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Microcredentials virtual conference

Microcredentials and Digital Badges in Higher Education

 

  • Cost and business model considerations
  • Different types of badging platforms and technology
  • How to partner with industry to deliver in-demand competencies
  • Considerations for monetizing microcredentials
  • Current issues impacting badges during COVID-19

Identifying Badges that Add Value to Your Institution
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Our faculty will establish a shared terminology, discuss the benefits and challenges of various badges, and explain how each type can advance the goals of your institution and best serve students. You will share your purposes for pursuing a badging initiative, identify the types of badges that could add the most value to your institution, and set goals for the conference.

Designing Quality Alternative Credentials
2:30 – 3:15 p.m.
What goes into developing, designing, assessing, and maintaining quality microcredentials? In this session, you will learn about:

  • Standardization and rigor in development
  • Curriculum design and assessment
  • Developing a governance process
  • Continuous maintenance and improvement

Funding and Monetizing Badges
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Many institutions are looking into badging as a potential revenue stream during lean times. During this hour, you will learn strategies for monetization. We will also look at various fee-based and tuition-based funding models to financially operationalize microcredentialing.

Marketing and Branding
1:30 – 2:15 p.m.
How do you articulate the value proposition of badges to internal and external stakeholders? During this session you will learn how to brand and market your microcredentials. You will study badge images and stacking considerations that will help you create the best design for your circumstances.

Jeff Bohrer

Technical PM, IMS Global Learning

Jeff currently serves as a program manager for digital credentials initiatives at IMS Global Learning Consortium. Jeff leads projects and programs related to digital badges, comprehensive learner records, and the interoperability of learning technologies. Jeff is also co-chair of the EDUCAUSE Microcredentials and Badges Constituent Group.

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More on microcredentials in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=microcredentials

virtual reality definition

This is an excerpt from my 2018 book chapter: https://www.academia.edu/41628237/Chapter_12_VR_AR_and_Video_360_A_Case_Study_Towards_New_Realities_in_Education_by_Plamen_Miltenoff 

Among a myriad of other definitions, Noor (2016) describes Virtual Reality (VR) as “a computer generated environment that can simulate physical presence in places in the real world or imagined worlds. The user wears a headset and through specialized software and sensors is immersed in 360-degree views of simulated worlds” (p. 34).   

Noor, Ahmed. 2016. “The Hololens Revolution.” Mechanical Engineering 138(10):30-35. 

Weiss and colleagues wrote that “Virtual reality typically refers to the use of interactive simulations created with computer hardware and software to present users with opportunities to engage in environments that appear to be and feel similar to real-world objects and events” 

Weiss, P. L., Rand, D., Katz, N., & Kizony, R. (2004). Video capture virtual reality as a flexible and effective rehabilitation tool. Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation1(1), 12. https://doi.org/10.1186/1743-0003-1-12 

Henderson defined virtual reality as a “computer based, interactive, multisensory environment that occurs in real time”  

Rubin, 2018, p. 28. Virtual reality is an 1. artificial environment that’s 2. immersive enough to convince you that you are 3. actually inside it.
artificialenvironment ” could mean just about anything. The photograph is an artificial environment of video game is an artificial environment a Pixar movie is an artificial environment the only thing that matters is that it’s not where are you physically are.  p. 46 “VR is potentially going to become a direct interface to the subconscious”

  1. p. 225 Virtual reality: the illusion of an all-enveloping artificial world, created by wearing an opaque display in front of your eyes.  

From: https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2018/11/07/can-xr-help-students-learn/ : 
p. 10 “there is not universal agreement on the definitions of these terms or on the scope of these technologies. Also, all of these technologies currently exist in an active marketplace and, as in many rapidly changing markets, there is a tendency for companies to invent neologisms around 3D technology.” p. 11 Virtual reality means that the wearer is completely immersed in a computer simulation.

from: https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2018/11/07/can-xr-help-students-learn/ 

There is no necessary distinction between AR and VR; indeed, much research
on the subject is based on a conception of a “virtuality continuum” from entirely
real to entirely virtual, where AR lies somewhere between those ends of the
spectrum.  Paul Milgram and Fumio Kishino, “A Taxonomy of Mixed Reality Visual Displays,” IEICE Transactions on Information Systems, vol. E77-D, no. 12 (1994); Steve Mann, “Through the Glass, Lightly,” IEEE Technology and Society Magazine 31, no. 3 (2012): 10–14.

