Browsing by Subject "Learning environments"

Now showing 1 - 9 of 9

Open Access
The effect of competition on learning in games
(Pergamon Press, 2015) Cagiltay, N. E.; Ozcelik, E.; Ozcelik, N. S.
Today serious games are having an important impact on areas other than entertainment. Studies show that serious games have a potential of creating learning environments to better reach the educational and training goals. The game design characteristics and game elements are need to be explored in detail for increasing the expected benefits of the gaming environments. In this study, the effect of competition, one of the design elements of game environments, on learning is analyzed experimentally. The study is conducted with 142 students. The results of this study show that when a competition environment is created in a serious game, motivation and post-test scores of learners improve significantly. The results of this study are expected to guide the serious game designers for improving the potential benefits of serious games. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd.
Open Access
The effect of uncertainty on learning in game-like environments
(Pergamon Press, 2013) Ozcelik, E.; Cagiltay, N. E.; Ozcelik, N. S.
Considering the role of games for educational purposes, there has an increase in interest among educators in applying strategies used in popular games to create more engaging learning environments. Learning is more fun and appealing in digital educational games and, as a result, it may become more effective. However, few research studies have been conducted to establish principles based on empirical research for designing engaging and entertaining games so as to improve learning. One of the essential characteristics of games that has been unexplored in the literature is the concept of uncertainty. This study examines the effect of uncertainty on learning outcomes. In order to better understand this effect on learning, a game-like learning tool was developed to teach a database concept in higher education programs of software engineering. The tool is designed in two versions: one including uncertainty and the other including no uncertainty. The experimental results of this study reveal that uncertainty enhances learning. Uncertainty is found to be positively associated with motivation. As motivation increases, participants tend to spend more time on answering the questions and to have higher accuracy in these questions. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Open Access
Effects of different seating arrangements on learning experience : the case of medium sized lecture settings in Bilkent University
(2014) Hilal, Ümmüşan Selin
The aim of this study is to understand and compare effects of different seating arrangements on attention, concentration, participation and learning satisfaction in medium sized lecture settings in higher education. The study also aims to examine seating preferences in terms of territoriality and personal space. Two types of seating arrangements which are conventional straight row arrangement and U- Shape arrangement were compared. The investigation was conducted in the Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design, at Bilkent University. The sample group of the study was same in both seating arrangements. The study was conducted eight times: four times with traditional row arrangement and 4 times with U- shape arrangement. Analysis of physical space, direct and indirect observations and questionnaire were used as techniques. Firstly, the sample group was observed in traditional row arrangement and then U- Shape arrangement. Both lectures and discussion tasks were given to the sample group in both arrangements to understand their effects on students’ attention, concentration and participation. In addition to these, while respondents were being observed, photographs and videos were also taken and they were analyzed later. After the observations, a questionnaire was given iii to the group and descriptive statistics was done with SPSS 21.0 (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences). It was found that students tend to be more attentive and more concentrated on the lecture in straight row arrangement and they tend to participate more actively in U- Shape arrangement of the lecture room. The observations coincided with the students’ perception on these aspects as shown by their responses of the questionnaire. In terms of space use and preferences the research shows that if students want to concentrate more, they seem to choose seats where they are closer to instructor. Finally, it was seen that students tend to be more tolerant in terms personal space when they sit next to their close friends.
Open Access
The effects of the design and organization of learning environments on creativity : the case of two sixth grade art-rooms
(2000-05) Hasırcı, Deniz
This study analyzes the effects of the design and organization of learning evironments on creativity. Two types of organization -flexibility and grouping- inside the learning environment are influential on students' creativity, and this study aims to find which organization has more impact and in what ways. Furthermore, it dwells upon the physical characteristics that provoke students' interest and motivation, and that provide the ground for creativity to flourish on, in a learning environment. The four elements of creativity -the person, process, product, and environment- come together to clearly and completely define creativity; these four elements form the structure of the research. Two sixth grade art rooms have been chosen as the setting. one organized according to the idea of flexibility, and the other on grouping. Art rooms have been chosen because creativity can be more readily observed in art compared to other fields, and this age group has been chosen as children in this age group are at the peak point of creativity. After this age, creativity either stays at the same level or starts to diminish with the effects of social rules and regulations; thus results would be more informative. Questionnaires for the students and teachers; observations of each child, her/his creative process, product, and the characteristics of the art-room; and a 1/20 model of the desired art-room made by each student, were assessed in order to be able to form a complete picture of creativity in each art room. The main objective of the research was to obtain results that would define which characteristics -physical and social- enhance creativity in a learning environment. These characteristics are analyzed, the two schools are compared, and further research is proposed according to the findings.
Open Access
How k-12 students search for learning?: analysis of an educational search engine log
(ACM, 2014-07) Usta, Arif; Altıngövde, İsmail Şengör; Vidinli, İ. B.; Özcan, R.; Ulusoy, Özgür
In this study, we analyze an educational search engine log for shedding light on K-12 students' search behavior in a learning environment. We specially focus on query, session, user and click characteristics and compare the trends to the findings in the literature for general web search engines. Our analysis helps understanding how students search with the purpose of learning in an educational vertical, and reveals new directions to improve the search performance in the education domain. Copyright 2014 ACM.
