Board’s IQ: What makes a board smart?

The amount of investment that has been made in interactive whiteboards (IWB) in the Turkish educational system during the past several years is quite striking. This investment is part of a plan to integrate information and communication technologies (ICT) into the Turkish educational system, with the goal of increasing the qualitative and quantitative aspects of schooling. Prior to IWB investments, hundreds of thousands of computers, projectors, and printers were distributed to schools in efforts to raise a generation able to respond to the demands of the 21st century. In addition, 98% of secondary school students and 93% of primary school students were provided with Internet access via ADSL. The aim of this study is to analyze the emerging trend of smart board investment in Turkish primary and secondary schools, with consideration of problems that hinder the effective use of IWBs in classrooms as compared to previous ICT integration efforts by the Ministry of National Education. The research is designed as an evaluative case study. The required data are collected through online questionnaires, teacher and pupil interviews, and document searches from teachers and students from various Turkish primary and secondary schools. It is not surprising that the factors hindering the use of IWBs in education are similar to the inhibiting factors in previous ICT integration projects. The findings show that when the needs for in-service training, digital education materials, support, maintenance, and administration are not addressed, educational ICT is unlikely to deliver the expected results.     

The role of presence in the level of anxiety experienced in clinical virtual environments

Recent reviews point towards that Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET) can be an effective medium to provide exposure therapy for anxiety disorders. The concept of presence, usually defined as the sense of being inside the virtual environment, has been considered the principal mechanism that leads to the experience of anxiety in clinical virtual environments. The present study sought to examine the relationship between sense of presence and in-session anxiety in a sample of 210 students showing high and low test anxiety when exposed to both clinical and non-stressful virtual environments. This is the largest study conducted to date with the aim of examining the relationship between presence and anxiety in clinical virtual environments, and the first to explore separately the relationship between presence and state-anxiety in phobic and non-phobic participants. The results suggest that presence was not related to anxiety in a non-stressful environment. It was also found that although presence is related to anxiety in both groups of students when exposed to clinical virtual environments, this relationship was clearly stronger for high test anxiety students. This line of research will broaden our understanding of the mechanisms that lead to the efficacy of VRET.     

Recognition of 3-D objects by forward checking constrained search

An attempt to recognize 3-D objects from range images is described. Objects are represented by surface patches obtained by segmenting image at depth or orientation discontinuity. To find the best matching pairs between model surface patches (MSPs) and scene surface patches (SSPs), we use forward checking constrained tree search that is a sequential constrained tree search with a forward checking mechanism. It checks geometric constraints between current partial matching pairs and unexplored possible pairs and drastically reduces the number of candidate MSPs matchable to unexplored SSPs. Futhermore, it yields powerful search termination criteria. As an alternative to the sequential search method, we also applied the optimal search algorithm (A^*). To verify advantages of the forward checking, we evaluated the perfomance of the matching algorithms using real range images. The experimental results demonstrated significant gains in computation. Comparing with other methods, our approach is particularly advantageous for the difficult problems in that model objects are very much similar to each other. Our method detects part in difference in advance and so reduces time to discriminate the similar objects. It is confirmed by an evaluation.     

帧率提升中的三维递归搜索块匹配改进算法

将基于块匹配的运动估计用于帧率提升会产生内插重叠、空洞等问题。对三维递归搜索（3DRS）块匹配运动估计算法进行改进,结合双向运动估计给出更为精确的运动矢量,采用矢量中值滤波器平滑矢量场,并运用中值滤波运动补偿技术进行插帧。实验结果表明,该算法在主客观方面都具有较好的性能,计算复杂度较低,也便于硬件实现。     

Exploring the behavioral patterns of learners in an educational massively multiple online role-playing game (MMORPG)

Massively multiple online role-playing games (MMORPGs) are very popular among students. Educational MMORPGs, however, are very rare, as are studies on gamers’ behavioral patterns during such games. The current study is an empirical observation and analysis of the behavioral patterns of 100 gamers participating in an educational MMORPG called Talking Island^©. In our study, we recorded and summarized the gaming behaviors demonstrated by these participants over 335 days of observation from December 2009 to October 2010. We coded the recorded behaviors and conducted a frequency analysis, sequential analysis and cluster analysis to explore the behavioral distributions, behavioral-frequency transition and behavior-cluster patterns in the MMORPG. Gender differences in behavioral patterns were also compared and discussed. Based on the results, we discuss the potential and limitations of the game and provide suggestions for future research on and the development of educational MMORPGs.     

