scholarly journals Outcomes assessment pitfalls: challenges to quantifying knowledge gain in a sex education game

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 73
Author(s):  
Elena Bertozzi ◽  
Amelia Bertozzi-Villa ◽  
Swathi Padankatti ◽  
Aparna Sridhar
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Reproduction ◽  
Sex Education ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Human Anatomy ◽  
Assessment Process ◽  
Cultural Norms ◽  
Knowledge Gain ◽  
Intuitive Interfaces ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Careful Design

Background: The use of videogames as a public health tool is rapidly expanding. Accurate assessment of the efficacy of such games is complicated by many factors. We describe challenges associated with measuring the impact of playing a videogame with information about human sexual anatomy and reproduction and discuss motivations for, and solutions to, these challenges. Methods: The My Future Family Game (MFF) is a validated tool for collecting data about family planning intentions which includes information about human anatomy and sexual reproduction. We sought to assess the efficacy of the game as a tool for teaching sexual education using a pre-post model which was deployed in three schools in and around Chennai, India in summer of 2018. Results: The MFF game was successfully modified to collect data about players’ pre-gameplay knowledge of sexual anatomy and processes. The post gameplay assessment process we used did not effectively assess knowledge gain. Designing assessments for games dealing with sexuality presents challenges including: effectively communicating about biological parts and processes, designing usable and intuitive interfaces with minimal text, ensuring that all parts of the process are fun, and integrating assessments into the game in a way that makes them invisible. Conclusion: Games can be an effective means of gathering data about knowledge of sex and reproduction that it is difficult to obtain through other means. Assessing knowledge about human sexual reproduction is complicated by cultural norms and taboos, and technical hurdles which can be addressed through careful design. This study adds to the sparse literature in the field by providing information about pitfalls to avoid and best practices in this evolving area.

scholarly journals Outcomes assessment pitfalls: challenges to quantifying knowledge gain in a sex education game

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 73
Author(s):  
Elena Bertozzi ◽  
Amelia Bertozzi-Villa ◽  
Swathi Padankatti ◽  
Aparna Sridhar
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Reproduction ◽  
Sex Education ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Human Anatomy ◽  
Assessment Process ◽  
Cultural Norms ◽  
Knowledge Gain ◽  
Intuitive Interfaces ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Careful Design

Background: The use of videogames as a public health tool is rapidly expanding. Accurate assessment of the efficacy of such games is complicated by many factors. We describe challenges associated with measuring the impact of playing a videogame with information about human sexual anatomy and reproduction and discuss motivations for, and solutions to, these challenges. Methods: The My Future Family Game (MFF) is a validated tool for collecting data about family planning intentions which includes information about human anatomy and sexual reproduction. We sought to assess the efficacy of the game as a tool for teaching sexual education using a pre-post model which was deployed in three schools in and around Chennai, India in summer of 2018. Results: The MFF game was successfully modified to collect data about players’ pre-gameplay knowledge of sexual anatomy and processes. The post gameplay assessment process we used did not effectively assess knowledge gain. Designing assessments for games dealing with sexuality presents challenges including: effectively communicating about biological parts and processes, designing usable and intuitive interfaces with minimal text, ensuring that all parts of the process are fun, and integrating assessments into the game in a way that makes them invisible. Conclusion: Games can be an effective means of gathering data about knowledge of sex and reproduction that it is difficult to obtain through other means. Assessing knowledge about human sexual reproduction is complicated by cultural norms and taboos, and technical hurdles which can be addressed through careful design. This study adds to the sparse literature in the field by providing information about pitfalls to avoid and best practices in this evolving area.

scholarly journals Outcomes assessment pitfalls: challenges to quantifying knowledge gain in a sex education game

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 73
Author(s):  
Elena Bertozzi ◽  
Amelia Bertozzi-Villa ◽  
Swathi Padankatti ◽  
Aparna Sridhar
Keyword(s):  
Sex Education ◽  
Game Design ◽  
Outcomes Assessment ◽  
Human Anatomy ◽  
Human Reproduction ◽  
Educational Game ◽  
Knowledge Gain ◽  
Post Process ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Post Test

Background: We describe challenges associated with incorporating knowledge assessment into an educational game on a sensitive topic and discuss possible motivations for, and solutions to, these challenges. Methods: The My Future Family Game (MFF) is a tool for collecting data about family planning intentions. The game was expanded to include information about human anatomy and sexual reproduction. To assess the efficacy of the game as a tool for teaching sexual education, we designed a pre-post study with assessments before and after the game which was deployed in three schools in and around Chennai, India in summer of 2018. Results: The pre-post process did not effectively assess knowledge gain and made the game less enjoyable. Although all participants completed the pre-test because it was required to access the main game, many did not complete the post test. As a result, the post-test scores are of limited use in assessing the efficacy of the intervention as an educational tool. This deployment demonstrated that pre-post testing has to be integrated in a way that motivates players to improve their scores in the post-test. The pre-test results did provide useful information about players’ knowledge of human anatomy and mechanisms of human reproduction prior to gameplay and validated the tool as a means of data collection. Conclusion: Adding outcomes assessment required asking players questions about sexual anatomy and function with little or no introduction. This process undermined elements of the initial game design and made the process less enjoyable for participants. Understanding these failures has been a vital step in the process of iterative game design. Modifications were made to the pre-post test process for future deployments so that the process of assessment does not diminish enthusiasm for game play or enjoyment and motivates completion of the post-test as part of gameplay.

