Data-logging: effects on practical science

Abstract This paper describes an investigation into the processes and effects of using electronic data-logging in practical science. A pilot study of classical laboratory work in schools was compared with similar tasks performed with data-logging systems. A more detailed exploration of pupils' performance was then conducted through an extensive series of observations in a range of secondary schools. The results reinforce previous indications of the potential benefits of data-logging, but such benefits must be viewed in the curriculum context of the type of measurement activity and the pedagogical context of teaching and learning objectives. The paper concludes with a discussion of the latter issues.     

Distributed ontology building as practical work

Ontologies – a form of structured and logically related knowledge or classification hierarchy embedded in a computer system – are regarded by many scientists as having enormous promise for the consistent use and re-use of data. To realise this promise, however, is not straightforward. In this paper, based on ethnographic observation, we argue that the challenges for ontology building are ‘social’ as much as they are technical. By this we mean the routine work undertaken in the building process and the problems and difficulties entailed can be understood in terms of the practices of knowledge workers and the practical nature of ‘sorting things out’. Getting a better sense of how, in practise, this work gets done gives a sense of the main challenges of building successful ontologies and how this impacts on the design of tool support. In considering the practices of one group in particular, we try to show how, for members, the technical problems of determining what classification structure is appropriate, and what its boundaries might be, depend substantially on assumptions about the ‘community’ and its interests and purposes. This ‘turn to the social’ has ramifications for the understanding of ontology building and use. Specifically, ‘modelling’ approaches to ontology building tell us little about the practical organisation of the work and how this relates to the prospect of successful sharing. Ethnographic enquiry may reveal important issues that are otherwise missed.     

A high school program in computer science

A team of researchers and educators has introduced a computer science curriculum into Israeli high schools. This curriculum combines conceptual and practical issues in a zipper-like fashion. Its emphasis is on the basics of algorithmics, and it teaches programming as a way to get a computer to execute an algorithm. It has been proposed by a committee formed in 1990 by the Israel Ministry of Education     

高中信息技术教学中的渗透计算机科学研究

随着时代的飞速发展,信息技术成为时代进步绕不开的话题,在进行高中信息技术教学中渗透计算机科学史的教育时,需要培养学生的学科意识,树立学科精神,提高学科素养﹐为计算机信息技术的长远发展奠定基础。文章针对目前高中阶段的信息技术教学现状进行分析、探究,提出了相关策略,希望以促进计算机科学在高中信息技术教学中的渗透,提高教学效率,促进我国信息技术的长远发展。     

Alternatives in evaluating multimedia in secondary school science teaching

While different approaches to evaluation will yield different results, depending on the purpose of the evaluation this article describes an evaluation approach that was aimed at investigation the mental models of users of the programme. The study was driven by questions about the differences in mental models of the instructional designers and the learners, the time learners spent working through the program and the observable changes in their mental models. In this design experiment, a program was developed to teach basic principles of electricity. Three boys and three girls one each of high, medium and low achievement in science were selected from an advantaged urban school, and a similar sample was taken from a disadvantaged rural school. They were asked to draw their impressions of various concepts of electricity and then allowed free access to the program, where they could visit any section even if they had not completed a previous one. Afterwards they were asked to draw sketches again. Other instruments included an opinion questionnaire and observation of the learners working with a “think aloud” protocol. It was found that there were considerable differences in the mental models of the learners and designers about what to expect from computer-based learning. While navigational freedom allowed fast learners to move through work that they knew already, weaker learners tended to get lost. The sketches that learners made before and after exposure to the program provided valuable insights into the growth of their understanding of the concepts.     

Timelink—A practical work study management system

The principal function of industrial engineering is to determine and optimise, implement, measure and maintain the procedures to be followed in manufacturing. Major problems arise in handling the volume of information originated in executing this function, resulting in skilled industrial engineers being involved in low-grade clerical activities and being subjected to interruption from lay enquirers.Building on experience of discrete computer-aided industrial engineering applications software, TIMELINK was introduced in 1980 and greatly expanded in 1981 to give a computer-aided Integrated Industrial Engineering System which is commercially available and can be implemented on a wide range of mini and mainframe computers.TIMELINK Integrated Industrial Engineering System is a fully interactive system composed of interconnected application software modules, each applying a conventional industrial engineering technique or function including compiling and applying work measurement standard data, analytical work study (MTM-2), estimating, standards application, manual study storage and routing generation. A central access facility allows enquiries to be made of the industrial engineering database created and for the automatic transfer of data to other computer systems, including other TIMELINK installations for networking purposes.TIMELINK is establishing itself as a multi-function system, combining technical computer-aided industrial engineering applicatios with an industrial engineering database and information distribution and enquiry facilities, giving considerable technical and managerial benefits.     

