bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Science Learning Environment using a Computational Thinking Approach
Authors: BASU Satabdi , KINNEBREW John S. , DICKES Amanda , FARRIS Amy Voss , SENGUPTA Pratim , WINGER Jaymes , BISWAS Gautam
Published: January 2025

Computational Thinking (CT) defines a domain-general, analytic approach to problem solving that combines concepts fundamental to computing, with systematic representations for concepts and problem-solving approaches in scientific and mathematical domains. We exploit this trade-off between domain-specificity and domain-generality to develop CTSiM (Computational Thinking in Simulation and Modeling), a cross-domain, visual programming and agent-based learning environment for middle school science. CTSiM promotes inquiry learning by providing students with an environment for constructing computational models of scientific phenomena, executing their models using simulation tools, and conducting experiments to compare the simulation behavior generated by their models against that of an expert model. In a preliminary study, sixth-grade students used CTSiM to learn about distance-speed-time relations in a kinematics unit and then about the ecological process relations between fish, duckweed, and bacteria occurring in a fish tank system. Results show learning gains in both science units, but this required a set of scaffolds to help students learn in this environment.
Designing and implementing e-learning classrooms to improve students’ writing
Authors: CHAN Kevin Kai-Wing , KONG Siu Cheung
Published: January 2025

This paper aims to critically review how we can incorporate technology in school education to provide students with the critical skills needed for the 21st century. This paper will discuss how the knowledge economy demands a new set of survival skills from our students, and how appropriate use of pedagogical use of technology can enhance the quality of school education in the twenty-first century. Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPCK) framework and Active-Constructive-Interactive (ICAP) framework have been reviewed to examine the important balance of content, technology and pedagogy in designing and implementing effective e-learning classrooms for our students. The design of an online automated writing evaluation system has been examined to evaluate how it can improve students’ English writing and their 21st century skills. This system will be put into practice in the next stage of this study.
Facilitating Story Revision Through Peer Questioning on a Scribble Environment
Authors: WANG Siou-Lan , LIAO Calvin C. Y. , CHAN Tak-Wai
Published: January 2025

For the past 1 1/2 years, eight second-grade Taiwanese classrooms (n = 207) have used BookTalker to draw pictures and write stories. Although, this allows for easy sharing of one’s story, students still seem to lack an understanding of what constitutes a “quality” story or how to self-improve. The study proposed in this paper aims to extend the use of BookTalker to enhance the quality of students’ stories by incorporating scaffolding through the process of asking questions regarding the content of peers’ stories, critical analysis of asked questions, and story revision.
Hardiness Test: Find Your Score about Hardiness
Authors: KHADIJAH Siti , ROZI Fahrul
Published: January 2025

Many psychologists believe knowledge will guide one's life. Therefore knowledge about hardiness might be correlate to their own hardiness life. Hardiness [1] is a constellation of personality characteristics that cause an individual more powerful, durable, stable, and optimistic in the face of stress and reduce the negative effects encountered. Thus, the objective of this study is creating hardiness test so one's can learn more about hardiness. The test was conducted with 35 participants. The result showed that most of participants had low understanding (48.5%) and average understanding (51.4%) about hardiness. This result also indicates that people need programs to increase understanding about hardiness using media such as internet.
Mobile Campus Touring System based on AR and GPS: a Case Study of Campus Cultural Activity
Authors: CAI Su , PEI Lei-Si , SHI Peng-Fei
Published: January 2025

Campus cultural activity is usually propagandized through the Internet, pamphlets and posters. Print media draws more attention in public, but is not environmentally-friendly and economical. Similarly, Internet media is known for its prompt and rich content, but is hardly expected to arouse the interest of learners since it separates information from real-life environment. Augmented reality (AR), a promising technology of bridging virtual and real worlds, has been considered as a better choice for realizing an interactive and boundary-less mobile learning environment, or an even more advanced ubiquitous learning environment based on context-aware technology. In this paper, a novel campus touring system for cultural activity is implemented based on AR technology and smart phones which contains the built-in GPS, camera, WiFi and digital compass. Wikitude, a mobile AR implementation tool, is used for system implementation. Furthermore, two groups of students have been selected for system testing and evaluation. Experimental datum are collected and summarized via an open-ended online questionnaire. Experimental result shows that propagandizing and learning campus cultural activity through this mobile campus touring system is a more satisfying and interactive approach for college and university students.
Facilitating EFL with Storytelling on Tablet PCs
Authors: LIU Chen-Chung , LIU Kuo-Ping
Published: January 2025

