not find a relationship between learning rate for reward and recognition-memory accuracy for items, suggesting that these two effects of prediction errors were caused by separate underlying mechanisms. In Experiment 2, we replicated these results with a longer task that posed stronger memory demands and allowed for more learning. We also showed improved source and sequence memory for items within the high-risk context. In Experiment 3, we controlled for the difficulty of reward learning in the risk environments, again replicating the previous results. Moreover, this control revealed that the high-risk context enhanced item-recognition memory beyond the effect of prediction errors. In summary, our results show that prediction errors boost both episodic item memory and incremental reward learning, but the two effects are likely mediated by distinct underlying systems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Increase in MST activity correlates with visual motion learning: A functional MRI study of perceptual learning

PubMed Central

Larcombe, Stephanie J.; Kennard, Chris

2017-01-01

Abstract Repeated practice of a specific task can improve visual performance, but the neural mechanisms underlying this improvement in performance are not yet well understood. Here we trained healthy participants on a visual motion task daily for 5 days in one visual hemifield. Before and after training, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure the change in neural activity. We also imaged a control group of participants on two occasions who did not receive any task training. While in the MRI scanner, all participants completed the motion task in the trained and untrained visual hemifields separately. Following training, participants improved their ability to discriminate motion direction in the trained hemifield and, to a lesser extent, in the untrained hemifield. The amount of task learning correlated positively with the change in activity in the medial superior temporal (MST) area. MST is the anterior portion of the human motion complex (hMT+). MST changes were localized to the hemisphere contralateral to the region of the visual field, where perceptual training was delivered. Visual areas V2 and V3a showed an increase in activity between the first and second scan in the training group, but this was not correlated with performance. The contralateral anterior hippocampus and bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and frontal pole showed changes in neural activity that also correlated with the amount of task learning. These findings emphasize the importance of MST in perceptual learning of a visual motion task. Hum Brain Mapp 39:145–156, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. PMID:28963815

Efficient differentially private learning improves drug sensitivity prediction.

PubMed

Honkela, Antti; Das, Mrinal; Nieminen, Arttu; Dikmen, Onur; Kaski, Samuel

2018-02-06

Users of a personalised recommendation system face a dilemma: recommendations can be improved by learning from data, but only if other users are willing to share their private information. Good personalised predictions are vitally important in precision medicine, but genomic information on which the predictions are based is also particularly sensitive, as it directly identifies the patients and hence cannot easily be anonymised. Differential privacy has emerged as a potentially promising solution: privacy is considered sufficient if presence of individual patients cannot be distinguished. However, differentially private learning with current methods does not improve predictions with feasible data sizes and dimensionalities. We show that useful predictors can be learned under powerful differential privacy guarantees, and even from moderately-sized data sets, by demonstrating significant improvements in the accuracy of private drug sensitivity prediction with a new robust private regression method. Our method matches the predictive accuracy of the state-of-the-art non-private lasso regression using only 4x more samples under relatively strong differential privacy guarantees. Good performance with limited data is achieved by limiting the sharing of private information by decreasing the dimensionality and by projecting outliers to fit tighter bounds, therefore needing to add less noise for equal privacy. The proposed differentially private regression method combines theoretical appeal and asymptotic efficiency with good prediction accuracy even with moderate-sized data. As already the simple-to-implement method shows promise on the challenging genomic data, we anticipate rapid progress towards practical applications in many fields. This article was reviewed by Zoltan Gaspari and David Kreil.

Implementation of STEAM Education to Improve Mastery Concept

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liliawati, W.; Rusnayati, H.; Purwanto; Aristantia, G.

2018-01-01

Science Technology Engineering, Art, Mathematics (STEAM) is an integration of art into Science Technology Engineering, Mathematics (STEM). Connecting art to science makes learning more effective and innovative. This study aims to determine the increase in mastery of the concept of high school students after the application of STEAM education in learning with the theme of Water and Us. The research method used is one group Pretest-posttest design with students of class VII (n = 37) junior high school. The instrument used in the form of question of mastery of concepts in the form of multiple choices amounted to 20 questions and observation sheet of learning implementation. The results of the study show that there is an increase in conceptualization on the theme of Water and Us which is categorized as medium (=0, 46) after the application of the STEAM approach. The conclusion obtained that by applying STEAM approach in learning can improve the mastery of concept

QML-AiNet: An immune network approach to learning qualitative differential equation models

PubMed Central

Pang, Wei; Coghill, George M.

2015-01-01

In this paper, we explore the application of Opt-AiNet, an immune network approach for search and optimisation problems, to learning qualitative models in the form of qualitative differential equations. The Opt-AiNet algorithm is adapted to qualitative model learning problems, resulting in the proposed system QML-AiNet. The potential of QML-AiNet to address the scalability and multimodal search space issues of qualitative model learning has been investigated. More importantly, to further improve the efficiency of QML-AiNet, we also modify the mutation operator according to the features of discrete qualitative model space. Experimental results show that the performance of QML-AiNet is comparable to QML-CLONALG, a QML system using the clonal selection algorithm (CLONALG). More importantly, QML-AiNet with the modified mutation operator can significantly improve the scalability of QML and is much more efficient than QML-CLONALG. PMID:25648212

QML-AiNet: An immune network approach to learning qualitative differential equation models.

PubMed

Pang, Wei; Coghill, George M

2015-02-01

In this paper, we explore the application of Opt-AiNet, an immune network approach for search and optimisation problems, to learning qualitative models in the form of qualitative differential equations. The Opt-AiNet algorithm is adapted to qualitative model learning problems, resulting in the proposed system QML-AiNet. The potential of QML-AiNet to address the scalability and multimodal search space issues of qualitative model learning has been investigated. More importantly, to further improve the efficiency of QML-AiNet, we also modify the mutation operator according to the features of discrete qualitative model space. Experimental results show that the performance of QML-AiNet is comparable to QML-CLONALG, a QML system using the clonal selection algorithm (CLONALG). More importantly, QML-AiNet with the modified mutation operator can significantly improve the scalability of QML and is much more efficient than QML-CLONALG.

Is Motor Learning Mediated by tDCS Intensity?

PubMed Central

van den Berg, Femke E.; Nitsche, Michael A.; Thijs, Herbert; Wenderoth, Nicole; Meesen, Raf L. J.

2013-01-01

Although tDCS has been shown to improve motor learning, previous studies reported rather small effects. Since physiological effects of tDCS depend on intensity, the present study evaluated this parameter in order to enhance the effect of tDCS on skill acquisition. The effect of different stimulation intensities of anodal tDCS (atDCS) was investigated in a double blind, sham controlled crossover design. In each condition, thirteen healthy subjects were instructed to perform a unimanual motor (sequence) learning task. Our results showed (1) a significant increase in the slope of the learning curve and (2) a significant improvement in motor performance at retention for 1.5 mA atDCS as compared to sham tDCS. No significant differences were reported between 1 mA atDCS and sham tDCS; and between 1.5 mA atDCS and 1 mA atDCS. PMID:23826272

Increasing character value and conservation behavior through integrated ethnoscience chemistry in chemistry learning: A Case Study in The Department of Science Universitas Negeri Semarang.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sudarmin; Sumarni, Woro

2018-04-01

The purpose of this study was to obtain a factual picture of the improvement of students' conservation character and conservation behavior through the application integrated ethnoscience chemistry learning. This research was a case study on students majoring in the Department Of Science Mathematics and Natural Science Faculty Universitas Negeri Semarang. The subjects of the study were 30 students attending ethnoscience course in one of the teacher education institutions in the even semester of the academic year of 2016/2017. The subjects were given chemistry learning integrated into ethnoscience for eight weeks. The technique of data collection was done by using attitude scale arranged based on Likert scale. The data were analyzed by using qualitative descriptive. The results showed that the integrated ethnoscience chemistry learning contributed positively to the improvement of the character value and conservation behavior

Measurement of Employability Skills on Teaching Factory Learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Subekti, S.; Ana, A.

2018-02-01

Vocational High Schools as one of the educational institutions that has the responsibility in preparing skilled labors has a challenge to improve the quality of human resources as a candidate for skilled labors, to compete and survive in a changing climate of work. BPS noted an increase in the number of non-worker population (BAK) in 2015-2017 on vocational graduates as many as 564,272 people. The ability to adapt and maintain jobs in a variety of conditions is called employability skills. This study purpose to measure the development of employability skills of communication skills, problem-solving skills and teamwork skills on the implementation of teaching factory learning in SMK Negeri 1 Cibadak, THPH Skills Program on bakery competency. This research uses mixed method, with concurrent triangulation mix methods research design. Data collection techniques used interviews and questionnaires. The result shows that there are increasing students’ employability skills in communication skills, problem solving skills, and teamwork skills in teaching factory learning. Principles of learning that apply learning by doing student centering and learning arrangements such as situations and conditions in the workplace have an impact on improving student employability skills.

Policy Transfer via Markov Logic Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Torrey, Lisa; Shavlik, Jude

We propose using a statistical-relational model, the Markov Logic Network, for knowledge transfer in reinforcement learning. Our goal is to extract relational knowledge from a source task and use it to speed up learning in a related target task. We show that Markov Logic Networks are effective models for capturing both source-task Q-functions and source-task policies. We apply them via demonstration, which involves using them for decision making in an initial stage of the target task before continuing to learn. Through experiments in the RoboCup simulated-soccer domain, we show that transfer via Markov Logic Networks can significantly improve early performance in complex tasks, and that transferring policies is more effective than transferring Q-functions.

