Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Learning environments'
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Fagge, Megan. "Variable learning environments." Thesis, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/39595.
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Research shows the environment affects the user both psychologically and physiologically. Teachers often alter their classrooms in order to effect these changes, for instance, by adding elements for warmth, offsetting harsh lighting, or using found objects to mark and divide space. Research and observed use communicate a need for a planned variety of spaces in function and in character.
The project is a redesign of Therrell High School in southwest Atlanta seeking to complement the new movement to small learning communities, which embeds programmatic variety in the public school system.
Therrell is divided into three small thematically described academies, which effectively function as three separate high schools: the School of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math; the School of Health Sciences and Research; the School of Law, Government, and Public Policy.
The design focuses on the necessary variability of spaces inherent in small learning communities. These spaces seek to address the varied instructional strategies that accompany the thematic endeavors of each school and introduce variety in architectural character, thus accommodating variable needs and desires of students. The focus of the project is on the student and the nature of space that fosters positive experiences as well as positive learning outcomes.
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Ehrlich, Stefan, Jens Gärtner, Eduard Daoud, and Alexander Lorz. "Process Learning Environments." TUDpress, 2016. https://tud.qucosa.de/id/qucosa%3A33938.
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Purpose – Due to faster innovation cycles and competitive markets, current methods for implementing and adapting business processes can not keep pace with changing requirements and cause BPM solutions to falls short of business needs. The purpose of this paper is to propose a new approach for implementing an agile BPM methodology by substituting the plan-build-run approach with an incremental prototype-based model, removing intermediaries from the time critical path of business process evolution, and empowering end users to change business processes at runtime by manipulating process artefacts.
Design/methodology/approach – Based on interviews with customers and stakeholders and our experience in implementing complex BPM solutions in SMEs, we propose key concepts for an agile BPM approach and derive basic requirements for implementing a BPM system that allows users to redefine business processes during their execution. This analysis is supplemented by a brief overview of current research trends in modelling and implementing agile BPM.
Originality/value – All existing solutions examined by our team imply a separate modelling step by users or process managers. The designed key concepts enable users to implicitly model processes without interrupting day to day operations. Our approach enables organisations to introduce business process management in areas where agility is very important (e.g. product development) or to increase operational agility in areas with established BPM.
Practical implications – An agile BPM solution can give organisations the flexibility they need to react quickly to changing markets and customer needs. We want to help them to introduce standardization and efficiency without losing agility. In areas where classical BPM is in place, our approach can increase the adaptation rate of process changes. In the areas of knowledge workers with a high level of agility, our approach can increase efficiency by supporting knowledge sharing.
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Ihlström, Joakim, and Fredrik Westerlund. "Interactive learning environments : The effects of interactivity in online learning environments." Thesis, Umeå universitet, Institutionen för informatik, 2013. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-73182.
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We live in an era where interactivity is gradually becoming more available, yet our schoolsare not catching up to this trend, instead we are faced with passive learning environmentswhere active construction of knowledge is limited. In this study we looked at theconstructivist approach to learning and compared it to the objectivist approach that iscommonly used in most schools of today. We looked at other successful interactive learningenvironment and how they may look like. We developed a passive educational video and aprototype of an interactive learning environment, where the interactive environmentworked as a supplement to the educational video. We further conducted a quantitative testthrough a questionnaire on these environments to see if the learning outcome of theinteractive learning environment outperformed the learners of the educational video. Thedata we collected did not show any significant difference between passive and interactivelearning, it did, however, show some interesting trends such as younger participants ingeneral performed better than older participants in our interactive learning environment.
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Kubica, Tommy. "Adaptable Collaborative Learning Environments." Technische Universität Dresden, 2018. https://tud.qucosa.de/id/qucosa%3A73177.
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Audience Response Systems (ARSs) provide a promising opportunity to address issues occurring in traditional higher education, e.g., the lack of interaction, by allowing students to participate anonymously in lectures using their mobile devices. This can promote the students' attention, increase the interaction between the lecturer and the students and foster active thinking during class. In order to choose an appropriate ARS, numerous surveys list and classify these systems according to different criteria, e.g., supported features and platforms. [From the introduction]
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Evanshen, Pamela, and L. Phillips. "Brain Compatible Learning Environments." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2005. https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/4368.
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Evanshen, Pamela. "Brain-compatible Learning Environments." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2007. https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/4404.
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Reeder, John. "Life Long Learning in Sparse Learning Environments." Doctoral diss., University of Central Florida, 2013. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/5845.
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Life long learning is a machine learning technique that deals with learning sequential tasks over time. It seeks to transfer knowledge from previous learning tasks to new learning tasks in order to increase generalization performance and learning speed. Real-time learning environments in which many agents are participating may provide learning opportunities but they are spread out in time and space outside of the geographical scope of a single learning agent. This research seeks to provide an algorithm and framework for life long learning among a network of agents in a sparse real-time learning environment. This work will utilize the robust knowledge representation of neural networks, and make use of both functional and representational knowledge transfer to accomplish this task. A new generative life long learning algorithm utilizing cascade correlation and reverberating pseudo-rehearsal and incorporating a method for merging divergent life long learning paths will be implemented.Ph.D.
Doctorate
Electrical Engineering and Computing
Engineering and Computer Science
Computer Engineering
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Hawkins, Donald S. "Designing mobile learning environments to support teacher-led field trips within informal learning environments." Thesis, The University of Texas at San Antonio, 2016. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10108516.
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Mobile devices have become increasingly more visible within classrooms and informal learning spaces. The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the impact of mobile learning (m-learning) tools to support student learning during teacher-led field trips. Specifically, the research questions for this study are: (a) What conditions affect student satisfaction within an m-learning environment? (b) What impact does an m-learning environment have on levels of motivation and engagement of students? and (c) How do m-learning tools facilitate student knowledge acquisition, participation, and collaboration? The hypothesis of this study is that mobile learning materials can improve students’ engagement and participation. This design-based research (DBR) study relied on a combination of pre- and post-assessments, teacher interviews, and behavioral observations, in two iterations. The participants for this study included three teachers and 112 students, between 11 and 12 years old, drawn from a sixth grade public middle school in San Antonio, Texas.
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Yaari, Omri. "e-Learning effectiveness in interconnected corporate learning environments." Diss., University of Pretoria, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/23067.