IMPACT ASSESSMENT ON LEARNING MOTIVATION IN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE COMPETENCE APPROACH IN EDUCATION

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (9) ◽  
pp. 28-34
Author(s):  
Huseynova А.А. ◽  
Vashchinnikova K.D.
Keyword(s):  
Design Method ◽  
Authentic Assessment ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Learning Motivation ◽  
Assessment Process ◽  
Assessment Procedure ◽  
Positive Side ◽  
Educational Motivation ◽  
Educational Paradigm ◽  
The Impact

Turning to the new educational paradigm, the research paper considers the conditions for ensuring the effective-ness of authentic assessment of students ' achievements within the competence approach and the transition from traditional knowledge control to tests developed on the basis of the theory of pedagogical measurements. Special attention is paid to independent assessment as a tool for stimulating learning activities, as well as to the justifica-tion of the pattern design method used in the develop-ment of measurement tools. The experimental basis of the study is based on the results of an independent assess-ment of educational achievements of students of the sen-ior level of secondary vocational education in social studies in several educational organizations. As a result of the survey of participants in independent testing, the formation of a stable positive learning motivation is not-ed. The relationship with the assessment of the impact on educational motivation is confirmed by the respondents ' attitude to the authentic assessment procedure on the part of participants in the assessment process: school-children, teachers, and parents. As a result, it was re-vealed that all subjects of the educational process evalu-ate the impact of the proposed method of assessment on educational motivation from a positive side.

Exploring the Benefits of Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) and the Mechanism for Automated 5D BIM Quantification Process in Offsite Modular Construction

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tochukwu Moses ◽  
David Heesom ◽  
David Oloke ◽  
Martin Crouch
Keyword(s):  
Effective Means ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Modular Construction ◽  
Automated Quantification ◽  
Building Information ◽  
Project Risks ◽  
Value Add ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Level 2

The UK Construction Industry through its Government Construction Strategy has recently been mandated to implement Level 2 Building Information Modelling (BIM) on public sector projects. This move, along with other initiatives is key to driving a requirement for 25% cost reduction (establishing the most cost-effective means) on. Other key deliverables within the strategy include reduction in overall project time, early contractor involvement, improved sustainability and enhanced product quality. Collaboration and integrated project delivery is central to the level 2 implementation strategy yet the key protocols or standards relative to cost within BIM processes is not well defined. As offsite construction becomes more prolific within the UK construction sector, this construction approach coupled with BIM, particularly 5D automated quantification process, and early contractor involvement provides significant opportunities for the sector to meet government targets. Early contractor involvement is supported by both the industry and the successive Governments as a credible means to avoid and manage project risks, encourage innovation and value add, making cost and project time predictable, and improving outcomes. The contractor is seen as an expert in construction and could be counter intuitive to exclude such valuable expertise from the pre-construction phase especially with the BIM intent of äóÖbuild it twiceäó», once virtually and once physically. In particular when offsite construction is used, the contractoräó»s construction expertise should be leveraged for the virtual build in BIM-designed projects to ensure a fully streamlined process. Building in a layer of automated costing through 5D BIM will bring about a more robust method of quantification and can help to deliver the 25% reduction in overall cost of a project. Using a literature review and a case study, this paper will look into the benefits of Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) and the impact of 5D BIM on the offsite construction process.

scholarly journals Conservation and natural resource management: where are all the women?

Oryx ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Robyn James ◽  
Bridget Gibbs ◽  
Laura Whitford ◽  
Craig Leisher ◽  
Ruth Konia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Resource Management ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Natural Resource Management ◽  
Natural Resource ◽  
Positive Relationship ◽  
Cultural Norms ◽  
Conservation Actions ◽  
Race Ethnicity ◽  
Management Institutions ◽  
The Impact

