Meaning Making with Multiple Representations: a Case Study of a Preservice Teacher Creating a Digital Explanation

The construction of dynamic multimedia products requires the selection and integration of a range of semiotic resources. As an assessment task for preservice teachers, this construction process is complex but has significant potential for learning. To investigate how weaving together multiple representations in such tasks enables learners to develop conceptual understanding, the paper presents an indicative case study of a 2nd-year preservice primary (K-6) teacher who created a digital explanation on the topic of ‘transparency’ for stage 3 children (ages 11–12). We focus on data gathered during the 3-h construction process including artefacts such as images, online searches, websites accessed and paper records used for planning; the digital explanation as product; audio and video capture of the construction process and pre- and post-construction interviews. Using multimodal analysis, we examine these data to understand how meanings are negotiated as the maker moves iteratively among multiple representations and through semiotic choices within these representations to explain the science concept. The analyses illustrate the complexity of the construction process while providing insight into the creator’s decision-making and to her developing semiotic and conceptual understandings. These findings allow us to build on the concept of cumulative semiotic progression (Hoban & Nielsen, Research in Science Education, 35, 1101-1119, 2013) by explicating the role of iterative reasoning in the production of pedagogic multimedia.

Multiple perspectives integration for virtual reality-aided assemblability assessment in narrow assembly spaces

Virtual reality (VR) has been proved as a promising tool for industrial design, but the traditional VR interface of first-person perspective (1PP) is not efficient to support assemblability assessment in narrow assembly spaces. In this paper, we proposed the multi-perspectives interface (MPI) which integrates the 1PP and the third-person perspective (3PP) using the handheld world-in-miniature (WIM). The MPI allows users to simulate the assembly operations in a natural manner similar to 1PP, while providing users with an overview of the assembly status through the WIM to assess the assemblability with superior spatial awareness. Two studies were conducted to test the performance of the proposed MPI. The first study tested user’s interaction performance in MPI using a common interaction task, which reveals stronger spatial awareness in MPI than in 1PP without the cost of losing natural interaction. Based on the results of the first study, the second study tested the performance, usability, and workload of MPI in an assemblability assessment task. The results show the advantages of MPI in the reachability evaluation in the narrow spaces. The main contribution of this paper is improving the interface and user-interface interaction in VR-aided assembly assessment system to improve user’s interaction performance and assessment ability in narrow assembly spaces.

Modern principles of developing the subtest “Reading and Use of Language” of the TORFL-II

The article is devoted to the topical problem of modern principles of developing tests of Russian as a foreign language (RFL), taking into account the world experience. The purpose of the article is to summarize the modern principles of language test development and to show how they are implemented in the new tests of Russian as a foreign language. The materials of the article include the research papers of Russian and foreign authors in the sphere of methodology over the past 20 years, as well as modern formats of testing in foreign languages. At the first stage of the study, general scientific methods of generalization, systematization and structuring were used. At the second phase, a new format of the RFL test Reading and Use of Language (B2) was modelled, combining language and communication competence testing. At the third stage, an experiment was conducted to test the new format. 48 foreign master students studying the program Russian Language and Russian Culture in the Aspect of Russian as a Foreign Language in Saint Petersburg State University took part in the experiment. It was concluded that the modern language test, in accordance with the basic cognitive and communicative principle of learning and control, should be based on the following principles: testing skills in different types of speech activities mainly on the text material; interdependence between the type of the task and the speech genre of the text being created/used in the task; basing on a linguistic and didactic description of the communicative competence level; integrative approach; using different types of test tasks within one subtest; the principle of increasing complexity of tasks; taking into account the complexity of each task in its assessment; task feasibility according to students educational level; taking into account the values of the multicultural world; taking into account international experience; basing on reliability and validity criteria of test tasks. These principles implemented in the new TORFL-II subtest format Reading and Use of Language are presented in the article. The implementation of modern test principles should ensure that all speech control facilities are systematically allocated to the appropriate level and parameters for their assessment. The above-mentioned principles of test creation and the example of their implementation can be taken as the basis of a full-fledged system of control and measurement materials based on linguistic and didactical descriptions of each level.

Performance Assessment Task: A Point of Reference for Science Teachers - this Pandemic and Beyond

The pursuit for quality education, including that in the basic education levels, for sustainable development is clearly described in the Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), one of the17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the UN. Accordingly, to equip students, with knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values they'll need to face the difficulties along with sustainable development, there is a need to update some processes currently utilized in science teaching and learning. For this reason, alternative activities and assessment methods, like the use of performance task assessment is needed to improve both the quality of teaching and to provide a meaningful learning experience to students. The purpose of this study was to provide relevant information from extant literature and a sample performance task assessment to encourage Science teachers to utilize these information in their classes. To achieve this purpose, significant information about performance task assessment and an original performance task assessment were presented. The use of performance assessment task is one alternative method to develop critical thinking skills, and to provide an education that is truly relevant to every student in the light of today’s challenges, like the pandemic. It could provide authentic and meaningful learning experience to students, and is very relevant in the context of coping with the challenges the science teachers have been facing. With the many pieces of evidence on its effectiveness and positive learning experience by students provided by literature, it is certain that the use of performance assessment task in Science classes cannot be overemphasized.

