The Effectiveness of Online Task Support vs. Instructor-Led Training

Author(s):  
Ji-Ye Mao ◽  
Bradley R. Brown

This study investigates the effectiveness of online task support (the wizard type in particular) relative to instructor-led training, and explores the underlying cognitive process in terms of the development of mental models. Ninety-two novice users of Microsoft Access were either trained by an experienced instructor or performed exercises with online task support, and then completed a variety of performance-based tests. Analysis shows that users of online task support tended to outperform instructor-trained individuals on high-level tasks, whereas the performance difference on low-level tasks was not significant. The cognitive processes underlying the difference are also noteworthy. Task support users were more likely to develop conceptual mental models as opposed to procedural ones, which accounted for their better high-level performance. Mental model completeness was also found to be closely associated with performance on both low and high-level tasks. These findings offer support for increased use of online task support.

2008 ◽  
pp. 1375-1391
Author(s):  
Ji-Ye Mao ◽  
Bradley R. Brown

This study investigates the effectiveness of online task support (the wizard type in particular) relative to instructor-led training, and explores the underlying cognitive process in terms of the development of mental models. Ninety-two novice users of Microsoft Access were either trained by an experienced instructor or performed exercises with online task support, and then completed a variety of performance-based tests. Analysis shows that users of online task support tended to outperform instructor-trained individuals on high-level tasks, whereas the performance difference on low-level tasks was not significant. The cognitive processes underlying the difference are also noteworthy. Task support users were more likely to develop conceptual mental models as opposed to procedural ones, which accounted for their better high-level performance. Mental model completeness was also found to be closely associated with performance on both low and high-level tasks. These findings offer support for increased use of online task support.


Author(s):  
Ping Li ◽  
Jamshid Beheshti

This paper reports on the first stage of a research on doctoral students’ mental models of a Web search engine and factors that may affect their mental models. A modified version of a mental model completeness scale was developed and tested in a pilot study in Web search engine context.Cet article présente le premier stade d'une recherche sur les modèles mentaux des étudiants doctoraux avec un moteur de recherche Web et les facteurs qui peuvent les affecter. Une version modifiée d’une échelle de la perfection du modèle mental a été développée et examinée dans le contexte d’une étude préliminaire effectuée avec un moteur de recherche Web. 


1987 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 102-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kan Zhang ◽  
Christopher D. Wickens

The acquisition of mental models and the effect of instructions and a display aid on the performance on a complex dynamic processing system were examined in this experiment. Thirty subjects monitored a dynamic bar graph display of six system variables and were tested under three different conditions: 1) subjects were given contextual instructions and a picture display-aid which provided a perceptual context in which to interpret the changing variables (group P/B). 2) Subjects were only provided non-context instructions and tested by a bar graph display (group B). 3) A transfer group was trained under the same condition as same as group P/B and tested with the bar graph display (group P/B - B). The data showed that the combination of the context instructions and the meaningful display aid improved subjects' performance significantly. The accuracy of diagnosis of the group P/B was the highest among the three groups. It was also seen that training with the context instructions themselves could improve the accuracy of diagnosis although the difference between the transfer group and group B was not significant statistically.


2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 332-339
Author(s):  
Olexandr Solovey ◽  
Valeriy Hunchenko ◽  
Dmytro Solovey ◽  
Krzysztof Wnorowski

Background and Study Aim. To determine the influence of the level of static balance on the competitive activity of athletes aged 17-21 in beach volleyball. Material and Methods. The study involved athletes aged 17-21 years, who play beach volleyball in the Kherson region. The research was focused on the main indicators: the total number of serves, passes, tactical strikes, blocks, and how the development of static balance affects the level of their performance. Results. Acrobatic exercises in training activities for special physical training positively contributed to the increase in the samples of Bondarevsky (p <0.05), Romberg (p <0.05) and Yarotsky (p <0.05). Samples with different nature of the work performed reflect different aspects of static equilibrium: samples of Bondarevsky and Yarotsky most reflect the nature of the work performed during the competitive activities of athletes; Romberg's test only partially corresponds to these indicators. Conclusions. The proposed methodological approach significantly affects the performance of competitive activities and is directly related to the quality of tactical strikes, high-level performance in defense and the number of serves. The results of the study indicate the difference in samples with different nature of the work. Overstrain of the vestibular centers can negatively affect the quality of tactical strikes in the attack and blocking.