Previous studies show that storytelling is a powerful approach in EFL (English as Foreign Language) elementary classroom because it can facilitate young EFL students to engage in acquisition, provide a rich source of materials, and open communication and interaction possibilities by telling their own stories. In recent years, digital storytelling in a classroom further provides a strategy for teachers to effectively move beyond the print-based texts and engage students in working with digital multimodal texts. Digital storytelling requires students to bring together various modes such as written words, images, and sounds into their own multimodal representations. Recently, many forms of electronic books such as tablet PCs have become available to facilitate English learning and may be applied to implement storytelling activities. Although theories and research support the significance and education value of using digital storytelling, however, empirical studies of using digital storytelling in EFL elementary context is scant because teachers are often overwhelmed by difficulties such as students’ English limited English proficiency, teacher’s pressure of existed curriculum and the lacking pedagogy of using digital storytelling. This study develops digital storytelling pedagogy with iPads to overcome the difficulties and conducts a five-month quasi-experimental study to determine whether digital storytelling pedagogy has the intended effect on participants’ motivation and achievement. Two intact classes (N=32) were randomly assigned as the digital storytelling group and traditional teacher-centered group. Participants’ achievement will be discussed.
Designing Overseas Fieldwork Using a Mobile Device for Enhancing Students’ Reflective Learning
Authors: KISHI Makiko , KONNO Takayuki , MURAKAMI Masayuki
Published: January 2025

In this research, the authors attempted to clarify how mobile devices are best utilized in overseas fieldwork in higher education to enhance reflective learning, especially in developing countries where wireless connectivity is NOT stable. Mobile devices can be used to promote reflective learning in fieldwork from the following two aspects, (1) to promote personalized and collaborative reflective learning and (2) to help students create conceptual perspectives based on the data collected from various resources such as field notes. However, in many cases, students do fieldwork where wireless connectivity is NOT stable. Students may develop skills to use mobile devices effectively to reflect upon their learning and develop conceptual perspectives about another culture.
iBookTalker: An Approach to Facilitate Students’ Language Learning from Reading to Creating and Sharing
Authors: LIAO Calvin , CHAN Tak-Wai
Published: January 2025

In this paper, we propose d a practical model of language learning which combined 3 kinds of activities: reading, creating, and sharing. Students need to read some books, create their own products, and share them. In particularly, this model incorporates voluminous reading and sustained creating into substantial sharing in order to develop the students’ competence of language. Based on this model, we developed a learning environment , entitled iBookTalker. In iBookTalker environment, students play the role of booktalkers; they can recommend their favorable book freely through richly varied expressions, such as drawing form, written form, and oral form. That is, students will be transformed from a reader into a creator.
To Develop Outstanding English Teachers
Authors: LUO Chun-lin
Published: January 2025

The purpose of the paper is to enhance the effects of the course of Teaching English Grammar and Vocabulary in order to improve the students’ English grammar and lexical knowledge and their teaching skills as well. The characteristics of the project are student-centered learning, scaffolding instruction, problem-based learning, and project-based learning. Through the process and reflections, this project equips the students with professional and occupational abilities: Students not only learn the professional knowledge of grammar and vocabulary teaching but also apply the theory and methods to lesson plan writing and teaching practice with computer and digital files.
Factors influence the acceptance of m-Learning in Malaysia: Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease o f Use and Attitude
Authors: MAHAT Jazihan , MOHD AYUB Ahmad , SU LUAN Wong
Published: January 2025

This paper explores the relationship between the three factors that influence the acceptance of m-Learning. A sample of 210 respondents was selected whereby the respondents have to be m-Learning users to be included in the survey. A structured, self-administered questionnaire was used to elicit responses from these respondents. The findings indicate that perceived ease of use (β= 0.490, p < 0.001) and perceived usefulness (β= 0.474, p < 0.001) were positively related to positive attitude to use m-Learning. Furthermore, perceived ease of use (β= 0.936, p < 0.001) was found to be a significant predictor of perceived usefulness. This goes to show that perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness and attitude are the three main drivers of m-Learning acceptance. Implications of the findings for developers are discussed further.
A Method of Sharing the Intention of Reviewing in Writing-Training for Nurses
Authors: KANOUa Hideyuki , MATSUDA Noriyuki , LIANG Cui , IKEDA Mitsuru , OKAMURO Yuu , SETA Kazuhisa , TAKI Hirokazu
Published: January 2025

The Problem Oriented System (POS), SOAP, and Focus Charting are popular methods of recording nursing activities as a way to improve collaborative nursing practices. However, explicit training methods for what and how nurses should write these recording systems for their nursing have not been sufficiently established. In regard to such trainings, we consider that a tutor’s thinking process is more important than the actual thinking result (e.g., a comment document). Our approach is to express tutor’s intention of teaching as a map in order to develop an educational tool that can be used in trainings on what and how to think in recording their activities. This paper presents an overview of the reviewing tool we developed, which provides tags as criteria of a tutor’s judgment. We have confirmed that, at least, the proposed method does not hinder a tutor’s review of a nurse’s case writing.
Case Study of the Lesson Study Activity for Primary School Science Supported by Web-based Evaluation Assistance System in the Undergraduate Teacher Training Course (1)
Authors: NAKAYAMAa Hayashi , YAMAMOTO Tomokazu
Published: January 2025