Aligning the Language Criteria of a Group Oral Test to the CEFR: The Case of a Formal Meeting Assessment in an English for Occupational Purposes Classroom

The Malaysian Education Blueprint (MEB) 2015-2025 has set in motion efforts from all stages of education to align programs, courses, and syllabuses to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) benchmark. This exercise has brought on major revamps in all aspects of English language education in the nation. This study will present such an undertaking in a public university in Malaysia and detail how the language criteria for an oral group test of an English for Occupational Purposes course have been aligned to the stipulated CEFR level. The actual assessment task involved groups of four or five students conducting a meeting of their established company. Data for the study came from an analysis of the audio recordings of nine group meetings, along with post-assessment interviews and focus group discussions involving three EOP instructors. Based on the data analysis, this study recommends a revised set of language criteria for the assessment. Furthermore, it demonstrates how an alignment of the scoring criteria with the descriptors of the targeted CEFR scale can be achieved through a systematic comparison of the language functions (LFs) produced in the meeting task to the targeted CEFR descriptor scales. The revised language component for the meeting assessment could help ease instructors’ assessment of students interactional skills and allow them to gauge better their students’ attainment of the skills required in a formal meeting context.

Proses Penilaian Prestasi Kerja Pegawai Negeri Sipil Pada Kantor Unit Penyelenggara Bandar Udara

The purpose of the study was to analyze the identification of the process in the SWOT strategy which was carried out in improving employee performance appraisal, at the Karel Sadsuitubun Airport Organizing Unit office. This research is qualitative research with a focused case study approach. Data was collected through in-depth open interviews, observation, and documentation. The data analysis technique is limited by using SWOT analysis (Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats Analysis) so that the structure and strategic level of these factors can be known. From the results of data presentation and data analysis, it can be concluded that the performance appraisal of officers at Karel Sadsuitubun Airport has referred to the applicable regulations and in terms of improving Leadership Competence in carrying out the assessment, it is carried out through training or workshops.Keywords: Evaluation, Process, Assessment, Task Achievement

A Proportional Sentiment Analysis of MOOCs Course Reviews Using Supervised Learning Algorithms

When anyone is looking to enroll for a freely available online course so the first and famous name comes in front of the searcher is MOOC courses. So here in this article our focus is to collect the comments by enrolled users for the specified MOOC course and apply sentiment analysis over that data. The significance of our article is to introduce a proficient sentiment analysis algorithm with high perceptive execution in MOOC courses, by seeking after the standards of gathering various supervised learning methods where the performance of various supervised machine learning algorithms in performing sentiment analysis of MOOC data. Some research questions have been addressed on sentiment analysis of MOOC data. For the assessment task, we have investigated a large no of MOOC courses, with the different Supervised Learning methods and calculated accuracy of the data by using parameters such as Precision, Recall and F1 Score. From the results we can conclude that when the bigram model was applied to the logistic regression, the Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) overcomes the accuracy by other algorithms as SVM, Naive Bayes and achieved an accuracy of 92.44 percent. To determine the sentiment polarity of a sentence, the suggested method use term frequency (No of Positive, Negative terms in the text) to calculate the sentiment polarity of the text. We use a logistic regression Function to predict the sentiment classification accuracy of positive and negative comments from the data.

Using Digital Speech Assessments to Detect Early Signs of Cognitive Impairment

Detecting early signs of cognitive decline is crucial for early detection and treatment of Alzheimer's Disease. Most of the current screening tools for Alzheimer's Disease represent a significant burden, requiring invasive procedures, or intensive and costly clinical testing. Recent findings have highlighted changes to speech and language patterns that occur in Alzheimer's Disease, and may be detectable prior to diagnosis. Automated tools to assess speech have been developed that can be used on a smartphone or tablet, from one's home, in under 10 min. In this study, we present the results of a study of older adults who completed a digital speech assessment task over a 6-month period. Participants were grouped according to those who scored above (N = 18) or below (N = 18) the recommended threshold for detecting cognitive impairment on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and those with diagnoses of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or early Alzheimer's Disease (AD) (N = 14). Older adults who scored above the MoCA threshold had better performance on speech composites reflecting language coherence, information richness, syntactic complexity, and word finding abilities. Those with MCI and AD showed more rapid decline in the coherence of language from baseline to 6-month follow-up, suggesting that this score may be useful both for detecting cognitive decline and monitoring change over time. This study demonstrates that automated speech assessments have potential as sensitive tools to detect early signs of cognitive impairment and monitor progression over time.