Improving educational assessment： A computer-adaptive multiple choice assessment using NRET as the scoring method

Assessment is central to any educational process. Number Right （NR） scoring method is a conventional scoring method for multiple choice items, where students need to pick one option as the correct answer. One point is awarded for the correct response and zero for any other responses. However, it has been heavily criticized for guessing and failure to credit partial knowledge. Despite continued research in scoring methods, conventional NR scoring method remains the most popular and widely used procedure. Thus, the problem of crediting partial knowledge and guessing still exist. In addition, the current assessment practices do not take students＇ misconceptions into consideration. Thus, there is a need to propose a new scoring method that is able to minimize guessing, credit partial knowledge, yet able to diagnose misconceptions. This study proposed the development of a Computer-Adaptive Assessment Software （CAAS） for MC items using the new Number Right Elimination Testing （NRET） which take into consideration these three elements. This paper described the rational for using the NRET, the design and development of CAAS and the results of the pilot study carried out in three secondary schools in Malaysia.     

Virtual reality approach for 3D large model browsing on web site

Using virtual reality for interactive design gives a designer an intuitive vision of a design and allows the designer to achieve a viable, optimal solution in a timely manner. The article discusses the process of making the Virtual Reality System of the Humble Administrator＇s Garden. Translating building data to the Virtual Reality Modeling Language （VRML） is by far unsatisfactory. This creates a challenge for computer designers to do optimization to meet requirements. Five different approaches to optimize models have been presented in this paper. The other methods are to optimize VRML and to reduce the file size. This is done by keeping polygon counts to a minimum and by applying such techniques as object culling and level-ofdetail switching.     

Facilitating adult learning and a researcher identity through a higher education pedagogical process

This empirical study uses auto-ethnography to describe a higher education pedagogical process that facilitated largely doctoral students in preparing their candidacy proposals through the use of specific adult learning principles. Students＇ experiences and points of view of such a learning environment were explored, including： （1） how they contributed to their peers＇ learning; （2） how their peers contributed to their own individual learning; and （3） how the learning environment impacted the process. Key factors identified as pivotal to learning to learn, include creating a learning sanctuary and trusting relationships, engaging in mutual inquiry and the co-construction of meaning, and bridging research theory and practice. These factors enabled students to expand their identities to include a researcher identity and to negotiate deep knowledge at the personal level. Throughout this article, the students＇ points of view are used to elucidate shared and diverse experiences, in addition to supporting conclusions and recommendations for practice and further study.     

Computer vision supported by 3D geometric modelling

This paper suggests four data structures, one based on the other, for a geometric modeller suitable for computer vision. The structures are the key to advance from two-dimensional to three-dimensional automatic picture processing. Three application areas are indicated： one in semisynthetic design of materials, another in measurements of large three-dimensional industrial constructions, and the third one in robotics. There are comments on the software development needed.     

Using web blogs as a tool to encourage pre-class reading, post-class reflections and collaboration in higher education

This paper reports on the students＇ experiments of using blogs to encourage themselves to do pre-class reading assignment and reflections after class. The sample in the study included five ESL （English as a Second Language） graduate students in a course of teaching methods, and 90 software engineering students in an undergraduate information technology program. Results indicated that there was a positive attitude towards the use of blogs for pre-class preparation and post-class reflections. However, considering the successful experience, it is important to consider the class size, students＇ educational level, and the type of reading assignment.     

A University in the Digital World： Using Technologies for Learning and Management

The Internet penetrates deeply into the everyday life due to the availability of broadband networks and mobile devices. The widespread of the Internet, along with the development of innovative services, social networking, and tools （known as Web 2.0）, gives rise to the phenomenon of the digital world. A university striving not to be ＂an ivory tower＂ should meet the needs of the ＂Net Generation＂, prepare the graduates for professional work and life in the digital world and comply with the social demand for providing lifelong learning services, especially, in the vulnerable crisis times. MESI （Moscow State University of Economics, Statistics, and lnformatics） started implementing ICTs （information and communication technologies） both in the academic and administrative processes more than 15 years ago. Today, its unified e-learning environment allows rendering educational services to students of all levels and forms （both on-campus and off-campus） and 24 × 7 × 365 support （24 hours-7 days in a week-365 days in a year）. Information system for administration comprises electronic document management systems, students＇ records, and the results of their individual learning activities for the current, interim, and final assessment. The university management system empowers centralized management of its Moscow headquarters and branches, as well as regulation of teaching/learning process. Long-term development of education in Russia is directly dependent on large-scale introduction of e-learning tools, design and implementation of new methods of organization of educational process on its base, creating and using an appropriate electronic teaching and learning practices, and new approaches to the management of the education system and educational institutions.     