Paintings discrimination by mice: Different strategies for different paintings.

PubMed

Watanabe, Shigeru

2017-09-01

C57BL/6 mice were trained on simultaneous discrimination of paintings with multiple exemplars, using an operant chamber with a touch screen. The number of exemplars was successively increased up to six. Those mice trained in Kandinsky/Mondrian discrimination showed improved learning and generalization, whereas those trained in Picasso/Renoir discrimination showed no improvements in learning or generalization. These results suggest category-like discrimination in the Kandinsky/Mondrian task, but item-to-item discrimination in the Picasso/Renoir task. Mice maintained their discriminative behavior in a pixelization test with various paintings; however, mice in the Picasso/Renoir task showed poor performance in a test that employed scrambling processing. These results do not indicate that discrimination strategy for any Kandinsky/Mondrian combinations differed from that for any Picasso/Monet combinations but suggest the mice employed different strategies of discrimination tasks depending upon stimuli. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Students' Critical Thinking Improvement through "PDEODE" and "STAD" Combination in the Nutrition and Health Lecture

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wulandari, Tabitha Sri Hartati; Amin, Mohamad; Zubaidah, Siti; IAM, Mimien Henie

2017-01-01

Students' critical thinking skills are very important in the 21st century. Learning strategies can play a role in enhancing students' critical thinking skills in the Nutrition and Health lecture. The results of a survey in 2013 showed that the implementation of learning strategies had not given students the opportunity to practice their critical…

A Survey of the Application of Multimedia in the Process of Teaching and Learning in KUiTTHO, Malaysia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kamaruddin, Nafisah Kamariah Md; Hamid, Mohd Zaidi Bin Abdul

2005-01-01

Scientific research shows that the process of remembering done in the human brain is faster when people receive many emphasizes in various forms for a short period. The concept of interactivity in multimedia helps the human brain to improve the process of learning. In addition, different approaches of multimedia make lessons very entertaining…

Making Good Teaching Great: Everyday Strategies for Teaching with Impact

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Breaux, Annette L.; Whitaker, Todd

2012-01-01

Every good teacher strives to be a great teacher--and this must-have book shows you how! It's filled with practical tips and strategies for connecting with your students in a meaningful and powerful way. Learn how to improve student learning with easy-to-implement daily activities designed to integrate seamlessly into any day of the school year.…

Effects and Implications of Mini-Lectures on Learning in First-Semester General Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Toto, Joe; Booth, Kathy

2008-01-01

This study describes the efficacy of a novel tool, mini-lecture movies, in teaching Web based general chemistry. The analysis shows a marked improvement in student learning, as evidenced by a corresponding increase in homework and final exam scores. Students with access to mini-lecture movies scored 11.2% (p = 0.016) higher than students who did…

A Pluriliteracies Approach to Content and Language Integrated Learning--Mapping Learner Progressions in Knowledge Construction and Meaning-Making

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meyer, Oliver; Coyle, Do; Halbach, Ana; Schuck, Kevin; Ting, Teresa

2015-01-01

Over the past decades content and language integrated learning (CLIL) research has predominantly focused on the language proficiency of CLIL learners. The results are very promising and show that working language skills in learners, especially reading and listening skills, can be improved through a CLIL programme. Studies focusing on subject…

A Parallel Controlled Study of the Effectiveness of a Partially Flipped Organic Chemistry Course on Student Performance, Perceptions, and Course Completion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shattuck, James C.

2016-01-01

Organic chemistry is very challenging to many students pursuing science careers. Flipping the classroom presents an opportunity to significantly improve student success by increasing active learning, which research shows is highly beneficial to student learning. However, flipping an entire course may seem too daunting or an instructor may simply…

Problem-Based Learning Used in the Context of Cardiac Rehabilitation: Different Scenes and Different Roles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hjelmfors, Lisa; Abrandt Dahlgren, Madeleine; Kärner, Anita; Tingström, Pia

2014-01-01

Several studies show that how patients have difficulties in changing lifestyle even though such changes are essential because they are suffering from a life-threatening disease. Coronary artery disease (CAD) patients met 13 times during a year and used problem-based learning (PBL) to improve their empowerment and self-efficacy in making lifestyle…

Writing to Learn: Can Reflection Journals Be Used to Promote Self-Reflection and Learning?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lew, Duan Ning Magdeleine; Schmidt, Henk G.

2011-01-01

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate whether there is evidence of reflection in student-written journals and to investigate whether students show improvements in their reflective skills through journal keeping. To that end, the reflection journals of 3460 first-year students enrolled in a polytechnic were studied by means of an…

Use of Weblogs to Enhance Group Learning and Design Creativity amongst Students at a Thai University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Auttawutikul, Siwanit; Wiwitkunkasem, Kasemrut; Smith, Duncan R.

2014-01-01

This study reports on the introduction of weblogs as a part of the teaching environment for Thai students to facilitate group learning and enhance creativity. Assessment of progress was through formal creative thought testing, as well as a questionnaire with both structured and open questions. Results showed a significant improvement in assessed…

How Toddlers Acquire and Transfer Tool Knowledge: Developmental Changes and the Role of Executive Functions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pauen, Sabina; Bechtel-Kuehne, Sabrina

2016-01-01

This report investigates tool learning and its relations to executive functions (EFs) in toddlers. In Study 1 (N = 93), 18-, 20-, 22-, and 24-month-old children learned equally well to choose a correct tool from observation, whereas performance based on feedback improved with age. Knowledge transfer showed significant progress after 22 months of…

Comparing SVM and ANN based Machine Learning Methods for Species Identification of Food Contaminating Beetles.

PubMed

Bisgin, Halil; Bera, Tanmay; Ding, Hongjian; Semey, Howard G; Wu, Leihong; Liu, Zhichao; Barnes, Amy E; Langley, Darryl A; Pava-Ripoll, Monica; Vyas, Himansu J; Tong, Weida; Xu, Joshua

2018-04-25

Insect pests, such as pantry beetles, are often associated with food contaminations and public health risks. Machine learning has the potential to provide a more accurate and efficient solution in detecting their presence in food products, which is currently done manually. In our previous research, we demonstrated such feasibility where Artificial Neural Network (ANN) based pattern recognition techniques could be implemented for species identification in the context of food safety. In this study, we present a Support Vector Machine (SVM) model which improved the average accuracy up to 85%. Contrary to this, the ANN method yielded ~80% accuracy after extensive parameter optimization. Both methods showed excellent genus level identification, but SVM showed slightly better accuracy  for most species. Highly accurate species level identification remains a challenge, especially in distinguishing between species from the same genus which may require improvements in both imaging and machine learning techniques. In summary, our work does illustrate a new SVM based technique and provides a good comparison with the ANN model in our context. We believe such insights will pave better way forward for the application of machine learning towards species identification and food safety.

Teaching statistics in biology: using inquiry-based learning to strengthen understanding of statistical analysis in biology laboratory courses.

PubMed

Metz, Anneke M

2008-01-01

There is an increasing need for students in the biological sciences to build a strong foundation in quantitative approaches to data analyses. Although most science, engineering, and math field majors are required to take at least one statistics course, statistical analysis is poorly integrated into undergraduate biology course work, particularly at the lower-division level. Elements of statistics were incorporated into an introductory biology course, including a review of statistics concepts and opportunity for students to perform statistical analysis in a biological context. Learning gains were measured with an 11-item statistics learning survey instrument developed for the course. Students showed a statistically significant 25% (p < 0.005) increase in statistics knowledge after completing introductory biology. Students improved their scores on the survey after completing introductory biology, even if they had previously completed an introductory statistics course (9%, improvement p < 0.005). Students retested 1 yr after completing introductory biology showed no loss of their statistics knowledge as measured by this instrument, suggesting that the use of statistics in biology course work may aid long-term retention of statistics knowledge. No statistically significant differences in learning were detected between male and female students in the study.

The Playground as Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Santa, Anne

2007-01-01

Recess gives children the freedom and the time to explore the natural world, socialize, and exercise. But in many school systems, recess time is shrinking to make time for test preparation. In support of recess, Anne Santa cites research showing that recess breaks can actually improve learning because student attentiveness improves after a break.…

Undergraduate Medical Academic Performance is Improved by Scientific Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Lili; Zhang, Wei; Wu, Chong; Liu, Zhongming; Cai, Yunfei; Cao, Xingguo; He, Yushan; Liu, Guoxiang; Miao, Hongming

2017-01-01

The effect of scientific training on course learning in undergraduates is still controversial. In this study, we investigated the academic performance of undergraduate students with and without scientific training. The results show that scientific training improves students' test scores in general medical courses, such as biochemistry and…

Closed-Loop Targeted Memory Reactivation during Sleep Improves Spatial Navigation.

PubMed

Shimizu, Renee E; Connolly, Patrick M; Cellini, Nicola; Armstrong, Diana M; Hernandez, Lexus T; Estrada, Rolando; Aguilar, Mario; Weisend, Michael P; Mednick, Sara C; Simons, Stephen B

2018-01-01

Sounds associated with newly learned information that are replayed during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep can improve recall in simple tasks. The mechanism for this improvement is presumed to be reactivation of the newly learned memory during sleep when consolidation takes place. We have developed an EEG-based closed-loop system to precisely deliver sensory stimulation at the time of down-state to up-state transitions during NREM sleep. Here, we demonstrate that applying this technology to participants performing a realistic navigation task in virtual reality results in a significant improvement in navigation efficiency after sleep that is accompanied by increases in the spectral power especially in the fast (12-15 Hz) sleep spindle band. Our results show promise for the application of sleep-based interventions to drive improvement in real-world tasks.

