Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Playing and learning'

Research in computer game playing has relied primarily on brute force searching approaches rather than any formal AI method. However, these methods may not be able to exceed human ability, as they need human expert knowledge to perform as well as they do. One recently popularized field of research known as reinforcement learning has shown good prospects in overcoming these limitations when applied to non-deterministic games. This thesis investigated whether the TD(_) algorithm, one method of reinforcement learning, using standard back-propagation neural networks for function generalization, could successfully learn a deterministic game such as chess. The aim is to determine if an agent using no external knowledge can learn to defeat a random player consistently. The results of this thesis suggests that, even though the agents faced a highly information sparse environment, an agent using a well selected view of the state information was still able to learn to not only to differentiate between various terminating board positions but also to improve its play against a random player. This shows that the reinforcement learning techniques are quite capable of learning behaviour in large deterministic environments without needing any external knowledge.

The subjects of perfect information games, machine learning and computational intelligence combine in an experiment that investigates a method to build the skill of a game-playing agent from zero game knowledge. The skill of a playing agent is determined by two aspects, the first is the quantity and quality of the knowledge it uses and the second aspect is its search capacity. This thesis introduces a novel representation language that combines symbols and numeric elements to capture game knowledge. Insofar search is concerned; an extension to an existing knowledge-based search method is developed. Empirical tests show an improvement over alpha-beta, especially in learning conditions where the knowledge may be weak. Current machine learning techniques as applied to game agents is reviewed. From these techniques a learning framework is established. The data-mining algorithm, ID3, and the computational intelligence technique, Particle Swarm Optimisation (PSO), form the key learning components of this framework. The classification trees produced by ID3 are subjected to new post-pruning processes specifically defined for the mentioned representation language. Different combinations of these pruning processes are tested and a dominant combination is chosen for use in the learning framework. As an extension to PSO, tournaments are introduced as a relative fitness function. A variety of alternative tournament methods are described and some experiments are conducted to evaluate these. The final design decisions are incorporated into the learning frame-work configuration, and learning experiments are conducted on Checkers and some variations of Checkers. These experiments show that learning has occurred, but also highlights the need for further development and experimentation. Some ideas in this regard conclude the thesis.
Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2007.
Computer Science
MSc
Unrestricted

The research presented in this thesis investigates the design challenges associated with the development and use of mobile applications and tools for supporting collaboration in educational activities. These technologies provide new opportunities to promote and enhance collaboration by engaging learners in a variety of activities across different places and contexts. A basic challenge is to identify how to design and deploy mobile tools and services that could be used to support collaboration in different kinds of settings. There is a need to investigate how to design collaborative learning processes and to support flexible educational activities that take advantage of mobility. The main research question that I focus on is the identification of factors that influence the design of mobile collaborative learning.

The theoretical foundations that guide my work rely on the concepts behind computer supported collaborative learning and design-based research. These ideas are presented at the beginning of this thesis and provide the basis for developing an initial framework for understanding mobile collaboration. The empirical results from three different projects conducted as part of my efforts at the Center for Learning and Knowledge Technologies at Växjö University are presented and analyzed. These results are based on a collection of papers that have been published in two refereed international conference proceedings, a journal paper, and a book chapter. The educational activities and technological support have been developed in accordance with a grounded theoretical framework. The thesis ends by discussing those factors, which have been identified as having a significant influence when it comes to the design and support of mobile collaborative learning.

The findings presented in this thesis indicate that mobility changes the contexts of learning and modes of collaboration, requiring different design approaches than those used in traditional system development to support teaching and learning. The major conclusion of these efforts is that the learners’ creations, actions, sharing of experiences and reflections are key factors to consider when designing mobile collaborative activities in learning. The results additionally point to the benefit of directly involving the learners in the design process by connecting them to the iterative cycles of interaction design and research.

Educational systems can benefit from Virtual Reality’s (VR) ability to support experiential learning. In particular, VR based games, especially role-playing serious games (RPGs), can promote learning through the simulation of various educational scenarios. This thesis proposes an immersive VR-RPG to educate players about the behavior of honeybees. The player adopts the role of a honeybee and experiences a virtual world mimicking the real one from the honeybee’s perspective. Unlike most studies in educational VR, we assess the impact of immersion on knowledge gain by testing the players’ knowledge on the subject before, immediately after, and one week following the use of the system. We also compare the proposed system with both a conventional and a desktop VR-RPG approach. The results indicate that students significantly gained knowledge in all methods compared to the pre-test. We found that the immersion level for both tested VR-RPGs did not have a significant effect on learning. However, the study showed an improvement in knowledge retention for the desktop VR-RPG users compared to those of the conventional method. Moreover, the results revealed that users of the immersive and desktop VR-RPGs were more motivated and engaged compared to those of the conventional method.

Research on natural language processing, such as for image and speech recognition, is rapidly changing focus from statistical methods to neural networks. In this study, we introduce speech recognition capabilities along with computer vision to allow a robot to play snooker completely by itself. The color of the ball to be pocketed is provided as an audio input using an audio device such as a microphone. The system is able to recognize the color from the input using a trained deep learning network. The system then commands the camera to locate the ball of the identified color on a snooker table by using computer vision. To pocket the target ball, the system then predicts the best shot using an algorithm. This activity can be executed accurately based on the efficiency of the trained deep learning model.

Outdoor learning has become very visible in recent times ,it is seen in different public medias such as magazines, on television, on various websites on internet, in the press and on public notice boards in different countries, accompanying different advertisements displaying a healthy lifestyle especially in early years of studies ( preschool ).The author seeks to address the perception of  Erasmus project “Dehors ” teachers`  experience outdoor, focusing majorly on the benefits and difficulties that these preschool teachers face while teaching outdoors. Furthermore, teachers are known to be role-models for their students and their opinion about their jobs matters a lot in displaying their duties as educators. Preschool children aged 0-6 years spend more time in school more than home, at least a minimum of five days in a week so ultimately attitudes of teachers largely have a positive or negative effect on  school children.  The aim of the present dissertation project is to explore how the teachers perceive outdoor learning based on their experiences outdoors. This study explored the components that characterize teachers` perception of outdoor learning. This research includes two set of interviews which were used to investigate both teachers` outdoor activities performed in Latvia and Swedish preschools. Outdoor learning has made a distinctive difference between the traditional learning approach of “stand and deliver” model which has systematically been changed to “guide on the side” model which educationalist view as a good method of impacting knowledge to learners, instead of giving knowledge as it was practiced before but in recent times, outdoor leaning processes helps to create an atmosphere for co-learning and not an isolated endeavours which is gradually  been replaced by outdoor learning approach of  “tell me and I will forget with “show me and I will remember”. These results provided a great insight on teachers` experiences of outdoor learning in the nature and on asphalt. It can be concluded that outdoor learning approach can be adaptable in the Latvian and Swedish contexts in promoting the development of preschool teachers therefore, there is a need for further research to promote effectiveness of outdoor teaching in Latvia and  Swedish preschools.

Computer games have become a commonplace but engaging activity among students. They enjoy playing computer games as they can perform larger-than-life activities virtually such as jumping from great heights, flying planes, and racing cars; actions that are otherwise not possible in real life. Computer games also offer user interactivity which gives them a certain appeal. Considering this appeal, educators should consider integrating computer games into student learning and to encourage students to author computer games of their own. It is thought that students can be engaged in learning by authoring and using computer games and can also gain essential skills such as collaboration, teamwork, problem solving and deductive reasoning. The research in this study revolves around building student engagement through the task of authoring computer games. The study aims to demonstrate how the creation and sharing of student-authored educational games might facilitate student engagement and how ICT (information and communication technology) plays a supportive role in student learning. Results from this study may lead to the broader integration of computer games into student learning and contribute to similar studies. In this qualitative case study, based in a state school in a low socio-economic area west of Brisbane, Australia, students were selected in both junior and senior secondary classes who have authored computer games as a part of their ICT learning. Senior secondary students (Year 12 ICT) were given the task of programming the games, which were to be based on Mathematics learning topics while the junior secondary students (Year 8 ICT) were given the task of creating multimedia elements for the games. A Mathematics teacher volunteered to assist in the project and provided guidance on the inclusion of suitable Mathematics curricular content into these computer games. The student-authored computer games were then used to support another group of Year 8 Mathematics students to learn the topics of Area, Volume and Time. Data was collected through interviews, classroom observations and artefacts. The teacher researcher, acting in the role of ICT teacher, coordinated with the students and the Mathematics teacher to conduct this study. Instrumental case study was applied as research methodology and Third Generation Activity Theory served as theoretical framework for this study. Data was analysed adopting qualitative coding procedures. Findings of this study indicate that having students author and play computer games promoted student engagement and that ICT played a supportive role in learning and allowed students to gain certain essential skills. Although this study will suggest integrating computer games to support classroom learning, it cannot be presumed that computer games are an immediate solution for promoting student engagement.