Creativity and Language Usage in Interactive and Integrated Projects

This paper aims at outlining the dual-focused approach used to train architecture students to work independently on re-development and re-usage concepts in an Erasmus IP （intensive programme） workshop, where English was used as the working language. The creative tasks were combined with communication skills （social and technical English, negotiation skills）, which were to enable the students to present their outcome publicly in the final presentation. The underlying concept is that students work in small international groups and develop their own method to address the given problem in the form of a real project. Through the project-based approach, students search for information that accompanies their project ideas, which helps them find a viable solution. The creative work process is completed by a thorough evaluation and intensive reflection phase in order to strengthen the students＇ learning experience. Additionally, the interdisciplinary approach, as well as the multinational aspect that originate from different cultural and educational backgrounds of the students, shall contribute to the interactive work process. This process of interaction is based on the idea of experiential learning that sees knowledge as the transformation of experience.     

E-learning and Evaluation in Modern Educational System

Implementation of information and communication technologies as well as emersion of new user interfaces and web 2.0 technologies changes the way of education system, the way of living and business transactions in general. The way we communicate, operate, produce and live is also changing. In accordance with it, the systems of education change from traditional to modern. The following changes occur： from content delivery to knowledge production, from transfer of knowledge from teachers to students towards encouragement of development and construction of knowledge, from courses and programs changing to the adaptation of the study environment, from the faculty professionalism to the quality of teaching and student learning and the early involvement of students in research work and projects. These occurring changes also affect the students＇ and professors＇ mobility. Here, the word ＂mobility＂ represents not only the student exchange programs and the easier transitions from one＇s home university to a foreign one, but also the way professors conduct their classes. With the development of certain software, students＇ class attendance no longer represents an important factor, as they can now learn from distance using the mentioned software, taking the learning process one step further. In order for above-mentioned changes to occur, the use of e-learning and the development of new tools are almost mandatory. With this in mind, the goal of this paper is to analyze quantitatively the changes that are occurring almost every day that affect the students＇ learning and the professors＇ teaching methods.     

Using Instructional Activities Game to promote mathematics teachers＇ innovative instruction

NIER （National Institute of Educational Research, 2004） survey revealed that the most common attitude of Japanese high school students to mathematics is that ＂it is not useful in daily life but must be learnt for entrance examinations＂. It was also clarified that only 3.2 percent of mathematics teachers use computers in their classes. Therefore, a training system to improve teachers＇ professional competence through the design of lessons which will improve students＇ ability to solve problems in daily life was developed using ICT （Information and Communication Technology） in conjunction with mathematical thinking processes. The lAG （Instructional Activities Game） system developed by Matsuda （2004） was used to provide a platform for the execution of several game boards, which were designed to achieve different objectives for different conditions of teaching. Herein, the design of the STG （Simulate Teaching Game） game board and data sets of teaching materials and menu items for lesson plans are described, together with the means of elaborating the lAG system if new functions are required.     

Learning to Program in KPL Through Guided Collaboration

A quasi-experiment was conducted at an elementary school to investigate if guided collaboration would facilitate programming learning of 6 graders. Sixty-six students of two intact classes learned to program in KPL （kid＇s programming language） for 18 weeks during the experiment. One class was randomly assigned to the control group （i.e., free-collaboration） and the other to the experimental group （i.e., guided-collaboration）. Students in both groups formed heterogeneous teams of 3 persons. The guided-collaboration teams in experimental group were provided with a worksheet for every programming task. The worksheet contained a set of task-specific guiding questions to guide students through the problem-solving process in a systematic and disciplined manner. An analysis of test scores showed that the experimental group significantly outperformed the control group in the achievement tests, suggesting that the guiding questions were useful in enhancing students＇ comprehension of programming concepts and developing their programming skills. A comparison of the amount of time spent at each problem-solving step showed that the experimental group spent significantly more time than the control group at the analysis/design/coding step as well as the reflection step. Conversely, the control group spent considerably more time at the debugging step. With the help of the guiding questions, students in the experimental group were also more able to conduct meaningful discussions.     

