Education and training system post Covid-19: results from a probability model to measure students’ learning performance

The Covid-19 affected people regardless of nationality, level of education, income or gender. However, students from privileged backgrounds, supported by their parents could find their way past closed school doors to alternative learning opportunities. This crisis has exposed the many inadequacies and inequalities in our education systems. This article presents the GPU System as a tool for collecting, managing and monitoring. The PON 2014/2020 For the School has been conceived for achieving an intelligent, equal, sustainable, and inclusive growth. In order to measure the learnings performance of students, a probability model was implemented to measure performance improvement. The data refer to the grades attributed to students before and after the delivery of the educational activities. Results show that the probability of registering a training success triggered by the training course is greater for the foreign languages area, generating inclusion and social integration mechanisms, as well as mediation and intercultural understanding. Il sistema di istruzione e di formazione dopo il Covid-19: risultati da un modello per misurare gli apprendimenti degli studenti. Il Covid-19 ha colpito tutti gli individui indipendentemente dalla nazionalità, dal livello di istruzione, dal reddito o dal genere. Tuttavia, gli studenti provenienti da ambienti privilegiati, supportati dai loro genitori hanno potuto intravedere più agevolmente la loro strada oltre le porte chiuse della scuola verso opportunità di apprendimento alternative. Questa crisi ha messo in luce le molte inadeguatezze e disuguaglianze nei nostri sistemi educativi. In questo studio si presenta il Sistema GPU come strumento di raccolta, gestione e monitoraggio. In tale contesto si inserisce il PON 2014/2020 Per la Scuola, concepito per realizzare una crescita intelligente, equa, sostenibile e inclusiva. Al fine di misurare le performance degli apprendimenti degli studenti è stato implementato un modello di probabilità finalizzato a misurare il successo formativo. I dati si riferiscono alle votazioni attribuite agli studenti prima e dopo l’azione formativa. I risultati mostrano come la probabilità di registrare un successo formativo generato dal percorso formativo intrapreso sia maggiore per l’area relativa alle lingue straniere, generando meccanismi di inclusione ed integrazione sociale, nonché la mediazione e la comprensione interculturale.

Training Challenges for Effectively Implementing a Technology Clinical Trial: A Snapshot From PRISM 2.0

Technology interventions can only be adequately assessed for efficacy if participants are adequately trained to use the technology. Only then can an evaluation be made about whether the technology intervention affects the outcome of interest. In the PRISM study, our goal was to teach inexperienced older adults to use either a tablet computer (control) or the PRISM 2.0 system. In this presentation we will discuss the training processes we used for both groups (e.g., segmenting sessions, providing homework, observations), to enable us to evaluate the relative benefits of PRISM for social connectedness. We will describe the training challenges and the need for assessors to be able to troubleshoot technology issues. We will evaluate individual differences in training success and drop-outs to provide insights for other technology intervention studies. Understanding these individual differences can provide guidance for the deployment of new technologies that may benefit health, social interaction, or cognitive engagement.

Prediction of renewable energy consumption for future world by using artificial neural networks

Artificial intelligence has proven itself in many areas in combating complex and challenging problems. In this study, the estimation of the use of artificial neural networks in long term renewable energy consumption was undertaken. The study proposes an artificial intelligence predicting energy consumption and energy needs of houses and buildings in the future by using feedback artificial neural networks. In this study, "Google Project Sunroof-Solar Panel Power Consumption Offset Estimate" data set is used. With the database, artificial intelligence has been obtained by using artificial neural networks with feedback. The training of the artificial intelligence obtained was completed with 7999 samples with 25 different categories. This database, which Google collects, is obtained at high costs, so it is not possible for everyone to access such and its bases. Our artificial intelligence with feedback artificial neural network obtained a high percentage for training success. Validation success was high and test success was high too. Keywords: Artificial Neural Networks; Energy Consumption; Energy; Renewable Energy