Open Access
Managing international student collaborations: An experience report
(IEEE, 2012) Cajander, A.; Daniels, M.; Kultur, Can; Dag, Lori Russell; Laxer, C.
Knowledge and experience from working in international collaborative projects prepares engineering students for their future careers in a global market. Hence this is an important element in higher education, although seldom pr ovide d in the c urr ic ulu m. O ne r e as o n f or this la c k mi g ht be uncertainty in how to manage international collaborations and to create a good learning environment for the development of skills related to international collaborations. Therefore this article describes our experiences from managing international student collaborations including theoretical underpinning for our choices when relevant. Having given the context of, and the strategies for running our tw o collaborations, we provide an analysis of our experiences. This includes observations of differences in the two collaborations, both when due to use of different strategies and when due to different contexts, as well as observations of similarities. With this in mind, we present recommendations for running international student collaborations. © 2012 IEEE.
Open Access
Project selection in the design studio: absence of learning environments
(Routledge, 2010-06) Basa, I.
Project selection is an essential matter of design teaching. Based on observations of a specifi c curriculum, the author claims that a wide repertoire of subjects including offi ces, restaurants, hotels, and other public places are used to prepare design students, but that schools and other "learning environments/schools" are similarly ignored. Considering this, the study unfolds reasons why interior design studios do not assign "learning environments" as design projects. Moreover, it analyzes a specifi c learning environment, in terms of its considerable scope and adequate complexity, as a design problem. © Kappa Delta Pi.
Open Access
Recognizing daily and sports activities in two open source machine learning environments using body-worn sensor units
(Oxford University Press, 2014-11) Barshan, B.; Yüksek, M. C.
This study provides a comparative assessment on the different techniques of classifying human activities performed while wearing inertial and magnetic sensor units on the chest, arms and legs. The gyroscope, accelerometer and the magnetometer in each unit are tri-axial. Naive Bayesian classifier, artificial neural networks (ANNs), dissimilarity-based classifier, three types of decision trees, Gaussian mixture models (GMMs) and support vector machines (SVMs) are considered. A feature set extracted from the raw sensor data using principal component analysis is used for classification. Three different cross-validation techniques are employed to validate the classifiers. A performance comparison of the classifiers is provided in terms of their correct differentiation rates, confusion matrices and computational cost. The highest correct differentiation rates are achieved with ANNs (99.2%), SVMs (99.2%) and a GMM (99.1%). GMMs may be preferable because of their lower computational requirements. Regarding the position of sensor units on the body, those worn on the legs are the most informative. Comparing the different sensor modalities indicates that if only a single sensor type is used, the highest classification rates are achieved with magnetometers, followed by accelerometers and gyroscopes. The study also provides a comparison between two commonly used open source machine learning environments (WEKA and PRTools) in terms of their functionality, manageability, classifier performance and execution times. © 2013 © The British Computer Society 2013. All rights reserved.
Open Access
Virtual chemistry laboratory: effect of constructivist learning environment
(Anadolu Universitesi, 2012) Tatli, Z.; Ayas, A.
The lab applications, which were started to be applied through mid 19th century, not only provide a new point of view but also bring about a new dimension to the lessons. At early times they were used to prove theoretical knowledge but lately they turned into environments where students freely discover knowledge as an individual or in groups. The activities that have come up with the recent form of labs substantially contributed to training ideal students for constructivist approach, who research, inquire, test, seek solutions, wear scientist shoes and deeply reason about the concept of concern. However, on the present stage of our educational system, these activities cannot be included in science lessons for several reasons. At that point virtual labs emerged as an alternative solution for the problems of the instruction in science courses. Thanks to virtual labs presenting different disciplines in a flexible manner, the interaction between the teacher and the learner become 7/24 independent from time and place. This article presents a study that provides insight in the appropriateness of Virtual and real laboratory applications on constructivist learning environment using interactive virtual chemistry laboratory (VCL) development was used in academic year of 2009-2010 for a six week period. The sample of this quasi-experimental study was 90 students from three different 9th grade classrooms of an Anatolian Secondary school in the center of Trabzon city. The student groups were randomly attained as one experimental and two control groups. The data collection tools of the study were; questionnaire of teaching philosophy (QTP), Semi-structured interviews and unstructured observations. The results showed that virtual chemistry laboratory software was just as effective as real chemistry laboratory and it positively affected the facilitating of constructivist learning environment. It was determined that the students in experimental group conducted the experiments as precise as the real ones; they felt themselves safe during the experiments; they could relate the experiments with daily life; they had the opportunity to investigate both macro-molecular and symbolical dimensions of the experiments. It was speculated that using virtual chemistry laboratories as a supportive complement in education will become an indispensable instructional material in terms of both the economy of the nation and the persistency of the learning.