Developing an interactive augmented reality system as a complement to plant education and comparing its effectiveness with video learning

The learning of plants has garnered considerable attention in recent years, but students often lack the motivation to learn about the process of plant growth. Also, students are not able to apply what they have learned in class in the form of observation, since plant growth takes a long time. In this study, we use augmented reality (AR) technology to develop the ARFlora system, which can assist students in observing the changes in plant growth while in the classroom. More specifically, students are able to use AR markers to manipulate various virtual objects (e.g. sunlight) and observe the changes they have on plant growth. Meanwhile, a quasi-experimental evaluation is in place to substantiate the effectiveness of ARFlora in the learning of plants and to compare it with digital video learning. In the quasi-experimental design, 55 elementary-school students participated in the study. The participants are divided into two groups, an “experimental group” and a “control group.” The experimental group was taught using the ARFlora system, while the control group was taught by employing the digital video. Results show that (1) ARFlora and digital video have the same effectiveness on student's learning outcomes; (2) ARFlora is more effective in helping students retain learned knowledge; and (3) ARFlora is comparatively more useful in motivating students to learn about plants.     

增强现实系统中基于神经网络的磁力跟踪器校正

Nonlinear errors always exist in data obtained from tracker in augmented reality （AR）, which badly influence the effect of AR. This paper proposes to rectify the errors using BP neural network. As BP neural network is prone to getting into local extrema and convergence is slow, genetic algorithm is employed to optimize the initial weights and threshold of neural network. This paper discusses how to set the crucial parameters in the algorithm. Experimental results show that the method ensures that the neural network achieves global convergence quickly and correctly. Tracking precision of AR system is improved after the tracker is rectified, and the third dimension of AR system is enhanced.     

Rectification of magnetic force tracker using neural network inaugmented reality system

1IntroductionAugmented reality(AR)is a newtechnique based onvirtual reality,which has attracted much attention inrecent years.AR is used to describe a system thatenhances the real world by superi mposing computer-generated information on top of it.It supp…     

Impacts of a dynamic grouping strategy on students' learning effectiveness and experience value in an item bank-based collaborative practice system

Past research has pointed out that a good grouping strategy can improve the learning effectiveness of collaborative learning. However, the grouping strategy adopted in most past research is static grouping. This results in some disadvantages. Therefore, this study developed an item bank-based collaborative practice system and proposed a dynamic grouping method which uses the concepts of weighted quizzes and bit coding as the rule of a regrouping algorithm. The method and the traditional static method were applied to two classes of sophomore students of a university of science and technology in the central region of Taiwan. There were 76 valid samples which included 38 students of the experimental group and 38 of the control group. The control group adopted the static grouping method, and the experimental group adopted the dynamic grouping method. The experimental duration was 9 weeks of 3 hours per week. Experimental results showed that the collaborative experience value and the learning effectiveness of the experimental group were significantly greater than those of the control group. This indicates that the experimental group students made more efforts to conduct coordination, discussion and finally reach consensus with their partners, and made greater progress than the control group students.     

The challenges of establishing social learning spaces at a Johannesburg university student residence: Student views

This article reports on two cycles of a Participatory Action Research (PAR) study on student experiences of the process of establishing social learning spaces in a Johannesburg university student residence. We draw on Wenger’s (2009) notion of ‘social learning spaces’ to explore the manner in which students mediate their social and institutional identity, expose power imbalances in terms of decision-making and determine influences on their learning. We argue that learning is facilitated by social engagement and suggest that the conceptualisation and implementation of social learning spaces, although a complex and protracted process, is valuable for students’ social and academic development, particularly in a residence environment. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews, analysed using content analysis, and interpreted through a Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) lens. The findings point to the complexity of establishing social learning spaces (SLS) in a student residence environment with students experiencing multiple tensions in the process, including struggles with collaborative learning, difficulties in developing agency and the challenges of traversing power relations.     

Arts‐Based Educational Research: The Challenges of Social Media and Video‐Based Research Methods in Communication Design Education

This article discusses the practical and ethical challenges and benefits of using social media and video‐based research methods – also known as Photovoice – to investigate contemporary Communication Design education. The two visual research methods discussed include the social media mobile application Snapchat^® and participant‐generated GoPro^® video filming. The investigation focused on understanding students’ on‐the‐ground, lived experiences of studio learning within two distinctive higher education case study settings in the United Kingdom and Australia. This study employed Participatory Action Research (PAR) as an inquiry process and incorporated a methodological framework involving a combination of narrative inquiry, visual Participatory Design (PD) and visual ethnography. The findings of this study revealed the impact of specialised studio and classroom‐based Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) on student learning and engagement as the participants expressed differing responses to their own learning and community of practice at each site. The choice of arts‐based educational research methods used for this study allowed the relationships between place, lived experience, and community to be explored. Students, in effect, became investigators of their own practice through engagement in a rigorous set of visual methods, which placed the tools directly into their hands.     

Assessing the integration of audience response system technology in teaching of anatomical sciences

The goals of our study were to determine the predictive value and usability of an audience response system (ARS) as a knowledge assessment tool in an undergraduate medical curriculum. Over a three year period (2006–2008), data were collected from first year didactic blocks in Genetics/Histology and Anatomy/Radiology (n = 42–50 per class). During each block, students answered clinically oriented multiple choice questions using the ARS. Students' performances were recorded and cumulative ARS scores were compared with final examination performances. Correlation coefficients between these variables were calculated to assess the existence and direction of an association between ARS and final examination score. If associations existed, univariate models were then constructed using ARS as a predictor of final examination score. Student and faculty perception of ARS difficulty, usefulness, effect on performance, and preferred use were evaluated using a questionnaire. There was a statistically significant positive correlation between ARS and final examination scores in all didactic blocks and predictive univariate models were constructed for each relationship (all P < 0.0001). Students and faculty agreed that ARS was easy to use and a reliable tool for providing real‐time feedback that improved their performance and participation. In conclusion, we found ARS to be an effective assessment tool benefiting the faculty and the students in a curriculum focused on interaction and self‐directed learning. Anat Sci Educ 2:160–166. © 2009 American Association of Anatomists.     

An appraisal of an online tutorial system for the teaching and learning of engineering physics in conjunction with contextual physics and mathematics,and relevant mathematics

The number of students entering engineering schools in Australian universities has increased tremendously over the last few years because of the Australian Federal Government's policy of increasing the participation rates of Higher School Certificate students and students from low social economic status backgrounds in the tertiary sector. They now come with a diverse background of skills, motivations and prior knowledge. It is imperative that new methods of teaching and learning be developed. This paper describes an online tutorial system used in conjunction with contextual physics and mathematics, and the revision of the relevant mathematical knowledge at the appropriate time before a new topic is introduced in the teaching and learning of engineering physics. Taken as a whole, this study shows that students not only improved their final examination results but there was also an increase in the retention rate of first-year engineering students which has financial implications for the university.