In this paper, we describe an approach to lesson study activity for primary school science instructors supported by a web-based education assistance system; we test it in an undergraduate-level teacher-training course at our university and present its effects on students. Five trial lessons were conducted with one group of student teachers teaching the class and the others acting as schoolchildren; lesson study was held after each trial lesson. After every trial lesson, students input responses to the questionnaire and comments on the lesson using their own mobile phone or computer; results were displayed on a big screen in the classroom and on each student’s mobile. Then, the class discussed the science lesson with reference to these results. After that, we administered another questionnaire about the students’ views of science lessons before and after a series of lesson studies. As a result, the students’ views changed on many points regarding how children learn, for example, “Children change their own ideas’, ‘Children become aware of their own ideas,” “Children explain natural events and phenomena in words,” and “Children persuade other children holding different ideas.” We therefore find that this approach is effective for teacher training, helping student teachers develop metacognitive views of science education.
A Case Study of a Course Including Wikipedia Editing Activity for Undergraduate Students
Authors: MORI Yuki , EGI Hironori , OZAWA Shigeto
Published: January 2025

Editing Wikipedia can increase participants ’ understandings of subjects, while making valuable contributions to the information society. In this study, we designed an online course for undergraduate students that included a Wikipedia editing activity. The result of a content analysis of the term papers revealed that the suggestions made by the e-mentor and the teacher were highly supportive for the students in our case study, and it is important for Japanese students to check Wikipedia in English before making their edits in Japanese.
The Effect of Internet “Blog” as a Learning Media towards the Learning Outcome of Science on Elementary School Students
Authors: NINAWATI Mimin , YUSUF Maulana
Published: January 2025

For some students, science is not an interesting subject, this thing impacts on students science comprehension and their studying result that less than the required standart. It is caused by teachers less precise of giving the learning, the teachers only use the lecture method without using the media as an instrument that can support the students science subject comprehension, and the teachers still use themselves as the information source center for their students, so that what happen in the class is Teacher Center. As the rapid progress of science and technology the teachers required to constantly innovatein developing quality learning and meaningful. We blog as a media that can be used by teachers in teaching has greatly contributed to the improvement of student understanding in science teaching. The results prove that there is an influence of the internet as a learning science media to the learning result of the students. This is evidenced by the t-test at significance level α=0.05 and degrees of freedom(df) =58 obtained value of t =8.933 and the table =2.002. t count> t table, then Ho is rejected. Application ofthe Internet as a learning media can help students in improving their learning result.
Ontological Organization of Academic Emotions toward Knowledge Description and Management about Learners Mental States
Authors: MURAMATSU Keiichi , KOJIMA Kazuaki , MATSUI Tatsunori
Published: January 2025

Recently, the research in intelligent educational systems has much interest in exploring data from academic settings to understand learners behavior and mental states. We have been developing IMS (Intelligent Mentoring System) which performs automatic mentoring by using an ITS (Intelligent Tutoring System) to scaffold learning activities and an ontology to provide a specification of learner ’s models. To provide learner ’s models in mentoring, the ontology describes qualities and quality values on awareness which are conceptualization of subjective evaluation. To specify relationships among qualities on awareness in academic settings, this study organized academic emotions in the psychological research and proposed their ontological descriptions.
Using Inquiry-based Augmented Reality Tool to Explore Chemistry Micro Worlds
Authors: WANG Xu , CAI Su , CHIANG Feng-Kuang
Published: January 2025

In this paper, an inquiry-based Augmented Reality learning tool was implemented. Students could control, combine and interact with the 3D model of micro particles using markers, and conduct a series of inquiry-based experiments. The AR tool developed was tested in practice at a junior high school. Experiment result shows that the AR tool has significant supplemental learning effect as a computer-assisted learning tool and students generally have a positive attitude towards this software.
Effective Alignment between University Education and Teaching Practice through Automatic Interpretation of Lesson Plans
Authors: KASAI Toshinobu , NAGANO Kazuo , MIZOGUCHI Riichiro
Published: January 2025