The Swedish industrial design agency People People has a vision, they want to make people mastering the piano by projecting guiding light onto the keys. The light plays along to the music, teaching the user in what order to press the keys. Their first design brief was the starting point of this master thesis. The aim was to investigate potential technologies for the product considering both user experience and interaction aspects as well as software related issues.The development process is described divided into thee main parts, the development of technology, hardware and software. Each part had to be developed simultaneously because of their close relation and the short time frame. The two investigated technology concepts, DLP projector and Galvanometer scanner, were tested by users in two prototypes. The majority of the users preferred the DLP projector since the Galvanometer scanner used lasers that were flickering which caused uncomfort to the eyes.A prototype software was developed in order to project the sequence of light onto the correct key according to the music. The most critical remaining issue is to present the graphic and music without latency. The software proved that it is possible to convert a MIDI -file (Musical Instrument Digital Interface ) into a projection of the correct sequence onto the keys.The device has to be mounted about 700 mm above the piano in order to project onto 4 octaves, a size about half of the piano. An important requirement was adaptability to different piano models. This requirement resulted in a hardware design development. Multiple iterations and design-sessions at the design agency resulted in a device adaptable in both height and length to be used with both vertical pianos and keyboards. The concept has been brought to the next phase of connecting manufacturers and develop a fully functioning prototype. The necessary decisions that are left regards how to form a product strategy. Both of the technology concepts are feasible, the best one to go for is determined by what kind of product the agency wants to produce. The DLP projector is a high tech product with a lot of possibilities for user interaction but it is more costly than the Galvanometer scanner. The Galvanometer is a minimum viable product possible to produce to a very low cost. In order for the agency to take the next step, an action plan is presented that can be used in the communication with possible partners.
Den svenska industridesignbyrån People People har en vision, de vill få människor att lära sig spela piano genom att projicera guidande ljuspunkter på tangenterna. Ljuset spelas upp tillsammans med musiken, och lär användaren att trycka på tangenterna i rätt ordning. Detta examensarbete har sin utgångspunkt i deras först designkoncept. Syftet med examensarbetet var att undersöka potentiella tekniska lösningar för produkten med hänsyn till både användarupplevelse, interaktionsaspekter samt mjukvarurelaterade frågor.Produktutvecklingsprocessen är beskriven i tre huvuddelar, utveckling av teknik, hårdvara och mjukvara. Varje del utvecklades samtidigt eftersom de är nära kopplade till varandra och tidsramen för projektet var begränsad. Två tekniska koncept har utvärderats noga, tekniken från DLP-projektorer och Galvanometer scanners. Koncepten har testats av användare i två olika prototyper som framförallt visar att produkten är uppskattad av användare. Majoriteten av användarna föredrog DLP projektorn eftersom lasern i galvanometerskannern flimrade vilket var obekvämt för ögonen.Utvecklingen av en mjukvaruprototyp visar att det är möjligt att konvertera musik till en korrekt ljussekvvens för att projiceras på pianotangenterna utifrån en MIDI-fil (Musical Instrument Digital Interface). Eftersom musiken och grafiken inte spelades upp från samma källa skedde fördröjningar som inte gick att ändra i den befintliga prototypen. Enheten måste monteras ca 700 mm ovanför pianot för att projicera på 4 oktaver, ungefär hälften av pianot. Ett viktigt krav var att anpassa produkten till olika sorters pianomodeller. Flera iterationer och design-sessioner på designbyrån resulterade i en produkt som går att justera i både höjd och längd för att användas med både vanliga pianon och keyboards.Produktutvecklingen har tagit konceptet till nästa fas vilket är att knyta an tillverkare och samarbetspartners för att utveckla en fullt fungerande prototyp. Båda de tekniska koncepten är genomförbara, men de skiljer sig åt; DLP-projektor är en mycket teknisk produkt med många möjligheter att utveckla interaktionen med användaren, men den är dyrare. Galvanometern är en produkt som uppfyller de lägst satta kraven och är möjligt att producera till en mycket låg kostnad. För att byrån ska kunna ta nästa steg i produktutvecklingsprocessen avslutas rapporten med en produktbeskrivning som kan användas i kommunikationen med möjliga partners.

