Niall Winters

Vision-based navigation and environmental representations with an omnidirectional camera

Proposes a method for the visual-based navigation of a mobile robot in indoor environments, using a single omnidirectional (catadioptric) camera. The geometry of the catadioptric sensor and the method used to obtain a birds eye (orthographic) view of the ground plane are presented. This representation significantly simplifies the solution to navigation problems, by eliminating any perspective effects. The nature of each navigation task is taken into account when designing the required navigation skills and environmental representations. We propose two main navigation modalities: topological navigation and visual path following. Topological navigation is used for traveling long distances and does not require knowledge of the exact position of the robot but rather, a qualitative position on the topological map. The navigation process combines appearance based methods and visual servoing upon some environmental features. Visual path following is required for local, very precise navigation, e.g., door traversal, docking. The robot is controlled to follow a prespecified path accurately, by tracking visual landmarks in birds eye views of the ground plane. By clearly separating the nature of these navigation tasks, a simple and yet powerful navigation system is obtained.

Design approaches in technology enhanced learning

Design is critical to the successful development of any interactive learning environment (ILE). Moreover, in technology-enhanced learning (TEL) the design process requires input from many diverse areas of expertise. As such, anyone undertaking tool development is required to directly address the design challenge from multiple perspectives. We provide a motivation and rationale for design approaches for learning technologies that draws upon Simons seminal proposition of design science. We then review the application of design experiments and design patterns and argue that a patterns approach has the potential to address many of the critical challenges faced by learning technologists.

Participatory design in open education: a workshop model for developing a pattern language

Technologically enhanced learning environments raise complex challenges for their designers, developers and users. Design patterns and pattern languages have recently emerged as a potential framework for addressing some of these challenges. However, the uptake of design patterns has been slow outside of the computer science community. We argue that this is largely a consequence of a weak positioning of pattern languages, as a form of delivering expert knowledge to layperson, and suggest an alternative view: the development of a pattern language as a community endeavour. In terms of open education, the workshop model can be viewed as an open production process for developing educational resources, in our case design patterns. We propose a model of pattern elicitation workshops, in which collaborative development of a pattern language provides a framework for sharing design knowledge within interdisciplinary communities. This model was iteratively developed at five international conferences. It was then postulated as a design pattern itself, encompassing a series of practices and a set of supporting tools. We believe this model could be applied in a broad range of communities concerned with the development of open digital educational resources. Editor: Stephen Godwin (Open University, UK). Reviewers: Stephen Carson (MIT, USA) and Alexandra Okada (Open University, UK). Interactive elements: A video course demonstrating the workshop model is available at: http://lp.noe-kaleidoscope.org/outcomes/videos/

What do community health workers have to say about their work, and how can this inform improved programme design? A case study with CHWs within Kenya

Background Community health workers (CHWs) are used increasingly in the world to address shortages of health workers and the lack of a pervasive national health system. However, while their role is often described at a policy level, it is not clear how these ideals are instantiated in practice, how best to support this work, or how the work is interpreted by local actors. CHWs are often spoken about or spoken for, but there is little evidence of CHWs’ own characterisation of their practice, which raises questions for global health advocates regarding power and participation in CHW programmes. This paper addresses this issue. Design A case study approach was undertaken in a series of four steps. Firstly, groups of CHWs from two communities met and reported what their daily work consisted of. Secondly, individual CHWs were interviewed so that they could provide fuller, more detailed accounts of their work and experiences; in addition, community health extension workers and community health committee members were interviewed, to provide alternative perspectives. Thirdly, notes and observations were taken in community meetings and monthly meetings. The data were then analysed thematically, creating an account of how CHWs describe their own work, and the tensions and challenges that they face. Results The thematic analysis of the interview data explored the structure of CHWs work, in terms of the frequency and range of visits, activities undertaken during visits (monitoring, referral, etc.) and the wider context of their work (links to the community and health service, limited training, coordination and mutual support through action and discussion days, etc.), and provided an opportunity for CHWs to explain their motivations, concerns and how they understood their role. The importance of these findings as a contribution to the field is evidenced by the depth and detail of their descriptive power. One important aspect of this is that CHWs’ accounts of both successes and challenges involved material elements: leaky tins and dishracks evidenced successful health interventions, whilst bicycles, empty first aid kits and recruiting stretcher bearers evidenced the difficulties of resourcing and geography they are required to overcome. Conclusion The way that these CHWs described their work was as healthcare generalists, working to serve their community and to integrate it with the official health system. Their work involves referrals, monitoring, reporting and educational interactions. Whilst they face problems with resources and training, their accounts show that they respond to this in creative ways, working within established systems of community power and formal authority to achieve their goals, rather than falling into a ‘deficit’ position that requires remedial external intervention. Their work is widely appreciated, although some households do resist their interventions, and figures of authority sometimes question their manner and expertise. The material challenges that they face have both practical and community aspects, since coping with scarcity brings community members together. The implication of this is that programmes co-designed with CHWs will be easier to implement because of their relevance to their practices and experiences, whereas those that assume a deficit model or seek to use CHWs as an instrument to implement external priorities are likely to disrupt their work.

