Números Publicados > Volumen y Número

Title- Innovative Approaches to Serious Games

Abstract- Emotions are present and influence the learning process. One of the current challenges is how to get the emotions experienced by learners. Numerous mechanisms have been developed for this purpose. These mechanisms assess a number of basic emotions provided by the literature. A Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), on the other hand, is composed of several functionalities, in which not all emotions experienced by learners are always involved. This article presents a study conducted with experts in affective technologies and education, with the aim of obtaining the emotions that students may feel when using each of the functionalities of a VLE. The study counted with the participation of experts from several Latin American countries and concluded with a list of emotions associated with the functionalities of the VLE. The results obtained will allow the design of future mechanisms for the evaluation of emotions in VLEs, reducing the generic list used in the literature to only those emotions specific to each VLE component.

Index Terms- Human computer interaction, Interactive systems, User centered design, User Experience, User interfaces.

Title- Innovative Approaches to Serious Games

Abstract- This work describes the design and implementation of a functional assistant system to support instructors to design or re-design the curriculum of their courses. The system uses automatically generated ontologies from textbooks that reflect the structure of a specific body of knowledge. Twelve instructors participated in the generation of curricula for a programming fundamentals course, using the assistant system. An initial evaluation of this tool suggests that the system was successful in helping novel instructors with the design of a new curriculum.

Index Terms- Ontologies, natural language processing, education, learning analytics, deep learning, intelligent curricula, word2vec.

Title- Innovative Approaches to Serious Games

Abstract- In this paper, we analyze student’s perception of their formative assessment in a databases course. Two forms of feedback are analyzed: interactive questionnaires during class time and self-assessment of lab practices. Qualitative data gathered with a survey is used to conduct a grounded theory qualitative study. Our aim is to understand those aspects of formative assessment that contribute to their learning. The results obtained show that students’ perception is positive for both forms of feedback. Responses about what factors of formative assessment contribute to their learning fall into four categories: formative feedback, metacognitive control (reflective learning), relevant learner activity, and social learning. It is also worth mentioning that students’ perception of the formative assessment analyzed has not been substantially affected by the COVID-19 impact on the learning environment.

Index Terms- Formative assessment, feedback, learning from error, qualitative research, education research.

Title- Innovative Approaches to Serious Games

Abstract- It is not necessary to change the teaching to the taste of women, or any other group that is currently less represented. This is mainly because the notion of a science for under-represented women or minorities is meaningless and unfounded. What we must be aware of is that there is great potential in diversity. Cultural, social and gender diversity can contribute greatly to the advancement of science, as the interaction of different perspectives and practices are often innovative ways of addressing problems. We must therefore ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. We have worked with educational robotics and STEAM, development of learning environments and technological solutions oriented towards collaborative and inclusive learning. For this purpose, cost- effective solutions are used, which allow an adequate degree of collaboration and encourage participation in a ubiquitous way. Several tools have been identified that, following testing and results, are suitable for use in diverse and inclusive collaborative learning environments. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that technology is not the only factor that favors diversity and inclusion. To promote diversity and inclusion, the human factor is highly recommended, both from the trainer's and the learner's point of view.

Index Terms- Diversity, Gender, Inclusion, Educational Robotics, STEAM.

Title- Innovative Approaches to Serious Games

Abstract- The incorporation of educational robotics in any institution leads to a series of steps that guarantee its effective implementation, the first step is oriented towards the pedagogical diagnosis in the different actors of the educational process, to identify the problems that arise and thus achieve an adequate intervention. A framework is proposed to develop the pedagogical diagnosis by phases according to the degree of maturity of the study programs, in addition the first phase of the proposed diagnosis is applied to gather information about the teacher that allows establishing guidelines for the new educational programs that include robotics.

Index Terms- educational robots, educational programs, educational institutions, sequential diagnosis.

Title- Innovative Approaches to Serious Games

Abstract- Augmented Reality (AR) has evolved considerably over the last ten years, having been implemented in several areas, including education. Multiple AR systems have been developed and tested in the laboratory dissociated from the reality of the classroom and without considering the pedagogical material used by students and teachers. We developed an AR prototype based on a natural sciences sixth- grade textbook. This prototype allows the use of the traditional textbook without changes, admitting the creation of new layers of virtual information. We describe the comparative analysis of using the augmented textbook versus the textbook without AR. This research was developed with a quasi-experimental study with 50 students in an elementary school. The results show that the AR textbook prototype can have a positive impact on the perception of understanding, the perception of innovation, satisfaction, emotional induction, and student learning. These results, also allow us to generate guidelines that could help to design future augmented textbooks.

Index Terms- Augmented reality, augmented reality design, guidelines, elementary education, improving classroom teaching, interactive learning environments, textbooks.

Title- Innovative Approaches to Serious Games

Abstract- In this paper, a model for teaching Engineering courses during the Covid19 Pandemic is presented. The model is a modified hybrid model that the authors have applied in the past few years in several courses and it was applied to some Structural Mechanics Courses during the contingency and lockdown conditions due to the Covid19 Pandemic. Results show the improvement in student performance during a normal semester and how well the model was received during the emergency conditions. Certain problems faced by the students and faculty members are also shown in the results.