GeoQuest is a PhD research project in Geoscience education with a focus on Teaching and Learning Processes. It aims to answer both students’ and teachers’ needs in a fast-changing world, where, in particular, todays’s students need learning tools that use communication codes closer to them, as they are less accustomed to abstraction. On the other hand, there is an increasing need to make the students more aware of the environment: in particular the geological hazards, in a fragile territory like the Italian one, too often put at risk population, property, infrastructure and the natural setting. The widespread lack of geoscience knowledge contributes negatively to keep correct behaviours towards the environment, increasing the danger caused by natural phenomena. Moreover, the decreasing interest in school for the Earth sciences (both from teachers and students) calls for a drastic change in the geoscience teaching, which could engage the students to acquire a passion or at least a stronger interest for the geosciences and in general for the environment. Moreover, an increasingly interconnected and technological world requires students to have specific skills: knowledge of the disciplines founding cores in an interdisciplinary key is required, along with technical and technological skills, mastery of foreign languages, flexibility, attitude to teamwork, creativity and entrepreneurship. Scientific subjects, such as Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM subjects) need to be strengthened and studied through a laboratory approach. On the other hand, teachers pressed to keep up with modern teaching methods and topics, need user-friendly teaching tools, which can allow promote teamwork, laboratory teaching and CLIL (Content and Language Integrated learning) approach. The aim of this work is therefore to prove that it is possible to treat geoscience topics in a modern and attractive way, at the same moment trying to reconcile the needs of teachers to have user-friendly teaching materials that do not require major adaptation, to the needs of students to have an effective training. The best way to increase chances to obtain acceptance by the teachers to use different didactic approaches is the identification of the specific teachers’ needs. The needs have been identified as following: • to have well-structured, user-friendly teaching materials available. Innovative teaching materials must also allow an interdisciplinary and multilingual approach (CLIL approach), and must develop a learning environment allowing an effective skill assessment; • to have teaching materials that use ICT, to enhance the digital competence of the students ensuring an effective student engagement and in the same way encouraging the teachers with user-friendly tools. The project started with an investigation of the existing literature about effective learning. Vygotsky (1978) believed that learning occurred within a learner’s Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). From the activities, a learner can independently master those challenges, which can be accomplished with the help of additional supports. Offering activities inside the players’ ZPD will create a more appropriate challenge to their skill level than keeping them maximally engaged and in learning (Hamari et al., 2016). Problems that require the exercise of content and skills covered at school, presented as a game may be stimulants and not frustrating due to the controlled difficulties, and it may promote cognitive functions about targeted content: a key element for the enhancement of learning (Greenfield and Carbone, 1985). The difference between the narratives found in digital games and those found in other media, such as books and movies, changes the level of engagement. In books and videos, the person is engaged in the narrative although as a passive consumer and has no impact on the outcome of the narrative. On the other hand, an illusion is created whereby the players of a game perceive themselves as constructing the narrative of that game (Cohen, 2016) enhancing the engage level and effectiveness. These studies suggested to try to approach learning geosciences by gaming, using a new Computer Classroom Role Playing Game (CCRPG), GeoQuest, which has been developed in this PhD project. GeoQuest is a digital game focused on Earth Sciences, that allows the class to interact with the game itself in cooperative learning: it creates an immersive learning environment, in which an interdisciplinary adventure path develops, but containing related topics taken from the disciplines close to the students' age range. The immersive environment and interdisciplinary connections create an engagement that allows to deal ,even with complex topics, in a simple and effective way. As an example of an Adventure Path, the GeoQuest Phlaegraean Fields path, is reported in the following. The path is a mix of geoscience topics intertwined with mythology and literature. The adventure begins underground, in a dark and quiet cave. There are no clues to understand where you are. The player/student is screened in a mystery story where he/she has to decide how to proceed. Players cross narrow tunnels and huge caverns, risk falling into the icy water, or being involved in earthquakes. They hear the unearthly dripping water and the gentle whisperings of lost souls. This adventure is located in the volcanic area of the Phlaegrean Fields. The environment that gradually reveals itself is full of significant elements that can be traced back to a volcanic site, inserted in a complex geodynamic situation. It is located in the Mediterranean area, specifically in Campania, where compressive and divergent geological events produced differentiated magmas and explosive volcanism. During the game, players can also discover where they are from the history of the characters they meet along their path. They meet Charon, the conductor of souls to the kingdom of deads, the Cumaean Sibyl, recounting her love affair with the god Apollo, and Flegra, whose legend was born in Thessaly and is implanted in Campania, naming the zone to Phlaegrean Fields. Lete, god of Sleep embodied in the river that flows near Lake of Avernus, relives through the verses of Ovid’s Metamorphoses. There is also Pirithous, who dared to challenge Ade attempting to kidnap Persephone. The minerals, such as sanidine, biotite, pyroxene and magnetite, allow players to go back to an intrusive weakly acidic rock like syenite. Its presence in the crustal conduit, along with earthquakes, allows players to trace petrological environments typical of the Campania volcanism. An intrusive body such as the syenite provides a geodynamic origin by tectonic convergence. The volcanic area of Phlaegrean Fields is unique in the world and is beautifully described in the “Gigantomachy”, which tells the story of the terrible Giants who were defeated and buried under volcanoes; their attempts to free themselves would trigger the volcanic convulsions of the Earth and explain the origin of earthquakes. Going back to the surface, players can recognise the tuffs, which attest the interaction between groundwaters and magma, typical of the eruptions at Phlaegrean Fields. Finally, the players walk across some sulphur vapours which suggest that they are approaching the area under the Solfatara. They will have to connect the colour of sulphur crystals to their temperature in order to find the right exit towards the surface. GeoQuest deals therefore with topics of geology, volcanology, mineralogy, geodynamics, which are normally difficult to be understood for students and often for science teachers themselves. The interdisciplinary key in the game, connecting history, mythology, latin literature and so on, is used as a leverage to help going through Geosciences and other scientific disciplines, making use of the appeal that humanistic knowledge has among the students and teachers. A multi-phase experimentation has been adopted to verify the effectiveness of CCRPG, which has been carried out for two years. The first step of the experimentation served to calibrate the experimentation itself, to define the experimental protocol and to make the modifications to the gaming activity, that became necessary following the practical verification in the classes. The total research sample consisted of 40 classes, from primary schools to university, for a total of 914 students. Within this sample, 32 classes (731 students) have experimented with the CCRPG and 8 classes (183 students) had a lesson with traditional methodology: frontal lesson, supported by interactive multimedia whiteboard, photos and videos. The experimentation allowed to evaluate and prove that the GeoQuest Project can contribute positively to science education, guaranteeing an effective acquisition of the key competences and the disciplinary ones requested by the modern Science and Technology. This has been demonstrated by the results obtained by the tests which show an improvement in learning levels obtained with the CCRPG of 269%, while the control sample using the traditional lesson shows only an improvement of 133% after the lesson. The GeoQuest Project has been also evaluated by the teachers as a good educational tool, since it is able to stimulate students' interest and keep their attention high during the entire duration of the teaching activity favouring their engagement in the learning process. The final outcome suggests that GeoQuest Project can effectively match the needs identified by students and teachers, attracting the interest of the students on geoscience topics, treating them in a interdisciplinary way. Carrying out the experimentation in several phases allowed us to calibrate and improve the approach , and allowed us to obtain rigorous and reliable results. The teaching tool perfectly complies with the demands of modern society. Above all, the results obtained allowed to answer positively to the research questions identified in teaching and learning processes in Science Education: to create an educational tool that ensures students to build knowledge of the disciplines founding cores in an interdisciplinary key, which allows them to acquire, at the same time, technical and technological skills, mastery of foreign languages, flexibility, creativity and entrepreneurship. Among the few weaknesses identified in the experimentation, it was evidenced by the teachers that the syntax used in the oral and written expression is very rich and sometimes complex for using with digital tools and with the short time characteristics of gaming and storytelling. For example, some phrases that appeared as screenshots were too long to read or contained too complex terms. As a consequence, a collaboration started on linguistic simplification in storytelling and gaming, collaborating with Prof. Johanna Monti, from the University L'Orientale of Naples, Italy. A PhD student is carrying out a Research Project on Linguistic Simplification in the Storytelling applied to Gaming, specifically for GeoQuest Project (PhD thesis title: “Development and effects that the use of Digital Storytelling, understood as a new art of narration, brings in the teaching of foreign languages and cultures”). As a first result, the GeoQuest Hawaii adventure pathway was created according to the canons of linguistic simplification, which will approach the problem identified. Since the beginning of the first experimentation and also as a result of the disclosure of this research work, the requests to try the game in many schools have multiplied. The five already existing pathways will soon be joined by others already requested. Some schools, in different Italian regions, have placed GeoQuest at the base of school projects to support learning or development of scientific and digital skills (Projects with Ministry of Education funds). Also, GeoQuest was chosen as a Joint Project between European countries by the executive board of Science on Stage Europe (https://www.science-on-stage.eu), which deals with the spread and sharing of innovative methodologies to teach Science. Science on Stage funded the exchange between Italy and Iceland for the diffusion of the CCRPG methodology. The final presentation of the results obtained during this European exchange will be carried out in Portugal. The positive experience with the GeoQuest Project attracted the attention of educators at the national, EU and extra-EU levels, suggesting to continue to create a series of related projects, like new educational Apps to explain the correct behaviour to keep during emergencies, or the application of the CCRPG to tourism and to safety education, indicating that gaming can be used effectively also as a outreach and dissemination tool. Chapter summary Chapter I is an introduction, in which the initial idea and the analysis of the needs identified, a presentation of the learning on Gaming, the purpose of the research and the work plan are exposed. The analysis of the needs is done both on the students' learning needs and on the supports to be given to the teachers, in order to contribute to effectively innovate the teaching of Earth Sciences in school. Chapter II: the educational background of the project is presented. The starting point of the research is to use the digital storytelling with an innovative methodological approach, based on inquiry. Modern pedagogy rediscovered storytelling and demonstrated that, even thought not using technologically innovative teaching tools, storytelling enhances the effectiveness of information transmission. Moreover, the digital application of storytelling has been demonstrated to have a positive impact especially on students’ achievement. Chapter III: the CCRPG methodology is described, based on an original Engine, made specifically for this project. The description of the Game is presented, from a technical and didactic point of view. The illustration of the GeoQuest project, is presented through the analysis of one of the adventure trails created. The adventure pathway is described and, through the presentation of papers published in international Journals or on Conference Proceedings, the salient aspects are highlighted: the innovative character of the methodology, the applicability of GeoQuest project to the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics), the use of IBSE (Inquiry Based Science Education) and CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) approaches. Other papers reported highlight the learning environment created by GeoQuest ideal for the assessment of skills, as it guarantees real-life tasks, provided by accessible design, creating an inclusive Educational Environment. Chapter IV collects the results obtained during the teaching experimentation of the Computer Classroom Role Playing Game GeoQuest, where attention was focused on Earth Sciences topics, mediated by an interdisciplinary approach. Knowledge and skills in geology, volcanology and mineralogy were at the basis of the adventures paths produced. The results demonstrated positive responses showing that GeoQuest is able to guarantee an effective acquisition of the key competences and the disciplinary ones of Geoscience as well as, more generally, Science and Technology. Chapter V contains the discussion of the innovative elements of the GeoQuest project. This research shows that the application of CCRPG does not require digital knowledge, it is user friendly, requires little preparation time by the teachers. Above all, the CCRPG can also be used without an internet connection and requires only a laptop, therefore easy to use in the classroom. On the other hand, the results obtained during the experimentation with students show that there are no difference in students’ outcomes between primary, secondary and high school i From pupils to older students, the engage and the interest for the disciplinary topics is high and the results obtained are always very positive and the difference with traditional teaching is tangible. Chapter VI illustrates the conclusions, which highlight the innovative elements and the solutions made using CCRPG, as well as illustrating the weaknesses emerged during the research path and possible solutions. The future developments of the project and the applicability of GeoQuest to different educational fields are also described. Chapter VII reports the References. Appendix. The appendices contain: projects related to GeoQuest, brochures, students tests, teachers tests, the cards with the description of the individual adventure pathways.

L'évolution des besoins et des exigences des apprenants vis-à-vis de la formation professionnelle continue en entreprise requiert des solutions de formation efficaces et motivantes. Dans le contexte socio-technologique actuel, l'utilisation du jeu dans la formation paraît une piste intéressante. Ce travail de thèse, réalisé en partenariat avec la société Symetrix, s'intéresse au soutien des concepteurs pédagogiques. Nous avons tout d'abord mené une étude exploratoire et structurante de domaines liés à l'intégration du jeu dans la formation. Ensuite, nous nous sommes focalisés sur les Learning Role-Playing Games, dispositifs spécifiques de formation utilisant le jeu, pour lesquels nous proposons des modèles visant à assister les concepteurs dans la création, la mutualisation et la réutilisation de solutions. Nous proposons notamment de centrer la réflexion sur l'usage de ressorts de jeu et de guider la formalisation des scénarios à l'aide d'un système de notation visuel intégré à des outils d'assistance. Ces propositions ont fait l'objet de deux expérimentations, l'une s'appuyant sur un prototype tangible d'outil d'assistance (cartes à jouer) et l'autre sur un environnement informatique.