虚拟华东师范大学系统设计与实现

随着网络虚拟现实技术的快速发展,虚拟校园将成为“数字校园”的主要表现形式。虚拟华东师范大学系统目的是使“数字校园”更加完善。介绍了基于VRML技术建立的虚拟华东师范大学系统的设计与实现过程,并重点探讨了系统体系结构、三维建模与系统功能等实现技术与方法,实现了三维漫游、空间分析、查询、实时交流等功能。该系统方便了校内人员的交流与沟通。     

Tweens' characterization of digital technologies

The tweens are a transitional age group undergoing deep physical and psychological transformations. Based on a thirteen-focus group research design involving 103 students, and applying a tweens-centered approach, the characteristics of SMS, IM, Internet, digital photos, electronic games, and email were analyzed. Categories such as moral issues, psychological and social consequences, problems/drawbacks, general benefits, and technical attributes synthesized the main characteristics attached to each form of digital technology. Their relative relevance was not gender dependent. Furthermore, tweens exhibited both metacognitive knowledge and personal epistemological observations associated with most of the digital technologies.     

Storytelling in virtual environments from a virtual guide perspective

This paper describes our proposal for storytelling in virtual environments from a virtual guide perspective, detailing the involved knowledge representation and algorithms. In our model the guide begins at a particular location and starts to navigate the world telling the user stories related to the places she visits. Our guide tries to emulate a real guides behaviour in such a situation. In particular, she behaves as a spontaneous real guide who knows stories about the places in the virtual world but has not prepared an exhaustive tour nor a storyline.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">K</Emphasis>-Optimal Rule Discovery

K-optimal rule discovery finds the K rules that optimize a user-specified measure of rule value with respect to a set of sample data and user-specified constraints. This approach avoids many limitations of the frequent itemset approach of association rule discovery. This paper presents a scalable algorithm applicable to a wide range of K-optimal rule discovery tasks and demonstrates its efficiency.     

微操作机器人系统的大范围三维标定方法

本文针对面向生物工程微操作机器人需同时满足高定位精度和大的工作空间的特点,给出在毫米级空间对微操作机器人系统实现微米级三维标定的方法：用运动部件拖动三维标定块及三套显微摄像装置读取三维坐标的方法,解决了大范围高精度读数的问题;用四块直角棱镜组成的分光装置和三块二维标尺构成读数范围为8mm×8mm×8mm,读数精度为1μm的三维标定块,解决了标定基准问题;最后,给出了标定结果．     

On the search behaviour of users in the context of interactive social book search

ABSTRACT

Understanding the search behaviour of online users is among the long-tail practices of Interactive Information Retrieval that helps identify the user information needs. The Interactive Social Book Search (SBS), under the umbrella of Interactive Information Retrieval (IIR), aims to understand the user interactions with book collections and the associated professionally-curated and socially-constructed metadata on the baseline and multistage user interfaces (UIs). This paper reports on the book search behaviour of users by reviewing research publications related to the Interactive SBS published during the last two decades. It presents a holistic view of the overall progress of Interactive SBS by summarising and visualising the experimental structure, search systems, datasets, demographics of participants, and findings to identify the research trends and possible future directions. Based on the collected evidence, it attempts to answer how the search system, user interface (UI), and the nature of tasks affect the book search behaviour of users. The article is the first of its kind that attempts to understand the book search behaviour of users in the context of Social Book Search with implications for usability experts and others working in UI design, web search engines, book search engines, digital libraries, collaborative social cataloguing websites, and e-Commerce applications.     

Tool-use in a blended undergraduate course: In Search of user profiles

The popularity of today’s blended courses in higher education is driven by the assumption that students are provided with a rich toolset that supports them in their learning process. However, little is known on how students actually use these tools and how this affects their performance for the course. The current study investigates how students use the entire toolset at their disposal, whether tool-use patterns can be found and if these patterns affect performance for the course. Logging students (n = 156) actions throughout the content management system and registering students’ use of the face-to-face support in an undergraduate course, the study reveals large student differences and an underuse for some tool-types. Further to this, K-means cluster analysis reveals three distinct tool-use patterns or user profiles: the no-users, the intensive users and the incoherent users. These patterns are characterized by different tool-choices and even different use intensity among students. Evidence is retrieved that these tool-use differences are problematic since multivariate analysis of variance reveals significant performance effects. Hence, these results imply that not all students seem to profit from the learning affordances that are provided. Similar as evidence in controlled settings, the results suggest that learner control in using tools cannot be taken for granted. Consequently, this study legitimates more research into the influencing (student and context) variables that can explain these differences.     