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Among a myriad of other definitions, Noor (2016) describes Virtual Reality (VR) as “a computer generated environment that can simulate physical presence in places in the real world or imagined worlds. The user wears a headset and through specialized software and sensors is immersed in 360-degree views of simulated worlds” (p. 34).   Weiss and colleagues wrote that “Virtual reality typically refers to the use of interactive simulations created with computer hardware and software to present users with opportunities to engage in environments that appear to be and feel similar to real-world objects and events.”
Rubin takes a rather broad approach ascribing to VR: 1. artificial environment that’s 2. immersive enough to convince you that you are 3. actually inside it. (p. 28) and further asserts “VR is potentially going to become a direct interface to the subconscious” (p. 46). 
Most importantly, as Pomeranz (2018) asserts, “there is not universal agreement on the definitions of these terms or on the scope of these technologies. Also, all of these technologies currently exist in an active marketplace and, as in many rapidly changing markets, there is a tendency for companies to invent neologisms.” (p. 10) 

Noor, Ahmed. 2016. “The Hololens Revolution.” Mechanical Engineering 138(10):30-35. 

Pomerantz, J. (2018). Learning in Three Dimensions: Report on the EDUCAUSE/HP Campus of the Future Project (Louisville, CO; ECAR Research Report, p. 57). https://library.educause.edu/~/media/files/library/2018/8/ers1805.pdf 

Rubin, P. (2018). Future Presence: How Virtual Reality Is Changing Human Connection, Intimacy, and the Limits of Ordinary Life (Illustrated edition). HarperOne. 

Weiss, P. L., Rand, D., Katz, N., & Kizony, R. (2004). Video capture virtual reality as a flexible and effective rehabilitation tool. Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation1(1), 12. https://doi.org/10.1186/1743-0003-1-12 

JSON and Structured Data

Introduction to JSON and Structured Data

Dates: November 2nd through 29th, 2020
Instructor: Robert Chavez
Credits: 1.5 CEUs or 15 PDHs
Price: $175

https://libraryjuiceacademy.com/shop/course/161-introduction-json-structured-data/

JSON is a semi-structured data format for encoding data and is a popular language for data sharing and interchange – as such it is considered a good alternative to XML. This materials in this course will cover all the core JSON syntax and data structures as well as:
– structured data as a concept
– core data structuring approaches
– the differences between XML and JSON
– when to use XML, when to use JSON

JSON itself is the language of JSON Schema and JSON-LD. We will also study core JSON Schema, a language that allows annotation and validation of JSON documents, and have an introduction to JSON-LD. JSON-LD is covered in greater depth in a follow-up course, JSON-LD Fundamentals. Both courses are follow-ups to our Certificate in XML and RDF-Based Systems.
https://libraryjuiceacademy.com/shop/course/171-json-ld-fundamentals/
https://libraryjuiceacademy.com/certificate/xml-and-rdf-based-systems/

Robert Chavez holds a PhD in Classical Studies from Indiana University. From 1994-1999 he worked in the Library Electronic Text Resource Service at Indiana University Bloomington as an electronic text specialist. From 1999-2007 Robert worked at Tufts University at the Perseus Project and the Digital Collections and Archives as a programmer, digital humanist, and institutional repository program manager. He currently works for the New England Journal of Medicine as Content Applications Architect.

Course Structure
This is an online class that is taught asynchronously, meaning that participants do the work on their own time as their schedules allow. The class does not meet together at any particular times, although the instructor may set up optional synchronous chat sessions. Instruction includes readings and assignments in one-week segments. Class participation is in an online forum environment.

