Fostering Student Engagement and Oral Practise in an Online French Course During COVID-19

Effective foreign language learning requires students to be engaged and to interact with the teacher and peer students in the target language during class. How can this be achieved effectively when the course is suddenly moved online? This chapter reports on the implementation of a Business French course in a business school in Norway using the flipped classroom method online during COVID-19. The author designed the course focusing on two key elements: fostering student engagement and creating a space for oral practise. Several measures were implemented: grammar and vocabulary lessons were moved out of class time, classes were synchronous and not recorded with activities in breakout rooms, and digital lunches were held to build a sense of community. The chapter provides an empirical case of course adaptation and draws on this experience to offer some recommendations that other foreign language teachers can use to implement an engaging course online.

Is My Classroom Flipped? Using Process Mining to Avoid Subjective Perception

Flipped classroom is an active learning method that encourages students to access study material prior to class time. Ensuring the flipping process took place, understanding how it occurred, and verifying whether it produced positive results has been a challenge for lecturers. In this article, we analyze a flipped classroom scenario through process mining techniques. Process mining was applied to an event log provided by a learning management system that supported a particular undergraduate course offering. The outcomes provide evidence for the flip of the classroom, adding precision and reliability to lecturer analyses.

As Time Goes By: Effects of Basal Chronotype and School Timing on Chronotype Development During Adolescence

The misalignment between late chronotypes and early school start times affect health, performance and psychological well-being of adolescents. Here we test whether, and how, the basal chronotype (i.e. chronotype at the beginning of secondary school) and the school timing affect the magnitude and the direction of the developmental change in chronotype during adolescence. We evaluated a sample of Argentinian students (n=259) who were randomly assigned to attend school in the morning (07:45am-12:05pm), afternoon (12:40pm-05:00pm) or evening (05:20pm-09:40pm) school timings. Importantly, chronotype and sleep habits were assessed longitudinally in the same group of students along secondary school (at 13-14 y.o. and 17-18 y.o.). Our results show that: (1) although chronotypes partially align with class time, this effect is insufficient to fully account for the differences observed in sleep-related variables between school timings; (2) both school timing and basal chronotype independently affect the direction and the magnitude of chronotype change, with greater delays associated with earlier basal chronotypes and later school timings. The practical implications of these results are challenging and should be considered in the design of future educational timing policies to improve adolescents’ well-being.

Relationship Between Clusters of Chronic Conditions and Disability Trajectories

Recent evidence shows that more complex clusters of chronic conditions are associated with poorer health outcomes. Less clear is the extent to which these clusters are associated with different types of disability (basic and instrumental activities of daily living (ADL, IADL) and functional mobility (FM)) over time. This was a longitudinal analysis using the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) (n = 6,179). Using latent class analysis, we determined the optimal clusters of chronic conditions, then assigned each person to a best-fit class. Next, we used mixed-effects models with repeated measures to examine the effects of group (best-fit class), time (years from baseline), and the group by time interaction on each of the outcomes in separate models over 4 years. We identified 5 chronic condition clusters: “multisystem morbidity” (13.9% of the sample), “diabetes” (39.5%), “osteoporosis” (24.9%), “cardio/stroke/cancer” (4.5%), and “minimal disease” (17.3%). Group by time interaction was not significant for any outcome. For ADL outcome, only time was significant (F3,16249 = 224.72, p < .001). For IADL, both group (F4,5403 = 6.62, p < .001) and time (F3,22622 = 3.87, p = .009) were significant. For FM, both group (F4,5920 = 2.96, p = .02) and time were significant (F3,16381 = 213.41, p < .001). We did not find evidence that any cluster experienced greater increases in disability over time, but all clusters containing multiple chronic conditions had risk of IADL and FM disability. Increased screening for IADL and FM disability could identify early disability and prevent decline.

Flipping the classroom

This article describes one approach to flipping an introductory sociology course. To encourage students to practice ‘doing’ sociology, we designed a flipped classroom that included a ‘pay to play’ model, small group work and an emphasis on active learning during class time. With this course design, we linked in-class active learning with outside prework so that students could engage with critical sociological concepts and apply those concepts in practice. With this flipped design, the instructors observed that students were deeply engaged with the course topics and expressed positive perceptions of their learning and growth over the semester. As the landscape of university instruction shifts, this course design model may assist instructors looking to foster active and engaged learning remotely.

ПІДГОТОВКА МАЙБУТНІХ БАКАЛАВРІВ БЕЗПЕКИ ДЕРЖАВНОГО КОРДОНУ З ВИКОРИСТАННЯМ ТЕХНОЛОГІЙ ДИСТАНЦІЙНОГО НАВЧАННЯ

У статті узагальнюється практичний досвід підготовки майбутніх бакалаврів безпеки державного кордону з використанням технологій дистанційного навчання. Актуальність дослідження полягає в необхідності оптимізувати та покращити методику проведення всіх видів занять у дистанційному форматі для набуття курсантами умінь і навичок, необхідних для виконання завдань на офіцерських посадах. Проведення практичних занять з військово-спеціальних дисциплін у порівнянні з дисциплінами загальнонаукового блоку має певну специфіку, оскільки вимагає присутності на занятті викладача як офіцера-практика, здатного спрямувати роботу курсантів на досягнення визначених програмних результатів навчання. Зазначені особливості вимагають широкого застосування інноваційних підходів до викладання військово-спеціальних дисциплін. Наведено характеристику програмного забезпечення, яке найбільш активно використовується для проведення занять з військово-спе-ціальних дисциплін в online режимі (Moodle, Zoom, Google Class time та Google Meet). На прикладі навчальної дисципліни “Прикордонна служба” та з використанням технічних можливостей інтерактивної панелі Newline TruTouch обґрунтовано методику проведення практичних занять з використанням технологій дистанційного навчання. Наведено особливості самостійної підготовки; вступної, основної та заключної частини практичного заняття в дистанційному форматі. Визначено що, для того, щоб продуктивно використовувати час, виділений для проведення занять у дистанційному режимі, викладачам необхідно постійно розробляти цікаві навчально-методичні матеріали, відеоролики, практичні завдання, різнорівневі тестові завдання тощо. Використання сучасних технологій дистанційного навчання під час підготовки майбутніх бакалаврів безпеки державного кордону створює реальні можливості підвищення якості їх навчання, забезпечення готовності випускників до виконання завдань з охорони та захисту державного кордону. В умовах прогнозованого продовження карантинних заходів саме технологічна трансформація освітнього середовища стане безперечним підґрунтям для досягнення курсантами програмних результатів навчання.