Information Sampling for vision-based robot navigation

Abstract This paper proposes a statistical, non-feature based, attention mechanism for a mobile robot, termed Information Sampling. The selected data may be a single pixel or a number scattered throughout an image. After ranking this data, we choose only the most discriminating to build a topological representation of the environment, obtained via Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Advantageously, using this approach, our robot gains the ability to make effective use of its perceptual capabilities and limited computational resources. Real world experimental results verify that vision-based navigation is possible using only a small number of discriminating image pixels.

Practical Design Patterns for Teaching and Learning with Technology

These are challenging times in which to be an educator. The constant flow of innovation offers new opportunities to support learners in an environment of ever-shifting demands. Educators work as they have always done: making the most of the resources at hand, and dealing with constraints, to provide experiences which foster growth. This was John Dewey’s ideal of education 80 years ago and it is still relevant today. This view sees education as a practice that achieves its goals through creative processes involving both craft and design. Craft is visible in the resources that educators produce and in their interactions with learners. Design, though, is tacit, and educators are often unaware of their own design practices. The rapid pace of change is shifting the balance from craft to design, requiring that educators’ design work become visible, shareable and malleable. The participatory patterns workshop is a method for doing this through engaging practitioners in collaborative reflection leading to the production of structured representations of design knowledge. The editors have led many such workshops and this book is a record of that endeavour and its outcomes in the form of practical design narratives, patterns and scenarios that can be used to address challenges in teaching and learning with technology.In order to reduce guessing in multiple choice question tests and to reduce effort in test construction construct the test so that the ratio of correct answers is comparatively high (e.g. 50%) and distribute correct answers unevenly (that is a question may have zero, one, or more than one correct answer options).

Enhancing the Supervision of Community Health Workers With WhatsApp Mobile Messaging: Qualitative Findings From 2 Low-Resource Settings in Kenya

CHWs used WhatsApp with their supervisors to document their work, spurring healthy competition and team building between CHWs in the 2 pilot sites. While there was considerable variation in the number of times each participant posted messages—from 1 message to 270 messages—in total they posted nearly 2,000 messages over 6 months. 88% of messages corresponded to at least 1 of 3 defined supervisory objectives of (1) creating a social environment, (2) sharing communication and information, or (3) promoting quality of services. CHWs used WhatsApp with their supervisors to document their work, spurring healthy competition and team building between CHWs in the 2 pilot sites. While there was considerable variation in the number of times each participant posted messages—from 1 message to 270 messages—in total they posted nearly 2,000 messages over 6 months. 88% of messages corresponded to at least 1 of 3 defined supervisory objectives of (1) creating a social environment, (2) sharing communication and information, or (3) promoting quality of services. ABSTRACT An estimated half of all mobile phone users in Kenya use WhatsApp, an instant messaging platform that provides users an affordable way to send and receive text messages, photos, and other media at the one-to-one, one-to-many, many-to-one, or many-to-many levels. A mobile learning intervention aimed at strengthening supervisory support for community health workers (CHWs) in Kibera and Makueni, Kenya, created a WhatsApp group for CHWs and their supervisors to support supervision, professional development, and team building. We analyzed 6 months of WhatsApp chat logs (from August 19, 2014, to March 1, 2015) and conducted interviews with CHWs and their supervisors to understand how they used this instant messaging tool. During the study period, 1,830 posts were made by 41participants. Photos were a key component of the communication among CHWs and their supervisors: 430 (23.4%) of all posts contained photos or other media. Of the remaining 1,400 text-based posts, 87.6% (n = 1,227) related to at least 1 of 3 defined supervision objectives: (1) quality assurance, (2) communication and information, or (3) supportive environment. This supervision took place in the context of posts about the roll out of the new mobile learning intervention and the delivery of routine health care services, as well as team-building efforts and community development. Our preliminary investigation demonstrates that with minimal training, CHWs and their supervisors tailored the multi-way communication features of this mobile instant messaging technology to enact virtual one-to-one, group, and peer-to-peer forms of supervision and support, and they switched channels of communication depending on the supervisory objectives. We encourage additional research on how health workers incorporate mobile technologies into their practices to develop and implement effective supervisory systems that will safeguard patient privacy, strengthen the formal health system, and create innovative forms of community-based, digitally supported professional development for CHWs.