This work explores the possibility of Interactive Storytelling being able to mediate meanings of Chinese Characters used in the Japanese language, or kanji, and successful learning foundations of kanji. A great inspiration for this work was Dr. James Heisig and his series of books “Remembering the Kanji”. The advanced learning principles he proposed were used as a foundation to create an interactive storytelling experience prototype to test if students were able to pick up on said learning strategies and also meanings of kanji. Furthermore, to ensure didactical correctness of the software teachers of Japanese and Japanese studies were asked as well to participate in the test phase with the request for didactic feedback. The obtained results showed that learnability was improved, speaking for the future prospects of this project.

The research reported here is a study of learning support in a further education college in the South of England. It arose, firstly, from the researcher’s personal experience as a learning support tutor at the college and as someone with disabilities, who has an extensive experience as a student and tutor in the education system, including herself receiving learning support. It also arose from the broader context of widening participation in post-compulsory education, as well as the important role the further education sector plays in that process and the extent to which it has included many students with disabilities and other disadvantages, which may lead to the need for support. Key questions addressed are the experience of learning support and positive and negative evaluations of that experience in one FE college from the perspectives of supported students, support tutors, and mainstream tutors. Issues of equity and fairness and the idea of a ‘level playing field’ were addressed both through the literature and in the data from the participants. The applicability and value of the ‘post-social’ model of disability was also considered. A wide range of literature has been considered including different arguments about effective approaches to provision, different models of equity and fairness, literature dealing with the social and post-social models and empirical studies of support provision in FE and HE. Data was gathered in one college by means of interviews and questionnaires completed by supported students, support tutors and mainstream tutors. There was also a small scale survey of provision in other colleges to set the context for the detailed study. In general, all three groups were positive about support at the college although many concerns and criticisms also emerged. A general consensus was found in favour of all students having some form of support and has gained ground from the idea of support only being available for assessed/screened learners. The data comparison yielded a fruitful debate concerning the nature and limits of support and how to level the playing field. Mainstream and support tutors and supported students were all concerned about supported learners becoming too dependent. Mainstream and support tutors were concerned about the dividing line between supported and non-supported students and mainstream tutors expressed concerns over coursework and examination concessions being loaded in favour of supported learners. The supported students found coursework support helpful in empowering them with the appropriate skills to enable them to become independent learners and they praised their support tutors and support provision, but were critical of the examination service for failing to make reasonable adjustments for examination concessions. Support tutors raised concerns over testing and targets at the expense of differentiation and individual learning needs. Whilst the remedial/medical model has been replaced by the social/environmental model within learning support provision and practice, there has been a further paradigmatic shift in that, whilst the social/environmental model is still useful for pointing out barriers and how practice may be improved, it has been superseded within support practice by the post-social/individual model which looks at the complexity of individuals’ learning needs and empowers them to provide for their needs in a manner most appropriate for them. Keywords: adjustments, concessions, differentiation, disability, empowerment, equality, fairness, further education, higher education, inclusion, independent learning, learning support, specific learning needs, special educational needs, study skills support, widening participation.

Video and computer game users are frequently stated as possessing a higher proficiency in English. In this study, 3 Swedish upper secondary school students from different programs played The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker, a lovecraftian murder mystery game. The aim was to examine the possible effects on their English vocabulary acquisition through their ability of assuming words' meaning from the context presented by the game. The words used in the study were low-frequency words which were gathered from the game and then cross-referenced with the Corpus of Contemporary American English(COCA). The 80 least frequent words were selected. Participants were tasked with translating, explaining or using the words in sentences after completing a game chapter. The study found that the game had in general had a positive effect on the participants’ vocabulary store. However, the test scores varied greatly between participants; 1 participant acquired 1 word while another participant acquired 18. This, combined with the small sample size, meant it was difficult to say definitively how effective the game had been at expanding the participants' vocabulary store.

Industries have expectations that university graduates possess well-rounded theoretical and practical knowledge to be successful in their jobs. While effective teaching and learning are essential goals in higher education institutions, lessons and learning activities in traditional classroom settings are often out of context, presented to students with much theoretical generality and abstract representations. This leads to a disconnection between academia and industry, where students struggle to apply abstract principles and knowledge in a real-world context to perform effectively in their workplace. Live role-play has been traditionally used as an educational technique to engage students and provide them the opportunity to learn with a real-world context within classroom settings. While role-playing in the classroom encourages transfer of learning, one of its limitation is traditional role-play often does not provide an authentic and believable real-world experience to participants. The primary aim of this study is to converge the pedagogical benefits of role-playing, educational technology and digital games to investigate the effectiveness of using digital role-playing games in classrooms to achieve learning outcomes. Qualitative data were collected from digital media lecturers of a transnational university based in Vietnam and Australia to identify desirable learning outcomes and describe teaching and learning challenges of digital media courses. Through interviews, lecturers also discussed their perceptions of digital RPGs and their level of acceptance in using this educational technology as part of their teaching practice to accomplish learning outcomes. The results highlighted three key desirable learning outcomes: The first learning outcome is students should develop solid understanding of theoretical and foundational design knowledge, enabling effective application of theoretical knowledge to produce creative digital media outputs. The second learning outcome - students should speak the "design language". Students should develop the ability to articulate, critique and explain creative works using appropriate design vocabularies and terminologies, which are used by design practitioners in the industry. The third learning outcome indicated that students should be resourceful and self-sufficient to conceptualise and generate creative ideas. Using Bloom’s taxonomy categories, game characteristics and identified learning outcomes, a conceptual framework was developed for the design and use of digital RPGs to achieve learning outcomes for digital media education. In validating this conceptual framework, a 3d digital role-playing game, Virtual Designer was developed and implemented in classroom environment. A pre/post-test experimental setup was implemented, in which performance gains were measured and compared between control (conventional learning methods) and treatment group (played digital RPG) to determine the learning effectiveness of digital RPGs. Opinion-based survey and focus group interview was also conducted. Based on collected feedback, students find Virtual Designer an effective tool to assess their state of knowledge in different areas of design and apply theoretical knowledge into practical contexts. Students find the game to be an engaging alternative to conventional learning methods, but some have commented the game to be too difficult and at times frustrating to play. Lecturers have also play-tested Virtual Designer and provided favorable views on the overall feasibility of using similar digital RPGs as a teaching and learning tool to sustain students’ interest in learning their subjects – and successfully accomplishing learning outcomes.

Pragmatic understanding is required for us to communicate with each other in our daily life, for example, we need to know how to respond appropriately depending on context and the relation we have towards the person/s we talk to. Without pragmatic understanding, we will have a hard time communicating to one another because of failure to understand the force in what is said. Force, in this context, means the intention (underlying meaning) in the utterance. For native speakers, this understanding is naturally developed in their language. However, second-language learners can have a hard time learning and using the language in an appropriate way. This essay argues that video games can be used in the classroom to enhance the students’ pragmatic understanding by exposing them to a range of different contexts with characters with different agendas through the role-playing game, Fallout: New Vegas. With the game’s requirement that players actively choose between utterance responses in specific situations, combined with the multiple endings the game offers, the student needs to think through his/her choices in order to reach the desired gameplay and ending, forcing him/her to reply in an appropriate way given the context. By adding task-based teaching to this, such as discussion or group projects, teachers can use Fallout: New Vegas as teaching material for enhancing pragmatic understanding.

Les travaux présentés dans cette thèse relèvent de l'étude des méthodes de classification linéaires, c'est à dire l'étude de méthodes ayant pour but la catégorisation de données en différents groupes à partir d'un jeu d'exemples, préalablement étiquetés, disponible en amont et appelés ensemble d'apprentissage. En pratique, l'acquisition d'un tel ensemble d'apprentissage peut être difficile et/ou couteux, la catégorisation d'un exemple étant de fait plus ardu que l'obtention de dudit exemple. Cette disparité entre la disponibilité des données et notre capacité à constituer un ensemble d'apprentissage étiqueté a été un des problèmes centraux de l'apprentissage automatique et ce manuscrit s’intéresse à deux solutions usuellement considérées pour contourner ce problème : l'apprentissage en présence de données bruitées et l'apprentissage actif
The works presented in this thesis fall within the general framework of linear classification, that is the problem of categorizing data into two or more classes based on on a training set of labelled data. In practice though acquiring labeled examples might prove challenging and/or costly as data are inherently easier to obtain than to label. Dealing with label scarceness have been a motivational goal in the machine learning literature and this work discuss two settings related to this problem: learning in the presence of noise and active learning