Anomaly detection in multi-class time series

For modern operation and maintenance systems, they are usually required to monitor multiple types and large quantities of machine’s key performance indicators (KPIs) at the same time with limited resources. In this paper, to tackle these problems, we propose a highly compatible time series anomaly detection model based on K-means clustering algorithm with a new Wavelet Feature Distance (WFD). Our work is inspired by some ideas from image processing and signal processing domain. Our model detects abnormalities in the time series datasets which are first clustered by K-means to boost the accuracy. Our experiments show significant accuracy improvements compared with traditional algorithms, and excellent compatibilities and operating efficiencies compared with algorithms based on deep learning.

RESEARCH OF PSYCHODIDACTIC PARAMETERS OF THE EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT IN TYPICAL BUILDINGS OF MOSCOW SCHOOLS

Системное исследование образовательной среды предоставляет возможность выявления точек роста и дефицитов при проектировании и развитии образовательной среды. Инструменты, предполагающие ее комплексное изучение, могут быть представлены физическими, психодидактическими и социальными компонентами. Рассматриваются результаты исследования образовательной среды в школьных зданиях трех типовых проектов (проект серии МЮ, проект 65-426/1, проект И-1577А) в контексте обогащенности образовательного процесса, разнообразия форм и методов преподавания и содержания образовательного процесса. На основе проведенного исследования было выявлено, что в образовательных целях редко используется пространство рекреаций, школьных музеев и библиотек, отсутствует возможность трансформации учебного пространства, основной ресурс школьной территории заключается в использовании пришкольной территории как спортивной площадки в урочное и внеурочное время, для исследованной выборки характерен кабинетный тип организации, что «диктует» реализацию форматов обучения, характерных для классно-урочной системы, имеются ограничения для организации проектного обучения. Systematic study of the educational environment provides an opportunity to identify growth points and deficits in the design and development of the educational environment. Tools that involve a comprehensive study of it can be represented by physical, psychodidactic and social components. This article examines the results of the study of the educational environment in school buildings of three standard projects (the project of the MU series, project 65-426 / 1, project I-1577A) in the context of the enrichment of the educational process, the diversity of forms and methods of teaching and the content of the educational process. Based on the conducted research, it was revealed that: for educational purposes, except for the classroom, the space of recreation areas, school museums and libraries is rarely used; there is no possibility of transforming the educational space into small, medium and large, there is no transformable furniture; the main resource of the school territory, as a rule, is the use of the school territory as a sports ground during regular and extra-curricular hours; there is rarely a cluster and open type of organization of educational spaces, in general, the study sample is characterized by a cabinet type of organization, which «dictates» the implementation of learning formats characteristic of the class-time system; there are restrictions for the organization of project training.

Roles matter: Graduate student perceptions of active learning in the STEM courses they take and those they teach

Despite many calls to reform undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education to incorporate active learning into classes, there has been little attention paid to graduate level classrooms or courses taught by graduate students. Here, we set out to understand if and how STEM graduate students’ perceptions of active learning change in the classes they take versus those they teach. We found that graduate students had taken relatively few graduate level classes using active learning and they felt that more time should be devoted to active learning in the courses they were taking. Teaching assistants felt that they were devoting the right amount of class time to active learning in the classes they taught. Graduate students also felt that they were using teaching methods in the classes they taught that were different from those they thought should be used when teaching undergraduates and were different from how they preferred to learn when taking classes.

Flipping the “Learning Skills” Course during COVID-19: A Mixed-Modality Study

The purpose of this study was to compare the male and female medical students’ perceptions of the flipped classroom (FC) using the Zoom online platform during the COVID-19 pandemic. A mixedmodality study proceeded for first-year undergraduate medical students (n = 149). Three topics (learning how to learn, stress management and doctor-patient communication) were flipped using the Zoom platform. Following the flipping, relevant videos and PowerPoint slides were sent to the students. Home assignments were done through the online classroom. The students were then made to answer a questionnaire on their perceptions of FC consisting of 5-point Likert items. In addition, a focus group discussion (FGD) was carried out with voluntary participation (n = 13) for an in-depth discussion of flipped teaching. The quantitative data were analysed using the independent t-test, and Atlas.ti was used to analyse the qualitative data. For most of the Likert statements, there was no significant difference (p > 0.05) between the mean results obtained by the male and female students. For example, for the item “The learning material was available before class time”, both the male (mean [SD] = 1.857 [0.443]) and female (mean [SD] = 1.966 [0.365]) respondents confirmed the learning material’s availability before class time (p = 0.121). However, the mean result obtained by the male respondents for the variable “I understood the topics in lesser time compared to the traditional lecture method” was higher than the mean result obtained by the female participants by 0.236, which was statistically significant (95% CI [0.373, –0.100], p = 0.001). Modified FC teaching for the “learning skills” course is thus an effective teaching method. The male students took significantly lesser time understanding the three included topics compared to the female students.