We have built an instructional design support system called “FIMA-Light” which reasons about teacher’s intentions from his/her lesson plan and automatically produces I_L event decomposition trees. In this paper, we discuss a particular use of I_L event decomposition trees produced by FIMA-Light in a teacher education program. First, we consider effective alignment between teacher education at university and teaching practice in the classroom. We also report on trial use of FIMA-Light in teacher education at university in order to investigate the usability of the information expressed by I_L event decomposition trees.
Using Music Notation for Teaching Computer Programming
Authors: KO Eunjeong , LEE Kyogu
Published: January 2025

Despite the wealth of educational programming languages, many novice programmers face difficulties and give up in the early stages, just because they are not familiar with the programming syntax and semantics. In this paper, we propose a method for programming langauge education using music notation with an aim to entice novice programmers to write their own programs. There are two key aspects in our proposed approach: first, we use music notation as an analogy to programming, based on the observation that there are similar attributes between the two; second, we provide users with on-line auditory feedback to immediately notify potential errors in a pleasant way. We find several key concepts in programming language syntax and semantics, and translate them into music notation to help beginner programmers learn them with ease and intuition. In addition, we design examples and a learning support environment, allowing users to learn to program by themselves.
The motivational underpinnings of using wikis for collaborative group work
Authors: Ronnel Ronnel , CHU Samuel K. W.
Published: January 2025

This study aims to investigate the role of goal orientations on students' engagement in using wikis for collaborative writing. Hong Kong secondary school students (N = 422) participated in the study and answered questionnaires about their goal orientations and their level of engagement when using wikis for collaborative project work. Results showed that students who pursued mastery and social goals were more engaged in their collaborative projects. However, it was students who pursued performance goals who achieved higher grades. Implications for synergizing research on IT in education and motivational psychology are discussed.
Learning about Reflection Processes: An Analysis of Learners’ Observation of Experts
Authors: TAKASHIMA Akio
Published: January 2025

Both reflection-in-action and reflection-on-action are important, especially in creative design work. Although school curricula teach the technical side of design, they do not teach the psychological side, represented by the reflection process. The goal of this research is to support learners to understand experts’ reflection processes in relation to design. This paper describes experts’ reflection-in-/-on-action processes in design, and how learners observe this from video data on the design process, and on eye-tracking of an expert designer. The findings are helpful for designing environments that support students to learn about experts’ reflection processes.
Design of Embodied Learning in 3D Virtual Worlds for Pre-service Teachers
Authors: CHO Young Hoan , KIM Yoon Kang , KIM Myung-Seop , HWANG Mae Hyang
Published: January 2025

This study intended to design embodied learning in 3D virtual worlds (ELVW) for the development of real-world problem solving competencies. The strengths and weaknesses of the ELVW model were explored in pre-service teacher education in South Korea. Through ELVW, elementary school pre-service teachers (n = 35) significantly improved their self-efficacy in preventing and addressing school-bullying behaviors. From interviews, this study identified strengths of ELVW in pertaining to embodied experience, collaborative learning, and instructional supports. To improve the ELVW practice, more efforts are needed to overcome technical and time constraints and to investigate the role of embodied experience in the 3D virtual world.
Sauce for the Goose? Testing SVECTAT in Japan and Taiwan
Authors: ELWELL Mark , LIN Tsun-ju , COOK Steven , MARTIN Carlos , TERRILLON J-C , LAN Yu-ju
Published: January 2025

Shared Virtual Environment Complementing Task Achievement Training (SVECTAT) uses authentic task-based communication in Second Life to provide practicum for classroom language learning. SVECTAT has been found effective and efficient in improving functional ability and confidence. Here we present the results of parallel experimental sessions using SVECTAT for English language learners in two different countries, Japan and Taiwan, with the purpose of identifying differences in results and possible reasons for them. We find implications for broader use of this type of language learning method.
Situational Sets Effect on Role-Play Game Supported English for Specific Purposes Vocabulary Acquisition
Authors: LU Fang-Chen , CHANG Ben
Published: January 2025

The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of using the Facebook online game, ChefVille, as an English learning tool to facilitate English for Specific Purpose (ESP) vocabulary acquisition. In addition, students’ learning motivation toward the Facebook online game, ChefVille was studied. This game used situational sets in a role-play game (RPG) learning environment as ways of bringing words together so that students related words to the central concept. The instruments used include a questionnaire, and two vocabulary tests. The results confirmed that incorporating an online RPG-based method facilitated students’ ESP vocabulary acquisition. It was also revealed that an online RPG-based learning method is effective in promoting motivation and changing attitudes toward vocabulary learning. The results derived from the experiment led to the conclusion that applying an online RPG-based learning strategy into ESP vocabulary learning can yield positive learning effect for the learners.
Understanding English Language Learners’ Experiences and Perceptions of Mobile Assisted Vocabulary Learning
Authors: YEH Lu-Yu , HUNG Hsiu-Ting , LIAO Janice
Published: January 2025