In the last decades neural networks have become more frequent in video games. Neuroevolution helps us generate optimal network topologies for specific tasks, but there are still still unexplored areas of neuroevolution, and ways of improving the performance of neural networks, which we could utilize for video game playing. The aim of this thesis is to find a suitable fitness evaluation and improve the plasticity of evolved neural networks, as well as comparing the performance and general video game playing abilities of established neuroevolution methods. Using Analog Genetic Encoding we implement evolving neuromodulatory topologies in a typical two-dimensional platformer video game, and have it play against itself without neuromodulation, and against a popular genetic algorithm known as Neuroevolution of Augmenting Topologies. A suitable input and output structure is developed as well as an appropriate fitness evaluation for properly mating and mutating a population of neural networks. The benefits of neuromodulation are tested by running and completing a number of tile-based platformer video game levels. The results show an increased performance in networks influenced by neuromodulators, but no general video game playing abilities are obtained. This shows us that a more advanced general gameplay learning method with higher influence is required.
Neurala nätverk har blivit allt vanligare i tv-spel. Neuroevolution hjälper oss att utveckla optimala neurala topologier för specifika uppgifter, men det finns fortfarande outforskade områden i neuroevolution, och sätt att förbättra förmågan hos neurala nätverk som vi kan använda i spel. Målet är att hitta en lämplig fitnessbedömning och förbättra plasticiteten hos utvecklade neuralanätverk, samt jämföra deras utförande och förmåga att generellt spela videospel. Detta med hjälp av etablerade neuroevolutionmetoder. Genom Analog Genetisk Kodning implementeras utvecklande neuromodulatoriska topologier i ett typiskt tvådimensionellt platformer spel. Det används sedan för att spela mot en version av sig själv som inte har neuromodulatoriska egenskaper, samt mot en populär genetisk algoritm kallad Neuroevolution of Augmenting Topologies. Ett passande format för input och output, samt en fitnessbedömningsmetod för parande och muterande aven population av neurala nätverk utvecklas. Fördelarna med neuromodulation testas genom att låta nätverken spela ett antal tile-baserade platformerbanor. Resultaten visar en förbättring av utförandet hos nätverk som utvecklat neuromodulatorer, dock inga generella spelkunskaper kunde läras. Detta visar oss att en mer avancerad metod för generellt spelande krävs för att kunna få ett neuralt nätverk kunna spela och lösa mer generella problem.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, School of Education, 2004.
Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Dec. 2, 2008), Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 66-02, Section: A, page: 0497. Chair: Jerome C. Harste.

731 child instrumentalists were surveyed to establish the 1) prevalence and location of PRMP, and 2) independent association of potential risk factors with PRMP. 67% reported lifetime prevalence of PRMP, 56% monthly PRMP and 30% were unable to play the instrument as usual. The hands and neck were the most commonly reported PRMP locations. Individual factors and music-related factors were significantly associated with PRMP. Understanding potential risk factors will guide intervention initiatives for young instrumentalists.

Computer-based training systems have become a mainstay in military and private institutions for training people how to perform certain complex tasks. As these tasks expand in difficulty, intelligent agents will appear as virtual teammates or tutors assisting a trainee in performing and learning the task. For developing these agents, we must obtain the strategies from expert players and emulate their behavior within the agent. Past researchers have shown the challenges in acquiring this information from expert human players and translating it into the agent. A solution for this problem involves using computer systems that assist in the human expert knowledge elicitation process. In this thesis, we present an approach for developing an agent for the game Revised Space Fortress, a game representative of the complex tasks found in training systems. Using machine learning techniques, the agent learns the strategy for the game by observing how a human expert plays. We highlight the challenges encountered while designing and training the agent in this real-time game environment, and our solutions toward handling these problems. Afterward, we discuss our experiment that examines whether trainees experience a difference in performance when training with a human or virtual partner, and how expert agents that express distinctive behaviors affect the learning of a human trainee. We show from our results that a partner agent that learns its strategy from an expert player serves the same benefit as a training partner compared to a programmed expert-level agent and a human partner of equal intelligence to the trainee.

In 2018, the Swedish Parliament decided to make the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child acivil law, which will be implemented in the year 2020. The consequences of the decision are notunproblematic. The public debate, as well as research, shows that parents have a problem seeing howtheir style of parenting could correlate with the Convention’s legal text. The parents expresshopelessness towards the notion of child upbringing.This thesis is an exploratory pilot study aiming to prepare and generate new knowledge for a projectcommissioned by Save the Children with the goal to develop a game to decrease the knowledge gapbetween parents and children regarding what the Convention means for their relationship. The thesisalso asks the question: how can a game, played by parents and children meant to teach them about softvalues in accordance with the Convention look like.Beyond traditional qualitative research methods, this thesis used Research through Design anddeveloped a presumptive prototype for the project in order to explore the research subject. Findingsshowed that the games narrative and the power to change the narrative through player choices play anessential part in the participant’s ability to immerse in the game, and that this interactive narrative isclosely connected with the ability to learn. The thesis also shows designer directions to consider whendeveloping a game meant to teach the players about soft values.

This study explored human-robot interaction where children got to play with the interactive social robot Romo. The focus of the study was to explore if children experienced the interactions with the robot differently depending on two parameters. The parameters used were thought to measure differences in experiences, attitudes and expectations towards the robot depending on whether the children were co-creators of the robot or merely had playful interaction with the robot. The results indicated that the children in both activity parameter groups had similar pleasurable experiences apart from four additional categories that were detected in the co-creation group. Something that indicates that the group of children that were given the opportunity to manipulate and form Romo’s behavior had a richer user experience compared to the group of children that only played with Romo. It was also noticeable that none of the children that manipulated and formed Romo’s behavior experienced it as direct learning. They saw the learning process more as being a playful experience and many of them expressed that they had taught Romo to do various things. The ability to edit Romo’s robotic motions and behavior, through an easy contextual-sign interface, inevitably allowed the children to understand physical and computational models through play.
Denna studie undersökte människa-robot interaktion där barnen fick leka med interaktiva sociala roboten Romo. Målet med studien var att undersöka om barnen upplevde interaktioner med roboten på olika sätt beroende på två parametrar. De parametrar som användes var avsedda att mäta skillnader i upplevelser, attityder och förväntningar till roboten beroende på om barnen var medskapare av roboten eller enbart hade en lekfull interaktion med det. Resultatet visade att barnen i båda aktivitets parameter grupperna hade liknande upplevelser av interaktionen med roboten förutom att gruppen som var medskapare av roboten hade ytterligare fyra njutbar upplevelser. Något som tyder på att den grupp barn som fick möjlighet att manipulera och forma Romos beteende hade en rikare användarupplevelse jämfört med den grupp av barn som bara lekte med Romo. Det var också anmärkningsvärt att ingen av barnen som manipulerade och formade Romos beteende upplevde det som direkt inlärning. De såg inlärningsprocessen mer som en lekfull upplevelse och många av dem uttryckte att de hade lärt Romo att göra olika saker. Möjligheten att redigera Romos rörelser och beteenden, genom en enkel kontextuellt gränssnitt, oundvikligen tillät barnen att förstå fysisk- och beräkningsbaserad modellering genom lek.

This research has undertaken two key mandates. One was to develop modifications to the African Catchment Game (ACG), a role playing simulation game, in order to simulate rainfall and water management processes representative of the southern African context. The other was to understand what, if any, learning associated with water management issues had taken place as a result of playing the ACG. The modification process took the form of an action research process. The initial modifications were trialed with South African students as part of their undergraduate Geography course offered at Rhodes University, South Africa. Subsequent modifications were implemented over a five month period with three diverse participant groups, namely Finnish, American and South African participants. An interpretive research orientation was employed in order to analyse both the qualitative and quantitative data that was generated. Pre- and Post-Game Questionnaires were used in order to identify the learning and understanding which the participants constructed as a result of playing the ACG. The Chi-Square Test was also applied to each of the pre- and post- questions to establish statistical significance. Subsequent analysis of these questions identified and traced patters and trends associated with learning and understanding across the three game runs. This research study draws on social constructivism and experiential learning as the dominant education theory that underpins it. Results revealed that for all three game runs learning took place. Participants identified dominant themes and environmental dimensions both before and after playing the ACG. The analysis of these responses indicated a deeper awareness of water as a contributing factor for sustainable economic development while the game runs enabled the researcher to adjust the water availability within each game run until rainfall and water management processes representative of a southern African context were successfully simulated in the last game run.

This qualitative narrative inquiry examined the account of a principal’s perceptions over time, regarding the role of play in Queensland’s Preparatory Year. The study was conducted from an insider-researcher perspective and set within the framework of three-dimensional narrative space. The participant’s views of play were found to relate to her evolving epistemological constructions of play pedagogies and were influenced by Growth Mindset Theory. This research explored the participant’s perspectives about how her developing professional knowledge translated to both leadership of teaching staff and advocacy for retaining approaches inclusive of play, as counter-influences to schoolification in a context of educational reform.