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more on JSON in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=json

Library Instruction Disability Middle Childhood

Library Instruction delivered by Plamen Miltenoff, pmiltenoff@stcloudstate.edu

https://web.stcloudstate.edu/pmiltenoff/faculty/

CPSY 262 Thursday (2PM)

Dr. Rachel Grace,
Community Psychology, Counseling and Family Therapy
320-308-4865 | B243 Education Building
rlgrace@stcloudstate.edu

Short link to this tutorial:

http://bit.ly/cpsy262

CPSY 262

My name is Plamen Miltenoff (https://web.stcloudstate.edu/pmiltenoff/faculty/) and I am the InforMedia Specialist with the SCSU Library (https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/free-tech-instruction/).

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LIBRARY INSTRUCTION – Information, Digital and Media Literacy

  1. How (where from) do you receive your news? Do you think you are able to distinguish real news from fake news?
    1. Last year, researchers at Oxford University found that 70 countries had political disinformation campaigns over two years.
      https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2020/01/20/bots-and-disinformation/
    2. according to Pew Research Center, 68 percent of American adults get their news from social media—platforms where opinion is often presented as fact.
      results of the international test revealed that only 14 percent of U.S. students were able to reliably distinguish between fact and opinion.

https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2020/01/16/fake-news-prevention/

News and Media Literacy (and the lack of) is not very different from Information Literacy

An “information literate” student is able to “locate, evaluate, and effectively use information from diverse sources.” See more About Information Literacy.

How does information literacy help me?

Every day we have questions that need answers. Where do we go? Whom can we trust? How can we find information to help ourselves? How can we help our family and friends? How can we learn about the world and be a better citizen? How can we make our voice heard?

The content of the tutorial is based on the Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education as approved by the Board of Directors of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL). Information Literacy Standards | Field Notes

The standards are:

Standard 1. The information literate student determines the nature and extent of the
information needed

Standard 2. The information literate student accesses needed information effectively
and efficiently

Standard 3. The information literate student evaluates information and its sources
critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowledge
base and value system

Standard 4. The information literate student, individually or as a member of a group,
uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose

Standard 5. The information literate student understands many of the economic, legal,
and social issues surrounding the use of information and accesses and uses
information ethically and legally

Project Information Literacy
A national, longitudinal research study based in the University of Washington’s iSchool, compiling data on college students habits to seek and use information.

+++++++++++++++++++++++

  1. Developing Your Research Topic/Question
Research always starts with a question. But the success of your research also depends on how you formulate that question. If your topic is too broad or too narrow, you may have trouble finding information when you search. When developing your question/topic, consider the following:

Research always starts with a question. But the success of your research also depends on how you formulate that question. If your topic is too broad or too narrow, you may have trouble finding information when you search. When developing your question/topic, consider the following:

  • Is my question one that is likely to have been researched and for which data have been published? Believe it or not, not every topic has been researched and/or published in the literature.
  • Be flexible. Consider broadening or narrowing the topic if you are getting a limited number or an overwhelming number of results when you search. In nursing it can be helpful to narrow by thinking about a specific population (gender, age, disease or condition, etc.), intervention, or outcome.
  • Discuss your topic with your professor and be willing to alter your topic according to the guidance you receive.

  1. Getting Ready for Research
    Library Resources vs. the Internet
    How (where from) do you receive information about your professional interests?
    Advantages/disadvantages of using Web Resources

 

Evaluating Web Resources

  1. Google or similar; Yahoo, Bing
  2. Google Scholar
  3. Reddit, Digg, Quora
  4. Wikipedia
  5. Become a member of professional organizations and use their online information
  6. Use the SCSU library page to online databases
  1. Building Your List of Keywords

Keyword Searching - YouTube

    1. Why Keyword Searching?
      Why not just type in a phrase or sentence like you do in Google or Yahoo!?

      1. Because most electronic databases store and retrieve information differently than Internet search engines.
      2. A databases searches fields within a collection of records. These fields include the information commonly found in a citation plus an abstract (if available) and subject headings. Search engines search web content which is typically the full text of sources.
    1. The bottom line: you get better results in a database by using effective keyword search strategies.
    2. To develop an effective search strategy, you need to:
      1. determine the key concepts in your topic and
      2. develop a good list of keyword synonyms.
    1. Why use synonyms?
      Because there is more than one way to express a concept or idea. You don’t know if the article you’re looking for uses the same expression for a key concept that you are using.
    2. Consider: Will an author use:
      1. Hypertension or High Blood Pressure?
      2. Teach or Instruct?
      3. Therapy or Treatment?

