Chin-Yeh Wang

Improving the authentic learning experience by integrating robots into the mixed-reality environment

The main aim of the modern popular teaching method of authentic learning has been to provide students with everyday-life challenges that develop knowledge and skills through problem solving in different situations. Many emerging information technologies have been used to present authentic environment in pedagogical purpose. However, there are few studies that have been discussed the sense of authenticity and characters in scene and how students interact with the characters involved in the task. We designed a system, RoboStage, with authentic scenes by using mixed-reality technology and robot to investigate the difference in learning with either physical or virtual characters and learning behaviors and performance through the system. Robots were designed to play real interactive characters in the task. The experiment of the study conducted with 36 junior high students. The results indicated that RoboStage significantly improved the sense of authenticity of the task and also positively affected learning motivation. Learning performance was conditionally affected by RoboStage.

Using group communication to monitor web-based group learning

In a web group-learning environment, students must communicate with other group members on the Internet to accomplish group projects and share knowledge. Communication is likely to affect performance and so analysing the relationship between communicative relationships and group performance may help teachers to monitor groups effectively. Certain tasks are necessary to perform such an analysis — recording group communication, extracting communication relationships and determining the relationship between group communication and group performance. This study developed a method for determining relationships and rules for predicting performance to enable teachers to take act appropriately according to the predicted performance of the group. Four group performance indicators are considered — average grades within a group, project grade, frequency of resource-sharing and drop-out rate. Experimental results are presented, concerning the application of the methodology to a web class of 706 students, divided into 70 groups. The experimental results show that group communication patterns significantly affect group performance.

Digital Learning Playground: supporting authentic learning experiences in the classroom

This study proposes a platform to provide a near-authentic environment, context, and situation for task-based learning. The platform includes two projection screens (a vertical and a horizontal screen) combined for situated or authentic learning. The horizontal screen extends the vertical screen scene to form a space for learning activities and performance. The platform creates learning situations using robots as surrogates of students to accomplish real-life tasks. Kolbs four-stage experiential learning cyclical model was adopted in the learning design. A simple practice was developed to examine the effect on teaching children English as a foreign language. The results reveal that children could engage deeply and feel more enjoyment using the system. Moreover, as surrogates for students to imagine that they are accomplishing real-life missions, robots could be a vital element of authentic learning in future classrooms.

Motion controllers for learners to manipulate and interact with 3D objects for mental rotation training

Mental rotation is an important spatial processing ability and an important element in intelligence tests. However, the majority of past attempts at training mental rotation have used paper-and-pencil tests or digital images. This study proposes an innovative mental rotation training approach using magnetic motion controllers to allow learners to manipulate and interact with three-dimensional ( 3D) objects. Stereovision allows learners to perceive the spatial geometric form of a 3D object. This approach allows learners to perceive 3D objects in space through stereovision and make mental rotation visible from each intrinsic and invisible mental rotation step using motion-interaction methods. This study examines the effects of user training performance and perceptions. The results indicate that the proposed approach can improve user mental rotation ability effectively. Learners expressed high degrees of concentration toward the mechanism that included direct control and immediate feedback. The results also suggest that female testers perceive greater degrees of playfulness toward the mechanism and improve more through training than male testers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Use of Group Discussion and Learning Portfolio to Build Knowledge for Managing Web Group Learning

To monitor and enhance the learning performance of learning groups in a Web learning system, teachers need to know the learning status of the group and determine the key influences affecting group learning outcomes. Teachers can achieve this goal by observing the group discussions and learning behavior from Web logs and aanlyzing the Web log data to obtain the relevant information. However, Web logs are not systematically organized and the discussions are extensive. Consequently, teachers must struggle to extract information from logs and intuitively apply teaching rules based on experience when managing the groups. Rather than using statistics packages to evaluate hypotheses, this work presents a methodology of applying existing data and text mining tools to automatically gather learning status and predict performance of learning groups from the contents of discussions and from log records of learning behaviors. Meanwhile, the methodology infers a causal network exists between learning features and learning performance. Knowledge is inferred based on statistics and probability reasoning and social interdependency theory. The causal network can suggest means of enhancing learning performance to teachers. Simultaneously, teachers can use the knowledge of learning groups obtained to manage group learning process on the Web. Experimental results of applying the novel methodology to manage a group learning class organized over the Web and containing 706 students are also presented.

Design and Evaluation of an Affective Interface of the E-learning Systems

Students’ affections in learning have a significant impact on engagement and learning outcomes. When students have negative emotions, they usually do not learn well. But current e-learning systems often lack many features of profound affection, and fail to provide suitable emotional interaction. In this paper, we evaluate some studies of affective interaction e-learning systems. We also proposed our approach to develop an emotionally interactive learning system.

Using role theory in monitoring web group learning systems

Role theory has been proposed to explain group teamwork. Thus, it may also be valid to explain group learning performance. However, teachers in both conventional classrooms and web learning systems find it difficult to figure out what role a student played in a group and what relationship exists between roles and group performance. In a web learning system, interactions among group members can be recorded in a database. Computer tools can be developed to do the tasks for teachers. In this paper we develop a tool to capture the roles that a student plays in her/his learning group. Then, tools using machine learning techniques are built to find the relationship between existence of roles and group performance. A tool was then built to predict the group performance based on the relationship captured. An experimental result is shown that demonstrates that role theory is effective to predict group performance.

Development and evaluation of a novel e-book interface for scaffolding thinking context to learn from writing examples

ABSTRACT Effective reading strategies, including using graphic organizers, question answering, and considering story structures, can help students improve reading comprehension. However, these reading strategies are not fully supported by both printed books and e-books. Students who master these reading strategies can learn effectively. By contrast, students without effective reading strategies cannot grasp thinking contexts, which leads to unfavorable learning outcomes. This paper presents a novel e-book interface that features thinking maps and a question answering mechanism on the same page. The thinking maps and question answering mechanism can stimulate students to reflect on reading content, which in this study was college entrance exam compositions, and help students to more effectively understand the context of their reading content. After we developed our reading system, 61 participants were recruited for system evaluation. The results indicate that students in the treatment group acquired significantly more vocabulary and understood the story structure more competently than did students in the control group. Treatment group participants expressed that they were satisfied with the thinking maps and question answering mechanism.

Effectiveness of web-based mechanism for teaching creative writing in the classroom

Abstract The purpose of this research is to design a web-based learning system using a set of scaffolding procedures and collaborative learning techniques to enhance students’ creative writing in the classroom. Guiding questions are meant to be suggestive of creative association to foster their creative thinking. Through peer assessment, students could learn from others’ thinking methods while appreciating and criticising their writing. The study was conducted using a design research method. After the system was developed, an evaluation experiment was performed. Compared with the control group, participants who used the system to assist writing showed significant improvements after three times trainings.

Combine Virtual Context and Self-Image as Video Portfolios to Increase Student's Reflection

People can acquire knowledge of rules, skills, strategies, beliefs or attitudes by observing others or through self-observation. This study proposed an approach that allows students to play a role for task-based learning in a classroom and can immediately observe their figures embedded in the virtual context. Reflection that the proposed approach might be able to support via self-observation plays an important role in learning process. Therefore, we examine the idea by conducting a case study in which college students were recruited to understand how the self-observation approach could affect their reflection. Comparing to the control group that students could not see their figures appearing in the virtual environment, statistic results show significant difference according to their subjective questionnaire results.