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Full-Text Articles in Education
An Evolutionary Approach To Crowdsourcing Mathematics Education, Spencer Ward
An Evolutionary Approach To Crowdsourcing Mathematics Education, Spencer Ward
Honors College
By combining ideas from evolutionary biology, epistemology, and philosophy of mind, this thesis attempts to derive a new kind of crowdsourcing that could better leverage people’s collective creativity. Following a theory of knowledge presented by David Deutsch, it is argued that knowledge develops through evolutionary competition that organically emerges from a creative dialogue of trial and error. It is also argued that this model of knowledge satisfies the properties of Douglas Hofstadter’s strange loops, implying that self-reflection is a core feature of knowledge evolution. This mix of theories then is used to analyze several existing strategies of crowdsourcing and knowledge …
Engagement And Computational Thinking Through Creative Coding, Dana Hoppe
Engagement And Computational Thinking Through Creative Coding, Dana Hoppe
Honors Theses
Rising enrollments in Computer Science pose an opportunity to engage students from diverse backgrounds and interests; and a challenge to deliver on positive learning outcomes. While student engagement is the driving factor for increased learning performance and retention, it has been declining to new lows for Computer Science students in recent years. In order to further explore the potential of contextualized computing as a tool for increasing engagement in computing and developing Computational Thinking aptitude in students, we have developed an introductory computing course contextualized with Art and Design with modules centered around guiding pedagogical principles and aimed at middle …
A Theoretical Framework For Serious Game Design: Exploring Pedagogy, Play And Fidelity And Their Implications For The Design Process, Pauline Rooney
A Theoretical Framework For Serious Game Design: Exploring Pedagogy, Play And Fidelity And Their Implications For The Design Process, Pauline Rooney
Articles
It is widely acknowledged that digital games can provide an engaging, motivating and “fun” experience for students. However an entertaining game does not necessarily constitute a meaningful, valuable learning experience. For this reason, experts espouse the importance of underpinning serious games with a sound theoretical framework which integrates and balances theories from two fields of practice: pedagogy and game design (Kiili, 2005; Seeney & Routledge, 2009). Additionally, with the advent of sophisticated, immersive technologies, and increasing interest in the opportunities for constructivist learning offered by these technologies, concepts of fidelity and its impact on student learning and engagement, have emerged …
Breathing Like A Fish, Petros J. Katsioloudis
Breathing Like A Fish, Petros J. Katsioloudis
STEMPS Faculty Publications
The article offers information on industrial oxygen rebreathers, an underwater breathing equipment used by divers. It states that rebreather is an electromechanical device that supply breathing gas through infusion of oxygen and reprocessing of carbon dioxide by using a chemical scrubber. It mentions that most rebreathers comprise of breathing loop, breathing lungs, and a canister where the scrubber is placed with the partial pressure (pO2) sensors and interface devices like heads-up display (HUD) to show pO2 levels. It also discusses types of rebreathers such as the oxygen rebreather, the oldest rebreather mainly used by navy diver, and …
Discovery Of The Depths, Petros J. Katsioloudis
Discovery Of The Depths, Petros J. Katsioloudis
STEMPS Faculty Publications
Throughout history the oceans have directly or indirectly influenced humans. The importance of knowing how to protect this valuable resource and insure it for future generations is vital. Underwater Vehicles are tools essential for this process, and therefore research and development to perfect these devices is needed. However, the main goal of these devices--to transmit images from places where humans cannot go--remains the same, and their importance to future discoveries remains vital. This article discusses the different types of underwater vehicles and describes an activity wherein students will fabricate an underwater remotely operated vehicle.
Animated Database Courseware: Using Animations To Extend Conceptual Understanding Of Database Concepts, Meg Murray, Mario Guimaraes
Animated Database Courseware: Using Animations To Extend Conceptual Understanding Of Database Concepts, Meg Murray, Mario Guimaraes
Faculty and Research Publications
Teaching abstract concepts can be best supported with supplemental instructional materials such as software animations. Visualization and animations have been shown to increase student motivation and help students develop deeper understandings. Through an NSF funded CCLI grant, a set of animations to support the teaching of database concepts is being developed and made freely available. Current modules available cover areas such as database design, interactive SQL, stored procedures and triggers, transactions and database security. In this paper, we provide an overview of the Animated Database Courseware (ADbC) as well as provide examples of how this software might be utilized in …
An Exploratory Overview Of Teaching Computer Game Development, Mario Guimaraes, Meg C. Murray
An Exploratory Overview Of Teaching Computer Game Development, Mario Guimaraes, Meg C. Murray
Faculty and Research Publications
The computer game industry has exploded reaching sales of several billion dollars a year and, consequently, a majority of college students are familiar with the gaming environment. In fact, videogame development has been cited as one way to motivate students to explore the world of Computer Science. However, most videogames are extremely complex computer programs created by a team of developers including programmers and graphic artists and represent thousands of hours of work. Fortunately there are software tools available that provide a way for simple computer games to be created fairly easily using a building block approach. This paper discusses …
Learner-Centered Assignments In Computer Literacy, Martha E. Myers, Meg C. Murray, Mario Guimaraes, Debra B. Geist
Learner-Centered Assignments In Computer Literacy, Martha E. Myers, Meg C. Murray, Mario Guimaraes, Debra B. Geist
Faculty and Research Publications
Literacy is a concept that is understood to be the identifier of an educated populace. In today's world, literacy includes computer literacy, as well as language and quantitative literacy. This paper describes exercises developed to improve first year students' computer literacy through more learner-centered engagement. Exercises are designed to support learner-centered goals of independent and responsible learners, appropriate breadth and depth of content, teacher as facilitator, and assessment woven into learning. Exercise topics include purchase of a personal computer, basic logic via spreadsheets, an annotated bibliography built with electronic resources, and an integrated assignment customized by and for each student.