Incremental social learning in particle swarms.

PubMed

de Oca, Marco A Montes; Stutzle, Thomas; Van den Enden, Ken; Dorigo, Marco

2011-04-01

Incremental social learning (ISL) was proposed as a way to improve the scalability of systems composed of multiple learning agents. In this paper, we show that ISL can be very useful to improve the performance of population-based optimization algorithms. Our study focuses on two particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithms: a) the incremental particle swarm optimizer (IPSO), which is a PSO algorithm with a growing population size in which the initial position of new particles is biased toward the best-so-far solution, and b) the incremental particle swarm optimizer with local search (IPSOLS), in which solutions are further improved through a local search procedure. We first derive analytically the probability density function induced by the proposed initialization rule applied to new particles. Then, we compare the performance of IPSO and IPSOLS on a set of benchmark functions with that of other PSO algorithms (with and without local search) and a random restart local search algorithm. Finally, we measure the benefits of using incremental social learning on PSO algorithms by running IPSO and IPSOLS on problems with different fitness distance correlations.

Visual learning with reduced adaptation is eccentricity-specific.

PubMed

Harris, Hila; Sagi, Dov

2018-01-12

Visual learning is known to be specific to the trained target location, showing little transfer to untrained locations. Recently, learning was shown to transfer across equal-eccentricity retinal-locations when sensory adaptation due to repetitive stimulation was minimized. It was suggested that learning transfers to previously untrained locations when the learned representation is location invariant, with sensory adaptation introducing location-dependent representations, thus preventing transfer. Spatial invariance may also fail when the trained and tested locations are at different distance from the center of gaze (different retinal eccentricities), due to differences in the corresponding low-level cortical representations (e.g. allocated cortical area decreases with eccentricity). Thus, if learning improves performance by better classifying target-dependent early visual representations, generalization is predicted to fail when locations of different retinal eccentricities are trained and tested in the absence sensory adaptation. Here, using the texture discrimination task, we show specificity of learning across different retinal eccentricities (4-8°) using reduced adaptation training. The existence of generalization across equal-eccentricity locations but not across different eccentricities demonstrates that learning accesses visual representations preceding location independent representations, with specificity of learning explained by inhomogeneous sensory representation.

Critical Thinking Skills of Students through Mathematics Learning with ASSURE Model Assisted by Software Autograph

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kristianti, Y.; Prabawanto, S.; Suhendra, S.

2017-09-01

This study aims to examine the ability of critical thinking and students who attain learning mathematics with learning model ASSURE assisted Autograph software. The design of this study was experimental group with pre-test and post-test control group. The experimental group obtained a mathematics learning with ASSURE-assisted model Autograph software and the control group acquired the mathematics learning with the conventional model. The data are obtained from the research results through critical thinking skills tests. This research was conducted at junior high school level with research population in one of junior high school student in Subang Regency of Lesson Year 2016/2017 and research sample of class VIII student in one of junior high school in Subang Regency for 2 classes. Analysis of research data is administered quantitatively. Quantitative data analysis was performed on the normalized gain level between the two sample groups using a one-way anova test. The results show that mathematics learning with ASSURE assisted model Autograph software can improve the critical thinking ability of junior high school students. Mathematical learning using ASSURE-assisted model Autograph software is significantly better in improving the critical thinking skills of junior high school students compared with conventional models.

Instructional design in mathematics for undergraduate students based on learning by mistakes approach utilizing scilab assistance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kartika, H.

2018-03-01

The issue related to making mistake while learning such as negative emotion is found while students learn mathematics with the aid of a computer. When the computer output showed a mistake message, the students considered it as a computer software malfunction. Based on this issue, the writer designs an instructional model based on learning by mistake approach and which is Scilab assisted. The method used in this research is research design involving undergraduate students in matrix algebra courses. The data collected throught survey with questionnaire to gain feedback about the approach implemented. The data analyzed using quantitative descriptive. The instructional design proposed is the student act as a mistake corrector while the teacher acts as a mistake maker. Teacher deliberately makes mistakes with the help of Scilab software. On the other hand, students correct, analyze and explain errors resulting from Scilab software. The result of this research is an ICT based instructional design which is expected to be applicable as an alternative learning in directing students to think positively about mistakes in learning. Furthermore, students are also expected to improve their ability in understanding and thinking critically while solving problems and improving themselves in learning mathematics.

Transfer learning improves supervised image segmentation across imaging protocols.

PubMed

van Opbroek, Annegreet; Ikram, M Arfan; Vernooij, Meike W; de Bruijne, Marleen

2015-05-01

The variation between images obtained with different scanners or different imaging protocols presents a major challenge in automatic segmentation of biomedical images. This variation especially hampers the application of otherwise successful supervised-learning techniques which, in order to perform well, often require a large amount of labeled training data that is exactly representative of the target data. We therefore propose to use transfer learning for image segmentation. Transfer-learning techniques can cope with differences in distributions between training and target data, and therefore may improve performance over supervised learning for segmentation across scanners and scan protocols. We present four transfer classifiers that can train a classification scheme with only a small amount of representative training data, in addition to a larger amount of other training data with slightly different characteristics. The performance of the four transfer classifiers was compared to that of standard supervised classification on two magnetic resonance imaging brain-segmentation tasks with multi-site data: white matter, gray matter, and cerebrospinal fluid segmentation; and white-matter-/MS-lesion segmentation. The experiments showed that when there is only a small amount of representative training data available, transfer learning can greatly outperform common supervised-learning approaches, minimizing classification errors by up to 60%.

Addressing uncertainty in atomistic machine learning.

PubMed

Peterson, Andrew A; Christensen, Rune; Khorshidi, Alireza

2017-05-10

Machine-learning regression has been demonstrated to precisely emulate the potential energy and forces that are output from more expensive electronic-structure calculations. However, to predict new regions of the potential energy surface, an assessment must be made of the credibility of the predictions. In this perspective, we address the types of errors that might arise in atomistic machine learning, the unique aspects of atomistic simulations that make machine-learning challenging, and highlight how uncertainty analysis can be used to assess the validity of machine-learning predictions. We suggest this will allow researchers to more fully use machine learning for the routine acceleration of large, high-accuracy, or extended-time simulations. In our demonstrations, we use a bootstrap ensemble of neural network-based calculators, and show that the width of the ensemble can provide an estimate of the uncertainty when the width is comparable to that in the training data. Intriguingly, we also show that the uncertainty can be localized to specific atoms in the simulation, which may offer hints for the generation of training data to strategically improve the machine-learned representation.

Coupled dimensionality reduction and classification for supervised and semi-supervised multilabel learning

PubMed Central

Gönen, Mehmet

2014-01-01

Coupled training of dimensionality reduction and classification is proposed previously to improve the prediction performance for single-label problems. Following this line of research, in this paper, we first introduce a novel Bayesian method that combines linear dimensionality reduction with linear binary classification for supervised multilabel learning and present a deterministic variational approximation algorithm to learn the proposed probabilistic model. We then extend the proposed method to find intrinsic dimensionality of the projected subspace using automatic relevance determination and to handle semi-supervised learning using a low-density assumption. We perform supervised learning experiments on four benchmark multilabel learning data sets by comparing our method with baseline linear dimensionality reduction algorithms. These experiments show that the proposed approach achieves good performance values in terms of hamming loss, average AUC, macro F1, and micro F1 on held-out test data. The low-dimensional embeddings obtained by our method are also very useful for exploratory data analysis. We also show the effectiveness of our approach in finding intrinsic subspace dimensionality and semi-supervised learning tasks. PMID:24532862

Coupled dimensionality reduction and classification for supervised and semi-supervised multilabel learning.

PubMed

Gönen, Mehmet

2014-03-01

Coupled training of dimensionality reduction and classification is proposed previously to improve the prediction performance for single-label problems. Following this line of research, in this paper, we first introduce a novel Bayesian method that combines linear dimensionality reduction with linear binary classification for supervised multilabel learning and present a deterministic variational approximation algorithm to learn the proposed probabilistic model. We then extend the proposed method to find intrinsic dimensionality of the projected subspace using automatic relevance determination and to handle semi-supervised learning using a low-density assumption. We perform supervised learning experiments on four benchmark multilabel learning data sets by comparing our method with baseline linear dimensionality reduction algorithms. These experiments show that the proposed approach achieves good performance values in terms of hamming loss, average AUC, macro F 1 , and micro F 1 on held-out test data. The low-dimensional embeddings obtained by our method are also very useful for exploratory data analysis. We also show the effectiveness of our approach in finding intrinsic subspace dimensionality and semi-supervised learning tasks.

Self-Paced Prioritized Curriculum Learning With Coverage Penalty in Deep Reinforcement Learning.