Abstract There is evidence from the development and humanitarian sectors that purposeful engagement of women can increase the impact of development. We conducted a literature review to examine whether this is also evident in conservation and natural resource management. The following themes emerged from our review: existing societal and cultural norms affect and generally limit how women can engage in conservation and natural resource management; women interact differently with the environment than men, so if they are excluded, their knowledge and perspectives on particular resources may not be considered in conservation actions; and there is often a lack of resources or dedicated effort by conservation or natural resource management programmes to understand and address the barriers that prevent women's engagement. Although there was evidence of a positive relationship between the engagement of women and environmental outcomes, some studies showed that positive conservation outcomes do not necessarily benefit women, and when women are not considered, conservation activities can perpetuate existing inequities. We conclude that although the importance of integrating gender into conservation is acknowledged in the literature, there is a need to examine how women can be meaningfully engaged in conservation. This must go beyond treating women as a homogenous group, to consider intersectionality including race, ethnicity, age, religion, poverty and disability. In addition, conservation and natural resource management institutions need to address the inclusion of women in their own staff and programmes.

scholarly journals The Importance of Engaging in Physical Activity in Older Adulthood for Transitions Between Cognitive Status Categories and Death: A Coordinated Analysis of 14 Longitudinal Studies

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomiko Yoneda ◽  
Nathan A Lewis ◽  
Jamie E Knight ◽  
Jonathan Rush ◽  
Rebecca Vendittelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Longitudinal Studies ◽  
Sex Education ◽  
Cognitive Status ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Multinomial Regression ◽  
Older Adulthood ◽  
Modifiable Factors ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Given increasing incidence of cognitive impairment and dementia, further understanding of modifiable factors contributing to increased healthspan is crucial. Extensive literature provides evidence that physical activity (PA) delays the onset of cognitive impairment; however, it is unclear whether engaging in PA in older adulthood is sufficient to influence progression through cognitive status categories. Method Applying a coordinated analysis approach, this project independently analyzed 14 longitudinal studies (NTotal = 52 039; mean baseline age across studies = 69.9–81.73) from North America and Europe using multistate survival models to estimate the impact of engaging in PA on cognitive status transitions (nonimpaired, mildly impaired, severely impaired) and death. Multinomial regression models were fit to estimate life expectancy (LE) based on American PA recommendations. Meta-analyses provided the pooled effect sizes for the role of PA on each transition and estimated LEs. Results Controlling for baseline age, sex, education, and chronic conditions, analyses revealed that more PA is significantly associated with decreased risk of transitioning from nonimpaired to mildly impaired cognitive functioning and death, as well as substantially longer LE. Results also provided evidence for a protective effect of PA after onset of cognitive impairment (eg, decreased risk of transitioning from mild-to-severe cognitive impairment; increased likelihood of transitioning backward from severe-to-mild cognitive impairment), though between-study heterogeneity suggests a less robust association. Conclusions These results yield evidence for the importance of engaging in PA in older adulthood for cognitive health, and a rationale for motivating older adults to engage consistently in PA.

scholarly journals Assessing the Impact of DMAs and the Use of Boosters on Chlorination in a Water Distribution Network in Greece

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 2141
Author(s):  
Stavroula Tsitsifli ◽  
Vasilis Kanakoudis
Keyword(s):  
Water Distribution ◽  
Distribution Network ◽  
Water Distribution Network ◽  
Assessment Process ◽  
Water Volume ◽  
Pressure Management ◽  
Water Age ◽  
Chlorination Process ◽  
Management Measures ◽  
The Impact

Disinfection is one of the most important water treatment processes as it inactivates pathogens providing safe drinking water to the consumers. A fresh-water distribution network is a complex system where constant monitoring of several parameters and related managerial decisions take place in order for the network to operate in the most efficient way. However, there are cases where some of the decisions made to improve the network’s performance level, such as reduction of water losses, may have negative impacts on other significant operational processes such as the disinfection. In particular, the division of a water distribution network into district metered areas (DMAs) and the application of various pressure management measures may impact the effectiveness of the water chlorination process. Two operational measures are assessed in this paper: (a) the use of inline chlorination boosters to achieve more efficient chlorination; and (b) how the DMAs formation impacts the chlorination process. To achieve this, the water distribution network of a Greek town is chosen as a case study where several scenarios are being thoroughly analyzed. The assessment process utilizes the network’s hydraulic simulation model, which is set up in Watergems V8i software, forming the baseline to develop the network’s water quality model. The results proved that inline chlorination boosters ensure a more efficient disinfection, especially at the most remote parts/nodes of the network, compared to conventional chlorination processes (e.g., at the water tanks), achieving 100% safe water volume and consuming almost 50% less chlorine mass. DMAs’ formation results in increased water age values up to 8.27%, especially at the remote parts/nodes of the network and require more time to achieve the necessary minimum effective chlorine concentration of 0.2 mg/L. However, DMAs formation and pressure management measures do not threaten the chlorination’s efficiency. It is important to include water age and residual chlorine as criteria when optimizing water pressure and the division of DMAs.

scholarly journals An Efficiency Enhancing Methodology for Multiple Autonomous Vehicles in an Urban Network Adopting Deep Reinforcement Learning