Author(s):  
Lisa J. Elliott ◽  
Peter W. Foltz

An invisible language barrier exists between users and creators of technology. This mental model disparity has been described as the “gulf of evaluation and the gulf of execution” (Norman, 1988). Typically, when such common ground is lacking, analogies are used. However, it is unclear whether professional writers and system designers have the naïve knowledge necessary to create analogies that users find helpful. Some researchers claim that through discovery learning, users are able to create analogies (Shrager and Klahr, 1985). It is hypothesized that these analogies offer clues to appropriate mental models and to indicate skills needed to aid other new users. Furthermore, analogies elicited from novice users, should produce successful analogies for other users. In the present study, participants receiving analogies created by other users reported an increased level of confidence and more accurate expectations of the results of their actions with a single exposure to the system. This study found the discovery learning method elicited analogies which users found benefit from by reporting an increase of confidence, increase of motivation and increased accuracy in their expectations as the result of their actions thereby narrowing the “gulf of evaluation and the gulf of execution” (Norman, 1988).


1998 ◽  
Vol 79 (06) ◽  
pp. 1184-1190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshiaki Tomiyama ◽  
Shigenori Honda ◽  
Kayoko Senzaki ◽  
Akito Tanaka ◽  
Mitsuru Okubo ◽  
...  

SummaryThis study investigated the difference of [Ca2+]i movement in platelets in response to thrombin and TRAP. The involvement of αIIbβ3 in this signaling was also studied. Stimulation of platelets with thrombin at 0.03 U/ml caused platelet aggregation and a two-peak increase in [Ca2+]i. The second peak of [Ca2+]i, but not the first peak was abolished by the inhibition of platelet aggregation with αIIbβ3 antagonists or by scavenging endogenous ADP with apyrase. A cyclooxygenase inhibitor, aspirin, and a TXA2 receptor antagonist, BM13505, also abolished the second peak of [Ca2+]i but not the first peak, although these regents did not inhibit aggregation. Under the same assay conditions, measurement of TXB2 demonstrated that αIIbβ3 antagonists and aspirin almost completely inhibited the production of TXB2. In contrast to thrombin-stimulation, TRAP caused only a single peak of [Ca2+]i even in the presence of platelet aggregation, and a high level of [Ca2+]i increase was needed for the induction of platelet aggregation. The inhibition of aggregation with αIIbβ3 antagonists had no effect on [Ca2+]i change and TXB2 production induced by TRAP. Inhibition studies using anti-GPIb antibodies suggested that GPIb may be involved in the thrombin response, but not in the TRAP. Our findings suggest that low dose thrombin causes a different [Ca2+]i response and TXA2 producing signal from TRAP. Endogenous ADP release and fibrinogen binding to αIIbβ3 are responsible for the synthesis of TXA2 which results in the induction of the second peak of [Ca2+]i in low thrombin- but not TRAP-stimulated platelets.


2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. K. Razumova ◽  
N. N. Litvinova ◽  
M. E. Shvartsman ◽  
A. Yu. Kuznetsov

Introduction. The paper presents survey results on the awareness towards and practice of Open Access scholarly publishing among Russian academics.Materials and Methods. We employed methods of statistical analysis of survey results. Materials comprise results of data processing of Russian survey conducted in 2018 and published results of the latest international surveys. The survey comprised 1383 respondents from 182 organizations. We performed comparative studies of the responses from academics and research institutions as well as different research areas. The study compares results obtained in Russia with the recently published results of surveys conducted in the United Kingdom and Europe.Results. Our findings show that 95% of Russian respondents support open access, 94% agree to post their publications in open repositories and 75% have experience in open access publishing. We did not find any difference in the awareness and attitude towards open access among seven reference groups. Our analysis revealed the difference in the structure of open access publications of the authors from universities and research institutes. Discussion andConclusions. Results reveal a high level of awareness and support to open access and succeful practice in the open access publications in the Russian scholarly community. The results for Russia demonstrate close similarity with the results of the UK academics. The governmental open access policies and programs would foster the practical realization of the open access in Russia.