An Iterative, Multidisciplinary Approach to Studying Digital Play Motivation The Model of Game Motivation

The aim of this article is to present the methodological approach adopted for the development and iteration of the Model of Game Motivation (MGM), a conceptual model explaining digital play motivation. A multidisciplinary, mixed-methods research design was deployed for the empirical iteration of the model. This choice was reinforced by the critical review of related literature, which revealed that a combination of evidence from multiple disciplines (psychology, sociology, and technology) could contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of play motivation. An iterative, hypothesis-testing research design was the strategy used to conduct multidisciplinary, mixed-methods research. The initial, theoretical version of the MGM was iterated twice, resulting in a thoroughly developed, empirically grounded version that requires future validation. The value of this approach lies in the fact that it provides to game design stakeholders a methodological tool for understanding play motivation as a multifaceted activity, which could inform their practices.

Toward Robot Perception through Omnidirectional Vision

Vision is an extraordinarily powerful sense. The ability to perceive the environment allows for movement to be regulated by the world. Humans do this effortlessly but still lack the understanding of how perception works. In the case of visual perception, many researchers, from psychologists to engineers, are working on this complex problem. Our approach is to build artificial visual systems to examine how a robot can use images, which convey only 2D information, in a robust manner to drive its actions in 3D space. The perceptual capabilities we developed allowed our robot to undertake everyday navigation tasks, such as “go to the fourth office in the second corridor”. A critical component of any perceptual system, human or artificial, is the sensing modality used to obtain information about the environment. In the biological world, for example, one striking observation is the diversity of “ocular” geometries. The majority of insects and arthropods benefit from a wide field of view and their eyes have a spacevariant resolution. To some extent, the perceptual capabilities of these animals can be explained by their specially adapted eye geometries. Similarly, in this work, we explore the advantages of having large fields of view by using an omnidirectional camera with a 360◦ azimuthal field of view. Once images have been acquired by the omnidirectional camera, a question arises as to what to do with them. Should they form an internal representation of the world? Over time, can they provide intrinsic information about the world so as no representation is required? These fundamental questions have long been addressed by the computer vision community and go to the heart of our current understanding of visual perception. Before going on to detail our approach, a brief overview of this understanding will be provided.

Can mobile health training meet the challenge of ‘measuring better’?

ABSTRACT Mobile learning has seen a large uptake in use in low- and middle-income countries. This is driven by rhetorics of easy scaling, reaching the hard-to-reach and the potential for generating analytics from the applications used by learners. Healthcare training has seen a proliferation of apps aimed at improving accountability through tracking and measuring workplace learning. A view of the mobile phone as an agent of change is thus linked with a technocentric approach to measurement. Metrics, initially created as proxies for what gets done by health workers, are now shaping the practices they were intended to describe. In this paper, we show how, despite some valiant efforts, ‘measuring better’ remains difficult to achieve due to entrenched views of what measurement consists of. We analyse a mobile health (mHealth) classification framework, drawing out some implications of how it has been used in training health workers. These lead us to recommend moving away from a view of mobile learning linked tightly to accountability and numbers. We suggest a focus on an alternative future, where ‘measuring better’ is promoted as part of socio-cultural views of learning and linked with a social justice conceptualisation of development.