Teaching chemical engineering using Jupyter notebook: Problem generators and lecturing tools

The primary objective of this study is to develop teaching materials for chemical engineering students (or students pursuing other related B.Sc./M.Sc. degrees) that encourage self-learning to facilitate understanding and the development of problem-solving skills. Tools are oriented to support the teaching of “Introduction to Chemical Engineering” courses to 1^st year B.Sc. students in Chemical Engineering, 2^nd year B.Sc. students in Chemistry, and 3^rd year B.Sc. students in Biochemistry at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM). Problem generators of standard exercises, as an additional complement to the exercises that are used in the lectures, seminars, and assignments to facilitate the learning of the students, have been developed. These generators provide exercises to students with “unlimited” initial values (with certain restrictions). The software that was used to develop these materials was Jupyter Notebook, which runs under the Python 3.6 language. The problem generators can be classified into fixed problem generators, case-based generators, and random problem generators. Additionally, lecturing tools have been developed to support teaching using live/interactive examples. These examples can learning understanding of various topics of the courses.     

Factors impacting university students' online learning experiences during the COVID-19 epidemic

Due to the COVID-19 epidemic crisis, students from higher education institutions around the world are forced to participate in comprehensive online curriculums. In such a scenario, it is worth investigating how students perceived their learning outcomes and satisfaction based on this method of teaching and learning online. This study aims to explore the role of six factors, namely, system quality, course design, learner-learner interaction, learner-instructor interaction, learner-content interaction, and self-discipline, on university students' perceived learning outcomes and their effect on student satisfaction with online curricula during the COVID-19 epidemic. A structural equation modelling technique was used to assess survey questionnaires obtained from 457 validated students at a Public University in China. The results demonstrated that these determinants had a positive effect on satisfaction and learning outcomes, whereas learner-instructor interaction had no significant effect. Furthermore, the strongest determinant that affected not only students' satisfaction but also their learning outcomes was the learner-content interaction.     

A web-based software tool for participatory optimization of conservation practices in watersheds

WRESTORE (Watershed Restoration Using Spatio-Temporal Optimization of Resources) is a web-based, participatory planning tool that can be used to engage with watershed stakeholder communities, and involve them in using science-based, human-guided, interactive simulation–optimization methods for designing potential conservation practices on their landscape. The underlying optimization algorithms, process simulation models, and interfaces allow users to not only spatially optimize the locations and types of new conservation practices based on quantifiable goals estimated by the dynamic simulation models, but also to include their personal subjective and/or unquantifiable criteria in the location and design of these practices. In this paper, we describe the software, interfaces, and architecture of WRESTORE, provide scenarios for implementing the WRESTORE tool in a watershed community's planning process, and discuss considerations for future developments.     

Using learning methodologies and resources in the development of critical thinking competency: An exploratory study in a virtual learning environment

This study aims to design and implement new learning methodologies and resources that seek to advance the development and assessment of one of the fundamental students’ competencies from any Business Administration Degree, such as critical thinking, that is, this is an exploratory study on computing for human learning, specifically, learning of key competencies for business. We are going to use audiovisual case methodology through the use of short film clips, usually real stories, to help students understand the practical implications of theoretical concepts explained in the classroom. A theoretical model test uses data from 32 business students from the Open University of Catalonia. The first results show positive attitudes toward a new technological resource ‘audio-visual cases’. They indicate that the use of this tool can improve the comprehension of a problem and its origins and, at the same time, stimulate learning. In addition, this tool helps to develop critical thinking competency. This study offers important contributions to an e-learning environment and their applicability to the workplace, since it is the first type of research about the impact of audiovisual cases in the acquisition of critical thinking competency. Furthermore, this methodology promotes collaborative learning.     

