Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Tracking experts'

In this study, Concept map (CM) development processes of the experts and novices were explored. This studyaimed to investigate the similarities and differences among novices and experts&rsquo
CM development process regarding their cognitive processes. Two experiments were designed
eye-tracking, written and verbal data were collected from 29 pre-service teachers and 6 subject matter experts.Data were analyzed by using qualitative and quantitative data analysis methods. The results indicated that eventhough some of the strategies were similar, there were different patterns followed by the experts and novices during the CM development process. Both experts and novices embraced &lsquo
deductive reasoning&rsquo
, and preferred &lsquo
hierarchical&rsquo
type of CMs. The other patterns recognized during the process were&lsquo
filling information in an order&rsquo
, &lsquo
branch construction pattern&rsquo
,&lsquo
content richness&rsquo
and &lsquo
progress pattern&rsquo
. Novices and experts were distinguished in their content richness measures which used to determine the quality of the maps. Regarding the progress pattern, novices and experts differed in terms of the frequency and duration for specific acts invarious phases of their progress in CM development process. Furthermore, expert participants differed from novices in their fixation count numbers, fixation durations, visit duration periods for specific actions. Fixation count numbers of the novices were higher than the experts during the entire process and in specific dimensions of the CM development process. As a conclusion, these pattern differences affect the CM development process directly and the instructors need to give emphasis to these critical points while using CM during the instruction, and with the help of these pattern differences, instructors could guide the learner effectively and acquire content rich CMs.

Doctor of Philosophy
Department of Mathematics
Andrew G. Bennett
This dissertation investigates and compares the methods of proof validation utilized by novice and expert mathematicians within the realm of Euclidean geometry. With the use of eye tracking technology, our study presents empirical evidence supporting claims previously studied only through the use of verbal protocols. Our investigation settles a series of contentious results surrounding the practical implementation of the generalized validation strategy called zooming out (Inglis and Alcock, 2012; Weber, Mejia-Ramos, Inglis, and Alcock, 2013). This strategy analyzes the overall structure of a proof as an application of methods or logical chunks. Settling the debate through use of longer and more complicated proofs devoid of blatant errors, we found that validators do not initially skim-read proofs to gain structural insight. We did however confirm the practical implementation of zooming out strategies. The literature identifies within the proof validation process specific differences between novices and experts. We are interested in a holistic understanding of novice and expert validations. We therefore present the direct comparison of entire validation processes that assess the similarity of novice and expert overall validation attempts. We found that the validation processes of novices and experts share a certain degree of similarity. In fact novices tend to be closer to experts than to other novices. And when validations are clustered, the groups are heterogeneous with regard to mathematical maturity. Our investigation expands the proof validation literature by including diagrams in the proof validation process. We found that experts tend to spend more time proportionally on the diagram than novices and that novices spend more time on the text. Furthermore, experts tend to draw more connections within the diagram than novices as indicated by a higher proportion of attentional changes within the diagrams. Experts seem to draw on the power of visualizations within the mathematics itself, spending more time on conceptual understanding and intended connections.

Large open-source software projects involve developers with a wide variety of backgrounds and expertise. Such software projects furthermore include many internal APIs that developers must understand and use properly. According to the intended purpose of these APIs, they are more or less frequently used, and used by developers with more or less expertise. In this paper, we study the impact of usage patterns and developer expertise on the rate of defects occurring in the use of internal APIs. For this preliminary study, we focus on memory management APIs in the Linux kernel, as the use of these has been shown to be highly error prone in previous work. We study defect rates and developer expertise, to consider e.g., whether widely used APIs are more defect prone because they are used by less experienced developers, or whether defects in widely used APIs are more likely to be fixed.