Cross-CTSA Evaluation of KL2 Scholars' Scholarly Productivity Using Bibliometrics and Federal Follow-on Funding (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Evaluating outcomes of a Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) hub’s clinical and translational research (CTR) training (e.g., KL2 program) requires selecting reliable, accessible, and standardized measures. Since measures of scholarly success usually focus on publication output and extramural funding, CTSA hubs have started to use bibliometrics to evaluate the impact of their supported scholarly activities. However, the evaluation of KL2 programs across CTSAs is limited, and the use of bibliometrics and follow-on funding is minimal. OBJECTIVE This study sought to evaluate scholarly productivity, impact, and collaboration using bibliometrics and federal follow-on funding of KL2 scholars from three CTSA hubs and define and assess CTR training success indicators. METHODS The sample included KL2 scholars from three CTSA institutions (A-C). Bibliometric data for each scholar in the sample were collected from both SciVal and iCite, including scholarly productivity, citation impact, and research collaboration. Three federal follow-on funding measures (at the five-year, eight-year, and overall time point) were collected internally and confirmed by examining NIH RePORTER. Both descriptive and inferential statistical analysis were computed using SPSS to assess bibliometrics results and federal follow-on funding of KL2 scholars. RESULTS A total of 143 KL2 scholars were included in the sample with relatively equal groups across three CTSA institutions (A-C). The included KL2 scholars produced more publications and citation counts at the eight-year than the five-year time point (3.4 vs. 3.75 publications per year on average; 26.16 and 26.44 citations per year respectively). Overall, the KL2 publications from all three institutions were cited twice as much as others in their fields based on NIH Relative Citation Ratio. KL2 scholars published work with researchers from other US institutions over two times (five-year point) or three and a half times (eight-year point) more than others in their research fields. Within five-year and eight-year post-matriculation, 44% (n = 63) and 52% (n = 74) of KL2 scholars achieved federal funding respectively. Institution C's KL2-scholars had a significantly higher citation rate per publication than the other institutions (p < .001). Institution A had a significantly lower rate of nationally field-weighted collaboration compared to the other institutions (p < .001). Institution B Scholars were more likely to have received federal funding than scholars at Institution A or C (p < .001). CONCLUSIONS Multi-institutional data showed a high level of scholarly productivity, impact, collaboration, and federal follow-on funding achieved by KL2 scholars. This study provided insights on using bibliometric and federal follow-on funding data to evaluate CTR training success across institutions. CTSA KL2 programs and other CTR career training programs can benefit from these findings in terms of understanding metrics of career success and using that knowledge to develop highly targeted strategies to support early-stage CTR investigators' career development.

Special Training Program, Assessement of Hydration and Nutritional Status of Paragliding Athletes in Central Java

Paragliding is one of the extreme sports categories. Several factors that can affect paragliding athletes' achievements include physical fitness, ability to read wind direction, nutritional needs, and fluid needs. The methods used in this training are mentoring, creating special exercise programs, measuring and calculating nutritional status, and calculating the hydration status of athletes. Indicators of training success are measured using questionnaires given to athletes in the time before and after training. The results include: increased knowledge of special exercise programs, calculating and measuring nutritional status, and calculating the hydration status of paragliding athletes.

The click is not the trick: the efficacy of clickers and other reinforcement methods in training naïve dogs to perform new tasks

Background A handheld metal noisemaker known as a “clicker” is widely used to train new behaviors in dogs; however, evidence for their superior efficacy compared to providing solely primary reinforcement or other secondary reinforcers in the acquisition of novel behavior in dogs is largely anecdotal. Methods Three experiments were conducted to determine under what circumstances a clicker secondary reinforcer may result in acquisition of a novel behavior more rapidly or to a higher level compared to other readily available reinforcement methods. In Experiment 1, three groups of 30 dogs each were shaped to emit a novel sit and stay behavior of increasing duration with either the delivery of food alone, a verbal stimulus paired with food, or a clicker with food. The group that received only a primary reinforcer reached a significantly higher criterion of training success than the group trained with a verbal secondary reinforcer. Performance of the group experiencing a clicker as a secondary reinforcer was intermediate between the other two groups, but not significantly different from either. In Experiment 2, three groups of 25 dogs each were shaped to emit a nose targeting behavior and then perform that behavior at increasing distances from the experimenter using the same three methods of positive reinforcement as in Experiment 1. No statistically significant differences between the groups were found. In Experiment 3, three groups of 30 dogs each were shaped to emit a nose-targeting behavior upon an array of wooden blocks with task difficulty increasing throughout testing using the same three methods of positive reinforcement as previously tested. No statistically significant differences between the groups were found. Results Overall, the findings suggest that both primary reinforcement alone as well as a verbal or clicker secondary reinforcer can be used successfully in training a dog to perform a novel behavior, but that no positive reinforcement method demonstrated significantly greater efficacy than any other.

Improving Workforce Readiness Skills Among Community College Adult Learners Through New Technologies:

Employers report struggles to find work-ready candidates who possess a desired combination of job-specific technical, general math and reading, and social and behavioral skills. Community colleges are ideally situated to address these shortages, delivering a trained local labor force and often collaborating directly with employers and regional development boards to ensure the employability of their students and the economic vitality of their regions. One tactic to address these shortages is to introduce trainings geared directly toward soft and basic skill development. This paper presents case studies of two schools that use technology-enhanced trainings to incorporate work-readiness skill trainings in career technical education programs that are (1) flexible and learner-centric due to technology-enhanced delivery, and (2) use evidence-based assessment and intervention strategies to promote soft skill and literacy expectations. The trainings were provided by a non-profit education research and measurement company, which served as developer and research partner for the community colleges. Results demonstrate adult learner satisfaction and commitment with these blended learning and mobile technology solutions. Factors that facilitate training success, which include securing student buy-in and developing collaborative partnerships, are discussed.