João Batista Mossmann

Using Mobile Learning in Formal and Non-formal Educational Settings

This paper presents experiences on mobile devices in formal and non-formal educational settings based on the relation among different ongoing research projects involving the use of mobile devices, such as tablets in educational processes. The experiences addressed in this work are interconnected through a common objective: to use of mobile devices as tablets in education to enhance teaching and learning processes. Therefore, this paper presents our experiences in two educational settings, regarding the challenges and issues we face when including the use of mobile devices in educational processes. The study uses a qualitative approach with results indicating three relevant aspects, apart from the educational setting. Therefore, we concluded that the use of mobile technologies in educational processes involve: the training of teachers or educators; the selection, organization and planning of digital resources; and, the profile of the students implicated in the educational process.

UM SIMULADOR DE CASOS CLÍNICOS COMPLEXOS NO PROCESSO DE APRENDIZAGEM EM SAÚDE

Este artigo apresenta o projeto SimDeCS, que representa uma importante oportunidade para estabelecer uma nova forma de relacao entre educador e educando, inserindo ferramentas informatizadas na forma de simuladores de casos clinicos complexos no processo de aprendizado. A experiencia tem como objetivo apresentar um processo mais atrativo e proximo das situacoes do mundo real reduzindo as distâncias entre a teoria e a pratica clinica, atraves da utilizacao de simulacoes. O sistema encontra-se em fase de prototipacao, porem os primeiros testes realizados mostraram-se bastante promissores.

Development of BCI Based Softwares to Assist People with Mobility Limitations in the School Inclusion Process

Inclusive Education has been the agenda at all levels and modalities of the education system, which discusses how the school will face the diversity and teach students who have disabilities. According to the 2010 Census, in Brazil, people with physical disabilities account for almost 7% of the population. This project aims to design Digital Learning Constructs (DLC) as an inclusive education model implemented by use of Brain Computer Interface (BCI). Thus, it is intended to assist people with mobility limitations in the process of school inclusion. A DLC is any entity or device devised or built in a multidisciplinary way in the form of an educational game, helping players to build or redesign their knowledge. It has as features, dual nature, as an object of learning and also a game, working procedurally the contributions of each area without any subordination between them. Thus, via BCI, the user will not use mouse, but a specific low cost hardware, which will command the computer via brain waves. Future studies with the user will be conducted through a qualitative, quantitative and ergonomic design approach. The study subjects are people with motor and communication problems, of the municipal education network. The importance of studies linked to the autonomy of these subjects is due to the fact that many do not have freedom of movement, because of motor impairments. The aim of this project is to open paths for people with motor impairments and degenerative diseases, so they can use the computer in the classroom context.

Adaptation of an Educational Exergame to Mobile Platforms: A Development Process

This work presents an adaptation of an educational Exergame aimed for cognitive stimulation to mobile platforms, specifically Tablets. The educational Exergame “The Incredible Adventures of Apollo and Rosetta in the Space (As Incriveis Aventuras de Apollo e Rosetta no Espaco)” was developed and applied in an intervention with children in the range from 6 to 10 years old in the school context, presented in previous work. This paper proposes a combination of end user-centric techniques for adapting an Exergame aimed for Executive Functions stimulation into mobile platforms. The methodology uses three distinct techniques in the process of the game adaptation: (1) evolutionary model of software development aimed for games; (2) non-participant observation on game applications with voluntary subjects; and (3) semi-structured interview with the subjects. This methodology allows the project’s development team to constantly evaluate the game through prototypes and user tests with voluntary subjects, guaranteeing a continuous process of improvement and polishment of the game. As the results indicate, this end-user centric development enables an effective portability process of the game between different platforms.

