Applying Gamification Strategies to Create Training in Lean Methodologies

It is more important than ever that organizations make the most of their resources, reduce costs, optimize processes, and engage in continuous improvement. A lean philosophy presents itself as a management model that guides companies in this direction, but for the successful implementation of lean methodologies, human resources at all levels need to learn what it is and be engaged with it. Thus, there is a need to develop tools that would transmit the lean theoretical concepts in a practical and involved way. This chapter proposes the development of a tool that is the result of merging gamification and lean philosophy, developing a game for people without knowledge in this area, serving as an introduction to it, and demonstrating some applications of this philosophy. The practical result of the synergy created between strategies of gamification and training in lean methodologies is described.

"CITY CONSTRUCTOR" (FORM-BASED CODES) AND ITS IMPLEMENTATION IN THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT OF KHARKIV

The article discusses an approach to the development of the city, which is based on the so-called "city constructors" or "form-based codes". It represents the normatively fixed rules for shaping, architectural design, object filling of individual zones in the form of ready-made, pre-developed fragments of the urban environment. The evolution of the development of this approach from ancient cities to the 1960s-1980s is considered. It was revealed that the city designer helps to follow a clear urban development strategy, contributes to the creation of a high-quality urban environment with minimal means, and leads to a guaranteed practical result and capitalization of territories. Methods of introducing such an approach to the urban environment of Kharkiv in the framework of the implementation of an integrated urban strategy are proposed: “designer of urban spaces”, “designer of streets” and “designer of courtyards”. Two directions are proposed for the formation of a "designer of urban spaces". The first one: it is necessary to conduct a series of design seminars and workshops to determine the format of an urban designer, a list of code documents required for the development of subsections and formation of the composition of the working group, which will continue to develop the "city constructor". The second direction of work on the “constructor” should be a series of design seminars,competitions, with the obligatory active involvement of local residents in the process. These project seminars should be aimed at revitalizing individual courtyard areas of the city. For the fruitful implementation of such participatory projects, it is necessary to develop online applications that will facilitate the involvement of representatives of different social groups in the creative process. The article also suggests ways of introducing such an approach for the strategic development of the urban environment of Kharkov and reveals two main advantages of the “city constructor”. The first one: in the case of developing the city as a constructor, we get a step-by-step and strategic search for effective solutions to form a table of city elements (types of streets, squares, buildings and structures). The second advantage is that by developing a set of elements, rules and recommendations, we have an effective system that allows you to improve the city quickly, without the constant involvement of professionals. Even if such a system is used by an ordinary person, then a result of sufficient quality is always guaranteed.

Evaluating the Intertwined Relationships of the Drivers for University Technology Transfer

Universities are the best places to gather knowledge and innovation, but the basis of technological development lies in talented R&D personnel who provide services to enterprise R&D activities, research institutions, and universities. Universities also gather many elites who cultivate talent for the country. However, universities do not have adequate technology transfer experience and do not network in industrial circles, which results in a huge gap between the concept and the practical result. This research determined the critical success factors and explored the causal relationships influencing the technology transfer from universities. We found that the main impact of the key factors was the technology market dimension. University technology transfer activities had to be classified as top priority. Technology industrial applicability was the main key evaluation factor, along with inventor attitude. In the organizational culture dimension, the attitude and ability of top management were the main evaluation factors. We attempted to draw upon our analysis results to make recommendations related to technology transfer to assist universities in successfully transferring their research results.

A Risk-Based Approach to Mine-Site Rehabilitation: Use of Bayesian Belief Network Modelling to Manage Dispersive Soil and Spoil

Dispersive spoil/soil management is a major environmental and economic challenge for active coal mines as well as sustainable mine closure across the globe. To explore and design a framework for managing dispersive spoil, considering the complexities as well as data availability, this paper has developed a Bayesian Belief Network (BBN)-a probabilistic predictive framework to support practical and cost-effective decisions for the management of dispersive spoil. This approach enabled incorporation of expert knowledge where data were insufficient for modelling purposes. The performance of the model was validated using field data from actively managed mine sites and found to be consistent in the prediction of soil erosion and ground cover. Agreement between predicted soil erosion probability and field observations was greater than 74%, and greater than 70% for ground cover protection. The model performance was further noticeably improved by calibration of Conditional Probability Tables (CPTs). This demonstrates the value of the BBN modelling approach, whereby the use of currently best-available data can provide a practical result, with the capacity for significant model improvement over time as more (targeted) data come to hand.