Grounded in the field of Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL), this study aimed to explore students’ experiences of using a vocabulary learning application as a self-study tool, and to understand their perceptions of the related learning experiences. With Taiwanese English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) learners from a university as participants, the students were instructed to use the application via smartphones or tablet PCs to learn vocabulary for five weeks. During the intervention, the collected data included: self-reported learning logs, technology acceptance questionnaires, and semi-structured individual interviews. The findings revealed that both the tablet PC and the smartphone groups favored the vocabulary learning application, and their user experiences as well as perceptions yielded similar positive results, regardless of the mobile device utilized.
Developing and Evaluating a Test Generation Module to Support Personalized Phoneme-based Training
Authors: ZOU Yaheng , KASHIWAGI Harumi , SUN Yi , OHTSUKI Kazuhiro , KANG Min
Published: January 2025

In this paper, we describe a test generation module to support personalized phoneme-based training in listening learning of English vocabulary. On the basis of the personalized phoneme error patterns detected by an error detection module, the test generation module would generate personalized listening tests. An evaluation experiment was conducted for evaluating the module.
Fostering college students’ reading comprehension with online annotations
Authors: YEH Hui-Chin , CHIANG Yu-Hsin , YANG Yu-Fen , LIAO Janice
Published: January 2025

The study aims to investigate students’ progress in reading comprehension in an online annotation system. This study adopted quantitative and qualitative methodologies. The results showed that students made significant progress in reading comprehension after receiving instruction with online annotation. Moreover, students who made more progress employed the strategies of questioning and annotation more frequently than those who made less progress. To sum up, instead of solely teaching multiple reading strategies, it was recommended that multiple reading strategies should incorporate online annotation for helping students overcome their reading difficulties.
Teachers’ Perceptions of E-Learning in Malaysian Secondary Schools
Authors: CHEOK Mei Lick , WONG Su Luan
Published: January 2025

Malaysian teachers are constantly bombarded with many new technologies that are believed to be able to help them perform their job better. Since 2013, they have been given access to an online learning space known as the FROG VLE. However, initial evidence has shown poor adoption of the e-learning. As schools are becoming increasingly disconnected from the sociteies of which they are a part, teachers withdrawing into their old familiar landscapes of teaching and learning can no longer be accepted. Being the implementers in the classrooms, their perceptions’ towards any innovation are important if the innovation is to be taken up seriously and to be implemented. Measures to improve present condition in order to sustain and increase e-learning uptake, can only be carried out if we know the situations and conditions teachers are in. A qualitative approach was used to identify the views and experiences of 60 secondary school teachers towards the implementation and continued use of VLEs in three secondary schools in Malaysia. Data was collected using an open-ended questionnaire. The results among others, share benefits experienced by the teachers, identified main barriers they faced and suggestions to better improve the implementation.
Unpacking the Researcher-Teacher Co-Design Process of a Seamless Language Learning Environment with the TPACK Framework
Authors: WONG Lung-Hsiang , CHAI Ching Sing , KING Ronnel , ZHANG Xujuan , AW Guat Poh
Published: January 2025

Integrating InfoComm Technology (ICT) into teaching and learning poses challenges for teachers, such as the lack of know-how, self-efficacy and time to design interventions. A possible solution is the design of sound Technology-Enhanced Learning (TEL) environments with relevant content and pedagogical tools to reduce teachers' design efforts. Technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) could be used as a framework for understanding how teachers could integrate ICT into classrooms. Originally developed for informing teacher development, recent scholars called for ‘repurposing’ the framework to guide the design of TEL that encapsulate holistic TPACK knowledge. We therefore employed TPACK to design the TEL environment of ‘MyCLOUD’ to advance the use of mobile and cloud technologies for seamless Chinese Language learning. In this paper, we unpack how the distributed TPACK resources has contributed to the design of MyCLOUD. The analysis is accomplished through our coding and consolidation of 42 researcher-teacher meeting minutes throughout the developmental period where rounds of design-implementation-reflection- redesign process were jointly carried out by the participants. This is followed by a study of students’ perceived usability of the platform. This study therefore demonstrates how the development of TEL can be attained by leveraging TPACK as a basis of technical design.
Assessing computer attitudes: Does it matterfor teacher education in developing countries?
Authors: WONG Su Luan
Published: January 2025