Parallel programming in computational science: an introductory practical training course for computer science undergraduates at Aachen University

Parallel programming of high-performance computers has emerged as a key technology for the numerical solution of large-scale problems arising in computational science and engineering (CSE). The authors believe that principles and techniques of parallel programming are among the essential ingredients of any CSE as well as computer science curriculum. Today, opinions on the role and importance of parallel programming are diverse. Rather than seeing it as a marginal beneficial skill optionally taught at the graduate level, we understand parallel programming as crucial basic skill that should be taught as an integral part of the undergraduate computer science curriculum. A practical training course developed for computer science undergraduates at Aachen University is described. Its goal is to introduce young computer science students to different parallel programming paradigms for shared and distributed memory computers as well as to give a first exposition to the field of computational science by simple, yet carefully chosen sample problems.     

Perspectives on computer aiding in cognitive work domains: toward predictions of effectiveness and use

A two-stage process is proposed for evaluating computer aiding in cognitive work domains. The first stage relies on a taxonomic framework that facilitates assessments regarding the relative strengths and weaknesses of humans and computers for different computer-aiding schemes. The second stage introduces the construct of tension, which addresses the potential implications of the interplay between computer aiding constraints and human tendencies. This approach is intended to provide designers, analysts and managers with greater insight into the nature of computer aiding and ultimately to enhance their ability to predict its effectiveness as well as its prospects for being used.     

Perspectives on computer aiding in cognitive work domains: toward predictions of effectiveness and use

A two-stage process is proposed for evaluating computer aiding in cognitive work domains. The first stage relies on a taxonomic framework that facilitates assessments regarding the relative strengths and weaknesses of humans and computers for different computer-aiding schemes. The second stage introduces the construct of tension, which addresses the potential implications of the interplay between computer aiding constraints and human tendencies. This approach is intended to provide designers, analysts and managers with greater insight into the nature of computer aiding and ultimately to enhance their ability to predict its effectiveness as well as its prospects for being used.     

Integrating science curricula in the middle school: Utilizing historical perspectives

Abstract

Science curriculum outcomes at the middle school level are typically associated with the decontextualized science found in textbooks and teacher resources. However, the typical middle years classroom with a single teacher is an ideal setting for an integrated approach to learning science in the context of social studies, language arts, art, and other subject areas. In this paper, we describe the first phase of a three‐phase integrated curriculum project. The curriculum uses an historical perspective, narratives, and a student‐centred approach to create materials that integrate the Grade 5 Science weather cluster with the Grade 5 Social Studies unit on the Canadian fur trade. Risk factors that contribute to inadequate science teaching and learning are identified and several protective factors that contribute to teacher efficacy are advanced.     

A practical case study of the relationship between work risk prevention and Fatigue at work in Spanish merchant ships

In this article, the onboard working conditions of four Spanish merchant ships are analyzed in accordance with the national and international standards across 2 years. Subsequently, it has been related with the principal accidents on board and each type of activity and working place. Results show that there is no relationship between working hours and accidents, but there is a clear influence of the working ambience. Therefore, there is a need for the actual regulations that reconsider the real compatibility among rest, the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), and firefighting exercises. Furthermore, another proposed correction is the coefficient that considers the indoor ambience where every different chore is performed, which must be used to correct the maximum working hours on board. A more substantial examination of different shift patterns is required; there are already clear indications of a need to reappraise traditional watch regimes on board. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Inquiry-based mobile learning in secondary school science education: A systematic review

Recent years have seen a growing call for inquiry-based learning in science education, and mobile technologies are perceived as increasingly valuable tools to support this approach. However, there is a lack of understanding of mobile technology-supported inquiry-based learning (mIBL) in secondary science education. More evidence-based, nuanced insights are needed into how using mobile technologies might facilitate students' engagement with various levels of inquiry and enhance their science learning. We, therefore, conducted a robust systematic literature review (SLR) of the research articles on mIBL in secondary school science education that have been published from 2000 to 2019. We reviewed and analysed 31 empirical studies (34 articles) to explore the types of mIBL, and the benefits and constraints of mIBL in secondary school science education. The findings of this SLR suggest new research areas for further exploration and provide implications for science teachers' selection, use and design of mIBL approaches in their teaching.     

