Only connect: teaching, technology and telesis

Abstract This paper describes an approach to the design of interactive multimedia materials being developed in a European Community project. The developmental process is seen as a dialogue between technologists and teachers. This dialogue is often problematic because of the differences in training, experience and culture between them. Conditions needed for fruitful dialogue are described and the generic model for learning design used in the project is explained.     

Teaching-Material Design Center: An ontology-based system for customizing reusable e-materials

Use of electronic teaching materials (e-material) to support teaching is a trend. e-Material design is therefore an important issue. Currently, most e-material providers offer a package of solutions for different purposes. However, not all teachers and learners need everything from a single package. A preferable alternative is to find useful material from different packages and combine them for a particular course. Currently, most educators collect the material manually, which is time-consuming and may result in missed material. In this paper, we describe a system – the Teaching-Material Design Center, which follows the standard of Sharable Content Object Reference Model – to separate e-material for use as teaching templates and learning objects and to label the material with use of semantic metadata for searching. This system can find existing teaching templates and learning objects for e-material designers and provide a convenient environment for constructing customized e-material for different requirements. We describe the implementation and evaluation of the proposed system for a course. Our system is efficient in finding teaching templates and learning objects and shortening the e-material development process.     

示例学习的扩张矩阵理论

本文提出示例学习的一种计算理论,扩张矩阵论.根据这个理论,示例学习中一些主要最优化问题被证明是NP难题,并给出这些难题的近似解法及下界的估计.     

The hierarchies of knowledge and the mathematics of discovery

Rather than attempting to characterize a relation of confirmation between evidence and theory, epistemology might better consider which methods of forming conjectures from evidence, or of altering beliefs in the light of evidence, are most reliable for getting to the truth. A logical framework for such a study was constructed in the early 1960s by E. Mark Gold and Hilary Putnam. This essay describes some of the results that have been obtained in that framework and their significance for philosophy of science, artificial intelligence, and for normative epistemology when truth is relative.I am indebted to Kevin Kelly for several years of happy conversation from which the perspective and views of this paper grew, for comments on a draft of the paper, and for constructing some of the illustrations. A fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation provided the liberty to write this paper. It was first presented in the Turing Colloquium, 1990.     

A study on the critical success factors for corporations embarking on knowledge community-based e-learning

Corporations have felt the pressure for fast-paced innovations and knowledge transfer as major driving forces in raising their sustainable competitive advantage and organizational total productivity. Thus, the development of the knowledge community through e-learning is an important strategy in implementing knowledge management policy. This paper illustrates an empirical study with which to conduct qualitative research of learning organization. From the case company’s real progress and practical experience, some core principles were extracted from four managerial aspects, such as: strategy, technology, process, and personnel. These aspects were analyzed in order to understand the value chain framework and the major concerns of knowledge community development. Further, the main benefits are addressed and certain critical factors are proposed and shown in this paper to ensure the success of corporations embarking on knowledge community-based e-learning.     

Practice characteristics that lead to 21st century learning outcomes

Abstract The key research question for this study was to ask whether or not innovative teaching practices would lead to the development of learning outcomes essential for preparing the younger generation for the challenges of life in the knowledge society of the 21st century, and if so, how are the pedagogical features related to the different learning outcomes. Preliminary analyses of the case study data collected from the SITES M2 Study in Hong Kong reveal that where the development of more significant learning gains were observed, the cases possess characteristics additional to the criteria defined in the Study for selection of innovation. More importantly, it was found that the impact of the pedagogical practices was not determined simply by the aggregation of characteristics of the practices per se , nor on the technologies used, but on whether 'empowerment' permeates the curriculum goal and process. Further, this paper claims that these affective and socio-cognitive learning outcomes are more important as preparation for lifelong learning in the 21st century than 'knowledge management competencies'.     

CAL delivery selection criteria and authoring systems

Abstract  In the past, authoring systems have been used to generate computer-assisted learning materials that have often followed the rather restrictive programmed learning format. A number of innovative ways of using recently developed systems to develop CAL packages that include a wider range of learning activities (access to data bases, simulations, interactive video, etc.) are described. Analogous to the concept of a media selection model, a computer delivery mode selection model is presented as an aid to decision making for designers. This increase in flexibility should broaden the applicability of computerassisted learning (CAL) to a wider range of educational objectives and raise the level of the cognitive emphasis in learning packages, as well as facilitate the implementation of visually appealing materials. The paper also implies a standard of acceptability for authoring systems.     

《C语言程序设计》教学中问题和改进方法的探讨

《C语言程序设计》是计算机专业学习中的一门基础的课程．是培养学生对计算机学习兴趣的关键课程。提出C语言教学过程中存在的一些问题。对问题进行分析,提出解决问题的方法。根据笔者的多年的教学实践,阐述一些教学方法和教学经验,对教师在教学思路和方法上有一定的指导意义,能够更好地提高教学水平。     

Effects of computers on Japanese schools

In this paper I consider how the computer can or should be accepted in Japanese schools. The concept of teaching in Japan stresses learning from a long-term perspective. Whereas in the instructional technology, on which the CAI or the Tutoring System depends, step-by-step attainments in relatively short time are emphasized. The former is reluctant in using the computer, but both share the Platonic perspective which are goal-oriented. However, The Socratic teacher, who intends to activate students' innate disposition to be better, would find another way of teaching and use of the computer.     

Active symbols and internal models: Towards a cognitive connectionism

In the first section of the article, we examine some recent criticisms of the connectionist enterprise: first, that connectionist models are fundamentally behaviorist in nature (and, therefore, non-cognitive), and second that connectionist models are fundamentally associationist in nature (and, therefore, cognitively weak). We argue that, for a limited class of connectionist models (feed-forward, pattern-associator models), the first criticism is unavoidable. With respect to the second criticism, we propose that connectionist modelsare fundamentally associationist but that this is appropriate for building models of human cognition. However, we do accept the point that there are cognitive capacities for which any purely associative model cannot provide a satisfactory account. The implication that we draw from is this is not that associationist models and mechanisms should be scrapped, but rather that they should be enhanced.In the next section of the article, we identify a set of connectionist approaches which are characterized by active symbols — recurrent circuits which are the basis of knowledge representation. We claim that such approaches avoid criticisms of behaviorism and are, in principle, capable of supporting full cognition. In the final section of the article, we speculate at some length about what we believe would be the characteristics of a fully realized active symbol system. This includes both potential problems and possible solutions (for example, mechanisms needed to control activity in a complex recurrent network) as well as the promise of such systems (in particular, the emergence of knowledge structures which would constitute genuine internal models).