PubMed

Ren, Zhipeng; Dong, Daoyi; Li, Huaxiong; Chen, Chunlin; Zhipeng Ren; Daoyi Dong; Huaxiong Li; Chunlin Chen; Dong, Daoyi; Li, Huaxiong; Chen, Chunlin; Ren, Zhipeng

2018-06-01

In this paper, a new training paradigm is proposed for deep reinforcement learning using self-paced prioritized curriculum learning with coverage penalty. The proposed deep curriculum reinforcement learning (DCRL) takes the most advantage of experience replay by adaptively selecting appropriate transitions from replay memory based on the complexity of each transition. The criteria of complexity in DCRL consist of self-paced priority as well as coverage penalty. The self-paced priority reflects the relationship between the temporal-difference error and the difficulty of the current curriculum for sample efficiency. The coverage penalty is taken into account for sample diversity. With comparison to deep Q network (DQN) and prioritized experience replay (PER) methods, the DCRL algorithm is evaluated on Atari 2600 games, and the experimental results show that DCRL outperforms DQN and PER on most of these games. More results further show that the proposed curriculum training paradigm of DCRL is also applicable and effective for other memory-based deep reinforcement learning approaches, such as double DQN and dueling network. All the experimental results demonstrate that DCRL can achieve improved training efficiency and robustness for deep reinforcement learning.

Bayesian nonparametric dictionary learning for compressed sensing MRI.

PubMed

Huang, Yue; Paisley, John; Lin, Qin; Ding, Xinghao; Fu, Xueyang; Zhang, Xiao-Ping

2014-12-01

We develop a Bayesian nonparametric model for reconstructing magnetic resonance images (MRIs) from highly undersampled k -space data. We perform dictionary learning as part of the image reconstruction process. To this end, we use the beta process as a nonparametric dictionary learning prior for representing an image patch as a sparse combination of dictionary elements. The size of the dictionary and patch-specific sparsity pattern are inferred from the data, in addition to other dictionary learning variables. Dictionary learning is performed directly on the compressed image, and so is tailored to the MRI being considered. In addition, we investigate a total variation penalty term in combination with the dictionary learning model, and show how the denoising property of dictionary learning removes dependence on regularization parameters in the noisy setting. We derive a stochastic optimization algorithm based on Markov chain Monte Carlo for the Bayesian model, and use the alternating direction method of multipliers for efficiently performing total variation minimization. We present empirical results on several MRI, which show that the proposed regularization framework can improve reconstruction accuracy over other methods.

A National Study Assessing the Teaching and Learning of Introductory Astronomy Part II: Analysis of Student Demographics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rudolph, Alexander; Prather, E. E.; Brissenden, G.; Consiglio, D.; Gonzaga, V.

2010-01-01

This is the second in a series of reports on a national study of the teaching and learning of astronomy in general education, non-science major, introductory college astronomy courses (Astro 101). The results show dramatic improvement in student learning with increased use of interactive learning strategies even after controlling for individual student characteristics. In addition, we find that the positive effects of interactive learning strategies apply equally to men and women, across ethnicities, for students with all levels of prior mathematical preparation and physical science course experience, independent of GPA, and regardless of primary language. These results powerfully illustrate that all categories of students can benefit from the effective implementation of interactive learning strategies.

Active Learning and Cooperative Learning in the Organic Chemistry Lecture Class

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paulson, Donald R.

1999-08-01

Faculty in the physical sciences are one of the academic groups least receptive to the use of active learning strategies and cooperative learning in their classrooms. This is particularly so in traditional lecture classes. It is the objective of this paper to show how effective these techniques can be in improving student performance in classes. The use of active learning strategies and cooperative learning groups in my organic chemistry lecture classes has increased the overall pass rate in my classes by an astounding 20-30% over the traditional lecture mode. This has been accomplished without any reduction in "standards". The actual methods employed are presented as well as a discussion of how I came to radically change the way I teach my classes.

The Effectiveness of Project Based Learning in Trigonometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gerhana, M. T. C.; Mardiyana, M.; Pramudya, I.

2017-09-01

This research aimed to explore the effectiveness of Project-Based Learning (PjBL) with scientific approach viewed from interpersonal intelligence toward students’ achievement learning in mathematics. This research employed quasi experimental research. The subjects of this research were grade X MIPA students in Sleman Yogyakarta. The result of the research showed that project-based learning model is more effective to generate students’ mathematics learning achievement that classical model with scientific approach. This is because in PjBL model students are more able to think actively and creatively. Students are faced with a pleasant atmosphere to solve a problem in everyday life. The use of project-based learning model is expected to be the choice of teachers to improve mathematics education.

Mobile phone application for mathematics learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Supandi; Ariyanto, L.; Kusumaningsih, W.; Aini, A. N.

2018-03-01

This research was aimed to determine the role of the use of Mobile Phone Application (MPA) in Mathematics learning. The Pre and Post-test Quasy Experiment method was applied. The Pre-test was performed to understand the initial capability. In contrast, the Post-test was selected to identify changes in student ability after they were introduced to the application of Mobile Technology. Student responses to the use of this application were evaluated by a questionnaire. Based on the questionnaire, high scores were achieved, indicating the student's interest in this application. Also, learning results showed significant improvement in the learning achievement and the student learning behaviour. It was concluded that education supported by the MPA application gave a positive impact on learning outcomes as well as learning atmosphere both in class and outside the classroom.

The use of an android–based-game in the team assisted individualization to improve students’ creativity and cognitive achievement in chemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sugiyarto, K. H.; Ikhsan, J.; Lukman, I. R.

2018-05-01

The use of information and communication technology (ICT) in learning process resulted in positive impact to students’ output. This research investigated the difference of improvement of students’ creativity and cognitive achievement due to the use of android-based games on Chemistry Nomenclature in learning method of team-assisted individualization (TAI) into the improvement of students’ creativity and cognitive achievement. This was an quasi experiment research with non-equivalent pretest-posttest control group design involving 2 groups of students of X grade of a senior high school in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, SMAN 1 Seyegan, Sleman. The groups were experiment and control which were chosen randomly, involving 32 students in each group. The difference of learning model in the two groups were the use of android-based games within learning model of TAI in the experiment group, but it was only the use of TAI model in control group. The android-based games were developed and validated previously in this investigation, and were excellent in quality for the use in Chemistry learning process, and were reported separately. The data of both students’ creativity and cognitive achievement were measured before and after learning process. Data of students’ creativity were collected with the instruments of questionnaire and observation sheets, and the data of cognitive achievement were collected with a set of test. Statistical analysis of MANOVA was used to analyze data to measure the difference of the improvement of students’ creativity and cognitive achievement between experiment and control groups. The results showed that the improvement of creativity and cognitive achievement of students in the experiment group was higher significantly than that in control group.

Impact of an inquiry unit on grade 4 students' science learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Di Mauro, María Florencia; Furman, Melina

2016-09-01

This paper concerns the identification of teaching strategies that enhance the development of 4th grade students' experimental design skills at a public primary school in Argentina. Students' performance in the design of relevant experiments was evaluated before and after an eight-week intervention compared to a control group, as well as the persistence of this learning after eight months. The study involved a quasi-experimental longitudinal study with pre-test/post-test/delayed post-test measures, complemented with semi-structured interviews with randomly selected students. Our findings showed improvement in the experimental design skills as well as its sustainability among students working with the inquiry-based sequence. After the intervention, students were able to establish valid comparisons, propose pertinent designs and identify variables that should remain constant. Contrarily, students in the control group showed no improvement and continued to solve the posed problems based on prior beliefs. In summary, this paper shows evidence that implementing inquiry-based units involving problems set in cross-domain everyday situations that combine independent student work with teacher guidance significantly improves the development of scientific skills in real classroom contexts.

"What's So Terrible About Swallowing an Apple Seed?" Problem-Based Learning in Kindergarten

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Meilan; Parker, Joyce; Eberhardt, Jan; Passalacqua, Susan

2011-10-01

Problem-Based Learning (PBL), an instructional approach originated in medical education, has gained increasing attention in K-12 science education because of its emphasis on self-directed learning and real-world problem-solving. Yet few studies have examined how PBL can be adapted for kindergarten. In this study, we examined how a veteran kindergarten teacher, who was experienced with PBL in her own learning, adapted PBL to teach students earth materials, a topic emphasized in the new state curriculum standards but students had difficulty understanding. The pre-post tests showed that students improved their content understanding. Analysis of the classroom discourse showed that PBL and the teacher's facilitation strategies provided opportunities for students to develop their questioning skills. In conclusion, we discuss the implications of this study for using PBL in kindergarten classrooms.

Design and Development Computer-Based E-Learning Teaching Material for Improving Mathematical Understanding Ability and Spatial Sense of Junior High School Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nurjanah; Dahlan, J. A.; Wibisono, Y.

2017-02-01

This paper aims to make a design and development computer-based e-learning teaching material for improving mathematical understanding ability and spatial sense of junior high school students. Furthermore, the particular aims are (1) getting teaching material design, evaluation model, and intrument to measure mathematical understanding ability and spatial sense of junior high school students; (2) conducting trials computer-based e-learning teaching material model, asessment, and instrument to develop mathematical understanding ability and spatial sense of junior high school students; (3) completing teaching material models of computer-based e-learning, assessment, and develop mathematical understanding ability and spatial sense of junior high school students; (4) resulting research product is teaching materials of computer-based e-learning. Furthermore, the product is an interactive learning disc. The research method is used of this study is developmental research which is conducted by thought experiment and instruction experiment. The result showed that teaching materials could be used very well. This is based on the validation of computer-based e-learning teaching materials, which is validated by 5 multimedia experts. The judgement result of face and content validity of 5 validator shows that the same judgement result to the face and content validity of each item test of mathematical understanding ability and spatial sense. The reliability test of mathematical understanding ability and spatial sense are 0,929 and 0,939. This reliability test is very high. While the validity of both tests have a high and very high criteria.