Don’t get “keyword lock!” Be willing to try a different term as a keyword. If you are having trouble thinking of synonyms, check a thesaurus, dictionary, or reference book for ideas.

Keyword worksheet

  1. Library Resources

How to find the SCSU Library Website
SCSU online databases

    1. SCSU Library Web page

lib web page

  1. Basic Research Skills

Locating and Defining a Database
Database Searching Overview:
You can search using the SCSU library online dbases by choosing:
Simple search
Advanced search

Simple vs Advanced Search

  1. Identifying a Scholarly Source

scholarly sources

  1. Boolean operators

  1. Databases:
    CINAHL, MEDLINE, PubMed, Health Source: Consumer Edition, Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition

Psychology:
PsychINFO

General Science
ScienceDirect
Arts & Humanities Citation Index

  1. How do you evaluate a source of information to determine if it is appropriate for academic/scholarly use. There is no set “checklist” to complete but below are some criteria to consider when you are evaluating a source.
    1. ACCURACY
      1. Does the author cite reliable sources?
      2. How does the information compare with that in other works on the topic?
      3. Can you determine if the information has gone through peer-review?
      4. Are there factual, spelling, typographical, or grammatical errors?
    2. AUDIENCE
      1. Who do you think the authors are trying to reach?
      2. Is the language, vocabulary, style and tone appropriate for intended audience?
      3. What are the audience demographics? (age, educational level, etc.)
      4. Are the authors targeting a particular group or segment of society?
    3. AUTHORITY
      1. Who wrote the information found in the article or on the site?
      2. What are the author’s credentials/qualifications for this particular topic?
      3. Is the author affiliated with a particular organization or institution?
      4. What does that affiliation suggest about the author?
    1. CURRENCY
      1. Is the content current?
      2. Does the date of the information directly affect the accuracy or usefulness of the information?
    1. OBJECTIVITY/BIAS
      1. What is the author’s or website’s point of view?
      2. Is the point of view subtle or explicit?
      3. Is the information presented as fact or opinion?
      4. If opinion, is the opinion supported by credible data or informed argument?
      5. Is the information one-sided?
      6. Are alternate views represented?
      7. Does the point of view affect how you view the information?
    1. PURPOSE
      1. What is the author’s purpose or objective, to explain, provide new information or news, entertain, persuade or sell?
      2. Does the purpose affect how you view the information presented?
  1. InterLibrary Loan

  1. Copyright and Fair Use

Copyright & Fair Use: What is it? Why should I care? - Eda Talushllari's E-Portfolio
(https://sites.google.com/site/cuin3313/resources/copyright-fair-use-what-is-it-why-should-i-care)

Author Rights and Publishing & Finding Author Instructions for Publishing in Scholarly Journals

    1. Plagiarism, academic honesty
  1. Writing Tips
  2. Dissemination of Research

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Class Assignment:

Research on Disability – Middle Childhood

There are many interactions between childhood development and mental, physical, and socioemotional health – namely including interpersonal relationships and the child’s relationship with education. Using SCSU’s University Library, find a journal article that will help you learn more about a developmental abnormality (a disability) that relates to middle childhood. Make sure your chosen article includes the following:

1)      the article focuses on one or includes participants with a disability

2)      the population (or part of the population) being studied is within the life stage of middle childhood (defined as ages 6-12)

3)      the article is empirical (peer-reviewed)

Use the article to respond to the following questions.

  1. What is the title of the article?
  2. In what journal was the article published?
  3. What was the purpose of the study?
  4. What were the methods? In particular, who were the participants?
  5. What were the results?
  6. What are two important facts/ideas/issues you learned about middle childhood and disability by reading this article?