The digital education revolution has had a significant impact on the teaching-learning environments. In this new era, it is unimaginable to have technology illiterate teachers in classrooms. The demand for education reform in most developing countries has been growing ever since to ensure that teachers are equally proficient in both computer technology competencies and pedagogical content knowledge. The success of such educational reforms also relies on teachers’ attitudes and willingness to embrace computer technologies in the learning environment. To cope with these expectations, teacher training institutions should include computer related attitudinal objectives in their teacher training programmes. This paper explores the issues surrounding the assessment of computer attitudes among teachers and student teachers with the view whether such assessment matters in teacher education. The focus of this paper is guided by three relevant questions—“What is computer attitudes?”, “What affects computer attitudes?”, and lastly “Why measure computer attitudes?”
Detailed User Relation Visualization on Moodle
Authors: LI Ping , KONG Siu Cheung
Published: January 2025

To enhance the learners’ performance and learning efficiency on e-learning platform is an essential issue in current teaching and learning engagement. This paper applies IT techniques and analysis methods to visualize the learners’ user relationship on the discussion board of Moodle based on the replying order and times they made in the selected topics/forum in a Moodle course, which will be very useful in the future for embedding the visualization into large-scale systems and further development of related applications. We mainly first extract the inner relation of users’ participation in one/several selected discussion topics or a whole forum of a certain course. Then we visualize the user participation relation using Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) provided by D3.js with aesthetic graph visualization. Our visualization with directed graph (digraph) structures provides easy understanding of users’ network connections in topics/forum, and the weights of the connections indicating the replying times are shown both numerically on edges and visually by the thickness of edges. Digraph is applied here to indicate different replying order. We propose to perform visualization construction and representation via PHP with latest advanced programming libraries of jQuery and D3.js, while easy control of tree-structured menu for user relation visualization is realized by jsTree. In the experiments, our method consistently demonstrates high-quality detailed visualization of users’ underlying relation structure they belong to, which may benefit the further study of improving the learning efficiency on e-learning platform.
Using a PBL Authoring Tool to Train Teachers in Designing an Online PBL Unit
Authors: MIAO Yongwu , SAMAKA Mohammed , WANG Disi , ALI Zeyad , ROMANOWSKI Michael
Published: January 2025

Problem-based learning (PBL) is proposed as one of the most well-known alternatives to subject-based learning in educating graduates to become independent workers, critical thinkers, problem solvers, lifelong learners, and team workers. However, the PBL practice is still far from widespread. One of serious impediments to PBL’s diffusion in education is that teachers have difficulties in transforming a subject-based course into a problem-driven course. In addition, teachers lack the necessary skills to make informed judgments and decisions about how to use technologies in their PBL practices. The purpose of this research is to support teachers in developing an online PBL unit. Based on schema theory we developed a PBL scripting language and an associated PBL authoring tool. The tool was developed for teachers to represent, communicate, and reuse their PBL course/lesson plans implementing in technology-enhanced learning environments. It is assumed that it can also be used as a means to educate teachers who may be not familiar with PBL to learn PBL design and to develop an online PBL unit. Through conducting an experiment we found that the PBL authoring tool can facilitate teachers to make informed decisions in their design practice through following a formal design method. Most participants of the experiment thought that the tool is useful to design an online PBL unit and easy to learn.
Application of GIS: A New Tool to Explore the Administration and Life of the Local Officers of Tang-Song Dynasty
Authors: Liu Hsin-Chun , Lee Pei-Lun , Fan Min-Lan
Published: January 2025

We propose to understand the general status of civilian society dated back to the Tang-Sung Dynasty on the basis of the interaction between officers and civilians through detailed exploration of local administrative affairs of Tang-Song Dynasty. Since history records the activity of people, we also attempt to study the life styles of the literati and officialdom of Tang-Song Dynasty. The true and fake images of the so called “civilian’s parents”, judging from the task, practice and social life of local officers are depicted in order to understand more about the relationship between intellectuals and normal people. Thus describes the vivid and vigorous history of the Tang-Song Dynasty. Geographic Information System (GIS) technology will be applied in this study. The life span and career of local officers of the Tang-Song Dynasty are used as main source of information. It will be processed and integrated through high-tech skill and research and provide the viewers with a new vision of analytical method in historic document. In order to analysis the life of local officers, the bulk of historical sources, such as epitaph, judgment, biography and CBDB, will be served as the historical GIS databases. The GIS database will contain the spatial data including modern and ancient maps, satellite images, natural environments, and artificial scenery, special event, communications network, natural disasters, difference between town and country and conflicting events between populace groups that took place during the Tang-Song Dynasty.
Practical Use of 3D Images in the Interactive Slideshow to Study Traditional Buildings
Authors: KAWAMURA Soichiro , SHIMADA Hiroyuki
Published: January 2025