Improving undergraduate STEM education: The efficacy of discipline-based professional development.

PubMed

Manduca, Cathryn A; Iverson, Ellen R; Luxenberg, Michael; Macdonald, R Heather; McConnell, David A; Mogk, David W; Tewksbury, Barbara J

2017-02-01

We sought to determine whether instructional practices used by undergraduate faculty in the geosciences have shifted from traditional teacher-centered lecture toward student-engaged teaching practices and to evaluate whether the national professional development program On the Cutting Edge (hereinafter Cutting Edge) has been a contributing factor in this change. We surveyed geoscience faculty across the United States in 2004, 2009, and 2012 and asked about teaching practices as well as levels of engagement in education research, scientific research, and professional development related to teaching. We tested these self-reported survey results with direct observations of teaching using the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol, and we conducted interviews to understand what aspects of Cutting Edge have supported change. Survey data show that teaching strategies involving active learning have become more common, that these practices are concentrated in faculty who invest in learning about teaching, and that faculty investment in learning about teaching has increased. Regression analysis shows that, after controlling for other key influences, faculty who have participated in Cutting Edge programs and who regularly use resources on the Cutting Edge website are statistically more likely to use active learning teaching strategies. Cutting Edge participants also report that learning about teaching, the availability of teaching resources, and interactions with peers have supported changes in their teaching practice. Our data suggest that even one-time participation in a workshop with peers can lead to improved teaching by supporting a combination of affective and cognitive learning outcomes.

Exploring the Impact of Prior Knowledge and Appropriate Feedback on Students' Perceived Cognitive Load and Learning Outcomes: Animation-based earthquakes instruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yeh, Ting-Kuang; Tseng, Kuan-Yun; Cho, Chung-Wen; Barufaldi, James P.; Lin, Mei-Shin; Chang, Chun-Yen

2012-07-01

The aim of this study was to develop an animation-based curriculum and to evaluate the effectiveness of animation-based instruction; the report involved the assessment of prior knowledge and the appropriate feedback approach, for the purpose of reducing perceived cognitive load and improving learning. The curriculum was comprised of five subunits designed to teach the 'Principles of Earthquakes.' Each subunit consisted of three modules: evaluation of prior knowledge with/without in-time feedback; animation-based instruction; and evaluation of learning outcomes with feedback. The 153 participants consisted of 10th grade high-school students. Seventy-eight students participated in the animation-based instruction, involving assessment of prior knowledge and appropriate feedback mechanism (APA group). A total of 75 students participated in animation-based learning that did not take into account their prior knowledge (ANPA group). The effectiveness of the instruction was then evaluated by using a Science Conception Test (SCT), a self-rating cognitive load questionnaire (CLQ), as well as a structured interview. The results indicated that: (1) Students' perceived cognitive load was reduced effectively through improving their prior knowledge by providing appropriate feedback. (2) When students perceived lower levels of cognitive load, they showed better learning outcome. The result of this study revealed that students of the APA group showed better performance than those of the ANPA group in an open-ended question. Furthermore, students' perceived cognitive load was negatively associated with their learning outcomes.

Improving undergraduate STEM education: The efficacy of discipline-based professional development

PubMed Central

Manduca, Cathryn A.; Iverson, Ellen R.; Luxenberg, Michael; Macdonald, R. Heather; McConnell, David A.; Mogk, David W.; Tewksbury, Barbara J.

2017-01-01

We sought to determine whether instructional practices used by undergraduate faculty in the geosciences have shifted from traditional teacher-centered lecture toward student-engaged teaching practices and to evaluate whether the national professional development program On the Cutting Edge (hereinafter Cutting Edge) has been a contributing factor in this change. We surveyed geoscience faculty across the United States in 2004, 2009, and 2012 and asked about teaching practices as well as levels of engagement in education research, scientific research, and professional development related to teaching. We tested these self-reported survey results with direct observations of teaching using the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol, and we conducted interviews to understand what aspects of Cutting Edge have supported change. Survey data show that teaching strategies involving active learning have become more common, that these practices are concentrated in faculty who invest in learning about teaching, and that faculty investment in learning about teaching has increased. Regression analysis shows that, after controlling for other key influences, faculty who have participated in Cutting Edge programs and who regularly use resources on the Cutting Edge website are statistically more likely to use active learning teaching strategies. Cutting Edge participants also report that learning about teaching, the availability of teaching resources, and interactions with peers have supported changes in their teaching practice. Our data suggest that even one-time participation in a workshop with peers can lead to improved teaching by supporting a combination of affective and cognitive learning outcomes. PMID:28246629

Learning to improve iterative repair scheduling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zweben, Monte; Davis, Eugene

1992-01-01

This paper presents a general learning method for dynamically selecting between repair heuristics in an iterative repair scheduling system. The system employs a version of explanation-based learning called Plausible Explanation-Based Learning (PEBL) that uses multiple examples to confirm conjectured explanations. The basic approach is to conjecture contradictions between a heuristic and statistics that measure the quality of the heuristic. When these contradictions are confirmed, a different heuristic is selected. To motivate the utility of this approach we present an empirical evaluation of the performance of a scheduling system with respect to two different repair strategies. We show that the scheduler that learns to choose between the heuristics outperforms the same scheduler with any one of two heuristics alone.

Learning and inference in a nonequilibrium Ising model with hidden nodes.

PubMed

Dunn, Benjamin; Roudi, Yasser

2013-02-01

We study inference and reconstruction of couplings in a partially observed kinetic Ising model. With hidden spins, calculating the likelihood of a sequence of observed spin configurations requires performing a trace over the configurations of the hidden ones. This, as we show, can be represented as a path integral. Using this representation, we demonstrate that systematic approximate inference and learning rules can be derived using dynamical mean-field theory. Although naive mean-field theory leads to an unstable learning rule, taking into account Gaussian corrections allows learning the couplings involving hidden nodes. It also improves learning of the couplings between the observed nodes compared to when hidden nodes are ignored.

Genetic deletion of CB1 receptors improves non-associative learning.

PubMed

Degroot, Aldemar; Salhoff, Craig; Davis, Richard J; Nomikos, George G

2005-07-01

Habituation (a form of non-associative learning) was measured by assessing locomotion in novel activity monitors in CB1 receptor knockout mice and juxtaposed to habituation measured in muscarinic M2, M4, and double M2/M4 receptor knockout mice. M2 and M2/M4, but not M4, receptor knockout mice appeared to have an impaired ability to habituate, whereas CB1 receptor knockout mice showed enhanced habituation compared to wild-type animals. We conclude that CB1 receptor gene invalidation improves habituation tentatively through an increase in cholinergic neurotransmission.

Do emergency medicine residents and faculty have similar learning styles when assessed with the Kolb learning style assessment tool?

PubMed

Fredette, Jenna; O'Brien, Corinne; Poole, Christy; Nomura, Jason

2015-04-01

Experiential learning theory and the Kolb Learning Style Inventory (Kolb LSI) have influenced educators worldwide for decades. Knowledge of learning styles can create efficient learning environments, increase information retention, and improve learner satisfaction. Learning styles have been examined in medicine previously, but not specifically with Emergency Medicine (EM) residents and attendings. Using the Kolb LSI, the learning styles of Emergency Medicine residents and attendings were assessed. The findings showed that the majority of EM residents and attendings shared the accommodating learning style. This result was different than prior studies that found the majority of medical professionals had a converging learning style and other studies that found attendings often have different learning styles than residents. The issue of learning styles among emergency medical residents and attendings is important because learning style knowledge may have an impact on how a residency program structures curriculum and how EM residents are successfully, efficiently, and creatively educated.

Assessing the effect of cognitive styles with different learning modes on learning outcome.

PubMed

Liao, Chechen; Chuang, Shu-Hui

2007-08-01

In this study, similarities and differences in learning outcome associated with individual differences in cognitive styles are examined using the traditional (face-to-face) and web-based learning modes. 140 undergraduate students were categorized as having analytic or holistic cognitive styles by their scores on the Style of Learning and Thinking questionnaire. Four different conditions were studies; students with analytic cognitive style in a traditional learning mode, analytic cognitive style in a web-based learning mode, holistic cognitive style in a traditional learning mode, and holistic cognitive style in a web-based learning mode. Analysis of the data show that analytic style in traditional mode lead to significantly higher performance and perceived satisfaction than in other conditions. Satisfaction did not differ significantly between students with analytic style in web-based learning and those with holistic style in traditional learning. This suggest that integrating different learning modes into the learning environment may be insufficient to improve learners' satisfaction.

Training Older Adults to Use Tablet Computers: Does It Enhance Cognitive Function?

PubMed

Chan, Micaela Y; Haber, Sara; Drew, Linda M; Park, Denise C

2016-06-01

Recent evidence shows that engaging in learning new skills improves episodic memory in older adults. In this study, older adults who were computer novices were trained to use a tablet computer and associated software applications. We hypothesize that sustained engagement in this mentally challenging training would yield a dual benefit of improved cognition and enhancement of everyday function by introducing useful skills. A total of 54 older adults (age 60-90) committed 15 hr/week for 3 months. Eighteen participants received extensive iPad training, learning a broad range of practical applications. The iPad group was compared with 2 separate controls: a Placebo group that engaged in passive tasks requiring little new learning; and a Social group that had regular social interaction, but no active skill acquisition. All participants completed the same cognitive battery pre- and post-engagement. Compared with both controls, the iPad group showed greater improvements in episodic memory and processing speed but did not differ in mental control or visuospatial processing. iPad training improved cognition relative to engaging in social or nonchallenging activities. Mastering relevant technological devices have the added advantage of providing older adults with technological skills useful in facilitating everyday activities (e.g., banking). This work informs the selection of targeted activities for future interventions and community programs. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America.