MOOC3.0：在校法语大学生如何E-learning

随着大规模在线开放课程日益受到关注,传统高等教育模式正面临挑战与机遇。该文以在校法语大学生E-learning体验为例,提出高校学生应注重培养E-learning能力,尽快适应线上线下共存的教育新时代。     

The effect of cognitive and affective aspects on usability

Studies on customer’s needs, desires and preferences have become highly important in the product design and development process. One consideration in usability is the cognitive aspect, which is related to the accommodation and evaluation of human cognitive capabilities, limitations and tendencies. In addition to the cognitive aspect, a recent study has shown that the affective aspect has been considered in the evaluation of product usability. Thus, both cognitive and affective aspects are deemed to be important for product design and the development process. Inherently, both aspects deliver complete human and product interaction and experience. However, studies that consider the affective process as a complement to the cognitive process for usability are relatively rare. To address this gap, this study discusses how an integrative framework of the cognitive and affective aspects can be applied to a product for usability assessment via empirical studies on e-commerce and e-learning platforms. The sample involved 230 respondents, using purposive sampling. The result shows that both cognitive and affective aspects have a significant effect, although with different weights. The affective aspect has been shown to improve product usability and user’s acceptance.     

Predicting the use of online information services based on a modified UTAUT model

There is a growing consensus that the conventional technology acceptance model should be modified and expanded to provide a better understanding of the behaviour related to Internet services. Recognising this need, this study re-evaluates the utility of Venkatesh et al.’s [2003. User acceptance of information technology: toward a unified view. MIS Quarterly, 27 (3), 425–478] Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model. First, this study proposes a new modified model of technology acceptance by adding the concepts of trust and flow experience to the original UTAUT model. Second, the study investigates how the model's explanatory power changes for different types of Internet services. For this, this study considers two services – ‘e-learning’ and ‘online gaming’ – for their utilitarian and hedonic characteristics, respectively. The results of this study suggest that the proposed model can better explain behavioural intentions towards Internet services than the original model. The two variables – flow experience and trust – contributed to the overall significance of the model. Furthermore, the type of Internet service moderated the effects of the independent variables on behavioural intentions and use behaviour.     

Student perceptions and instructor experiences in implementing an online homework system in a large second-year engineering course

In a large course, grading assignments is a time-consuming process requiring considerable resources. Online homework software systems are therefore increasingly being utilized. In this article, we will detail our experiences implementing online homework assignments in our course CH E 243: Engineering Thermodynamics; a large, multi-section course with more than 600 students/year in 4 sections. In Year 1 we employed commercial software, and in Year 2 we developed our own online assignments. In both years, assignments had both online and written components. After each year we conducted a survey of the students to gage their perception regarding the implementation and benefits of the online and written assignments, and the contribution of these tools to the students’ ability to master the material. We found that most students were satisfied with the online system, and recommended using it again the following year. Students generally perceived written assignments to be more helpful in achieving mastery of the course material than the online ones. Students perceived our in-house developed system much more positively than the commercial software (as did we). Overall, we perceived that the class performance was better when our own online assignments were used, and the number of students who failed the course was reduced.     

Improving retention rate and response quality in Web-based surveys

This study centers on three parameters that can influence responses to Web-based surveys: personalization, the periodicity of follow-up mailings and incentives based on prize draws. The results show the need to send a lower number of reminders with personalized e-mail messages when the aim is for respondents to complete the full questionnaire. In contrast, the use of post-incentives based on prize draws was not found to have a significant effect on retention rate when used alone or in combination with personalized messages and/or a lower number of reminders. Moreover, none of the above factors, except personalization, improves response quality when used separately or in conjunction.     

Extending web-based educational systems with personalised support through User Centred Designed recommendations along the e-learning life cycle

In this paper we address an open key issue during the development of web-based educational systems. In particular, we provide an educational-oriented approach for building personalised e-learning environments that focuses on putting the learners' needs in the centre of the development process. Our approach proposes user centred design methodologies involving interdisciplinary teams of software developers and domain experts. It is illustrated in an adaptive e-learning system, where a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) was taken by nearly 400 learners. In particular, we report where user centred design methods can be applied along the e-learning life cycle to designing and evaluating personalisation support through recommendations in learning management systems.