Learner engagement has been considered one of the keys that can lead learners to successful learning in a multimedia learning environment such as digital game-based learning. Regarding this point, game-based learning advocates (e.g., Gee, 2003; Prensky, 2001) have asserted that digital games have great potential to engage learners. Nonetheless, there have been only a small number of empirical research studies of players' engagement, and there is little consensus on which elements of digital games critically engage people in play (Garris, Ahlers, & Driskell, 2002). Furthermore, despite the possibility that sensory stimuli can be factors influencing digital game players' engagement, there have been very few attempts to examine empirically the relationship between engagement and sensory stimuli. This study examined the effects of game characters' voice-over in digital games on players' engagement, by using a short digital role-playing game modified from Neverwinter Nights 2. A randomized control-group post-test only design was used to collect data from 74 participants (22 female, 52 male); engagement was measured by a modification of the Game Engagement Questionnaire (Brockmyer et al., 2009). Data analysis revealed that the GEQ mean scores of the participants who played the game with voice-over was much higher than that of the participants who played without voice-over. The difference of the mean scores between the two groups was statistically significant (t = 2.45, df = 72 p = .02), and the effect size, Cohen's d, was .58 (moderately significant). The results of this study will guide educational practitioners to the identification of more effective ways of adopting, developing, and modifying digital games for educational purposes, as well as furthering the research and guiding the practice in instructional multimedia design and development.

National dialogue and scholarly research illustrate the need for engaging science, math, technology, and engineering (STEM) innovations in K-12 environments, most importantly in low-income communities (President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, 2012). According to Educating the Engineer of 2020, "current curricular material does not portray STEM in ways that seem likely to excite the interest of students from a variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds" (Phase, 2005). The National Educational Technology Plan of 2010 believes that one of the most powerful ways to transform and improve K-12 STEM education it to instill a culture of innovation by leveraging cutting edge technology (Polly et al., 2010). Augmented reality (AR) is an emerging and promising educational intervention that has the potential to engage students and transform their learning of STEM concepts. AR blends the real and virtual worlds by overlaying computer-generated content such as images, animations, and 3D models directly onto the student's view of the real world. Visual representations of STEM concepts using AR produce new educational learning opportunities, for example, allowing students to visualize abstract concepts and make them concrete (Radu, 2014). Although evidence suggests that learning can be enhanced by implementing AR in the classroom, it is important to take into account how students are processing AR content. Therefore, this research aims to examine the unique benefits and challenges of utilizing augmented reality (AR) as a supplemental learning technique to reinforce mathematical concepts while concurrently responding to students' cognitive demands. To examine and understand how cognitive demands affect students' information processing and creation of new knowledge, Mayer's Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning (CTML) is leveraged as a theoretical framework to ground the AR application and supporting research. Also, to enhance students' engagement, gamification was used to incorporate game elements (e.g. rewards and leaderboards) into the AR applications. This research applies gamification and CTML principles to tablet-based gamified learning AR (GLAR) applications as a supplemental tool to address three research objectives: (1) understanding the role of prior knowledge on cognitive performance, (2) examining if adherence to CTML principles applies to GLAR, and, (3) investigating the impact of cognitive style on cognitive performance. Each objective investigates how the inclusion of CTML in gamifying an AR experience influences students' perception of cognitive effects and how GLAR affects or enhances their ability to create new knowledge. Significant results from objective one suggest, (1) there were no differences between novice and experienced students' cognitive load, and, (2) novice students' content-based learning gains can be improved through interaction with GLAR. Objective two found that high adherence to CTML's principles was effective at (1) lowering students' cognitive load, and, (2) improving GLAR performance. The key findings of objective three are (1) there was no difference in FID students' cognitive load when voice and coherence were manipulated, and, (2) both FID and FD students had content-based learning gains after engagement with GLAR. The results of this research adds to the existing knowledge base for researchers, designers and practitioners to consider when creating gamified AR applications. Specifically, this research provides contributions to the field that include empirical evidence to suggest to what degree CTML is effective as an AR-based supplemental pedagogical tool for underrepresented students in southwest Virginia. And moreover, offers empirical data on the relationship between underrepresented students' perceived benefits of GLAR and it is impact on students' cognitive load. This research further offers recommendations as well as design considerations regarding the applicability of CTML when developing GLAR applications.
PHD

The video game industry is one of the fastest growing markets in the world today. The fact that playing video games has become such a popular recreational activity among youths and adolescents has created a need for research investigating the effects of video game playing. Because of the role of the English language as a global lingua franca, most video games are released in English. Since most video games are released in English, many believe that the utilization of video games can help learners of English to improve their knowledge of how to utilize the English language. The aim of this study is to investigate whether video game playing does positively influence the English receptive vocabulary level of ESL learners. In addition, the present study also investigated the influence of other factors, such as the utilization of online communication tools, the average time spent playing video games, and the type of video games played, on English receptive vocabulary level. The study was conducted using quantitative research methods. Since the aim of the study was to investigate the relation between two separate aspects, the study had to utilize two separate elicitation methods for the data collection: one questionnaire (that was supposed to determine each informant’s video game habits) and one vocabulary test (that was supposed to get an approximation of each informant’s receptive vocabulary level). When the data had been collected, the tests were corrected, and the participants were categorized according to the previously mentioned variables. The mean scores of the categories were later examined and compared to each other. Differences between groups that were of high importance were further examined, with a t-test, to determine whether the difference was statistically significant or not. The results of the study show that the vocabulary level difference between ESL learners that do play video games and ESL learner that do not play video game is insignificant. The results further show that the utilization of online communication tools while playing video games positively influences vocabulary level, as the mean score difference on the vocabulary test between OCT users and OCT non-users was revealed to be significant by the t-test. The analysed data thus show that the influence of the utilization of online communication tools on English receptive vocabulary level are more significant that the influence of playing video games.

Développer un programme capable de jouer à n’importe quel jeu de stratégie, souvent désigné par le General Game Playing (GGP) constitue un des Graal de l’intelligence artificielle. Les compétitions GGP, où chaque jeu est représenté par un ensemble de règles logiques au travers du Game Description Language (GDL), ont conduit la recherche à confronter de nombreuses approches incluant les méthodes de type Monte Carlo, la construction automatique de fonctions d’évaluation, ou la programmation logique et ASP. De par cette thèse, nous proposons une nouvelle approche dirigée par les contraintes stochastiques.Dans un premier temps, nous nous concentrons sur l’élaboration d’une traduction de GDL en réseauxde contraintes stochastiques (SCSP) dans le but de fournir une représentation dense des jeux de stratégies et permettre la modélisation de stratégies.Par la suite, nous exploitons un fragment de SCSP au travers d’un algorithme dénommé MAC-UCBcombinant l’algorithme MAC (Maintaining Arc Consistency) utilisé pour résoudre chaque niveau duSCSP tour après tour, et à l’aide de UCB (Upper Confidence Bound) afin d’estimer l’utilité de chaquestratégie obtenue par le dernier niveau de chaque séquence. L’efficacité de cette nouvelle technique sur les autres approches GGP est confirmée par WoodStock, implémentant MAC-UCB, le leader actuel du tournoi continu de GGP.Finalement, dans une dernière partie, nous proposons une approche alternative à la détection de symétries dans les jeux stochastiques, inspirée de la programmation par contraintes. Nous montrons expérimentalement que cette approche couplée à MAC-UCB, surpasse les meilleures approches du domaine et a permis à WoodStock de devenir champion GGP 2016
The ability for a computer program to effectively play any strategic game, often referred to General Game Playing (GGP), is a key challenge in AI. The GGP competitions, where any game is represented according to a set of logical rules in the Game Description Language (GDL), have led researches to compare various approaches, including Monte Carlo methods, automatic constructions of evaluation functions, logic programming, and answer set programming through some general game players. In this thesis, we offer a new approach driven by stochastic constraints. We first focus on a translation process from GDL to stochastic constraint networks (SCSP) in order to provide compact representations of strategic games and to model strategies. In a second part, we exploit a fragment of SCSP through an algorithm called MAC-UCB by coupling the MAC (Maintaining Arc Consistency) algorithm, used to solve each stage of the SCSP in turn, together with the UCB (Upper Confidence Bound) policy for approximating the values of those strategies obtained by the last stage in the sequence. The efficiency of this technical on the others GGP approaches is confirmed by WoodStock, implementing MAC-UCB, the actual leader on the GGP Continuous Tournament. Finally, in the last part, we propose an alternative approach to symmetry detection in stochastic games, inspired from constraint programming techniques. We demonstrate experimentally that MAC-UCB, coupled with our constranit-based symmetry detection approach, significantly outperforms the best approaches and made WoodStock the GGP champion 2016