Online learning algorithms have several key advantages compared to their batch learning algorithm counterparts: they are generally more memory efficient, and computationally mor efficient; they are simpler to implement; and they are able to adapt to changes where the learning model is time varying. Online algorithms because of their simplicity are very appealing to practitioners. his thesis investigates several online learning algorithms and their application. The thesis has an underlying theme of the idea of combining several simple algorithms to give better performance. In this thesis we investigate: combining weights, combining hypothesis, and (sort of) hierarchical combining.¶ Firstly, we propose a new online variant of the Bayes point machine (BPM), called the online Bayes point machine (OBPM). We study the theoretical and empirical performance of the OBPm algorithm. We show that the empirical performance of the OBPM algorithm is comparable with other large margin classifier methods such as the approximately large margin algorithm (ALMA) and methods which maximise the margin explicitly, like the support vector machine (SVM). The OBPM algorithm when used with a parallel architecture offers potential computational savings compared to ALMA. We compare the test error performance of the OBPM algorithm with other online algorithms: the Perceptron, the voted-Perceptron, and Bagging. We demonstrate that the combinationof the voted-Perceptron algorithm and the OBPM algorithm, called voted-OBPM algorithm has better test error performance than the voted-Perceptron and Bagging algorithms. We investigate the use of various online voting methods against the problem of ranking, and the problem of collaborative filtering of instances. We look at the application of online Bagging and OBPM algorithms to the telecommunications problem of channel equalization. We show that both online methods were successful at reducing the effect on the test error of label flipping and additive noise.¶ Secondly, we introduce a new mixture of experts algorithm, the fixed-share hierarchy (FSH) algorithm. The FSH algorithm is able to track the mixture of experts when the switching rate between the best experts may not be constant. We study the theoretical aspects of the FSH and the practical application of it to adaptive equalization. Using simulations we show that the FSH algorithm is able to track the best expert, or mixture of experts, in both the case where the switching rate is constant and the case where the switching rate is time varying.

In the digitally mediated world that we live in, self-tracking and monitoring technologies have been observed to become part of the various realms of our social lives, shaping and even disturbing relations that we take part in. This thesis has sought to explore how tensions emerge between digital tracking technologies, players and other human members of an elite football team and, thus, to address how those tensions are dealt with. By applying the ethnographic research methodology and adopting the theoretical framework of Actor-Network Theory (ANT), the study has pursued to investigate how the technologies participate in the players’ everyday practices as well as how the players navigate between the expertise of different human and non-human sources in the team. The results indicate that the involvement of tracking technologies can increase the possibility of tensions to arise between different participants in a network such as the studied football team. To deal with these tensions, this thesis has contributed with a prototype of a system around a player monitoring technology. It suggests roles, relations, factors and actions in order to enhance the understanding among those who manage such a technology, helping them to acknowledge and overcome possible tensions in the social process of tracking a football team. This service blueprint is constructed through co-design workshops together with the player participants.

Thesis advisor: Natalia Sarkisian
The recent proliferation of technologies to collect and analyze “Big Data” has changed the research landscape, making it easier for some to use unprecedented amounts of real-time data to guide decisions and build ‘knowledge.’ In the three articles of this dissertation, I examine what these changes reveal about the nature of expertise and the position of the researcher. In the first article, “Monopoly or Generosity? ‘Rock Stars’ of Big Data, Data Democrats, and the Role of Technologies in Systems of Expertise,” I challenge the claims of recent scholarship, which frames the monopoly of experts and the spread of systems of expertise as opposing forces. I analyze video recordings (N= 30) of the proceedings of two professional conferences about Big Data Analytics (BDA), and I identify distinct orientations towards BDA practice among presenters: (1) those who argue that BDA should be conducted by highly specialized “Rock Star” data experts, and (2) those who argue that access to BDA should be “democratized” to non-experts through the use of automated technology. While the “data democrats” ague that automating technology enhances the spread of the system of BDA expertise, they ignore the ways that it also enhances, and hides, the monopoly of the experts who designed the technology. In addition to its implications for practitioners of BDA, this work contributes to the sociology of expertise by demonstrating the importance of focusing on both monopoly and generosity in order to study power in systems of expertise, particularly those relying extensively on technology. Scholars have discussed several ways that the position of the researcher affects the production of knowledge. In “Distance Makes the Scholar Grow Fonder? The Relationship Between Analytical Distance and Critical Reflection on Methods in Big Data Analytics,” I pinpoint two types of researcher “distance” that have already been explored in the literature (experiential and interactional), and I identify a third type of distance—analytical distance—that has not been examined so far. Based on an empirical analysis of 113 articles that utilize Twitter data, I find that the analytical distance that authors maintain from the coding process is related to whether the authors include explicit critical reflections about their research in the article. Namely, articles in which the authors automate the coding process are significantly less likely to reflect on the reliability or validity of the study, even after controlling for factors such as article length and author’s discipline. These findings have implications for numerous research settings, from studies conducted by a team of scholars who delegate analytic tasks, to “big data” or “e-science” research that automates parts of the analytic process. Individuals who engage in self-tracking—collecting data about themselves or aspects of their lives for their own purposes—occupy a unique position as both researcher and subject. In the sociology of knowledge, previous research suggests that low experiential distance between researcher and subject can lead to more nuanced interpretations but also blind the researcher to his or her underlying assumptions. However, these prior studies of distance fail to explore what happens when the boundary between researcher and subject collapses in “N of one” studies. In “The Collapse of Experiential Distance and the Inescapable Ambiguity of Quantifying Selves,” I borrow from art and literary theories of grotesquerie—another instance of the collapse of boundaries—to examine the collapse of boundaries in self-tracking. Based on empirical analyses of video testimonies (N=102) and interviews (N=7) with members of the Quantified Self community of self-trackers, I find that ambiguity and multiplicity are integral facets of these data practices. I discuss the implications of these findings for the sociological study of researcher distance, and also the practical implications for the neoliberal turn that assigns responsibility to individuals to collect, analyze, and make the best use of personal data
Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2015
Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Discipline: Sociology