Training Older Adults to Use Tablet Computers: Does It Enhance Cognitive Function?

PubMed Central

Chan, Micaela Y.; Haber, Sara; Drew, Linda M.; Park, Denise C.

2016-01-01

Purpose of the Study: Recent evidence shows that engaging in learning new skills improves episodic memory in older adults. In this study, older adults who were computer novices were trained to use a tablet computer and associated software applications. We hypothesize that sustained engagement in this mentally challenging training would yield a dual benefit of improved cognition and enhancement of everyday function by introducing useful skills. Design and Methods: A total of 54 older adults (age 60-90) committed 15 hr/week for 3 months. Eighteen participants received extensive iPad training, learning a broad range of practical applications. The iPad group was compared with 2 separate controls: a Placebo group that engaged in passive tasks requiring little new learning; and a Social group that had regular social interaction, but no active skill acquisition. All participants completed the same cognitive battery pre- and post-engagement. Results: Compared with both controls, the iPad group showed greater improvements in episodic memory and processing speed but did not differ in mental control or visuospatial processing. Implications: iPad training improved cognition relative to engaging in social or nonchallenging activities. Mastering relevant technological devices have the added advantage of providing older adults with technological skills useful in facilitating everyday activities (e.g., banking). This work informs the selection of targeted activities for future interventions and community programs. PMID:24928557

An e-learning reproductive health module to support improved student learning and interaction: a prospective interventional study at a medical school in Egypt.

PubMed

Abdelhai, Rehab; Yassin, Sahar; Ahmad, Mohamad F; Fors, Uno G H

2012-03-20

The Public Health (PH) course at the medical college of Cairo University is based on traditional lectures. Large enrollment limits students' discussions and interactions with instructors. Evaluate students' learning outcomes as measured by improved knowledge acquisition and opinions of redesigning the Reproductive Health (RH) section of the PH course into e-learning and assessing e-course utilization. This prospective interventional study started with development of an e-learning course covering the RH section, with visual and interactive emphasis, to satisfy students' diverse learning styles. Two student groups participated in this study. The first group received traditional lecturing, while the second volunteered to enroll in the e-learning course, taking online course quizzes. Both groups answered knowledge and course evaluation questionnaires and were invited to group discussions. Additionally, the first group answered another questionnaire about reasons for non-participation. Students participating in the e-learning course showed significantly better results, than those receiving traditional tutoring. Students who originally shunned the e-course expressed eagerness to access the course before the end of the academic year. Overall, students using the redesigned e-course reported better learning experiences. An online course with interactivities and interaction, can overcome many educational drawbacks of large enrolment classes, enhance student's learning and complement pit-falls of large enrollment traditional tutoring.

An e-learning reproductive health module to support improved student learning and interaction: a prospective interventional study at a medical school in Egypt

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background The Public Health (PH) course at the medical college of Cairo University is based on traditional lectures. Large enrollment limits students' discussions and interactions with instructors. Aim Evaluate students' learning outcomes as measured by improved knowledge acquisition and opinions of redesigning the Reproductive Health (RH) section of the PH course into e-learning and assessing e-course utilization. Methods This prospective interventional study started with development of an e-learning course covering the RH section, with visual and interactive emphasis, to satisfy students' diverse learning styles. Two student groups participated in this study. The first group received traditional lecturing, while the second volunteered to enroll in the e-learning course, taking online course quizzes. Both groups answered knowledge and course evaluation questionnaires and were invited to group discussions. Additionally, the first group answered another questionnaire about reasons for non-participation. Results Students participating in the e-learning course showed significantly better results, than those receiving traditional tutoring. Students who originally shunned the e-course expressed eagerness to access the course before the end of the academic year. Overall, students using the redesigned e-course reported better learning experiences. Conclusions An online course with interactivities and interaction, can overcome many educational drawbacks of large enrolment classes, enhance student's learning and complement pit-falls of large enrollment traditional tutoring. PMID:22433670

Relationship between brain plasticity, learning and foraging performance in honey bees.

PubMed

Cabirol, Amélie; Cope, Alex J; Barron, Andrew B; Devaud, Jean-Marc

2018-01-01

Brain structure and learning capacities both vary with experience, but the mechanistic link between them is unclear. Here, we investigated whether experience-dependent variability in learning performance can be explained by neuroplasticity in foraging honey bees. The mushroom bodies (MBs) are a brain center necessary for ambiguous olfactory learning tasks such as reversal learning. Using radio frequency identification technology, we assessed the effects of natural variation in foraging activity, and the age when first foraging, on both performance in reversal learning and on synaptic connectivity in the MBs. We found that reversal learning performance improved at foraging onset and could decline with greater foraging experience. If bees started foraging before the normal age, as a result of a stress applied to the colony, the decline in learning performance with foraging experience was more severe. Analyses of brain structure in the same bees showed that the total number of synaptic boutons at the MB input decreased when bees started foraging, and then increased with greater foraging intensity. At foraging onset MB structure is therefore optimized for bees to update learned information, but optimization of MB connectivity deteriorates with foraging effort. In a computational model of the MBs sparser coding of information at the MB input improved reversal learning performance. We propose, therefore, a plausible mechanistic relationship between experience, neuroplasticity, and cognitive performance in a natural and ecological context.

Learning and Overnight Retention in Declarative Memory in Specific Language Impairment.

PubMed

Lukács, Ágnes; Kemény, Ferenc; Lum, Jarrad A G; Ullman, Michael T

2017-01-01

We examined learning and retention in nonverbal and verbal declarative memory in Hungarian children with (n = 21) and without (n = 21) SLI. Recognition memory was tested both 10 minutes and one day after encoding. On nonverbal items, only the children with SLI improved overnight, with no resulting group differences in performance. In the verbal domain, the children with SLI consistently showed worse performance than the typically-developing children, but the two groups showed similar overnight changes. The findings suggest the possibility of spared or even enhanced declarative memory consolidation in SLI.

Learning in shifts of transient attention improves recognition of parts of ambiguous figure-ground displays.

PubMed

Kristjánsson, Arni

2009-04-24

Previously demonstrated learning effects in shifts of transient attention have only been shown to result in beneficial effects upon secondary discrimination tasks and affect landing points of express saccades. Can such learning result in more direct effects upon perception than previously demonstrated? Observers performed a cued Vernier acuity discrimination task where the cue was one of a set of ambiguous figure-ground displays (with a black and white part). The critical measure was whether, if a target appeared consistently within a part of a cue of a certain brightness, this would result in learning effects and whether such learning would then affect recognition of the cue parts. Critically the target always appeared within the same part of each individual cue. Some cues were used in early parts of streaks of repetition of cue-part brightness, and others in latter parts of such streaks. All the observers showed learning in shifts of transient attention, with improved performance the more often the target appeared within the part of the cue of the same brightness. Subsequently the observers judged whether cue-parts had been parts of the cues used on the preceding discrimination task. Recognition of the figure parts, where the target had consistently appeared, improved strongly with increased length of streaks of repetition of cue-part brightness. Learning in shifts of transient attention leads not only to faster attention shifts but to direct effects upon perception, in this case recognition of parts of figure-ground ambiguous cues.

Short-term motor learning through non-immersive virtual reality task in individuals with down syndrome.

PubMed

de Mello Monteiro, Carlos Bandeira; da Silva, Talita Dias; de Abreu, Luiz Carlos; Fregni, Felipe; de Araujo, Luciano Vieira; Ferreira, Fernando Henrique Inocêncio Borba; Leone, Claudio

2017-04-14

Down syndrome (DS) has unique physical, motor and cognitive characteristics. Despite cognitive and motor difficulties, there is a possibility of intervention based on the knowledge of motor learning. However, it is important to study the motor learning process in individuals with DS during a virtual reality task to justify the use of virtual reality to organize intervention programs. The aim of this study was to analyze the motor learning process in individuals with DS during a virtual reality task. A total of 40 individuals participated in this study, 20 of whom had DS (24 males and 8 females, mean age of 19 years, ranging between 14 and 30 yrs.) and 20 typically developing individuals (TD) who were matched by age and gender to the individuals with DS. To examine this issue, we used software that uses 3D images and reproduced a coincidence-timing task. The results showed that all individuals improved performance in the virtual task, but the individuals with DS that started the task with worse performance showed higher difference from the beginning. Besides that, they were able to retain and transfer the performance with increase of speed of the task. Individuals with DS are able to learn movements from virtual tasks, even though the movement time was higher compared to the TD individuals. The results showed that individuals with DS who started with low performance improved coincidence- timing task with virtual objects, but were less accurate than typically developing individuals. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02719600 .