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Approaches to workplace learning are continuously evolving to support business objectives but learning and development practitioners are not delivering on their mandate of developing relevant competencies which deliver on strategic objectives. Globally, the proportion of e-Learning to instructor led training is growing and the investment in e-Learning is steadily increasing. Executives expect to see better alignment of e-Learning initiatives and a proven return on investment. In order to earn their place at the executive boardroom, learning and development practitioners need to understand and align their programmes to the context of the business environment in order to positively influence business performance.This research set out to investigate the relationship between the corporate learning environment and e-Learning programme effectiveness using a self-administered questionnaire. The survey was completed by 50 corporate learning and development practitioners. It explored e-Learning programme effectiveness and the configuration of learning environments in relation to a corporate learning environment interconnectedness model proposed in this research. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis and regression modelling were used to determine the relationship between the environment and e-Learning programme effectiveness. The strongest environmental predictors as well as the current perception of e-Learning programme effectiveness within these environments were also identified.The corporate learning environment was found to be significantly correlated with e-Learning programme effectiveness, specifically in driving higher order benefits of e-Learning programme effectiveness, behaviour change and return on investment. The two strongest predictors of e-Learning programme effectiveness in the corporate learning environment were found to be the definition of clear learning outcomes as well as the provision of opportunities for collaboration in the context of learning. The proposed model of corporate learning environment interconnectedness was also validated and found to be reliable.Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012.
Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS)
unrestricted
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Koulouvari, Panagiota. "Organizational learning in dynamic environments." Doctoral thesis, KTH, Numerical Analysis and Computer Science, NADA, 2001. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-3109.
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Kerr, Steven John. "Scaffolded learning in virtual environments." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2005. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.423650.
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Worthington, Emily Marie. "Effective learning environments in preschools." [Ames, Iowa : Iowa State University], 2008.
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Magdon-Ismail, Malik Abu-Mostafa Yaser S. "Supervised learning in probabilistic environments /." Diss., Pasadena, Calif. : California Institute of Technology, 1998. http://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechETD:etd-09232005-143548.
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Evanshen, Pamela, and L. Phillips. "Primary Learning Environments That Teach!" Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2006. https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/4365.
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Alrayes, Amal. "Investigating the learning performance in computer supported collaborative learning environments." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2013. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/investigating-the-learning-performance-in-computer-supported-collaborative-learning-environments(369f64e0-3309-499e-a00a-c097ae7e5d03).html.
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This thesis concerns groupwork, Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) and social relationships. The use of the computer, especially when it involves the web, is claimed to be one of the most powerful tools for providing teachers and learners with an interactive and independent learning environment. This claim is justified by the immediate and wide accessed to resources. Although CSCL involves many technologies and functions, it is agreed that its universal feature is to encourage students to seek in-depth learning. The main purpose of this research is to empirically investigate the influences on learning outcomes in CSCL environments, specifically to understand how affordances for collaboration contribute to user experience as well as performance in groupwork; and to study social relationships and how they may affect learning performance. The main motivations behind this research are: 1) contradictions in the literature about the effectiveness of using the technology in groupwork, and 2) the shortcomings of existing collaborative environments, such as a poor sense of presence and limited non-verbal communication. Evaluations of collaborative technology have tended to follow either an ethnographic approach to investigate the context of use in depth, or more focused experimental analyses directed towards specific questions about collaboration. However, this research followed the mixed methods approach which has been successfully applied in HCI (Murphy et al., 1999; Ormerod et al., 2004), so this approach is suitable for investigating CSCL affordances and requirements. A series of seven field studies was conducted, using both quantitative (questionnaires) and qualitative (observations and interviews) methods. Synthesising the analysis of the seven studies involved experimentally comparing the affordances of some existing collaborative technologies (Blackboard and SecondLife). Overall, the results offer four main contributions. First, a conceptual model of the factors that impact performance in CSCL environments is developed, including three main dimensions: technology, group and learner features. Second, the key theoretical findings in this research show that social relationships and overall group activities do not correlate directly with performance, so our results appear to agree with previous findings that social relationships have no positive effect on learning performance. However, some social familiarity does appear to promote group interaction and performance. Comparing the use of technologies with face-to-face collaboration produced a complex picture. The 3D virtual world did not produce the expected benefit, probably because of usability problems encountered with the avatars. In contrast, the text-based virtual world was perceived as being more usable, even though for some groups it was considered to be boring and not a stimulating user experience. Although face-to-face collaboration was expected to be most effective, and indeed it was quickest and rated best on experience and positive emotions, it did not produce more accurate results. Third, was the mixed methods research approach and the discourse analysis method used to analyse the Blackboard threads in this research. Finally, the research provides guidelines for both educators and designers of CSCL environments. Although the exploratory nature of the study resulted in certain limitations, the study enriches existing knowledge in the area of CSCL and provides theoretical, methodological and practical insights that suggest promising opportunities for future research.
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Liu, Yuanliang. "Design of learning objects to support constructivist learning environments." Diss., Columbia, Mo. : University of Missouri-Columbia, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10355/4304.
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Thesis (M.S.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2005.The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file viewed on (December 13, 2006) Includes bibliographical references.
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Harrison, Michelle. "Developing spaces for learning in online open learning environments." Thesis, Lancaster University, 2016. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.719806.