The electrocardiogram (ECG) is a graphical representation of the electrical activity of the heart. The 12-lead ECG shows this activity in 12 "views" called "leads", relative to the location of sensors attached to the body surface. The ECG is a routinely applied cost effective diagnostic medical test, utilised in healthcare settings around the world. Although more than three hundred million ECGs are recorded each year, correctly interpreting them is considered a complex task. Failure to make correct interpretations can lead to injury or death and costs vast sums in litigation payments. Many automated attempts at interpreting ECGs have been implemented and continue to be developed and improved. Despite this, automated methods are still considered to be less reliable than expert human interpretation. As ECG interpretation is both a cognitive and visual task, eye-tracking holds great potential as an investigative methodology. This thesis aims to identify any cues in visual behaviour that may indicate differences in subsequent ECG interpretation accuracy. This is the first work that uses eye-tracking to analyse how practitioners interpret ECGs as a function of accuracy. In order to investigate these phenomenon, several experiments were carried out using eye-movements captured from clinical practitioners that interpret ECGs as part of their usual clinical role. The findings presented in this thesis have advanced research in the understanding of ECG interpretation. Specifically: Clinical history makes a difference to how people look at ECGs; different gaze patterns are often found in accurate and inaccurate interpretation groups. Grouping data to account for within ECG lead behaviour (eye-movement patterns within a lead) is more revealing than analysis at the level of the lead (eye-movements between leads). Findings suggest analysing visual behaviour at this level is crucial in order to detect behaviour in ECG interpretation. Further to this the thesis presents eye-tracking techniques that can be applied to wider areas of task performance. These methods work over complex stimuli, are able to deal post hoc with differently sized groups and generate appropriate areas of interest on a stimulus. These methods detect important differences in eye-movement behaviour between groups that are missed when applying standard inferential statistical techniques.

