Level of interactivity and executive functions as predictors of learning in computer-based chemistry simulations

High school students’ learning outcomes was examined comparing exploratory vs. worked simulations. The effects of added icons and students’ executive functions were also examined. In Study 1, urban high school students (N = 84) were randomly assigned to one of four versions of a web-based simulation of kinetic molecular theory that varied in instructional format (exploratory vs. worked simulation) and representation (added icons vs. no added icons). Learning was assessed at two levels: comprehension and transfer. For transfer, a main effect was found for instructional format: the exploratory condition yielded greater levels of transfer than the worked simulation. Study 2 used the same conditions and a more complex simulation, the ideal gas law, with a similar sample of students (N = 67). For transfer, an interaction between instructional format and executive functions was found: Whereas students with higher levels of executive functions had better transfer with the exploratory condition, students with lower levels of executive functions had better transfer with the guided simulations. Results are discussed in relation to current theories of instructional design and learning.     

Development of a Submerged Membrane Bioreactor simulator: a useful tool for teaching its functioning

Among the technologies used to treat wastewater, the Submerged Membrane Bioreactor (SMBR) has excellent prospects because of the possibility it provides for water reuse. In this work, an SMBR computer simulator is developed. A mathematical model was implemented, which integrated the biological degradation process using activated sludges with the physical separation process using membranes. The simulator functioning was validated with experimental results and its use in teaching was evaluated through the development of a simulated laboratory running for three and a half hours. This gave access to trends and orders of magnitude that would take more than fifteen months to obtain with real experiments. It was successfully used and accepted by the students.     

Origin of enhanced glass-forming ability of Ce-containing Al–Fe alloy: Ab initio molecular dynamics study

Using ab initio molecular dynamics simulation, glass-forming abilities of Al₉₀Fe₁₀ and Al₉₀Fe₅Ce₅ alloys have been investigated successfully correlated with the atomic structure and composition. The origin of enhanced glass-forming ability for Al₉₀Fe₅Ce₅ alloy is interpreted by taking advantage of the calculated information. It is found that the enhanced glass-forming ability with the addition of Ce into Al₉₀Fe₁₀ alloy, in contrast to the transitional metallic glass, has nothing to do with the kinetic factor and stability of local atomic packing, but the atomic environment and medium-range order in the supercooled liquid state. A comparison of structure and composition between the supercooled liquid and potential crystalline phases demonstrates that the precipitation of the solid solution and compounds from the amorphous matrix for Al₉₀Fe₁₀ alloy becomes much more difficult with the addition of Ce. After glass transition, the resultant glassy state for Al₉₀Fe₅Ce₅ alloy is further stabilized by stable local atomic packings.     

Latest progress on tribological properties of industrial materials

Wear is closely related to friction and lubrication; the study of these three subjects is known as tribology. In science and technology it is concerned with interacting surfaces in relative motion. Soft or hard film coating, alloying and composite structuring have all been developed to control wear and friction. This is achieved by improving materials and surfaces with some characteristics that improve resistance to friction and wear. In recent years, several new solid lubricant and modern lubrication concepts have been developed to achieve better lubricity and longer wear life in demanding tribological applications. Most of the traditional solid lubricants were prepared in the form of metal, ceramic and polymer–matrix composites. They have been used successfully in various engineering applications. Recent progress in thin-film deposition technologies has led to the synthesis of new generations of self-lubricating coatings with composite or multilayered architectures, by using multiplex surface treatments. In this study, typical wear behaviors of representative materials of metallic alloys, ceramics, polymeric materials, and composites are reviewed in relation to their friction behaviors. Additionally, modeling for the wear prediction is outlined.     

Reliability and performance-based design: a computational approach and applications

Performance-based design involves the calculation of design parameters to meet one or more performance criteria, with corresponding specified reliabilities over the service life. This work presents an approach to reliability calculations in performance-based design, using an importance sampling simulation, with performance functions evaluated by localized interpolation of a response database. Four examples are shown, including two applications to performance-based design in earthquake engineering: design parameters are obtained to optimally match target reliabilities for three limit states associated with different deformation levels.     

侧风扩散对半导体器件模拟结果的影响

SG方法内在地具有侧风扩散现象。为了分析它对半导体器件模拟结果的影响，文中提出了一种精度高于SG方法的离散方法，然后将该方法插入到MINIMOS4．0中。离散方程采用ILUCGS方法求解。数值结果表明，半导体器件模型中的漂移项必须用高精度的离散方法离散，否则得到的数值结果不能体现物理模型的真实解。     

The impact of a simulation game on operations management education

This study presents a new simulation game and analyzes its impact on operations management education. The proposed simulation was empirically tested by comparing the number of mistakes during the first and second halves of the game. Data were gathered from 100 teams of four or five undergraduate students in business administration, taking their first course in operations management. To assess learning, instead of relying solely on an overall performance measurement, as is usually done in the skill-based learning literature, we analyzed the evolution of different types of mistakes that were made by students in successive rounds of play. Our results show that although simple decision-making skills can be acquired with traditional teaching methods, simulation games are more effective when students have to develop decision-making abilities for managing complex and dynamic situations.     