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With the adoption of social technologies in mainstream society, post-secondary educators have been adopting social technologies as alternatives to traditional learning management systems, perceiving them to be more open, participatory, student-centered, and reflective of socio-constructivist approaches to learning. At the same time, as we open up our boundaries of learning, researchers have suggested that these spaces can be uncanny, unsettling or troublesome as they challenge traditional, hierarchical learning models and their more familiar and comfortable references, roles and norms of the academy. How we incorporate these networked learning principles into the design of open online learning spaces, and how these spaces then are enacted as learning spaces is the focus of this project. A virtual ethnographic case study of an open boundary course was conducted to investigate how the available learning spaces are perceived and used by both teachers and learners, particularly as they intersect formal and informal contexts. To answer the overall research question "What effects do open online learning spaces have on the development of a learning culture in networked learning environments?" a two-tiered analytic framework was developed. The first tier examined the everyday practices within the course, including interactions between material and social spaces, through examination of the structures, communications and resulting practices. The second stage used a spatial lens, based on Boys' (2011) adaptation of Lefebvre's spatial triad (1991), to explore the tensions between how space is perceived (daily practices), conceived (designed), and lived (enacted) by participants. One finding is that participants all valued direct pathways for their learning experiences and felt that too many resources and routes lead to confusion and disorientation. Finding and maintaining coherence was a challenge for both instructors and participants, with each wrangling with the principles of openness, autonomy and social dialogue to meet their own needs and create different learning spaces. For the instructors this meant providing wayfinding and mooring points through the signalling of pathways, active participation and a repurposing/remixing of the different tools and structures available to them. The designed environment was inscribed with the familiar indicators of formal educational spaces (timeframes, structured activities, roles, active facilitation, educational metaphors, familiar asynchronous and synchronous communication) and provided a "homely" feel (Knox, 2014b). The participants chose different pathways depending on their expectations and learning needs (assessed/non- assessed), made visible their struggles with technology, and stuck to the course "home" space where visibility, recognition and meaningful connections were more likely to be encountered. This allowed for the development of a small cohort of engaged, active learners who developed an open and supportive learning culture where they could take risks in their own learning processes. The spatial analysis highlighted that there is a constant shifting and renegotiating within the learning spaces we try to create, both as designers and as learners. In this case tensions related to visibility/anonymity, assessment, flexibility (pathways, time), resources, conceptions of openness, and complexity of the learning environment, all had an impact on how the learning spaces were perceived or enacted. The hierarchically defined spaces created through digital tools, even those created by social technologies that many consider inherently more open and participatory, are only permeable and accessible in certain ways, and to certain types of practices. As the results of this research highlight, these underlying structures, with their own set of rules, ownership, and hierarchical ordering affects the resulting spaces, dictating how learners and teachers can shape and interact with them. Those considering designing learning experiences with more open, permeable boundaries will need to ask critical questions about how resulting tensions may create different types of enclosures or barriers, and flow this impacts on the spaces for learning.
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Littler, Craig George. "Perspectives on learning and information in flexible learning environments /." Electronic version, 2004. http://adt.lib.uts.edu.au/public/adt-NTSM20040730.113839/index.html.
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Wang, Dawei. "Enhancing individualised learning and interaction in online learning environments." Thesis, Robert Gordon University, 2008. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.491201.
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The quality of the student learning experience in an online learning course has raised many debates in educational studies. Evidence found in current literature indicates that individualised learning and interactive learning do contribute to the student learning experience in online learning courses. However, there is little evidence of any major studies that have tried to explore the impact of both individualised learning and interactive learning on the students' experience.
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Abou-Khalil, Victoria. "Supporting Learner Centered Vocabulary Learning in Informal Learning Environments." Kyoto University, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/2433/253413.
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付記する学位プログラム名: デザイン学大学院連携プログラムKyoto University (京都大学)
0048
新制・課程博士
博士(情報学)
甲第22577号
情博第714号
新制||情||122(附属図書館)
京都大学大学院情報学研究科社会情報学専攻
(主査)教授 緒方 広明, 教授 守屋 和幸, 教授 黒田 知宏
学位規則第4条第1項該当
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Ndlebe, Pamella Panphilla. "Workplace Learning: Understanding financial sector institutions as learning environments." University of the Western Cape, 2019. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/6979.
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Magister Educationis (Adult Learning and Global Change) - MEd(AL)The objective of the research is to understand the learning affordances offered at Insure Company, a large financial sector institution in South Africa and to explore how employees exercise their agency in responding to these opportunities for learning. The study draws on the concept of co-participation (Billett, 2004: 03) to explore how learning at work is shaped through learning affordances in the workplace on the one hand and engagement with these learning affordances on the other. Drawing on data gathered through interviews and analysis of company policies, this case study discusses how employees learn to perform their roles competently, how they access guidance and support from peers and more experienced colleagues and how they respond to these opportunities for learning. It also discusses the factors which enable or constrain their learning and agency. The research confirms that negative perceptions of workplace learning - as informal, unplanned, unstructured, limited to particular contexts and not transferable - are inaccurate. It supports the argument that there should be a clear understanding about how learning proceeds in workplaces and how best that learning should be organised. It is hoped that this case study makes a useful contribution towards developing such an understanding.
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Holmes, Natasha Grace. "The invention support environment : using metacognitive scaffolding and interactive learning environments to improve learning from invention." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/37904.
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Invention activities are discovery-learning activities that ask students to invent a solution to a problem before being taught the expert solution. The combination of invention activities and tell-and-practice methods has been shown to lead to better student learning and performance on transfer tasks, as compared to tell-and-practice methods alone. A computer-based interactive learning environment, called the Invention Support Environment (ISE), was built using Cognitive Tutor Authoring Tools to improve the in-class use of invention activities, and act as a research tool for studying the effects of the activities. The system was designed to support three levels of metacognitive scaffolding, using domain-general prompts. It also features a platform for creating new invention tasks within the system, requiring little to no programming experience. The ISE was used to evaluate how domain-general scaffolding of invention activities can best support acquisition of domain knowledge and scientific reasoning skills. Five invention activities in statistics and data-analysis domains were given to 134 undergraduate students in a physics lab course at the University of British Columbia. Students either received guidance in the form of faded metacognitive scaffolding or unguided inventions. It was found that faded metacognitive scaffolding did not improve learning of invention skills compared to unguided inventions. Faded metacognitive scaffolding was found to improve understanding of domain equations, as seen through higher performance on debugging items in a statistics diagnostic. Future experimental design and ISE improvements are discussed.
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Arnold, Rudolf. "Interactive learning environments for mathematical topics." Zürich : ETH, 2007. http://e-collection.ethbib.ethz.ch/show?type=diss&nr=17479.
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Kwok, Hing-Wah Computer Science & Engineering Faculty of Engineering UNSW. "Hierarchical reinforcement learning in adversarial environments." Publisher:University of New South Wales. Computer Science & Engineering, 2009. http://handle.unsw.edu.au/1959.4/43424.