Some myths of modern Ukrainian methodology of foreign language teaching as a science

The paper gives evidence that the modern Ukrainian theory and methodology of foreign language teaching is quite rapidly developing as a science; however, its onward progress is somewhat “braked” by certain ungrounded convictions (“myths”), some of which originate from the times of the former Soviet Union. Three such myths were analyzed in the article as the ones that to the greatest extent retard the progressive development of the Ukrainian methodology: the myth that “methodology is exercises,” this is why every methodological research must necessarily be completed with elaborating a system (or subsystem) of relevant exercises; the myth that whatever is developed in a methodological study should be within the borders of one, and only one, broad, substantiated, and more or less universally recognized methodological approach; and the myth that only the most recent professional literature should be quoted and serve as the foundation for whatever methodological research. In the paper the distinction is drawn between learning activities in language learning and exercises as standardized and auxiliary components in the relevant teaching / learning system, and it is proven that every methodological research has to be completed with some practical result to be used in this system but that result may not necessarily be a system of exercises or even of learning activities. It is also demonstrated that the approaches elaborated in a methodological study do not obligatorily have to be within the framework of only one broad and recognized approach but, on the contrary, may combine the features of different approaches, even opposing each other, as long as they meet the principles of the principled pragmatism theory - those principles that allow to combine such features harmoniously. Finally, it is proven that the theory and methodology of language teaching is a science in which new knowledge does not abolish the preceding knowledge as obsolete. New knowledge is “built into” the preceding knowledge, thus creating a new system together with it. That is why in all the methodological studies it is impossible to use as the foundation only the recent research. The works published even decades ago must be taken into account (and quoted). The conclusion is made that getting rid of the existing “methodological myths” will considerably accelerate and improve the development of the Ukrainian system of language education.

Synthesis, Spectroscopic Characterization and Biological Studies of Mn(II), Cu(II), Ni(II), Co(II) and Zn(II) Complexes with New Schiff Base of 2-((Pyrazine-2-ylimino)methyl)phenol

In the search for novel anticancer complex, transition metal complexes of Schiff base derived from 2-aminopyrazine and salicylaldehyde were successfully synthesized and characterized based on elemental analyses, spectroscopic and thermal analysis. The IR spectra showed the ligand is a tridentate chelator with O, N and N atoms. donor sites in the Zn(II), Co(II), Ni(II), and Mn(II) complexes. Contrary, it behaved a bidentate chelator in the Cu complex by O and N. Molar ratio data revealed that the ligand to metal ratio was 1:2 for Co(II) Cu(II) and Zn(II) while it was 1:1 for Mn(II) and Ni(II) complexes. The obtained complexes have the formulae [M(L)2] (where M = Co(II) and Zn(II), [M(L)Cl(2H2O)]·H2O (where M = Ni(II) and Mn(II) were octahedral geometry). The computational studies were performed by DFT calculations to compare the optimized geometries with the experimental values. The interaction of these complexes with calf thymus DNA (CT-DNA) was investigated by UV-Vis spectroscopic technique. Molecular docking studies were against three protein cancer to investigate the binding ability of the new compounds. The anticancer activity was studied with different cell lines and the IC50 of the Cu(II) complex for (HOP-62) showed a practical result. The LD50 values of Zn(II) and Co(II) complexes showed that they are non-toxic at doses up to 370 mg/kg.