This study developed the educational materials incorporating 3D images viewable with general application software. The material was the interactive PowerPoint slideshow to allow college students to study Japanese traditional buildings and their conservation independently. In the slideshow, students could explore different areas and watch 3D or 2D images with maps and text. Their impressions and watching behavior were documented to evaluate the impact of the slide show. The results indicated the increased availability of 3D images in the slideshow and the improved exploratory behavior of students to 3D images.
The impact of A.I. on education – Can a robot get into The University of Tokyo?
Authors: ARAI Noriko , MATSUZAKI Takuya
Published: January 2025

The “Todai Robot Project (Can a robot get into The University of Tokyo?)” was initiated by the National Institute of Informatics in 2011 as an AI grand challenge. The goal of the project was to create an AI system that answered real questions on university entrance examinations consisting of two parts, i.e., multiple-choice style national standardized tests and a written test that included short essays. The tasks naturally required the development of ground-breaking underlying technologies in research areas including natural language processing, image processing, speech recognition, automated theorem proving, computer algebra, and computer simulations. It simultaneously required interdisciplinary research synthesis.Our software took a (digitalized and annotated version of) mock National Center Test for University Admissions (NCTUA), provided by a prep. school, with more than five thousand students. The results revealed that its abilities were still far below the average scores of entrants to The University of Tokyo. However, it was competent enough to pass the entrance exams of 404 out of 744 private universities in Japan. The rapid rise of new AI technologies may negatively affect the labor market in the short term, and we will need to re-design our education systems that were intended to be optimal for the modern industrial society.
Active Debugger: ITS to Teach C++ Comprehension Skills
Authors: MARKER Ryan James , WEERASINGHE Amali
Published: January 2025

Active Debugger is an ITS that is deigned to teach C++ comprehension skills based on constraint-based methodology. Students are asked to explain the changes that take place in the memory for a given C++ program. Students have the freedom to ask for feedback at any point in the program. When the feedback is requested, the correct solution is dynamically generated until the line of code that a student has attempted. This solution is used to evaluate the student attempt together with the constraint-base. This generated-solution can also be viewed as a simulation to understand the changes that occur in memory after each line of code. An initial study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the system in learning C++ comprehension. This study involved authentic students in a computer science undergraduate course. Results revealed a positive trend towards learning. Further evaluations needs to be carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of the system.
Graph-Alignment Approach towards Identifying Gaps in Student Answer
Authors: SAHU Archana , BHOWMICK Plaban Kumar
Published: January 2025

Formative assessment aims to provide hints regarding quality of student answers. The hints are in the form of gaps or irrelevant entities in the student answers on comparison with the corresponding model answers. The main objective of the present work is to extract gaps in short answers provided by students. In this work, each of the student and model answers for a given question are transformed into graphs by extracting different relations present in the answers. The nodes of the resultant answer graphs are aligned by considering the similarity of neighborhood topologies of a pair of nodes in addition to the node-node similarity. This leads to the effective extraction of gaps in the form of meaningful phrases in student answers, rather than mere words. Evaluation metrics for reporting performance of the proposed task have been formally defined in this paper. We have compared our proposed methodology with a word-word alignment based baseline system. The proposed methodology outperforms the baseline system in a significant margin.
Visualization for Analyzing Learning Logs in the Seamless Learning Environment
Authors: Mouri Kousuke , Ogata Hiroaki , Kiyota Mahiro , Uosaki Noriko
Published: January 2025

This paper describes an innovative visualization method called Seamless Learning Visualization (SLV). As far, several researchers have introduced in the seamless learning environments in order to bridge formal learning over informal learning. However, their focus was the implementation of the seamless learning environment. Our proposed SLV is to visualize and analyze learning logs collected in the seamless learning environment. This paper describes how our visualization method could contribute to bridging the gap between formal and informal learning. An experiment was conducted to evaluate (1) whether SLV would be beneficial in terms of usability in finding words in the seamless learning environment and (2) Which visualization layout (Random layout, Force-directed layout, Yifan-multilevel layout and SLV) is effective in supporting learning in the seamless learning environment. Fifteen international students participated in the evaluation experiment in order to evaluate (1) and (2). In the experiment, it was found that SLV was very beneficial in terms of usability and effectiveness for learning than previous visualization methods.
A case study of teaching probability using augmented reality in secondary school
Authors: LI Shuhui , SHEN Yihua , WANG Peiwen , LIU Enrui , CAI Su
Published: January 2025

In this study, we attempt to present a new way for high school students to explore the relations between empirical probability and theoretical probability and build conceptual understandings of probability by the means of Augmented Reality. Two classes of seventh grade students were selected as an experimental class and a control class. Students were assessed by the pretests and posttests handed to students at the beginning and the end of the class respectively. The quantitative analysis showed an improvement of the mean score between the two groups. Also, the qualitative analysis of the open-ended questions and interviews of students and the teacher showed their strong inclinations toward the Augmented Reality technology-equipped instruction.
Practice Class Using Spherical Panorama VR Learning Material for Peace Education
Authors: SETOZAKI Norio , SATO Kazunori
Published: January 2025