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It is known that one of the downfalls of reinforcement learning is the amount of time required to learn an optimal policy. This especially holds true for environments with large state spaces or environments with multiple agents. It is also known that standard Q-Learning develops a deterministic policy, and so in games where a stochastic policy is required (such as rock, paper, scissors) a Q-Learner opponent can be defeated without too much difficulty once the learning has ceased. Initially we investigated the impact that the MAXQ hierarchical reinforcement learning algorithm had in an adversarial environment. We found that it was difficult to conduct state space abstraction, especially when an unpredictable or co-evolving opponent was involved. We noticed that to keep the domains zero-sum, discounted learning was required. We had also found that a speed increase could be obtained through the use of hierarchy in the adversarial environment. We then investigated the ability to obtain similar learning speed increases to adversarial reinforcement learning through the use of this hierarchical methodology. Applying the hierarchical decomposition to Bowling's Win or Learn Fast (WoLF) algorithm we were able to maintain the accelerated learning rate whilst simultaneously retaining the stochastic elements of the WoLF algorithm. We made an assessment on the impact of the adversarial component of the hierarchy at both the higher and lower tiers of the hierarchical tree. Finally, we introduce the idea of pivot points. A pivot point is the last possible time you can wait before having to make a decision and thus revealing your strategy to the opponent. This results in maximising confusion for the opponent. Through the use of these pivot points, which could only have been discovered through the use of hierarchy, we were able to perform improved state-space abstraction since no decision needed to be made, in regards to the opponent, until this point was reached.
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Liu, Weiping. "Learning environments of Chinese Only Children." Diss., Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 2010. http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:19-161879.
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Omosule, Samson Taiwo. "Cultural trust in virtual learning environments." Thesis, University of East London, 2008. http://roar.uel.ac.uk/3369/.
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Past research has striven to decompose the elements that constitute virtual trust often through the device of designing generalised online trust models or frameworks. Understandably most of these efforts have been centred on online trust with regards to buying and selling of commodities or services over the internet but this work extends these to Virtual Learning Environments. A number of online trust models and frameworks have been proposed but there remains an important omission (contribution to knowledge) in regards to trust within learning institutions. Within this omission, this investigation examines and reveals the factors that constitute students trust in Virtual Learning Environments. It also reveals how these trust factors and the elements that constitute them in Virtual Learning Environments vary in parametric values across cultures. The revealed trust factors (usability, Influence, trial and self-decision-making power) are what we used as constructs for the development of our Culture Influence Virtual Learning Environments Trust (CIVLET) framework. In CIVLET, culture is used as a major construct to determine the associated parametric values with these trust factors. Hence culture is seen as a major determinant of trust and students trust in VLEs is seen to vary with cultures. From the analysis of past work/literature in the field of Information Systems, Virtual environments, Virtual trust and Culture we derived the dependent and independent variables used in this work. The dependent variables were grouped under these four headings for questions to be asked in regards to students' opinion toward their intentions to participate and their experiences after participation to trusting VLEs across cultures: Behavioural Intention towards Virtual Learning Environments, Attitude towards Virtual Learning Environments, Subjective norm towards Virtual Learning Environments and Perceived Behavioural control. The cultures in questions are of the Europeans, Africans, Asians and the South American/Caribbean. We raised two hypotheses and set four research questions. From our hypotheses, we rejected hypothesis (HO) in favour of (HI). We derived Usability trust factor, Influential trust factor, Trial trust factor and Self-decisionmaking power trust factor as the factors that constitute students trust in Virtual Learning Environments across cultures. Our work also confirm that Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Expectation Confirmation Theory (ECT) are IS research theories that can be used to model behavior and on the bases of which our CIVLET framework was developed. We collected qualitative data (students' experiences) through a Web-based questionnaire survey and these data were coded into quantitative data for statistical analysis. We applied Principal Component Analysis technique to establish the linear components (factors) that exist within our data and to establish how each of the variables contribute to the components (factors) and to demonstrate the chances that the characteristics of our selected samples were found in the populations in questions.
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Dolatabadi, Hamid Reza. "Intercultural discourse in virtual learning environments." Thesis, University of Exeter, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10036/110262.
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The potential of community building through computer-mediated communication (CMC) in virtual learning environments has received increasing attention in recent years, yet little empirical research has been conducted in this field in Middle Eastern countries particularly based on a social constructivist approach as in this case. This research is concerned with the processes of community building as experienced by university students in computer-mediated distance education classes in Iran. Its overarching concern was to see if convergence happens in an on-line university discussion forum in a Middle Eastern cultural context, and if so, to explore how it happens and with what strategies it can be supported in such environment. The research addressed the role of collaborative interaction as the process of co-construction of knowledge and identities, by looking at: (i) the students’ beliefs as reflected in a survey; (ii) patterns and outcomes of interaction derived from an analysis of on-line transactions; (iii) students’ perspectives based on interviews and their responses to a survey. The participants came from four different Middle Eastern cultural and linguistic backgrounds and were all students studying at Masters Level. The academic context was an Iranian university that has a large face-to-face student population as well as a large number of distance students. The participants’ common meeting ground was primarily a virtual environment created for the students to share their learning experience and to communicate with each other and the tutors. The participants’ beliefs and ideas in terms of choice, opportunity, culture and expectations were examined through a survey in the first phase of the study. Then, to investigate their roles in shaping the on-line community, an additional university e-forum was designed and implemented by the researcher in the second phase of the study. In this forum the participants were free to contact each other without pre-planned tasks or interventions by the class tutors. Social constructivist approaches were used to analyse interactions between students and the outcomes of these interactions. The findings suggest that participants moved their communicative competence from tangible topics towards shaping new beliefs and ideas; creating the VSD-Virtual Social Development- model. These developments are regarded as something unique for an area such as the Middle East where gaining confidence is hard especially when there is no face-to-face contact with other participants, and individuals often have concerns about revealing their real personalities in untried situations. The findings of the interviews support the findings of the second phase of the study and show what strategies the participants used in community building. The research also highlighted many issues for further study, one of which is the various interpretations of the concept of community building in on-line contexts.
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Hurst, Jacob Machar. "Learning classifier systems in robotic environments." Thesis, University of the West of England, Bristol, 2003. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.274088.
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Yu, Jian Qing. "Virtual learning environments and life sciences." Thesis, Nottingham Trent University, 2005. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.442337.
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Wang, RouLan. "Cultural disconnection in virtual learning environments." Thesis, University of Exeter, 2007. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.436423.
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Marshall, L. "Learning and action in uncertain environments." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 2017. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1563504/.