Design and development of a technology enhanced hybrid instruction based on MOLTA model: Its effectiveness in comparison to traditional instruction

Using the model for learning and teaching activities (MOLTA), a new technology enhanced hybrid instruction was designed, developed and implemented. The effectiveness of the hybrid instruction in regard to students’ achievement, knowledge retention, attitudes towards the subject, and course satisfaction was evaluated in comparison to traditional classroom instruction. Experimental study with pre-test, post-test control group design was carried out. The sample of the study consisted of 50 university students enrolled in “Computer Networks and Communication” course. The control and experimental groups composed of 24 and 26 students respectively, and the experiment lasted 14 weeks. The findings of the study indicated no significant difference between the hybrid course and the traditional course in students’ achievement, knowledge retention, satisfaction, and attitude.     

Parental acceptance of digital game-based learning

In research about digital game-based learning, the likely negative perceptions of parents are often enlisted as a barrier toward the adoption of games in classroom settings. Teachers, students and policy makers appear to be influenced by what parents think about games in the classroom. Therefore, it is important to study these parental beliefs about games. The present research develops and validates a path model to explain and predict parental acceptation of video games in the classrooms of their children. The hypothetical model was found reliable and valid, based on a survey of 858 parents with at least one child in secondary education. Overall, the results show that 59% of the variance in parents’ preference for video games can be explained by the model comprising hypotheses about learning opportunities, subjective norm, perceived negative effects of gaming, experience with video games, personal innovativeness, and gender.     

应用多尺度三维图搜索的SD-OCT图像层分割方法

频谱域光学相干层析技术(SD-OCT)是一种广泛应用于眼科领域的成像技术,视网膜组织层分割对视网膜疾病诊断起着至关重要的作用。传统的三维图搜索方法能够同时分割k(k≥1)个三维面,但其存在时间复杂度高、分割病变图像鲁棒性弱等问题。在传统三维图搜索模型的基础上引入多尺度思想,提出应用多尺度三维图搜索的SD-OCT视网膜图像分割方法。首先根据每个组织层的特点,为每层构造一个合理的顶点权重;然后利用相邻列的最大与最小高度差构造列约束限制,改进表面的平滑约束条件;最后利用低尺度的图像,应用三维图搜索方法进行粗分割,逐步向高一尺度应用三维图搜索方法进行单表面细分割。使用改进算法对3组正常眼睛及1组老年黄斑变性视网膜图像进行分割,并将结果与手动分割及传统三维图搜索方法进行比较,实验结果表明,改进算法能够准确有效地分割出3个层边界(边界位置绝对误差是3.86±2.50μm),并且接近于手动分割结果(3.78±2.76μm),优于传统三维图搜索方法(7.92±3.31μm)。     

一种基于全文检索技术的数字档案馆解决方案

本文从可操作的层面上,提出一种基于全文检索技术的数字档案馆解决方案。并对全文检索技术及解决方案的基本功能与技术要点进行了阐述。     

Efficient learning using a virtual learning environment in a university class

This study examines a blended learning setting in an undergraduate course in psychology. A virtual learning environment (VLE) complemented the face-to-face lecture. The usage was voluntary and the VLE was designed to support the learning process of the students. Data from users (N = 80) and non-users (N = 82) from two cohorts were collected. Control variables such as demographical data, attitude towards the learning subject, computer literacy, motivation, learning effort and available infrastructure were captured by means of a self-report. As a learning outcome, the grade in the final exam was included. For the VLE-users, the mean performance in the VLE was taken as a predictor for success in the final exam. Two different groups of VLE-users were observed and classified into ’light and ’heavy’ users. The results showed that among those students who had spent two or more hours per week for pre- and post processing of the lectures, ‘heavy’ VLE-users performed better than non-users in the final exam. Additionally, the ‘heavy’ users’ performance in the VLE was the best predictor for the grade in the final exam. We discuss the results in the context of self-regulated learning competence.