Index Terms- Education, Engineering Education, Distance Learning, Educational Institutions, Educational Programs, Physics Education, Educational Technology

Title- Innovative Approaches to Serious Games

Abstract- Internet of things (IoT) is a key in the ecosystem called Industry 4.0, where the upcoming engineers will thrive. Therefore, it is important to develop the appropriate skills that current students need in such context. This paper will present an educational platform focused on learning the Internet of things. This platform has the versatility to be used in different courses, in which digital technology or prototypes including IoT are developed. Moreover, the platform allows experiencing different learning spaces in a fast, efficient, and affordable way. The platform is called "IoT Maker Lab" and it has the minimum needed elements that an IoT application requires. Two kind of experimentations were developed with this platform, in the first ones the IoT was transversally added to the course activities. In the second ones, the Internet of things was a fundamental part of prototypes that give a solution to current problems. Analyzing the results from the experiments, it is clear that the "IoT Maker Lab" can be used in many mechatronics engineering courses. It can be used from freshman to senior in the undergraduate mechatronics program. It can be implemented in systems that are either simple or complex. Additionally, the platform motivates and provides knowledge to the students.

Index Terms- Internet of Things, IoT Prototypes, Low-Cost Platform, Logical Systems, Educational Innovation, Higher Education.

Title- Innovative Approaches to Serious Games

Abstract- There has been an increased use of workgroups during Problem-Based Learning (PBL) activities, which have implied the emergence of self and peer evaluation practices in education. In turn, these practices have highlighted the importance of e-assessment tools where the collection of feedback is regarded. The consideration of the students’ self and peer assessment about a project has influence on their individual mark. Literature states that e-assessment tools need to consider restrictions in the students’ distribution of scores during the self and peer assessment. An emerging technology that has recently started to be applied in the development of software tools is Machine Learning. This technology allows the possibility to implement algorithms that can process the students’ feedback about their marks, increasing the efficiency on the methodology implemented. This paper presents a framework that collects feedback of a survey and translates those results in parameter values that will dynamically change the distribution function of the final individuals’ mark. The advantages and restrictions of different solutions for the framework, based on the literature, are also discussed. Finally, there is the presentation of WEBAVALIA, a free software tool where the framework will be implemented, improving its usability, user experience, flexibility, and efficiency.

Index Terms- mathematical models, students’ marks, self- evaluation, peer evaluation, e-assessment, machine learning, feedback collection, framework

Title- Innovative Approaches to Serious Games

Abstract- Theoretical and practical knowledge integration is essential in Electrical Engineering. Throughout the degree, students must tackle specific problems where they can put into practice difficult concepts and test their learning. Taking this into consideration, an integrative workshop is implemented in the third year that seeks to strengthen skills such as: analysis and design of signal conditioning circuits, designing and printing circuits, signal acquisition and processing, pattern recognition and classification, integration of a system. The workshop is based on the topic of load identification, which is a challenging problem, suitable for developing multiple electrical engineering concepts and also an interesting subject for the initiation of the students to research. This article shares the 2019 edition experience and its adaptation to non-classroom classes in 2020 in the context of social distancing restrictions due the coronavirus disease. The 2019 didactic proposal and the necessary modifications for 2020 are presented and analyzed. Although losing the fruitful interaction between teachers and students in the lab in 2020, most of the hands-on activities could be maintained helped by the use of oscilloscopes/analyzers that give students the functionality of a lab at home. It is concluded that both editions, in spite of their different teaching modalities, achieved good academic results.

Index Terms- Integrative workshop, Electrical Engineering degree, load identification.

Title- Innovative Approaches to Serious Games

Abstract- Early on, students must develop competences by implementing simple or complex electronic circuits with Operational Amplifiers (OpAmps). Traditionally, these skills were mainly developed in laboratory classes, but technology allows us to explore other and complementary ways of aiding students in this achievement. This paper presents a contribution to improve the way OpAmps are included in electronic engineering courses’ curricula. A reconfigurable and expandable kit to teach electronic circuits based on the OpAmp uA741 was designed and implemented. This kit comprises a software application locally interfaced with a hardware platform capable of running in a PC. This platform includes a circuit with the OpAmp uA741 able to reconfigure according to a set of parameters defined by a software application. Its reconfiguration capability also enables the establishment of automatic connections for measuring and for applying signals to a reconfigured circuit, plus the ability to simulate the same or other OpAmp-based circuits. This paper provides an overview about the OpAmp uA741 and its relevance in engineering education. After presenting the kit and make some considerations for its improvement, at the end a brief discussion about its implementation in education according to specific educational strategies and methodologies are provided.

Index Terms- OpAmps, Electronic Reconfiguration, Simulation, Engineering education, E-learning, PBL, Flipped-classroom.

Title- Innovative Approaches to Serious Games

Abstract- Trending topics on forums or social networks are now being analysed to know our preferences and needs. This line of thought can be applied to the educational context. In this study we want to analyze what information on the profile of students can be inferred by analyzing their performance in educational forums and if it is possible to classify them by applying a taxonomy with a quantitative and qualitative perspective of their social interaction. To achieve this, our methodology will be divided into two stages. The first stage consists of preprocessing, classifying and analyzing the messages of the educational forum. In the second stage, the analysis of the messages in the forums is combined with a taxonomy of five different student profiles. These profiles were built according to two types of interactions (social interaction and interaction with content) with the online platform from a quantitative perspective. However, this article proposes to analyze the social interactions of the five proposed profiles from a qualitative perspective. Our results validate the application of the Extended Taxonomy when qualitative and quantitative approaches are applied.

Index Terms- applied computing, learning management systems, e-learning, Learning Analytics, social interaction, learnings forums.