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Successful interaction with the environment requires flexible updating of our beliefs about the world. By learning to estimate the likelihood of future events, it is possible to prepare appropriate actions in advance and execute fast, accurate motor responses. According to theoretical proposals, humans track the variability arising from dynamic environments by computing various forms of uncertainty. Several neuromodulators have been linked to uncertainty signalling but comprehensive empirical characterisation of their roles in perceptual belief updating and motor response modulation has been lacking. This thesis interrogates the contributions of noradrenaline, acetylcholine and dopamine to human learning and action within a unified computational framework of uncertainty. First, I use pharmacological interventions to characterise the impact of noradrenergic, cholinergic and dopaminergic receptor antagonism on individual computations of uncertainty during a probabilistic serial reaction time task. I develop and employ a hierarchical Bayesian model to quantify human learning and action under three forms of uncertainty. I propose that noradrenaline influences learning of uncertain events arising from unexpected changes in the environment, while acetylcholine balances attribution of uncertainty to chance fluctuations within environmental contexts or to gross environmental violations following a contextual switch. In contrast, dopamine supports the use of uncertainty representations to engender fast, adaptive responses. Second, I extend these results by focusing on the effects of natural inter-individual variations in dopaminergic function. Specifically, I employ the same task and model to assess individual learning and action under uncertainty as a function of COMT genotype. Third, I focus on the role of noradrenaline. Uncertainty computations have been linked to changes in pupil diameter, and pupil dilation to noradrenergic neuronal activity in the locus coeruleus. Combining an auditory probabilistic learning task, pharmacological manipulations, pupillometry and computational modelling, I demonstrate that pupil diameter offers an indirect measure of dynamic noradrenergic computations of environmental uncertainty and volatility.
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Tlauka, Michael. "Spatial learning in computer-simulated environments." Thesis, University of Leicester, 1995. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/34697.
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In 10 experiments spatial learning in computer-simulated environments was investigated. Part 1 of the thesis examined whether navigational learning in real and computer-simulated environments is comparable. Two methods were used to fulfil this aim. First, learning in equivalent real and computer-simulated environments was directly compared. Second, the properties of mental representations from learning in a simulated environment were investigated in an attempt to examine whether they are similar to the properties of mental representations from comparable learning experiences in the real world. The results of both methods indicated that the cognitive processes involved in learning in real and computer-simulated environments are similar. Part 2 of the thesis was concerned with the effect of landmarks on learning in large-scale and small-scale computer-simulated environments. With respect to learning in large-scale environments, the results showed that landmarks can aid route-learning. A positive effect of landmarks on route-learning was found to be dependent on a successsful suppression of alternative learning strategies. With respect to learning in small-scale environments, landmarks were shown to aid people's memory for spatial locations. It is concluded that computer simulations have a great potential for research into spatial learning. Using such simulations it is possible to address research questions which otherwise may be difficult or impossible to examine.
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Viteri, Victor R. (Victor Raul). "Experiential learning environments for structural behavior." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/29284.
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Thesis (Ph. D .)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2003.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 182-184).
Computers have dramatically changed the nature of structural engineering practice by shifting work from process-oriented tasks, such as performing hand calculations and drafting, to structural modeling and interpretation of computer results. To perform these new functions, engineers need to have a deep understanding of structural behavior. There exists, however, a strong sentiment that engineering education has not been able to effectively address these new needs. Through the Experiential Learning Cycle, this research identifies structural behavior as knowledge associated with conceptual understanding that is most effectively attained through reflective action. Within this context, an epistemological analysis reveals that the use of computer applications that integrate simulation and assessment capabilities would enhance the traditional framework of structural engineering education. The Tutorial Cycle provides the pedagogical foundation for the development of a methodology that leads to the creation of such environments. The principles proposed by this methodology were implemented in the building of an Experiential Learning Environment whose primary objective is to help develop a qualitative understanding for the structural behavior of beams. In order to address conceptual and developmental issues, a preliminary environment, PointLoad, with limited capabilities was first put together. Then, after conducting usability tests on this version, a more comprehensive learning environment was built. The end result, iBeam, combines a Finite Element based interactive simulator with an adaptive assessment and feedback component.
(cont.) A programming strategy that combines deterministic programming with rule-based reasoning agents was adopted in the development this environment. Feedback from student trials confirmed that the approach used in iBeam effectively fosters user engagement in reflective action.
by Victor Viteri.
Ph.D .
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Weber, Charles M. (Charles Maria) 1955. "Rapid learning in high velocity environments." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/8003.
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Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, 2003.Includes bibliographical references (p. 524-569).
This dissertation investigates how rapid learning occurs in high technology industries, many of which operate in what Bourgeois and Eisenhardt (1988) term "high velocity environments." The dissertation consists of three empirical studies, which follow the method of extended case study research (e.g. Yin, 1981; Eisenhardt, 1989a). Semiconductor manufacturing and process development are chosen as settings for this dissertation because they exemplify some of the attributes of high velocity environments. The first study looks into how firms organize for learning. Existing definitions of modularity (McClelland & Rumelhart, 1995; Ulrich, 1995b; Baldwin & Clark, 1997) are expanded to provide a theoretical framework for differentiation and integration of organizations (Lawrence & Lorsch, 1967, 1967a, 1969), technology (Iansiti & West, 1997; Iansiti, 1998), learning activity, accumulated knowledge and performance metrics in high velocity environments. The results of the study imply that differentiation in high velocity environments occurs with a high degree of modularity (the individual modules exhibit little interdependence), which fosters learning efficiency. The results also indicate that integrating technological subsystems in is significantly more complicated than integrating organizational subsystems. The second study explores the inner mechanisms of rapid learning by building a model of the lifecycle of a semiconductor manufacturing process. The output of the model suggests that the performance of a system is proportional to the performance of its most limiting subsystem. Learning in an organization occurs by paying attention to the weakest mechanism within that organization until that mechanism is no longer the weakest one, and shifting attention to the mechanism that replaces it as the weakest one.
(cont.) Learning in high velocity environments is likely to be highly punctuated and to include substantial engineering efforts, which may occur prior to the release of a product. The third study investigates the effects of rapid learning on a firm's profitability, suggesting that the ability to conduct and accelerate punctuated learning serves as the primary source of competitive advantage in high velocity environments. In conjunction, these studies lay the foundation for a normative, metrics-driven, pragmatic theory of learning. The theory recommends that firms should 1) Define the global objective of a venture and select the global metrics that best measure whether the venture is making progress towards its stated objective; 2) Build a learning architecture that supports the global objective of the venture, i.e. define a hierarchy the metrics that allow the firm to achieve the objective in the most effective manner; 3) Organize for learning by defining a hierarchy of activities that are aligned with the metrics of the learning architecture; 4) Manage bottlenecks; and 5) Prepare for change before change occurs, by spreading knowledge as rapidly as possible throughout the organization.
by Charles M. Weber.