Pesquisa realizada com alunos de graduação, na disciplina introdutória de Contabilidade e Análise de Balanço para economistas, com o objetivo de verificar se o emprego das modalidades didáticas do role-play comparativamente ao exercício grupal exerce influência no nível da percepção discente relativas ao desenvolvimento de habilidades (domínio psicomotor), satisfação (domínio afetivo) e aprendizagem (domínio cognitivo). A pesquisa usou o estilo do ?quase-experimento?, aplicado em duas turmas de 28 e 32 alunos. Considerando aspectos éticos relativos a possíveis prejuízos na aprendizagem discente, ambas modalidades didáticas (role-play e exercício grupal) foram aplicadas de maneira alternadas em cada uma das turmas, ocasionando que cada turma desempenhou a dupla função de grupo controle e grupo experimental ao mesmo tempo. Nas duas turmas controles foram aplicados um exercício grupal que tinha por objetivo buscar a reversão econômicofinanceira de uma Cia Aérea em dificuldades por meio da tomada de decisões. Nas turmas experimentais, os mesmos objetivos anteriores foram aplicados à modalidade didática do roleplay. Paralelamente, aplicou-se o questionário ILS desenvolvido por Kolb para identificar os estilos de aprendizagem dos alunos, cujo objetivo era verificar se havia alguma influência dos estilos e o nível da percepção discente. Por outro lado, o questionário da avaliação docente tinha por objetivo verificar se havia alguma diferença no nível da percepção discente antes (pré-teste) e depois do quase-experimento (pós-teste). Como instrumentos de coleta de dados foram utilizados questionários e um focus group. Os resultados demonstram: a) existência de diferenças ?entre as turmas? e ?turmas isoladas? no nível da percepção da aprendizagem, desenvolvimento de habilidades (analíticas e de pesquisa), satisfação com a participação e disposição em participar favoráveis a modalidade didática do role-play em relação ao exercício grupal. b) existência de uma ?pequena? influência no nível perceptivo discente com a inserção do role-play e exercício grupal quando segmentados nos estilos de aprendizagem. c) existência de diferença significativa no nível da avaliação docente aplicada antes do quaseexperimento e na avaliação docente após o quase-experimento relacionado ao estímulo do professor ao conteúdo do curso. Os resultados do focus group, evidenciam que o role-play é efetivamente recomendado para o aprendizado de atitudes (domínio afetivo) e desenvolvimento de habilidades de comunicação, interatividade, pesquisa e tomada de decisões (domínio psicomotor). Conclui-se, ainda, com base nos resultados alcançados, que o role-play deve ser utilizado em complementação a outras modalidades de forma a contemplar possibilidades de aprendizagem aos alunos.
This research was carried out with undergraduate students taking an introductory course on Accounting and Balance Sheet analysis for economists. It focused on verifying whether the use of role-play influenced students? level of perception as far as levels of development abilities (psychomotor domain), satisfaction (affective domes), and learning (cognitive development) go, when compared with group work. The research was conducted using ?quasi-experiment? applied to two groups ? one with 28 students and the other with 32 students. Having in mind the ethic aspects of possible harm to students? learning process, both strategies (role-play and group work) were alternatively used with the two groups, in such a way that both functioned not only as control group but also as experiment group. Both control groups performed group work aiming at finding economic and financial ways out for an Air Company in difficulty, using decision making as the means. In the experimental groups, the same activity should be carried out through role-play. Simultaneously, the researcher used the ILS questionnaire developed by Kolb to identify students? learning styles, with the objective of testing whether there was influence of different styles and the level of awareness by students. On the other hand, the questionnaire for professor evaluation sought verifying if there could be differences in the level of students? awareness before (pre-test) and after (post-test) the quasi-experiment. Questionnaires and a Focus Group were the means for the collection of data. The results showed: a) differences of perception ?among the groups? and ?isolated groups? in relation to level of awareness of learning; development of analytical and research abilities; satisfaction with participation and willingness to participate, all favoring the teaching technique of role-play over group work; b) a ?tiny? influence on student awareness level with the insertion of role-play and group work when segmented in learning styles; c) significant difference of the results in professor evaluation applied before the quasi-experiment, versus after the quasi-experiment, as far as professor incentive on course content goes. The results of the Focus Group show that role-play is effectively recommended not only for the learning of attitudes (affective domain), but also for the development of communication skills, interactivity, research and decision making (psychomotor domain). The results reached lead to the conclusion that role-playing should be used as a complement to other classroom techniques, so as to enhance students? learning possibilities.

In Australia, higher music education faces challenging times— university reform has ushered in an era of public accountability and budget cuts; the sector has become portfolio career-focussed and a university education must prepare students for uncertain futures. Within higher music education, collaborative learning has been identified as one way to address these types of challenges. There has recently been increased interest in the use of collaborative learning in a variety of higher music education contexts. To date, however, collaborative learning for music practice or performance in higher music education remains little used and under-researched. Situated within a practitioner inquiry framework, this study employed narrative approaches to discover participants’ experiences of collaborative learning in first year music practice courses at the University of Southern Queensland, a regional Australian university. The participants in this study were students who completed the first year music practice courses in 2014 and the teacher/researcher. Preliminary research during 2012 and a pilot study in 2013 shaped the focus and design of the study. Data were collected from students’ essays, journals and short answer questionnaires. Teacher’s data took the form of a teacher/researcher diary. Thematic analysis of students’ essays and journals established the ways in which collaborative learning built students’ individual and collective agency. Narrative analysis of the entire data set was undertaken to develop a robust picture of the value created through learning music practice collaboratively.
Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Queensland Conservatorium of Music
Arts, Education and Law
Full Text

O presente relatório realizado no âmbito das unidades curriculares de Prática de Ensino Supervisionada em Creche e Jardim-de-Infância propõe uma abordagem reflexiva e investigativa em torno da importância do brincar. O relatório refere a ação educativa desenvolvida, com recurso ao caderno de formação, sustentado na metodologia de investigação-ação que conduziu à utilização de instrumentos de análise como resposta às problemáticas encontradas. A metodologia de investigação-ação baseou-se na aplicação das escalas da ITERS e da ECERS, para analisar e refletir acerca do ambiente educativo, e foram ainda realizadas entrevistas às educadoras, pais e crianças a fim de compreender de que forma as educadoras e pais apoiavam as crianças na brincadeira. Os resultados mostram que em ambos os contextos, as crianças se mostravam bastante interessadas pela exploração de diferentes e novos materiais, aumentando desta forma a sua criatividade e imaginação. Foi evidenciado o papel do adulto enquanto mediador das interações criança-criança no processo de aprendizagem; Supervised Teaching Practice in Preschool Education: The Importance of Play in Childhood Education Abstract: This report done within the course units of Supervised Teaching Practice in Nursery and Garden - of - Childhood proposes a reflective and investigative approach on the importance of play. The report refers to the educational action developed , using the training notebook , supported the research - action methodology that led to the use of analytical tools in response to problems encountered. The methodology of action-research was based on the application of the scales of ITERS and ECERS to analyze and reflect on the educational environment , and interviews were also carried out to educators , parents and children in order to understand how educators and parents supporting children in play. The results show that in both contexts, the children showed very interested in the exploration of different and new materials, thus increasing your creativity and imagination. The adult's role as mediator of child-child interactions in the learning process was evident .

This thesis explores the field of classroom music education in order to foreground the learning experiences of student popular musicians. The Australian, New South Wales (NSW) context is well able to contribute to the global discussion that is underway in popular music education, as senior secondary curriculum here acknowledges the inclusion of students with “informal learning” backgrounds. Over the past decade, research globally has sought to qualify the nature of informal learning, and develop classroom pedagogies relevant to the study of popular music. Utilising these as a starting point, this thesis examines the relationship between these students’ informal learning and the dynamics of the formal classroom. Research was undertaken on three levels: historical, through an investigation of curriculum documents, reforms and matriculation trends; empirical, through a classroom research project exploring a range of informal and formal tasks; and theoretical, via an overarching explanatory tool known as Legitimation Code Theory (LCT). The research revealed that NSW curricular pathways and classroom pedagogies employed result in the maintenance of a ‘code’ distinction: cultivating traditional knowledge and skills for WAM, but not providing adequate knowledge-building opportunities for student popular musicians. Considering the range of cross-genre music-making evident in the study, and the delineation of a spectrum of knowledge and skills spanning code distinctions, findings highlight the need for a re-evaluation of NSW curriculum and pedagogy, with implications beyond the specificities of the case. A recognition and theorisation of the relationship between different forms of musical knowledge across the informal-formal range is believed to be key to providing both socially relevant, and epistemically challenging classroom music education inclusive of all students in the future.