Level of abstraction and feelings of presence in virtual space: Business English negotiation in Open Wonderland

Virtual spaces allow abstract representations of reality that not only encourage student self-directed learning but also reinforce core content of the learning objective through visual metaphors not reproducible in the physical world. One of the advantages of such a space is the ability to escape the restrictions of the physical classroom, yet reproduction of reality may surpass what is needed to encourage feelings of presence. Simultaneously, too high an abstraction level may change participants’ attitudes in relation to the core learning goals. This quantitative study examined the relationship between level of environment abstraction, within a virtual space, and feelings of presence for business negotiation role playing. Negotiation values were also measured, in relation to environment abstraction. Two levels of virtual space abstraction were implemented, through the open source software Open Wonderland, where class lectures and student driven negotiation role playing took place over a semester. Results indicated a high abstract environment reduced feelings of presence compared to a low abstract environment, even when the low abstract level was not realistic but rather employing a metaphor related to instructional goals. The values students used in negotiation across the two abstraction levels exhibited no difference, indicating the fundamental approach to negotiating was not related to the virtual environment design.     

Iterative augmentation of a medical training simulator: Effects of affective metacognitive scaffolding

Experiential training simulators are gaining increasing popularity for job-related training due to their potential to engage and motivate adult learners. They are designed to provide learning experiences that are directly connected to users' work environments and support self-regulated learning. Nevertheless, learners often fail to transfer the knowledge gained in the simulated environment to real-world contexts. The EU-funded ImREAL project aimed to bridge that gap by developing a suite of intelligent services designed to enhance existing training simulators. This paper presents work that was a subset of this research project, reporting the iterative development and evaluation of a scaffolding service, which was integrated into a simulator for training medical students to perform diagnostic interviews. The study comprises three evaluation phases, comparing the pure simulator to a first version with metacognitive scaffolding and then to a final version with affective metacognitive scaffolding and enriched user modelling. The scaffolding service provides the learner with metacognitive prompts; affective elements are realized by an integrated affect reporting tool and affective prompts. Using a mixed-method approach by analysing questionnaires (N = 106) and log-data (N = 426), the effects of the services were investigated with respect to real-world relevance, self-regulated learning support, learning experience, and integration. Despite some limitations, the outcomes of this study demonstrate the usefulness of affective metacognitive scaffolding in the context of experiential training simulators; significant post-simulation increases in perceived relevance of the simulator, reflective note-taking, overall motivation, and feeling of success could be identified. Perceived usability and flow of the simulation increased, whereas overall workload and frustration decreased. However, low response rates to specific functions of the simulation point to a need to further investigate how to raise users' awareness and understanding of the provided tools, to encourage interaction with the services, and to better convey the benefits of using them. Thus, future challenges concern not so much technological developments for personalizing learning experiences, but rather new ways to change user attitudes towards an open approach to learning systems that enables them to benefit from all offered features.     

Experimenting with electromagnetism using augmented reality: Impact on flow student experience and educational effectiveness

Educational researchers have recognized Augmented Reality (AR) as a technology with great potential to impact affective and cognitive learning outcomes. However, very little work has been carried out to substantiate these claims. The purpose of this study was to assess to which extent an AR learning application affects learners' level of enjoyment and learning effectiveness. The study followed an experimental/control group design using the type of the application (AR-based, web-based) as independent variable. 64 high school students were randomly assigned to the experimental or control group to learn the basic principles of electromagnetism. The participants' knowledge acquisition was evaluated by comparing pre- and post-tests. The participants' level overall-state perception on flow was measured with the Flow State Scale and their flow states were monitored throughout the learning activity. Finally, participants' perceptions of benefits and difficulties of using the augmented reality application in this study were qualitatively identified. The results showed that the augmented reality approach was more effective in promoting students' knowledge of electromagnetic concepts and phenomena. The analysis also indicated that the augmented reality application led participants to reach higher flow experience levels than those achieved by users of the web-based application. However, not all the factors seem to have influence on learners' flow state, this study found that they were limited to: concentration, distorted sense of time, sense of control, clearer direct feedback, and autotelic experience. A deeper analysis of the flow process showed that neither of the groups reported being in flow in those tasks that were very easy or too difficult. However, for those tasks that were not perceived as difficult and included visualization clues, the experimental group showed higher levels of flow that the control group. The study suggests that augmented reality can be exploited as an effective learning environment for learning the basic principles of electromagnetism at high school provided that learning designers strike a careful balance between AR support and task difficulty.