Undergraduates and the development of argument

This article emphasizes the need to encourage undergraduate students to develop arguments, which involves enhancing their analytical skills and capacity for critical thinking, across disciplines regardless of level. It argues that these skills, required by the Quality Assurance Agency＇s （QAA） benchmarks, are developed not by instruction but by engaging with the philosophic process that leads to the deep learning. This process of learning is based on a dialectical approach, viewing dialogue with colleagues, primary texts and written assignments, as central to developing an inductive argument and a critical perspective. This article proposes an analytical framework to analyze the extent to which a tutor is facilitating the development of argument. It suggests that while, if required one must provide students with explicit guidelines about this process, nevertheless this practice is problematic because of the inherent tension between explicit teaching and deep learning, which facilitates the acquisition of these analytical skills.     

On the Importance of Aesthetic Education in Art Education in High Schools

Aesthetic education plays an important part in high school arts education.Therefore,to strengthen aesthetic education can not only improve the students’ sense of beauty,but also further improve students’ creativity.Besides,beauty can make people own landscaping,and help students to establish the ideal of beauty,beauty of sentiment in the learning process.The aesthetic education is to help students to establish a correct aesthetic conceptions,so that students in the daily learning can discover and appreciate beauty according to the standard of beauty.     

How to Improve Students' Listening Ability

At present, the purpose of middle school English teaching is to improve students＇ skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. However, the teachers and the students yield to the examinations, which result in many problems in English learning, particularly in English listening. The main causes of it are as follows： （ 1 ） Teachers and students think it＇s not important to practice listening in junior one and junior two. They prefer tactics for the examination of entering schools of a higher grade. （2）Listening is not taught systematically to students, such as how to choose words, make sentences, organize paragraphs, conceive the whole essay and so on.     

Assessing students＇ reflective responses to chemistry-related learning tasks

Key to renewed concern on the affective domain of education （Fensham, 2007） and on school graduates＇ readiness for a world of work （DEST, 2008; WDA, 2006） is the student＇s inclination-to-reflect when engaged in a learning or problem-solving task. Reflective learning is not new to education （Dewey, 1933; Ellis, 2001）. Since the inclination-to-reflect may not be obvious even among adults at work （Seibert ＆ Daudelin, 1999）, how much more can we expect from school students？ This article presents part of a research on secondary school students＇ inclination-to-reflect when engaged in chemistry learning tasks. The instrument used is the three-part Chemistry Learning and Thinking Instrument （CLTI）. The first part seeks to characterize students＇ inclination-to-reflect while attempting chemistry learning tasks and the other parts aim to characterize their learning-thinking preferences in the subject. This article shares the construction of the learning tasks in the first part and how students＇ reflective responses to these tasks are encouraged, scored and analyzed. Since assessment is said to drive teaching and learning, an alternative form of assessment, such as these CLTI items, may help students become more reflective in their learning habits and hence mare adantable tn the world of work.     

Research on Product Data Management Based on Multi—agent System

PDM（product data management)is one kind of techniques based on software and database,which integrates information and process related to products.But it is not enough to perform the complication of PDM in enterprises.Then the mechanism to harmonize all kinds of information and process in needed.The paper introduces a novel approach to implement the intelligent monitor of PDM based on MAS(multi-0agent system).It carries out the management of information and process by MC( monitor Center).The paper first puts forward the architecture of the whole system,then defines the structure of MC and its interoperation mode.     

A Curriculum Report on Teachers as Decision-maker

Curriculum design is an aspect of education profession which focuses on developing curricula for students.Educators will take many factors in consideration when design a curriculum.In practical teaching,teacher as decision makers to design an appropriate curricu lum and teaching activities play an important part in the whole teaching and learning.Many classroom teachers are working with students of different levels of ability,and they need to be able to adjust the curriculum to keep all of the students engaged and learning.It may also be necessary to change the pace of a curriculum to deal with problems as they arise.The essay analyse five parts in designing the curriculum as a teacher decision maker and get a conclusion according to the whole analysis course.     

一种引入动态行为分析的软件设计模式识别新方法

Design patterns are micro architectures that have proved to be reliable,robust and easy to implement.Detecting design pattern from source code of object-oriented system can help a designer,a developer or a maintainer to understand the software system.In this paper,a new method is provided which can detect design patterns from source code combining both static and dynamic analysis.To acquire the run-time dynamic information of software systems,a code instrumentation method is adopted.At the same time,all static and dynamic information is presented in UML diagrams format.The pattern detection process and its detection results are visual and interactive.This method is tested on a call center and a traffic simulation system.Experimental results prove that the method is effective in design patterns detection.