Ph.D.
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Jones, Daniel. "Evolution and learning in heterogeneous environments." Thesis, Goldsmiths College (University of London), 2015. http://research.gold.ac.uk/15078/.
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A real-world environment is complex and non-uniform, varying over space and time. This thesis demonstrates the impact of such environmental heterogeneity upon the ways in which organisms acquire information about the world, via a series of individual-based computational models that apply progressively more detailed forms of environmental structure to understand the causal impact of four distinct environmental factors: temporal variability; task complexity; population structure; and spatial heterogeneity. We define a baseline model, comprised of an evolving population of polygenic individuals that can follow three learning modes: innate behaviour, in which an organism acts according to its genetically-encoded traits; individual learning, in which an organism engages in trial-and-error to modify its inherited behaviours; and social learning, in which an individual mimics the behaviours of its peers. This model is used to show that environmental variability and task complexity affect the adaptive success of each learning mode, with social learning only arising as a dominant strategy in environments of median variability and complexity. Beyond a certain complexity threshold, individual learning is shown to be the sole dominant strategy. Social learning is shown to play a beneficial role following a sudden environmental change, contributing to the dissemination of novel traits in a population of poorly-adapted individuals. Introducing population structure in the form of a k-regular graph, we show that bounded and rigid neighbourhood relationships can have deleterious effects on a population, diminishing its evolutionary rate and equilibrium fitness, and, in some cases, preventing the population from crossing a fitness valley to a global optimum. A larger neighbourhood size is shown to increase the effectiveness of social learning, and results in a more rapid evolutionary convergence rate. The research subsequently focuses on spatially heterogeneous environments, proposing a new method of constructing an environment characterised by two key metrics derived from landscape ecology, “patchiness” and “gradient”. We show that spatial complexity slows the rate of genetic adaptation when movement is restricted, but can increase the rate of evolution for mobile individuals. Social learning is shown to be particularly beneficial within heterogeneous environments, particularly when mobility is restricted, suggesting that phenotypic plasticity may act as a substitute for mobility.
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Allison, Colin. "Systems support for distributed learning environments." Thesis, University of St Andrews, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/14519.
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This thesis contends that the growing phenomena of multi-user networked "learning environments" should be treated as distributed interactive systems and that their developers should be aware of the systems and networks issues involved in their construction and maintenance. Such environments are henceforth referred to as distributed learning environments, or DLEs. Three major themes are identified as part of systems support: i) shared resource coherence in DLEs; ii) Quality of Service for the end- users of DLEs; and iii) the need for an integrating framework to develop, deploy and manage DLEs. The thesis reports on several distinct implementations and investigations that are each linked by one or more of those themes. Initially, responsiveness and coherence emerged as potentially conflicting requirements, and although a system was built that successfully resolved this conflict it proved difficult to move from the "clean room" conditions of a research project into a real world learning context. Accordingly, subsequent systems adopted a web-based approach to aid deployment in realistic settings. Indeed, production versions of these systems have been used extensively in credit-bearing modules in several Scottish Universities. Interactive responsiveness then emerged as a major Quality of Service issue in its own right, and motivated a series of investigations into the sources of delay, as experienced by end users of web-oriented distributed learning environments. Investigations into this issue provided insight into the nature of web-oriented interactive distributed learning and highlighted the need to be QoS-aware. As the volume and the range of usage of distributed learning applications increased the need for an integrating framework emerged. This required identifying and supporting a wide variety of educational resource types and also the key roles occupied by users of the system, such as tutors, students, supervisors, service providers, administrators, examiners. The thesis reports on the approaches taken and lessons learned from researching, designing and implementing systems which support distributed learning. As such, it constitutes a documented body of work that can inform the future design and deployment of distributed learning environments.
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Winberg, Andreas, and Lindström Oliver Öhrstam. "Reinforcement Learning Methods for OpenAI Environments." Thesis, KTH, Skolan för elektroteknik och datavetenskap (EECS), 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-293855.
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Using the powerful methods developed in the fieldof reinforcement learning requires an understanding of theadvantages and drawbacks of different methods as well as theeffects of the different adjustable parameters. This paper high-lights the differences in performance and applicability betweenthree different Q-learning methods: Q-table, deep Q-network anddouble deep Q-network where Q refers to the value assigned toa given state-action pair. The performance of these algorithms isevaluated on the two OpenAI gym environments MountainCar-v0 and CartPole-v0. The implementations are done in Pythonusing the Tensorflow toolkit with Keras. The results show thatthe Q-table was the best to use in the Mountain car environmentbecause it was the easiest to implement and was much fasterto compute, but it was also shown that the network methodsrequired far less training data. No significant difference inperformance was found between the deep Q-network and thedouble deep Q-network. In the end, there is a trade-off betweenthe number of episodes required and the computation time foreach episode. The network parameters were also harder to tunesince much more time was needed to compute and visualize theresult.Att använda de kraftfulla metoderna som utvecklats inom området reinforcement learning kräver en förståelse av fördelar och nackdelar mellan olika metoder samt effekterna av de olika justerbara parametrarna. Denna artikel belyser skillnaderna i prestanda och funktionalitet mellan tre olika metoder: Q-table, deep Q-network och double deep Q- network. Prestandan för dessa algoritmer utvärderas i de två OpenAI gym-miljöerna MountainCar-v0 samt Cartpole-v0. Implementeringarna görs i python med hjälp av programvarubiblioteket Tensorflow tillsammans med Keras. Resultaten visar att Q-table var lättast att implementera och tränade snabbast i båda miljöerna. Nätverksmetoderna krävde dock mindre träningsdata även om det tog lång tid att träna på den data som fanns. Inga stora skillnader i prestanda hittades mellan deep Q-network och double deep Q-network. I slutändan kommer det alltid vara en balansgång mellan mängden träningsdata som krävs och tiden det tar att träna på den data som finns.
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Podoski, Chad William. "Instant messenger for collaborative learning environments." [Florida] : State University System of Florida, 2001. http://etd.fcla.edu/etd/uf/2001/ank7124/thesis.pdf.
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Thesis (M.E.)--University of Florida, 2001.Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains x, 52 p.; also contains graphics. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 51).
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Lindgren, Robb. "Perspective-based learning in virtual environments /." May be available electronically:, 2009. http://proquest.umi.com/login?COPT=REJTPTU1MTUmSU5UPTAmVkVSPTI=&clientId=12498.