Socialization of children with special educational needs in inclusive educational system

Main problem: Today, the opinion about inclusion as the most progressive (in comparison with integration) approach is being strengthened among the society, which allows any child, regardless of the type and severity of the disorder, to learn with their normatively developing peers. The introduction of inclusive approaches into school practice can be called one of the top priorities of the state educational policy of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Inclusive education will help to resolve the contradiction between the legally guaranteed rights of children with disabilities to equal access to quality education and the de facto inequality in its implementation. Inclusion must be systematic and focused, not spontaneous. Therefore, it is optimal to teach a child with disabilities within the framework of the system of continuous general education. The creation and effective functioning of this system is impossible without a trained teacher, who is a key figure in the implementation of inclusive education. Purpose: Substantiation and disclosure of the contradiction between the guaranteed right of children with IAD and equal access to quality education for the socialization of children with special educational needs in inclusive education. Methods: in the course of the research, descriptive, systematization and analytical methods were used in the application of theoretical concepts, government programs, and legislative acts in inclusive education. Results and their importance: The implementation of the research goal is facilitated by the use of an alternative to the classroom-based organization of the educational process for the progressive development of children with IAD, which allows them to study harmoniously, regardless of the type and severity of the violation, together with their normatively developing peers. The given pedagogical observation is the obtained practical result of this study. The development of the system of class-based organization of the educational process for children with IAD in educational institutions is aimed at forming an effective system for ensuring the comprehensive development of inclusive education.

Master’s Programs in Russia: Four Paths of Future Development

The publication raises the question of the role of master’s degree in the system of modern higher education. Based on a survey of opinions (three-party survey) of key stakeholder groups (employers; students in higher education programs; managers of master’s degree programs; master’s degree teachers), the authors consider possible options for developing master’s degree as one of the key stages of higher education in Russia. The authors conclude that university development programs in the field of master’s degree education should be designed taking into account the high level of uncertainty in the external environment, which means that they should provide for scenario modeling of the future of the entire scientific and educational ecosystem. The study uses the classification of four types of the future labor market (“technological world”, “world of social responsibility”, “world of entrepreneurship” and “world of corporations”) as the main hypothesis about the options for such scenario planning. The study results are visualized in the form of a roadmap for the strategic development of the Russian master’s degree programs, highlighting key trends for each of the development options. The practical result of the study was the identification of the main “gaps” in the positions of stakeholders on the status of the master’s degree program and effective models of its implementation. The conclusions and results of the publication will be interesting for the purposes of the university strategic management, the formation of a development strategy for the master’s degree, as well as the development of special programs for interaction with employers and students.

Digital Footprint in the Educational Environment as a Regulator of Student Vocational Guidance to the Teaching Profession

The article is devoted to the digital footprint in education as a method of improving the career guidance of students of pedagogical higher education at all stages of their theoretical and practical training. The article discusses approaches to students’ career guidance and pedagogical orientation based on the analysis of their digital footprint in the learning environment and external resources. The review of researches in collecting, analysing and interpreting students’ digital footprint and in career guidance of future teachers is provided. Moreover, the article outlines preliminary adjustments to the concept of vocational guidance to the teaching profession in a digital learning environment. The authors analyse the possibility of using the technology of fixing and interpreting various digital data to manage the process of gradual development of career guidance grounded in the actualization of pedagogical orientation. As a result, the authors conclude that the use of digital footprint brings the process of students’ vocational guidance to the teaching profession to a new quality level by regulating the pedagogical orientation of future teachers and identifies areas of their professional interests and motives in order to individualize professional training. The practical result is a section «Vocational guidance» in the personal account of the pedagogical university student

Smoothing Skeleton Avatar Visualizations Using Signal Processing Technology

Movements of a person can be recorded with a mobile camera and visualized as sequences of stick figures for assessments in health and elderly care, physio-therapy, and sports. However, since the visualizations flicker due to noisy input data, the visualizations themselves and even whole assessment applications are not trusted in general. The present paper evaluates different filters for smoothing the movement visualizations but keeping their validity for a visual physio-therapeutic assessment. It evaluates variants of moving average, high-pass, and Kalman filters with different parameters. Moreover, it presents a framework for the quantitative evaluation of smoothness and validity. As these two criteria are contradicting, the framework also allows to weight them differently and to automatically find the correspondingly best-fitting filter and its parameters. Different filters can be recommended for different weightings of smoothness and validity. The evaluation framework is applicable in more general contexts and with more filters than the three filters assessed. However, as a practical result of this work, a suitable filter for stick figure visualizations in a mobile application for assessing movement quality could be selected and used in a mobile app. The application is now more trustworthy and used by medical and sports experts, and end customers alike.