Although about 70 years have passed since World War II, peace education is still highly esteemed in Japan. On the other hand, basic knowledge in peace education was also reported to reflect low interest, particularly among the young generation; hence, we must consider peace education that enhances the young generation’s interest. Therefore, this study investigated long-term knowledge retention about the war through a practice class using Spherical Panorama VR Learning Material. As a result, information about Nagasaki’s damage was retained after the practice class used this material. Furthermore, results of subjective assessment demonstrated that this learning material was useful in increasing learners’ interest and motivation; it also possibly encouraged learning in peace education.
Fieldfriend: A Smartphone App for Mobile Learning in the Field
Authors: PANG Alexis , WEATHERLEY Anthony
Published: January 2025

In this paper, we describe the context, design and implementation of the Fieldfriend smartphone app for iterative and experiential field-based learning for first-year undergraduate Environments students at the University of Melbourne. Developed for Apple iOS mobile devices, Fieldfriend leverages upon current smartphone technology and ubiquitous mobile networks to afford, scaffolded and situated, field-based learning for novice learners that enables location-based self-guided learning, user-generated multimodal learning artifact generation and flexible re-use of digital content for learning. The Fieldfriend website and database enable flexible design of learning trails, assessment of students’ progress, data security and sharing of user-generated content. We demonstrate how Fieldfriend was used to support learning about the earth’s natural systems and processes in the Natural Environments subject. Because of the Google Maps spatial interface and smartphone GPS-enabled location services, and web-based design environment, Fieldfriend can be flexibly contextualized and designed for a wide range of mobile learning scenarios and requirements in different localities around the globe.
Game Design as Problem Solving
Authors: GUPTA Diali , KIM Beaumie
Published: January 2025

In this paper we present how students at an arts immersion school in Canada, designed games using Minecraft as a design tool to represent Grade 8 curriculum content learnt in Social Studies. Our research was based on our theoretical framework on how game design could be an aesthetic process, which elaborates how a design commences with a problem and progresses as an iterative creative cycle towards finding a solution. Using this framework, we examined two groups of Grade 8 students’ game design process. The groups represent unique approaches towards problem solving that incorporated content from the Aztec and Spanish Civilization in their game design. We have interpreted the representation of the content as the posed problem and analyzed how each group proceeded with their game making based on their ideas, experience at playing the game and feedback received from fellow classmates. Our findings highlight how the design process through Minecraft was a creative endeavour on their part. Through our findings, we re-emphasize how involving students in game creation efforts help them to experience an aesthetic learning process, allowing them to become protagonists of their learning. We argue for game design as learners’ problem solving experience, through which they struggled to construct knowledge in social systems while developing fluencies both in gaming and technology.
Effects of Embodied Interaction on Reading Comprehension in a Multimodal Environment
Authors: CHENG Ya-Wen , FANG Wei-Chieh , CHANG Wei , LIN Li-Chun , CHEN Nian-Shing
Published: January 2025

The study examined the effects of embodied interaction on reading comprehension in a multimodal environment. Specifically, this study compared how textual, visual or gestural modes affect young children’s reading comprehension. 91 Chinese EFL learners were assigned to one of the three modes to complete a reading task. During the reading task, they made several predictions by selecting a text description, selecting a picture or doing gestures that best match their predictions. Results showed that the three modes led to comparable level of reading comprehension. However, when reading ability was taken into account, the high level readers’ comprehension was negatively affected by the gesture mode while the low level readers’ comprehension was not. The findings suggest that visuals and gestures can be integrated into a multimodal reading environment to make reading an active learning experience. However, in designing an interactive digital storybook involving gestures, it is recommended that individual differences in reading ability be addressed to maximize its effect. Suggestions for future studies are discussed.
An Application for Speech and Language Therapy Using Customized Interaction Between Physical Objects and Mobile Devices
Authors: HERAULT Romain Christian , ALISSANDRAKIS Aris
Published: January 2025

This paper presents a prototype that facilitates the work of Speech and Language Therapists (SLTs) by providing an Android mobile device application that allows the therapist to focus on the patient rather than taking notes during exercises. Each physical object used by the therapist in those exercises can be given digital properties using Near Field Communication (NFC) tags. The registration does not require a high level of ICT skills from the therapists. SLTs often use such objects in non-technology driven exercises that deal with classification, seriation and inclusion. The application offers such exercises developed in close collaboration with two SLTs, and our aim was to provide therapists with a way to efficiently record activities while working with a patient using a mobile application. The tool was validated through several expert reviews, a usability study as well as a trial with a patient in Paris, France.