Improving diagrammatic reasoning in middle school science using conventions of diagrams instruction

Visual representations are essential for science understanding, but many students have poor diagrammatic reasoning skills. Previous research showed that teaching high school and college students about the conventions of diagrams (COD) can improve diagrammatic reasoning. In this study, middle school science students received COD instruction delivered as a classroom warm‐up using laptop computers, while control students received publisher‐developed warm‐up questions. Students receiving COD warm‐ups for 10 weeks (but not 4 weeks) improved their diagrammatic reasoning more than control students. Treatment students' answers were more accurate than control students' answers, especially on easy questions. The discourse of pairs of students during the warm‐ups showed that treatment students talked about the diagrams more and made more inferences and that this difference was greatest for easy questions. Results suggest that COD instruction can be initiated in middle school along with more formal science instruction, can be integrated into classroom routine using computer‐delivered warm‐ups, is helpful (if sustained) both for improving diagrammatic reasoning and for supporting learning science content and works at least in part by increasing students' engagement during routine work.     

A survey of research work in computer science and cognitive science dedicated to the modeling of reactive human behaviors

Modeling believable autonomous agents needs to take into account many different aspects from very different disciplines, ranging from cognitive psychology to mechanics. In this paper, we focus on research work dedicated to the modeling of human decision in a reactive way, a domain in‐between the biomechanical motion control of the activity and the rational and social background which motivates and shapes the execution of such activities. We cover models of reactive human behaviors introduced in computer science and cognitive science, assessing and comparing them from the application‐oriented perspective of modeling credible real‐time virtual anthropomorphic actors. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Development of a robot language for hot-line work allowing practical use of the hot-line work robot system 'Phase II'

We are developing the robot system Phase II, which executes various hot-line work for equipment, such as poles and overhead lines, charged at high voltages (AC 6.6 kV/22 kV). The Phase II is designed to be a human-cooperative semi-automatic system which performs tasks through a combination of sensor-based controlled motion and auxiliary operation, facilitated by the operator's use of joysticks. As of the present, seven Phase II prototype units have been developed. Verification of various work and expansion of applied task programs are in progress with the aim of practical utilization in the immediate future. This paper describes the design concept and developmental outline of a recently developed robot language for hot-line work. The language adopts conventional task language used by distribution workers, the users of the system, to make it easily understandable. Regarding series of basic motions which require the system's contact with other objects, it has become necessary to set up special parameters including compliance damping and other factors. We have defined routine motion as a set, making such sets macro-commands. Through their use, task programs may be described with fewer parameters at the task-oriented level. Practical use of the robot system will require end-users to effectively work in both the task planning and the task execution stages. The language was developed with this in mind.     

From risk factors to detection and intervention: a practical proposal for future work on cyberbullying

While there is an increasing flow of media stories reporting cases of cyberbullying, particularly within online social media, research efforts in the academic community are scattered over different topics across the social science and computer science academic disciplines. In this work, we explored research pertaining to cyberbullying, conducted across disciplines. We mainly sought to understand scholarly activity on intelligence techniques for the detection of cyberbullying when it occurs. Our findings suggest that the vast majority of academic contributions on cyberbullying focus on understanding the phenomenon, risk factors, and threats, with the prospect of suggesting possible protection strategies. There is less work on intelligence techniques for the detection of cyberbullying when it occurs, while currently deployed algorithms seem to detect the problem only up to some degree of success. The article summarises the current trends aiming to encourage discussion and research with a new scope; we call for more research tackling the problem by leveraging statistical models and computational mechanisms geared to detect, intervene, and prevent cyberbullying. Coupling intelligence techniques with specific web technology problems can help combat this social menace. We argue that a multidisciplinary approach is needed, with expertise from human–computer interaction, psychology, computer science, and sociology, for current challenges to be addressed and significant progress to be made.