Situations-spezifische Fertigkeiten sind ein wichtiger Teil von Lehrerexpertise und insbesondere im Bereich des Klassenmanagements bedeutsam. Vor dem Hintergrund der Kompetenz- und Expertiseforschung synthetisiert die vorliegende Dissertation bisherige Befunde systematisch und untersucht, wie sich Novizen- und Expertenlehrpersonen in ihren Fertigkeiten hinsichtlich des Klassenmanagements unterscheiden. Studie 1 fasst den Forschungsstand in einem systematischen Review von 60 empirischen Studien zusammen und arbeitet Erkenntnisse zu Fertigkeiten und ihrer Förderung sowie zum konzeptuellen Rahmen der Studien heraus. Für Studie 2 und Studie 3 werden die Fertigkeiten von 20 Noviz*innen und 20 Expert*innen mit Hilfe von Videoausschnitten untersucht, die für das Klassenmanagement relevante Ereignisse zeigen. Studie 2 erforscht mit Hilfe von Eye-Tracking-Methoden insbesondere die Fertigkeit der Wahrnehmung sowie formatspezifische Expertiseeffekte. Es fand sich bei Expert*innen ein Fokus auf Schüler*innen, während Noviz*innen vor allem beim Partnerarbeitsformat weniger ausgeprägte Fertigkeiten zeigten. Studie 3 untersucht anhand von retrospektiven verbalen Analysen Expertiseeffekte hinsichtlich des Wahrnehmens, Interpretierens und Entscheidens. Expertise war erneut durch einen Fokus auf Schüler*innen gekennzeichnet. Zudem boten Expert*innen mehr Handlungsmöglichkeiten an als Noviz*innen. Zusammenfassend lässt sich feststellen, dass Expert*innen vor allem hinsichtlich des Entscheidens überlegen sind. Weiterhin deuten die Ergebnisse darauf hin, dass offenere Unterrichtsformate für Noviz*innen besonders herausfordernd sind. Die Bedeutung der Ergebnisse wird hinsichtlich der allgemeinen Expertise- und Kompetenzforschung sowie der Klassenmanagementforschung diskutiert. Die Studien zeigen theoretische Inkohärenz hinsichtlich des Konstrukts situations-spezifischer Fertigkeiten auf, sowie eine starke Fokussierung bisheriger Forschung auf Störungen in Frontalunterrichtsszenen.
Situation-specific skills are an important part of teacher expertise and are particularly relevant in the area of classroom management. Against the background of general and classroom management-specific teacher competence and expertise research, this dissertation systematically synthesized previous findings and also investigated how novice and expert teachers differ in their skills with regard to classroom management. Study 1 summarized the state of research in a systematic review of 60 empirical studies, thereby identifying insights into teachers’ skills and their facilitation, as well as the conceptual frameworks of the studies. For Study 2 and Study 3, the skills of 20 novice and 20 expert teachers were examined using video clips that show events relevant to classroom management. Study 2 investigated format-specific expertise effects and, in particular, the skill of perception by using eye tracking methods. Experts were found to focus on students and their learning, while novices showed less pronounced skills, especially in the partner work format. Using teachers’ retrospective verbal analyses of classroom management events, Study 3 examined expertise effects with respect to teachers’ perception, interpretation and decision-making. Again, expertise was characterized by a focus on students. In addition, experts proposed more alternative courses of action than novices. In summary, it can be concluded that experts are superior to novices especially with regard to the skill of decision-making. Furthermore, the results indicate that more open formats of instruction are particularly challenging for novices. The relevance of the results is discussed with regard to general expertise and competence research as well as classroom management research. The studies point to theoretical ambiguities regarding the construct of situation-specific skills, as well as an overemphasis of previous research on behavioral management in whole-group instruction settings.

This thesis is focused on identifying key aspects of mechanics graphs regarded by students and experts. It also contains observations of student's attention focused on each graph. This data was collected using eye tracking camera. 23 high school students and 14 experts participated in this research. Our group of experts contained graduate and post-graduate students as well as researchers from faculty of Mathematics and Physics at Charles University. Our results suggest that experts were able to memorize more information from each graph than high school students. Difference in focus on relevant parts of graphs was obvious from analyzing correct and incorrect answers of high school students and they consider axes and their labeling as the key parts of graphs in contrast to the students. Incorrectly answering students were more focused on parts with no relevance to the task in question. On the contrary, students with correct answers spent less time looking on non-relevant parts of graphs. Ideas of incorrectly answering students were mostly focused on wrong idea about graph as a sketch of real situation, or picture resembling physical situation.

Online learning algorithms have several key advantages compared to their batch learning algorithm counterparts. This thesis investigates several online learning algorithms and their application. The thesis has an underlying theme of the idea of combining several simple algorithms to give better performance. In this thesis we investigate: combining weights, combining hypothesis, and (sort of) hierarchical combining.¶ ...