Improving students' understanding of quantum mechanics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Guangtian

2011-12-01

Learning physics is challenging at all levels. Students' difficulties in the introductory level physics courses have been widely studied and many instructional strategies have been developed to help students learn introductory physics. However, research shows that there is a large diversity in students' preparation and skills in the upper-level physics courses and it is necessary to provide scaffolding support to help students learn advanced physics. This thesis explores issues related to students' common difficulties in learning upper-level undergraduate quantum mechanics and how these difficulties can be reduced by research-based learning tutorials and peer instruction tools. We investigated students' difficulties in learning quantum mechanics by administering written tests and surveys to many classes and conducting individual interviews with a subset of students. Based on these investigations, we developed Quantum Interactive Learning Tutorials (QuILTs) and peer instruction tools to help students build a hierarchical knowledge structure of quantum mechanics through a guided approach. Preliminary assessments indicate that students' understanding of quantum mechanics is improved after using the research-based learning tools in the junior-senior level quantum mechanics courses. We also designed a standardized conceptual survey that can help instructors better probe students' understanding of quantum mechanics concepts in one spatial dimension. The validity and reliability of this quantum mechanics survey is discussed.

Quicker Q-Learning in Multi-Agent Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Agogino, Adrian K.; Tumer, Kagan

2005-01-01

Multi-agent learning in Markov Decisions Problems is challenging because of the presence ot two credit assignment problems: 1) How to credit an action taken at time step t for rewards received at t' greater than t; and 2) How to credit an action taken by agent i considering the system reward is a function of the actions of all the agents. The first credit assignment problem is typically addressed with temporal difference methods such as Q-learning OK TD(lambda) The second credit assi,onment problem is typically addressed either by hand-crafting reward functions that assign proper credit to an agent, or by making certain independence assumptions about an agent's state-space and reward function. To address both credit assignment problems simultaneously, we propose the Q Updates with Immediate Counterfactual Rewards-learning (QUICR-learning) designed to improve both the convergence properties and performance of Q-learning in large multi-agent problems. Instead of assuming that an agent s value function can be made independent of other agents, this method suppresses the impact of other agents using counterfactual rewards. Results on multi-agent grid-world problems over multiple topologies show that QUICR-learning can achieve up to thirty fold improvements in performance over both conventional and local Q-learning in the largest tested systems.

Using targeted active-learning exercises and diagnostic question clusters to improve students' understanding of carbon cycling in ecosystems.

PubMed

Maskiewicz, April Cordero; Griscom, Heather Peckham; Welch, Nicole Turrill

2012-01-01

In this study, we used targeted active-learning activities to help students improve their ways of reasoning about carbon flow in ecosystems. The results of a validated ecology conceptual inventory (diagnostic question clusters [DQCs]) provided us with information about students' understanding of and reasoning about transformation of inorganic and organic carbon-containing compounds in biological systems. These results helped us identify specific active-learning exercises that would be responsive to students' existing knowledge. The effects of the active-learning interventions were then examined through analysis of students' pre- and postinstruction responses on the DQCs. The biology and non-biology majors participating in this study attended a range of institutions and the instructors varied in their use of active learning; one lecture-only comparison class was included. Changes in pre- to postinstruction scores on the DQCs showed that an instructor's teaching method had a highly significant effect on student reasoning following course instruction, especially for questions pertaining to cellular-level, carbon-transforming processes. We conclude that using targeted in-class activities had a beneficial effect on student learning regardless of major or class size, and argue that using diagnostic questions to identify effective learning activities is a valuable strategy for promoting learning, as gains from lecture-only classes were minimal.

Using Targeted Active-Learning Exercises and Diagnostic Question Clusters to Improve Students' Understanding of Carbon Cycling in Ecosystems

PubMed Central

Maskiewicz, April Cordero; Griscom, Heather Peckham; Welch, Nicole Turrill

2012-01-01

In this study, we used targeted active-learning activities to help students improve their ways of reasoning about carbon flow in ecosystems. The results of a validated ecology conceptual inventory (diagnostic question clusters [DQCs]) provided us with information about students' understanding of and reasoning about transformation of inorganic and organic carbon-containing compounds in biological systems. These results helped us identify specific active-learning exercises that would be responsive to students' existing knowledge. The effects of the active-learning interventions were then examined through analysis of students' pre- and postinstruction responses on the DQCs. The biology and non–biology majors participating in this study attended a range of institutions and the instructors varied in their use of active learning; one lecture-only comparison class was included. Changes in pre- to postinstruction scores on the DQCs showed that an instructor's teaching method had a highly significant effect on student reasoning following course instruction, especially for questions pertaining to cellular-level, carbon-transforming processes. We conclude that using targeted in-class activities had a beneficial effect on student learning regardless of major or class size, and argue that using diagnostic questions to identify effective learning activities is a valuable strategy for promoting learning, as gains from lecture-only classes were minimal. PMID:22383618

Emotional and Spiritual Quotient Approach Improve Biology Education Students’ Acceptance of Evolution Theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Darussyamsu, R.; Fadilah, M.; Putri, D. H.

2018-04-01

Emotional and spiritual aspect is one of main factors that influence students’ acceptance of a theory. This study aim to measure university students’ acceptance of evolution by learns evolution using emotional and spiritual quotient (ESQ) approach. This is a quasi-experimental research using one shot case study design with the subject 36 biology educational students at Biology Department, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science, Universitas Negeri Padang. Data collected using the MATE instrument by Rutledge and Warden (2000) after the students learn evolution for eight meetings since January until March 2017. The result showed that by learning evolution theory combine with ESQ aspects increase students acceptance from very low become moderate acceptance. It concluded that ESQ aspects can improve students’ acceptance of evolution. Any criteria depend on it are discussed.

Improved probabilistic inference as a general learning mechanism with action video games.

PubMed

Green, C Shawn; Pouget, Alexandre; Bavelier, Daphne

2010-09-14

Action video game play benefits performance in an array of sensory, perceptual, and attentional tasks that go well beyond the specifics of game play [1-9]. That a training regimen may induce improvements in so many different skills is notable because the majority of studies on training-induced learning report improvements on the trained task but limited transfer to other, even closely related, tasks ([10], but see also [11-13]). Here we ask whether improved probabilistic inference may explain such broad transfer. By using a visual perceptual decision making task [14, 15], the present study shows for the first time that action video game experience does indeed improve probabilistic inference. A neural model of this task [16] establishes how changing a single parameter, namely the strength of the connections between the neural layer providing the momentary evidence and the layer integrating the evidence over time, captures improvements in action-gamers behavior. These results were established in a visual, but also in a novel auditory, task, indicating generalization across modalities. Thus, improved probabilistic inference provides a general mechanism for why action video game playing enhances performance in a wide variety of tasks. In addition, this mechanism may serve as a signature of training regimens that are likely to produce transfer of learning. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Improving Distance Courses: Understanding Teacher Trainees and Their Learning Styles for the Design of Teacher Training Courses and Materials at a Distance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dzakiria, Hisham; Razak, Asmahan Abdul; Mohamed, Abdul Halim

2004-01-01

Literature on distance education and teacher education seems to show that what we do not know about Distance Teacher Trainees (DTT) and their learning process involved exceeds what we know about it. As more DTT enroll in distance education programmes globally, distance education providers and institutions will witness trainees coming with…

A Teaching-Learning Sequence on a Socio-Scientific Issue: Analysis and Evaluation of Its Implementation in the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vázquez-Alonso, Ángel; Aponte, Abdiel; Manassero-Mas, María-Antonia; Montesano, Marisa

2016-01-01

This study examines the effectiveness of a teaching-learning sequence (TLS) to improve the understanding of the influences and interactions between a technology (mining) and society. The aim of the study is also to show the possibility of both teaching and assessing the most innovative issues and aspects of scientific competence and their impact…

An Intervention Programme for Promoting More Effective Learning among Foundation Phase Learners in South Africa

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van Rensburg, Ona Janse

2015-01-01

The author defends the claim, based on her experience as a teacher in the Foundation Phase as well as on her experience as the educator of student teachers in this Phase, that a specially constructed intervention programme will improve Grade 1's learning in several key areas. She firstly show that such a programme is required, given the current…

The Quality Adaptation Model: Adaptation and Adoption of the Quality Standard ISO/IEC 19796-1 for Learning, Education, and Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pawlowski, Jan M.

2007-01-01

In 2005, the new quality standard for learning, education, and training, ISO/IEC 19796-1, was published. Its purpose is to help educational organizations to develop quality systems and to improve the quality of their processes, products, and services. In this article, the standard is presented and compared to existing approaches, showing the…

Not New, but Nearly Forgotten: The Testing Effect Decreases or Even Disappears as the Complexity of Learning Materials Increases

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van Gog, Tamara; Sweller, John

2015-01-01

The testing effect is a finding from cognitive psychology with relevance for education. It shows that after an initial study period, taking a practice test improves long-term retention compared to not taking a test and--more interestingly--compared to restudying the learning material. Boundary conditions of the effect that have received attention…

Exterior LED Lighting Projects at Princeton University

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

Davis, Robert G.; Evans, William; Murphy, Arthur T.

For this report, PNNL / the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) studied a series of past exterior lighting projects at Princeton, in order to document Princeton’s experiences with solid-state lighting (SSL) and the lessons learned along the way, and to show how their approach to SSL projects evolved as their own learning expanded and as the products available improved in performance and sophistication.