Usability Evaluation of a Wheelchair Virtual Simulator Controlled by a Brain-Computer Interface: Lessons Learned to the Design Process

This paper presents the design, implementation and evaluation of a wheelchair simulator, which is controlled by a noninvasive Brain-Computer Interface device. We use the eye blink to control the control interface. Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the Simulator’s utilization quality. The results showed that it is important to have a training phase or eye blink calibration, and a module for recognition of voluntary and involuntary blinking. The adopted scanning system for the wheelchair driving and the collision system were well accepted by the participants.

Serial Sequence Learning on Digital Games

The execution of sequential tasks tightly bound to the daily lives of people. Being possible to identify it during the keyboard typing, creating sequences of actions on the steering wheel or even playing a musical instrument. Researches shows is possible use the sequence learning as an executive function training. Which is considered essential skills for fiscal and mental health, life and scholar success, in addiction of the cognitive, social and psychological development. Other possible way to train executive functions is the use of digital games. In this context, in this work was developed a prototype of a digital game that permits a player to train the executive function working memory. The game permits the player to interact with a serial sequence, while his reaction time are collected for the progress evaluate during a match.

Questing Ruins: A Game for a Digital Inclusion

The inclusion of people with cerebral palsy is not an easy path, because many of them preserve their cognitive abilities, despite being unable to speak, walk, or even both. This paper presents a study on the games applied in the education of people with cerebral palsy using Brain Computer Interface (BCI). Children affected by Cerebral Palsies have a disturbance in the control of their postures and body movements as a result of a brain injury. These injuries are the result of several causes. The most frequent is linked to the lack of oxygen flow to the brain, occurring either during or immediately after birth. The objective of the current research is to study the evaluation of the game we developed, called Questing Ruins. The methodology used was that of qualitative approach and case study. At the end we present Questing Ruins, an adventure game for entertainment and environmental awareness.

Project and Preliminary Evaluation of VR-MED, a Domain-Specific Language for Serious Games in Family Medicine Teaching

Serious games can be used for training in different areas, like Education and Medicine. In these contexts, it is hard to define game-based learning environments, because this process requires intensive interaction between experts and developers in order to establish common, comprehensible and reusable elements for different projects by both professionals. A domain-specific language (DSL) tends to solve some modelling problems such as the creation and documentation of rules and the reuse of components. This paper presents VR-MED, a graphical DSL prototype for serious games, focused on teaching of Family Medicine. Using a visual notation, developers and healthcare professionals can create simple games based on textual medical cases. A preliminary study shows VR-MED as an adequate DSL to represent Family Medicine elements in a serious game, and that it can be extended to support new medical cases.

A Comparative Study: Use of a Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) Device by People with Cerebral Palsy in Interaction with Computers

This article presents a comparative study among people with cerebral palsy and healthy controls, of various ages, using a brain-computer interface (BCI) device. The research is qualitative in its approach. Researchers worked with observational case studies. People with cerebral palsy and healthy controls were evaluated in Portugal and in Brazil. The study aimed to develop a study for product evaluation in order to perceive whether people with cerebral palsy can interact with the computer and to gauge whether their performance is similar to that of healthy controls when using the brain-computer interface. Ultimately, it was found that there are no significant differences between people with cerebral palsy in the two countries, as well as between populations without cerebral palsy (healthy controls).

Intellectus: software to support assessments based on neurophysiological measures

Currently, there are many types of computer systems, and it is essential that they have interfaces that allow the user to achieve their objectives satisfactorily. To do so, these interfaces must be evaluated. Researches show promising results when using neurophysiologic measures of users to support the evaluation of traditional methodologies. This work presents the study and development of a software capable of recording and cataloging neurophysiologic measures based on electroencephalogram (EEG). To this end, two EEG low cost, Neurosky Mindwave and Emotiv EEG were used as data acquisition devices. The software was developed using the C Sharp programming language and the manager of database Microsoft SQL Server Express. Through the developed software, called INTELLECTUS, research and studies in the field of Neuroscience can be conducted. Based on related work, an experiment was conducted. In this, it was possible to perform the catalog data for two EEGs.