Author(s):  
O. M. Reva ◽  
V. V. Kamyshin ◽  
S. P. Borsuk ◽  
V. A. Shulhin ◽  
A. V. Nevynitsyn

The negative and persistent impact of the human factor on the statistics of aviation accidents and serious incidents makes proactive studies of the attitude of “front line” aviation operators (air traffic controllers, flight crewmembers) to dangerous actions or professional conditions as a key component of the current paradigm of ICAO safety concept. This “attitude” is determined through the indicators of the influence of the human factor on decision-making, which also include the systems of preferences of air traffic controllers on the indicators and characteristics of professional activity, illustrating both the individual perception of potential risks and dangers, and the peculiarities of generalized group thinking that have developed in a particular society. Preference systems are an ordered (ranked) series of n = 21 errors: from the most dangerous to the least dangerous and characterize only the danger preference of one error over another. The degree of this preference is determined only by the difference in the ranks of the errors and does not answer the question of how much time one error is more dangerous in relation to another. The differential method for identifying the comparative danger of errors, as well as the multistep technology for identifying and filtering out marginal opinions were applied. From the initial sample of m = 37 professional air traffic controllers, two subgroups mB=20 and mG=7 people were identified with statisti-cally significant at a high level of significance within the group consistency of opinions a = 1%. Nonpara-metric optimization of the corresponding group preference systems resulted in Kemeny’s medians, in which the related (middle) ranks were missing. Based on these medians, weighted coefficients of error hazards were determined by the mathematical prioritization method. It is substantiated that with the ac-cepted accuracy of calculations, the results obtained at the second iteration of this method are more ac-ceptable. The values of the error hazard coefficients, together with their ranks established in the preference systems, allow a more complete quantitative and qualitative analysis of the attitude of both individual air traffic controllers and their professional groups to hazardous actions or conditions.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 75
Author(s):  
Jan Amos Jelinek

The Earth’s shape concept develops as consecutive cognitive problems (e.g., the location of people and trees on the spherical Earth) are gradually resolved. Establishing the order of problem solving may be important for the organisation of teaching situations. This study attempted to determine the sequence of problems to be resolved based on tasks included in the EARTH2 test. The study covered a group of 444 children between 5 and 10 years of age. It captured the order in which children solve cognitive problems on the way to constructing a science-like concept. The test results were compared with previous studies. The importance of cultural influences connected to significant differences (24%) in test results was emphasised. Attention was drawn to the problem of the consistency of the mental model approach highlighted in the literature. The analysis of the individual sets of answers provided a high level of consistency of indications referring to the same model (36%), emphasising the importance of the concept of mental models.


Computers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 63
Author(s):  
Fahd Alhaidari ◽  
Taghreed Zayed Balharith

Recently, there has been significant growth in the popularity of cloud computing systems. One of the main issues in building cloud computing systems is task scheduling. It plays a critical role in achieving high-level performance and outstanding throughput by having the greatest benefit from the resources. Therefore, enhancing task scheduling algorithms will enhance the QoS, thus leading to more sustainability of cloud computing systems. This paper introduces a novel technique called the dynamic round-robin heuristic algorithm (DRRHA) by utilizing the round-robin algorithm and tuning its time quantum in a dynamic manner based on the mean of the time quantum. Moreover, we applied the remaining burst time of the task as a factor to decide the continuity of executing the task during the current round. The experimental results obtained using the CloudSim Plus tool showed that the DRRHA significantly outperformed the competition in terms of the average waiting time, turnaround time, and response time compared with several studied algorithms, including IRRVQ, dynamic time slice round-robin, improved RR, and SRDQ algorithms.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document