Self-regulated learning theory explains how it is not only the amount of time musicians spend practising that affects achievement, but also the nature of the strategies employed. Because practice is self-directed, motivational effects on its efficiency are especially salient. One construct that has received little attention in relation to practising is self-determination theory, which interprets motivation as lying along a continuum of perceived autonomy. This mixed-methods study investigated links between motivational beliefs and self-regulated practising behaviour through a two-phase design. In Phase One, 677 music examination candidates aged 8-19 completed a questionnaire consisting of items addressing practising behaviour and perceived musical competence; in addition, the Self-Regulation Questionnaire (SRQ; Ryan & Connell, 1989) was adapted to explore intrinsic-extrinsic motives for learning an instrument. Factor analysis of the SRQ revealed five dimensions with partial correspondence to earlier research: internal, external, social, shame-related, and exam-related motives. Three practice behaviour factors consistent with self-regulated learning theory emerged: effort management, monitoring, and strategy use. Results of structural equation modelling showed that internal motivation accounted best for variance in these three types of practising behaviour, with a small added effect from competence beliefs and exam-related motivation. Phase Two consisted of observational case studies of four of the questionnaire participants preparing for their subsequent annual examination. Adolescent, intermediate-level musicians were recorded while practising at home; immediately afterwards, they watched the videotape and verbalised any recollected thoughts. The procedure concluded with a semi-structured interview and debriefing. The videotapes were analysed with The Observer Video-Pro and combined with verbal data; emerging themes were then compared with issues arising from the interviews. The observational aspect of the case studies largely confirmed the importance of three cyclical self-regulatory processes emerging from Phase One: (a) effort management and motivational self-regulation, (b) the role of self-monitoring of accuracy, and (c) the use of corrective strategies, such as structured repetition, task simplification, and vocalisation. The mixture of quantitative and qualitative methods used in the study has uncovered a rich body of information that begins to clarify the complex motivational and behavioural nature of young people practising a musical instrument.

Chemistry belongs to the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and mathemat ics), which are often labelled as hard subjects of matter. This idea is a starting point to demotivate children even before they learn the subject at school. In addition, school subjects are increasingly extensive and common teaching strategies are becoming less captivating. On the other hand, nowadays children have a strong relationship with technology, particularly with mobile games, which are a good way to pass the time with small e↵ort while providing an enjoyable experience. The evolution of technology also allows us to take advantage of certain tools such as augmented reality, which has presented great potential in the educational field and in the creation of motivation. Another important subject that is directly related to chemistry is climate change. Tak ing into account that children are the generation of the future, it is relevant that they are aware of Climate Change causes and the impacts that those changes have and will have in our planet, as well as the solutions and measures to be implemented, so that the e↵ects won’t be aggravated. Hence, we created an educational mobile game targeting 9 to 12-year-old children to explore its utilization in the transmission of chemistry knowledge, as well as in the creation of motivation and in sensitization regarding climate change subjects. The game contains a unique storyline, and it is based on augmented reality technologies and tangi ble interfaces, that enrich the learning experience. According to our findings, the game provided a pleasant experience to the users, who significantly improved their knowledge regarding basic chemistry concepts addressed in the game. In addition, the game promoted a more positive attitude regarding the chemistry field and awareness regarding the climate change problematic.
A química pertence às áreas STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), que são frequentemente rotuladas como difíceis. Esta ideia é um ponto de partida para criar desmotivação por parte das crianças mesmo antes destas aprenderem a matéria na escola. Para além disso, as matérias escolares são cada vez mais extensas e as estratégias comuns de ensino estão a tornar-se cada vez menos cativantes. Por outro lado, hoje em dia as crianças têm uma forte ligação com a tecnologia, em particular com os jogos de telemóvel, que são uma boa maneira de passar o tempo com pouco esforço e ao mesmo tempo providenciam uma experiência agradável. A evolução da tecnologia permite-nos também tirar partido de ferramentas como a realidade aumentada, que tem apresentado um grande potencial na área da educação e na criação de motivação. Outro assunto de grande importância diretamente relacionado com a química são as alterações climáticas. Tendo em conta que as crianças são a geração do futuro, é importante que estas estejam a par das causas e impactos que estas alterações têm e terão no nosso planeta, e ainda das soluções e medidas a serem implementadas, de forma a não agravar os seus efeitos. Como tal, foi criado um jogo educacional para dispositivos móveis destinado a crianças dos 9 aos 12 anos, pretendendo explorar a sua utilização na transmissão de conhecimentos de química, bem como na criação de motivação e na sensibilização relativamente às alterações climáticas. O jogo contém uma história única, e é baseado em tecnologias de realidade aumentada e interfaces tangíveis, de forma a enriquecer a experiência de aprendizagem. De acordo com nossas descobertas, o jogo proporcionou uma experiência agradável aos participantes do estudo, que melhoraram significativamente o seu conhecimento em relação a conceitos básicos de química abordados no jogo. Para além disso, o jogo promoveu uma atitude mais positiva relativamente ao tema da química e uma conscientização relativamente à problemática das mudanças climáticas.

碩士
中原大學
資訊工程研究所
91
In this paper, we will discuss with using Genetic Algorithm (GA) on producing a strategy for playing a Gobang game, the original random strategy at the beginning of the first generation is hard to win an opponent, but after the evoulationary process, the strategy of GA will become more intelligent. The purpose of this paper is designing a evolutionary model for GA, it let GA efficiently and quickly obtain the result which conforms to us.We proposed two different models to find the same solution or purpose, due to different models make the diversity of them in efficient and speed.The first model is designed with a general decision tree ,is not good enough for learning strategy, but the second one is suitable for learning and contains two new correcting methods, it speed up the learning ability in evolutionary process.I show in this paper that how the flow path of evolutionary learning algorithm will be driven.

This study investigates a constructivist approach to studio instrumental teaching and learning for students identified as having a limited musical background. Such limitations may include a lack of early musical experiences such as singing in the family, not having parents that currently play instruments, a lack of consistent classroom music experience (Stevens, 2002), and a lack of exposure to live performances and CDs. Students who are good workers and performers but with limited musical backgrounds, may not fully understand basic musical concepts and this lack of understanding can be a major barrier to learning. The premise for the study came from my own experiences and observations teaching instrumental music for over 35 years both in public and private schools and my own music school which has over 100 pupils and 10 teachers. The study focuses on the case studies of four students aged 8-14 years, and their teachers, in a private instrumental music school. There are two wind players and two string players - all with limited musical backgrounds. The study uses an action research approach in which constructivist strategies were adopted to apply the learning and understanding of musical concepts to their playing. Data was collected through videoing lessons, interviewing teachers throughout the study, interviewing students throughout the study, accessing notes of students and teachers from practice books and study workbooks, and observing participants’ preparation and performances unassisted to demonstrate their application of concepts learnt. As a finding relevant to teachers, the study noted that a less experienced teacher found this method with its use of video very difficult. The study found that the students were able to use the understanding gained from the constructivist strategies in their own solo playing and apply them to ensemble playing. They were able to gain understanding of the process of learning an instrument and creating music, apply it to their own performance and then use this new knowledge to lead a group of players to create a chamber recital. This is best demonstrated in one of the wind playing students, the flautist, who, after some months in the program, was able to train a woodwind ensemble to perform very creditably. These findings suggest that lack of background in music can be overcome by carefully designed teaching and learning strategies which enable students to create and manage their own learning and performing.

碩士
國立中正大學
傳播學系電訊傳播研究所
107
The video game industry grows rapidly in the past few decades. Among all kinds of video games, historical fiction video game has been proved to be one of the most popular types of video game. This research tries to investigate the enjoyment experienced by the historical fiction video game players and the relationship between history learning and video game playing. Data were collected by the in-depth interviews of 14 historical fiction video gamers. The result of research shows that the enjoyments of historical fiction video games can be discussed in three different aspects: "The enjoyment of control," "The enjoyment of cross-media," and "The enjoyment of social interaction." The enjoyment of control comes from taking up the challenges in the games, and the feeling of achievement when players complete the challenges. The enjoyment of cross-media comes from knowing-players’ knowledge of the original context. This kind of enjoyment is composited by "the enjoyment of sensory," "the enjoyment of emotion ," and "the enjoyment of cognitive." The enjoyment of social interaction comes from two different communities: actual community and virtual community. Because of the special characteristic of historical fiction video game, its virtual community interaction is weaker than its actual community interaction. This research also demonstrates that historical fiction video games do help players’ history learning experience, furthermore, game playing increases the players’ historical consciousness. For knowing-players, playing historical fiction games stimulates their interest in learning related histories. For unknowing-players, the historical fiction video games serve as an opportunity for developing fundamental knowledge of related histories.

碩士
國立清華大學
資訊科學研究所
84
A new evolutionary learning model that has a different architechture from the traditional evolutionary learning model is developed. We call it as the interactive evolutionary learning model. Both evolutionary learning models are similar in several components. In the interactive evolutionary learning algorithm, some key mechanisms, the solution set, the partial fitness and the reward backpropagation, are proposed. We describe how both the traditional evolutionary leaning model and the interactive evolutionary learning model can be applied into playing 9*9 Go games. Finally we analyze the learning curves in both learning processes and we show many interesting Go game concepts that are discovered by the learning system.