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 1514 ◽  
Author(s):  
Quang-Duy Tran ◽  
Sang-Hoon Bae
Keyword(s):  
Reinforcement Learning ◽  
Traffic Congestion ◽  
Autonomous Vehicles ◽  
Penetration Rate ◽  
Autonomous Vehicle ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Urban Network ◽  
Learning Agents ◽  
Policy Optimization ◽  
The Impact

To reduce the impact of congestion, it is necessary to improve our overall understanding of the influence of the autonomous vehicle. Recently, deep reinforcement learning has become an effective means of solving complex control tasks. Accordingly, we show an advanced deep reinforcement learning that investigates how the leading autonomous vehicles affect the urban network under a mixed-traffic environment. We also suggest a set of hyperparameters for achieving better performance. Firstly, we feed a set of hyperparameters into our deep reinforcement learning agents. Secondly, we investigate the leading autonomous vehicle experiment in the urban network with different autonomous vehicle penetration rates. Thirdly, the advantage of leading autonomous vehicles is evaluated using entire manual vehicle and leading manual vehicle experiments. Finally, the proximal policy optimization with a clipped objective is compared to the proximal policy optimization with an adaptive Kullback–Leibler penalty to verify the superiority of the proposed hyperparameter. We demonstrate that full automation traffic increased the average speed 1.27 times greater compared with the entire manual vehicle experiment. Our proposed method becomes significantly more effective at a higher autonomous vehicle penetration rate. Furthermore, the leading autonomous vehicles could help to mitigate traffic congestion.

scholarly journals Using the Concept of Game-Based Learning in Education

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (14) ◽  
pp. 53
Author(s):  
Zi-Yu Liu ◽  
Zaffar Ahmed Shaikh ◽  
Farida Gazizova
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Educational Material ◽  
Educational Game ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Game Based Learning ◽  
School Students ◽  
The Impact

A modern school deals with a generation of students who were born and grown up in a digital environment and require other teaching methods. Changes in the technological and social conditions of modern society need new professional skills, which are often called “21st century skills”. These skills should be devel-oped starting from the primary school, as they are psychological and behavioural, rather than practical. Game-based learning and gamification are effective means of such skills development. The use of video games in teaching practice is studied multifaceted, along with formats and requirements of educational game, methods for effectiveness assessment, and the effect of games on students. The controver-sial nature of game-based learning effect on students require deeper research, as the increase in motivation and learning efficiency cannot be disputed, as well as the negative impact of a long gaming on cognitive abilities, emotional state and social skills of students. The study tested both an increase in the motivation and attraction of school students for the learning process, and the impact on the prac-tical results of information assimilation. There was conducted a survey on the re-sults of the application of game training to determine the motivation and attraction of students. Likewise, we counted time, spent by the study and control group, for mastering the main educational material and the post-class study of game content and the educational material it presents. A comparative test was conducted on the results of educational material comprehension to determine the effectiveness of the methodology in mastering knowledge. The group, with game-based learning and gamification applied, showed an increase in motivation and attraction to learning, students paid additional efforts for assimilating the material studied, and also showed significantly higher learning outcomes compared to the control group.

scholarly journals “You would expect the successful person to be the man”

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 303-320 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sally Jones
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Entrepreneurship Education ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Symbolic Violence ◽  
Cultural Norms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Multiple Method ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – This paper aims to to explore power and legitimacy in the entrepreneurship education classroom by using Pierre Bourdieu’s sociological and educational theories. It highlights the pedagogic authority invested in educators and how this may be influenced by their assumptions about the nature of entrepreneurship. It questions the role of educators as disinterested experts, exploring how power and gendered legitimacy “play out” in staff–student relationships and female students’ responses to this. Design/methodology/approach – A multiple-method, qualitative case study approach is taken, concentrating on a depth of focus in one UK’s higher education institution (HEI) and on the experiences, attitudes and classroom practices of staff and students in that institution. The interviews, with an educator and two students, represent a self-contained story within the more complex story of the case study. Findings – The interviewees’ conceptualization of entrepreneurship is underpinned by acceptance of gendered norms, and both students and staff misrecognize the masculinization of entrepreneurship discourses that they encounter as natural and unquestionable. This increases our understanding of symbolic violence as a theoretical construct that can have real-world consequences. Originality/value – The paper makes a number of theoretical and empirical contributions. It addresses an important gap in the literature, as educators and the impact of their attitudes and perceptions on teaching and learning are rarely subjects of inquiry. It also addresses gaps and silences in understandings of the gendered implications of HE entrepreneurship education more generally and how students respond to the institutional arbitration of wider cultural norms surrounding entrepreneurship. In doing so, it challenges assertions that Bourdieu’s theories are too abstract to have any empirical value, by bridging the gap between symbolic violence as a theory and its manifestation in teaching and learning practices.

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