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Liu, Hairong. "Student modeling in e-learning environments /." free to MU campus, to others for purchase, 2004. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/mo/fullcit?p1420936.
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Sykes, Jonathan Robert. "Supporting spatial learning in virtual environments." Thesis, Edinburgh Napier University, 2003. http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/2786.
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This thesis explores the acquisition of spatial knowledge as a means to support wayfinding in virtual environments. Specifically, the thesis presents an investigation into the potential benefits one might gain through the application of a variety of tools, each of which has been designed to support one of the three stages of cognitive map development - landmark-based representation, route-based representation, and survey-based representation (Siegel & White, 1975). Each tool has been evaluated with respect to improvements in wayfinding, and also in their support for environmental learning. Measures were taken of each tool used in isolation, and also when used together as a complete toolset. The between-subjects evaluation process involved 101 participants, randomly assigned to one of five conditions. Each participant was asked to navigate a virtual environment to locate three specific items. To evaluate wayfinding, participants were asked to perform the same task on six occasions within the same session. After discovering all items, a measure indicating route efficiency was recorded. On completing all six trials participants were asked to produce a map of the virtual environment. It was hypothesised that the presence of tools would improve the acquisition of spatial knowledge, and thus route efficiency and map production. Comparing the 'no-tool' and the 'all tool' conditions, a 2x6 repeated measures ANOVA found that when providing the tools concurrently there was a statistically significant improvement in the efficiency of route taken (F(1,38)=4.63, p<0.05). However, when evaluating the tools in isolation, no significant improvement in route efficiency was found. Also, no significant difference between conditions was identified when comparing the quality of maps produced by participants across conditions. The thesis concludes by arguing that the application of the complete toolset benefits wayfinding, although it is noted that the evidence does not support the hypothesis that this is caused by improved spatial learning.
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Herrington, Janice A. "Authentic learning in interactive multimedia environments." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 1997. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1478.
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The instructional technology community is in the midst of a philosophical shift from a behaviourist to a constructivist framework, a move that may begin to address the growing rift between formal school learning and real-life learning. One theory of learning which has the capacity to promote authentic learning is that of situated learning. The purpose of the study was to investigate the way students learn from an interactive multimedia package and learning environment based on a situated learning model. To do this, it was necessary to identify the critical characteristics of a situated learning model based on the extensive literature on the subject. An interactive multimedia learning environment for university level students was then designed according to these characteristics of a situated learning model. The learning environment comprised an interactive multimedia program on assessment in mathematics, together with recommended implementation conditions in the classroom. Specifically, the research sought to investigate the way preservice teachers used interactive multimedia based on a situated learning model, how they responded to the critical elements of the situated learning environment, what types of higher-order thinking they used as they worked with the program, and whether learning transferred to their professional teaching practice in schools. The research took the form of an interpretive, qualitative study. The major methods of data collection were videotaping of preservice teachers using the interactive multimedia program, observation, and interviews with both the preservice teachers and their supervising teachers in schools. Data was analysed using techniques of qualitative analysis recommended by Eisner (1991) and Miles and Huberman (1994). Findings suggest that the use of the situated learning model was a successful alternative to the system models frequently used for the development of interactive multimedia, and one that enabled students to freely navigate a complex resource. When implemented with all the characteristics defined in the model, it appeared to provide an effective framework for the design of an environment for the acquisition of advanced know ledge. Students used a substantial amount of higher-order thinking, relatively little social and lower order talk, and a moderate amount of procedural talk as they worked with the assessment program. While on their professional practice in schools, the students used a variety of assessment techniques to assess children's learning, and they were able to speak knowledgably and confidently about the issue of assessment, supporting the view that they had incorporated their learning deeply into their cognitive structures. According to the beliefs of the students themselves, the multimedia program appeared to influence the types of strategies they employed and their thinking about assessment as they taught mathematics and other classes during their professional practice. The major implication of the research is that new learning theory can inform the instructional design of interactive multimedia. For implementation in contexts of advanced knowledge acquisition, an instructional design model based on situated learning is an effective substitute for the traditional instructional systems model. Further implications are that excessive intervention by the developer in providing interaction between the program and the learner is not necessary, and that multimedia materials are best designed and implemented socially, not as independent instruction for individual learners. At the conclusion of the thesis, extensive recommendations for further research, both systemic and analytic, are provided.
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Moafipoor, Shahram, Lydia Bock, Jeffrey A. Fayman, Gerry Mader, and Michael Strong. "Collaborative Environment Learning: The Key to Localization of Soldiers in Urban Environments." International Foundation for Telemetering, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/606113.
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ITC/USA 2009 Conference Proceedings / The Forty-Fifth Annual International Telemetering Conference and Technical Exhibition / October 26-29, 2009 / Riviera Hotel & Convention Center, Las Vegas, NevadaSeveral navigation technologies exist, which can facilitate the generation of Time Space Positioning Information (TSPI) in urban environments. These include GPS, image-based localization, radio-based localization and dead reckoning. This paper first presents a basic overview of these techniques including advantages and limitations of each. We present an approach to localization in urban environments, based on environment learning and collaborative navigation using multiple homogeneous and non-homogeneous localization technologies, fused to form a multi-sensor system.
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Skelton, David J. E. "An investigation into the learning environments of blended delivery (e-learning and classroom) in a tertiary environment." Thesis, Curtin University, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/555.
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This thesis describes research investigating the learning environment of tertiary students undertaking their studies through a mixture of online learning management systems and traditional tertiary classroom delivery. A review of the literature examined traditional learning environments, pure online virtual environments and more recent literature pertaining to a blended environment. The examination of student and staff perceptions of learning environments in different contexts served to generate recommendations to help tertiary teachers optimise online and traditional teaching practices within a mixed-mode environment. Students' experiences of their learning environment were discovered through quantitative and qualitative methods. Quantitative data on students' experiences were gathered by using an adapted version of the Web-based Learning Environment Instrument (WEBLEI). Qualitative data on students' experiences were collected by discussion questions added to the WEBLEI survey. Qualitative data on the use of online and blended learning environment experiences by tertiary staff were gathered by email and supplementary interviews. The study synthesised results from these multiple sources within a tertiary institute environment and made recommendations and gave insight into optimal blended learning environments within the tertiary sector. Overall, the study provided a perspective on the psychology and strategic view of the learning environment for the future tertiary institute.