A New Chemotherapeutic Investigation: Piracetam Effects on Dyslexia.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chase, Christopher H.; Schmitt, R. Larry

1984-01-01

Compared to placebo controls, 28 individuals treated with Piracetam (a new drug thought to enhance learning and memory consolidation) showed statistically significant improvements above baseline scores on measures of effective reading accuracy and comprehension, reading speed, and writing accuracy. The medication was well tolerated and showed no…

Enhancing interest in statistics among computer science students using computer tool entrepreneur role play

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Judi, Hairulliza Mohamad; Sahari @ Ashari, Noraidah; Eksan, Zanaton Hj

2017-04-01

Previous research in Malaysia indicates that there is a problem regarding attitude towards statistics among students. They didn't show positive attitude in affective, cognitive, capability, value, interest and effort aspects although did well in difficulty. This issue should be given substantial attention because students' attitude towards statistics may give impacts on the teaching and learning process of the subject. Teaching statistics using role play is an appropriate attempt to improve attitudes to statistics, to enhance the learning of statistical techniques and statistical thinking, and to increase generic skills. The objectives of the paper are to give an overview on role play in statistics learning and to access the effect of these activities on students' attitude and learning in action research framework. The computer tool entrepreneur role play is conducted in a two-hour tutorial class session of first year students in Faculty of Information Sciences and Technology (FTSM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, enrolled in Probability and Statistics course. The results show that most students feel that they have enjoyable and great time in the role play. Furthermore, benefits and disadvantages from role play activities were highlighted to complete the review. Role play is expected to serve as an important activities that take into account students' experience, emotions and responses to provide useful information on how to modify student's thinking or behavior to improve learning.

The pattern of performance management of community service learning empowerment in improving the entrepreneurship on the graduation candidate of Vocational Technology Education Institution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hadromi

2017-03-01

The purpose of this research is to evaluate the pattern of performance management of Community Service Empowerment Learning-Universitas Negeri Semarang in improving the entrepreneurship of the graduate candidate of Vocational Technology Education Institution. This evaluation research uses Context Evaluation, Input evaluation, Process evaluation and Product evaluation method (CIPP) to evaluate the performance management of Community Service of Empowerment Learning-Universitas Negeri Semarang. The location of research was in Kandri Subdistrict-Indonesia. The subject of research is the Kandri Subdistrict community, especially the groups of the youth, students, subdistrict organizers, community organization, and culinery and handicraft industry, as well as the students who join the program of Community Service of Empowerment Learning-Universitas Negeri Semarang. The object of research is the pattern of perfomance management of Community Service Empowerment Learning-Universitas Negeri Semarang in improving the entrepreneurship of the graduation candidate of Vocational Technology Education Institution. The research result shows the pattern of Community Service Empowerment Learning-Universitas Negeri Semarang is able to improve the enterpreneurship of graduate candidate of Vocational Technology Education Institution. The pattern of Community Service Empowerment Community-Universitas Negeri Semarang which is Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)in the field of education, training, and assistance continuously can grasp and develop competency and balance mindset of students including triple bottom line which mutually connectedamong the sectors of social, economic, cultural, and environment so that it can increase the entrerpreneurship on the graduates candidate of Vocational Technology Education Institution

Response to Intervention and Continuous School Improvement: Using Data, Vision, and Leadership to Design, Implement, and Evaluate a Schoolwide Prevention System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bernhardt, Victoria L.; Hebert, Connie L.

2011-01-01

Ensure the success of your school and improve the learning of "all" students by implementing Response-to-Intervention (RTI) as part of a continuous school improvement (CSI) process. This book shows you how to get your entire staff working together to design, implement, and evaluate a schoolwide prevention system. With specific examples, CSI expert…

Moneyball for Head Start: Using Data, Evidence, and Evaluation to Improve Outcomes for Children and Families

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mead, Sara; Mitchel, Ashley LiBetti

2016-01-01

Head Start is a valuable federal program that improves the lives of our nation's most vulnerable children and their families. Research shows that Head Start programs improve children's learning at school entry and have a positive impact on long-term life outcomes. Research also suggests that Head Start could have a stronger impact on children's…

Improving the interpersonal competences of head nurses through Peplau's theoretical active learning approach.

PubMed

Suhariyanto; Hariyati, Rr Tutik Sri; Ungsianik, Titin

2018-02-01

Effective interpersonal skills are essential for head nurses in governing and managing their work units. Therefore, an active learning strategy could be the key to enhance the interpersonal competences of head nurses. This study aimed to investigate the effects of Peplau's theoretical approach of active learning on the improvement of head nurses' interpersonal skills. This study used a pre-experimental design with one group having pretests and posttests, without control group. A total sample of 25 head nurses from inpatient units of a wellknown private hospital in Jakarta was involved in the study. Data were analyzed using the paired t-test. The results showed a significant increase in head nurses' knowledge following the training to strengthen their interpersonal roles (P=.003). The results also revealed significant increases in the head nurses' skills in playing the roles of leader (P=.006), guardian (P=.014), and teacher/speaker (P=.015). Nonetheless, the results showed no significant increases in the head nurses' skills in playing the roles of counselor (P=.092) and stranger (P=.182). Training in strengthening the interpersonal roles of head nurses significantly increased the head nurses' knowledge and skills. The results of the study suggested the continuation of active learning strategies to improve the interpersonal abilities of head nurses. Furthermore, these strategies could be used to build the abilities of head nurses in other managerial fields. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Improving Teacher Practice: Teachers' Perspectives on Capacity-Building Initiatives in Literacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mattos, Joseph C.

2011-01-01

Educational research over the past 15 years shows that schools and school districts have, on a large scale, failed to translate reform goals into improved teacher practice and student learning. Although classroom teachers are central to successful school reform, research has rarely examined how teachers experience reform initiatives and how that…

Educator Effectiveness Research Alliance: Using Research and Data to Understand and Improve Educator Preparation and Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Regional Educational Laboratory Southwest, 2018

2018-01-01

Research shows that teachers affect student learning more than any other factor. The Educator Effectiveness Research Alliance, a collaborative partnership of educators, policymakers, and researchers, seeks to improve educator quality through research and analytic technical support. Initially focused on Texas, the alliance has expanded to include…

Improving Students' Revision of Physics Concepts through ICT-Based Co-Construction and Prescriptive Tutoring

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soong, Benson; Mercer, Neil

2011-01-01

In this paper, we describe and discuss an information and communication technology (ICT)-based intervention designed to improve secondary school students' "revision" (in contrast to "learning") of physics concepts. We show that students' engagement in joint activities via our ICT-based intervention can provide them (and their…

Mindfulness for Singers: The Effects of a Targeted Mindfulness Course on Learning Vocal Technique

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Czajkowski, Anne-Marie L.; Greasley, Alinka E.

2015-01-01

This paper reports the development and implementation of a unique Mindfulness for Singers (MfS) course designed to improve singers' vocal technique. Eight university students completed the intervention. Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) scores showed general improvement across all five facets of mindfulness. Qualitative results showed…

Youth Outcomes Following Implementation of Universal SW-PBIS Strategies in a Texas Secure Juvenile Facility

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Leah E.; Wang, Eugene W.; Gilinsky, Nicole; He, Zhaomin; Carpenter, Clint; Nelson, C. Michael; Scheuermann, Brenda K.

2013-01-01

School-wide positive behavior interventions and supports (SW-PBIS) is a framework for creating safe and effective learning environments and cultivating a positive educational climate. Researchers show that SW-PBIS can improve behavioral outcomes, while demonstrations of a causal relationship between improvements in students' academic achievement…

A Whole School Approach: Collaborative Development of School Health Policies, Processes, and Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hunt, Pete; Barrios, Lisa; Telljohann, Susan K.; Mazyck, Donna

2015-01-01

Background: The Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model shows the interrelationship between health and learning and the potential for improving educational outcomes by improving health outcomes. However, current descriptions do not explain how to implement the model. Methods: The existing literature, including scientific articles,…

Development of an e-learning package on Service-Learning for university teachers: experience from Hong Kong.

PubMed

Shek, Daniel T L; Chan, Stephen C F

2013-01-01

To help university teachers to understand Service-Learning and develop Service-Learning subjects, a 3-h+ e-learning package was developed at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU). There are seven units in this e-learning package: introduction session (Unit 1), what is Service-Learning? (Unit 2), impact and benefits of Service-Learning (Unit 3), myths and positive attitudes toward Service-Learning (Unit 4), developing a Service-Learning subject at PolyU (Unit 5), self-reflection about Service-Learning (Unit 6), and concluding session (Unit 7). To understand the views of the users on the e-learning package, the package was offered before formal launching. For the first offering, three focus group sessions were held. Results showed that the users were satisfied with the structural arrangement of the e-learning package and agreed that the e-learning package was useful for them to understand more about Service-Learning. For the second offering, colleagues were generally satisfied with the e-learning package and demonstrated gain in knowledge on Service-Learning. Suggestions for improvement were noted.

Effects of mindfulness-based intervention to improve task performance for children with intellectual disabilities.

PubMed

Kim, Jeongil; Kwon, Miyoung

2018-01-01

Task performance is a critical factor for learning in individuals with intellectual disabilities. This study aimed to examine mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) to improve task performance for children with intellectual disability (ID). Three elementary school children with ID participated in the study. A multiple baseline design across subjects was used. The intervention was consisted of "understanding the necessary concept of mindfulness, practice of awareness and attention, and practice focusing on mindful behaviours." Mediating materials including expressive arts supplies were used to help each subject to understand the content and the progress of the intervention programme. The results showed that all of the three subjects showed an improvement in task performance and a decrease in task-avoidance behaviours. The mothers reported that her children's daily life behaviours were distinctively improved as he/she participated in the intervention. The finding suggests that MBI would be a valuable adjunct to a wide range of applications to support individuals with ID to learn a variety of adaptive behaviour. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.