碩士
南台科技大學
行銷與流通管理系
98
In order to achieve better advertising effects, a viewer needs to notice the advertisement first, then comprehend its advertising appeal, and finally make the purchase decision if he/she likes the message. This study evaluated advertising effects, taking advertisement appeal (rational vs. emotional) and user's domain knowledge (expert vs. novice) as independent variables, and an Eye-link 2000 eye-tracking device as the apparatus. The examining time on different visual spots, the recall of the advertisement message, felt involvement and the purchase intention were dependent variables. Eighty subjects participated in the experiment, and only 74 valid cases were available for the final analysis. The results are as follows. First, there were significant differences in time spent on text and graphs as well as memory recall between rational and emotional advertisement appeals. Second, there were also significant differences in time spent on text, graphs, and product specifications between experts and novices. The differences were also found in memory recall and felt involvement. Finally, there were interactions between advertisement appeal and domain knowledge in time spent on the text message, memory recall and purchase intention.

碩士
南台科技大學
行銷與流通管理系
98
In order to achieve better advertising effects, a viewer needs to notice the advertisement first, then comprehend its advertising appeal, and finally make the purchase decision if he/she likes the message. This study evaluated advertising effects, taking advertisement appeal (rational vs. emotional) and user's domain knowledge (expert vs. novice) as independent variables, and an Eye-link 2000 eye-tracking device as the apparatus. The examining time on different visual spots, the recall of the advertisement message, felt involvement and the purchase intention were dependent variables. Eighty subjects participated in the experiment, and only 74 valid cases were available for the final analysis. The results are as follows. First, there were significant differences in time spent on text and graphs as well as memory recall between rational and emotional advertisement appeals. Second, there were also significant differences in time spent on text, graphs, and product specifications between experts and novices. The differences were also found in memory recall and felt involvement. Finally, there were interactions between advertisement appeal and domain knowledge in time spent on the text message, memory recall and purchase intention.

The overall aim of this research was to examine the factors that influence the coach-biomechanist relationship in the elite sprinting context and gain an understanding of the factors that impede and enhance performance environments and relationships. It is thought that the transfer of sport science research into coaching practice is not as efficient as it should be, as it has been established that coaches are not using sport science as a source of knowledge. Subsequently, this insufficient transfer of knowledge could be limiting potential improvements in athlete performance. Technique analysis is a common area of expertise for both sprint coaches and biomechanists in high-performance sport and was therefore the ideal context to explore the coach-biomechanist relationship in detail. The first phase of research examined the coach and biomechanists’ understandings of optimal sprint running technique and determined the relationships between the experiential knowledge of the two groups. Findings showed elements that are crucial to optimal sprinting technique, such as the position of the contact foot and extension of the leg during stance. Differences in knowledge between the two groups were complimentary. For example, the biomechanists’ focus on the transition from swing into stance phases and the coaches’ interest in upper body movement. Moreover, the communication of these knowledge differences was potentially problematic. The second phase of this research determined if the knowledge differences found in the first phase influenced the visual search patterns of coaches and biomechanists. This difference was not observed, with visual search behaviour not reflecting the differences in knowledge seen in phase one. The third phase aimed to establish the context in which coaches and biomechanists interact to improve performance. This phase supported previous phases’ results in that communication styles and knowledge differences were impeding factors and added lack of role clarity to this list. The fourth and final phase investigated the interactions and exchange of information that occurs during the technique assessment process. Results showed that the process is a coach-led partnership where rapport building, and equal sharing of knowledge are emphasised. In summary, this research contributes to the understanding of the coach-sport science relationship by providing practical evidence for numerous concepts in a novel and more specialized population. It increases our understanding of coach technical knowledge and visual perceptual behaviour as well as uniquely incorporating the sport biomechanists’ knowledge and perspective into these investigations. The multi-layered approach used allowed the knowledge, behaviours and interactions that comprise qualitative analysis of technique to be investigated. This has greatly improved our understanding of the coach- biomechanist relationship and the factors that impede and enhance it.