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Skelton, David J. E. "An investigation into the learning environments of blended delivery (e-learning and classroom) in a tertiary environment." Curtin University of Technology, Science and Mathematics Education Centre, 2007. http://espace.library.curtin.edu.au:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=18577.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis describes research investigating the learning environment of tertiary students undertaking their studies through a mixture of online learning management systems and traditional tertiary classroom delivery. A review of the literature examined traditional learning environments, pure online virtual environments and more recent literature pertaining to a blended environment. The examination of student and staff perceptions of learning environments in different contexts served to generate recommendations to help tertiary teachers optimise online and traditional teaching practices within a mixed-mode environment. Students' experiences of their learning environment were discovered through quantitative and qualitative methods. Quantitative data on students' experiences were gathered by using an adapted version of the Web-based Learning Environment Instrument (WEBLEI). Qualitative data on students' experiences were collected by discussion questions added to the WEBLEI survey. Qualitative data on the use of online and blended learning environment experiences by tertiary staff were gathered by email and supplementary interviews. The study synthesised results from these multiple sources within a tertiary institute environment and made recommendations and gave insight into optimal blended learning environments within the tertiary sector. Overall, the study provided a perspective on the psychology and strategic view of the learning environment for the future tertiary institute.
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Weng, Ng Giap. "Modelling skill learning for augmented and virtual reality learning environments." Thesis, University of Salford, 2007. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.502807.
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Berg, Marklund Björn. "Emergent Learning : Peer collaboration and learning in user driven environments." Thesis, Högskolan i Skövde, Institutionen för kommunikation och information, 2011. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:his:diva-5117.
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The purpose of this project is to examine how collaboration in groups of children change from a face-to-face emergent environment to a computer mediated emergent environment. To examine this, a methodology was devised in order to track individual group members‟ contributions to exercises performed by the group. Groups of five children built structures out of LEGOs and in the game Minecraft, and through the devised tracking method, data from the different exercises were juxtaposed with each other and compared in order to determine how the collaborative patterns within the groups varied depending on what exercise they were partaking in. The results of this research is that the computer based emergent system was experienced as more engaging and immersive, and that it fostered continuous discovery and problem solving throughout the game session, which wasn‟t the case in the LEGO exercise.
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Pirttikangas, S. (Susanna). "Routine Learning: from Reactive to Proactive Environments." Doctoral thesis, University of Oulu, 2004. http://urn.fi/urn:isbn:9514275659.
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Abstract
Technological development and various information services becoming common has had the effect that data from everyday situations is available. Utilizing this technology and the data it produces in an efficient manner is called context-aware or ubiquitous computing. The research includes the specifications of each application, the requirements of the communication systems, issues of privacy, and human - computer interaction, for example. The environment should learn from the user's behaviour and communicate with the user. The communication should not be only reactive, but proactive as well.
This thesis is divided into two parts, both representing methodology for enabling intelligence in our everyday surroundings. In part one, three different applications are defined for studying context-recognition and routine learning: a health monitoring system, a context-aware health club application, and automatic device configuration in an office space.
The path for routine learning is straight forward and it is closely related to pattern recognition research. Sensory data is collected from users in various different situations, the signals are pre-processed, and the contexts recognized from this sensory data. Furthermore, routine learning is realized through association rules. The routine learning paradigm developed here can utilize already recognized contexts despite their meaning in the real world. The user makes the final decision on whether the routine is important or not, and has authority over every action of the system.
The second part of the thesis is built on experiments on identifying a person walking on a pressure-sensitive floor. Resolving the characteristics of the special sensor producing the measurements, which lies under the normal flooring, is one of the tasks of this research. The identification is tested with Hidden Markov models and Learning Vector Quantization.
The methodology developed in this thesis offers a step along the long road towards functional and calm intelligent environments.
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Basiel, Anthony. "ePedagogy for virtual learning environments : professional doctorate." Thesis, Middlesex University, 2006. http://eprints.mdx.ac.uk/2536/.
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Three projects were conducted to generate data to validate the eLearning theories, models and pedagogical design principles[1] offered in the concluding chapter. Through this study the overall research question addressed is: ‘How can the learning process (a virtual learning environment event) be facilitated and supported through the research and development of web-based technology that is appropriately matched to eLearning pedagogy and online epistemology?’ The projects discussed are: Project 1: Educational Web-based Video Conferencing - This study aims to answer the question, ‘How can web-based video conferencing and related tool sets (white boards, shared desktop, text chat, recording utility, etc.) be pedagogically designed appropriately and applied to a virtual research environment (VRE) context to address the collaborative and support needs of trans-disciplinary (across subjects and levels) work based learning practitioner researchers? Project 2: eLearning Teaching Templates – This study will answer the research question, “How can eLearning model templates be used to promote the online teaching/learning process?” Project 3: VLE Denouement Profile methodology and Toolkit - The research question, ‘How can a common understanding of VLE design and implementation between the NCWBLP stakeholders be facilitated and supported?’ is addressed.
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Tobias, Eliana R. "Learning environments for special needs preschool children." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 1989. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/29374.
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This study looked at four types of learning environments for developmentally delayed 3-5 year old preschool children, namely segregated programs, reversed mainstreamed programs, day care centres, and nursery schools in order to describe and analyze the experiences children have in these settings.
Twenty preschool classroom environments were analyzed, forty children were observed to obtain child-child interaction data, twenty teachers were observed and interviewed in order to gather information on teacher-child interaction and type and amount of support services available to the programs and sixty parents of special needs children were interviewed to obtain information on parental involvement.
The analysis of the environment indicated that statistically significant differences existed in the data between the scores obtained by the different types of centres. Higher scores were obtained by segregated and reversed mainstreamed programs than day care centres.
No significant statistical differences were found between types of settings for child-child interaction and teacher-child interaction, although there were large differences among centres within a type. Special needs children across settings were observed mostly in parallel, solitary, and associative play. Little cooperative and dramatic play was observed across types of settings.
Teachers in all types of settings spent a high portion of their time talking to children on a one-to-one basis. Teachers in day care centres spent significantly more time talking to children about matters related to misbehavior rather than academics. Little use of praise and corrective feedback was observed by teachers of special needs preschool children. Greater availability and higher expectations for parental involvement existed both in segregated and reversed mainstreamed programs than in day care centres for parents of special needs children.
Support services for preschool programs were very low in the community the research sampled.Education, Faculty of
Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of
Graduate