+++++++++++
Plamen Miltenoff, Ph.D., MLIS
Professor
320-308-3072
pmiltenoff@stcloudstate.edu
http://web.stcloudstate.edu/pmiltenoff/faculty/
schedule a meeting: https://doodle.com/digitalliteracy
find my office: https://youtu.be/QAng6b_FJqs

 

Library Instruction STEM 199

Library Instruction delivered by Plamen Miltenoff, pmiltenoff@stcloudstate.edu

Dr. Chris Kvaal,
STEM 199. Sept 29, 8AM
Link to this tutorial in PDF format:
Library instruction tutorial

Short link to this tutorial: http://bit.ly/scsustem199

stem199 QR code

My name is Plamen Miltenoff (https://web.stcloudstate.edu/pmiltenoff/faculty/) and I am the InforMedia Specialist with the SCSU Library (https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/free-tech-instruction/).

+++++++++++++++++++++++

LIBRARY INSTRUCTION – Information, Digital and Media Literacy

  1. How (where from) do you receive your news? Do you think you are able to distinguish real news from fake news?
    1. Last year, researchers at Oxford University found that 70 countries had political disinformation campaigns over two years.
      https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2020/01/20/bots-and-disinformation/
    2. according to Pew Research Center, 68 percent of American adults get their news from social media—platforms where opinion is often presented as fact.
      results of the international test revealed that only 14 percent of U.S. students were able to reliably distinguish between fact and opinion.

https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2020/01/16/fake-news-prevention/

News and Media Literacy (and the lack of) is not very different from Information Literacy

An “information literate” student is able to “locate, evaluate, and effectively use information from diverse sources.” See more About Information Literacy.

How does information literacy help me?

Every day we have questions that need answers. Where do we go? Whom can we trust? How can we find information to help ourselves? How can we help our family and friends? How can we learn about the world and be a better citizen? How can we make our voice heard?

The content of the tutorial is based on the Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education as approved by the Board of Directors of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL). Information Literacy Standards | Field Notes

The standards are:

Standard 1. The information literate student determines the nature and extent of the
information needed

Standard 2. The information literate student accesses needed information effectively
and efficiently

Standard 3. The information literate student evaluates information and its sources
critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowledge
base and value system

Standard 4. The information literate student, individually or as a member of a group,
uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose

Standard 5. The information literate student understands many of the economic, legal,
and social issues surrounding the use of information and accesses and uses
information ethically and legally

Project Information Literacy
A national, longitudinal research study based in the University of Washington’s iSchool, compiling data on college students habits to seek and use information.

+++++++++++++++++++++++

  1. Developing Your Research Topic/Question
Research always starts with a question. But the success of your research also depends on how you formulate that question. If your topic is too broad or too narrow, you may have trouble finding information when you search. When developing your question/topic, consider the following:

Research always starts with a question. But the success of your research also depends on how you formulate that question. If your topic is too broad or too narrow, you may have trouble finding information when you search. When developing your question/topic, consider the following:

  • Is my question one that is likely to have been researched and for which data have been published? Believe it or not, not every topic has been researched and/or published in the literature.
  • Be flexible. Consider broadening or narrowing the topic if you are getting a limited number or an overwhelming number of results when you search. In nursing it can be helpful to narrow by thinking about a specific population (gender, age, disease or condition, etc.), intervention, or outcome.
  • Discuss your topic with your professor and be willing to alter your topic according to the guidance you receive.

  1. Getting Ready for Research
    Library Resources vs. the Internet
    How (where from) do you receive information about your professional interests?
    Advantages/disadvantages of using Web Resources

 

Evaluating Web Resources

  1. Google or similar; Yahoo, Bing
  2. Google Scholar
  3. Reddit, Digg, Quora
  4. Wikipedia
  5. Become a member of professional organizations and use their online information
  6. Use the SCSU library page to online databases
  1. Building Your List of Keywords

Keyword Searching - YouTube

    1. Why Keyword Searching?
      Why not just type in a phrase or sentence like you do in Google or Yahoo!?

      1. Because most electronic databases store and retrieve information differently than Internet search engines.
      2. A databases searches fields within a collection of records. These fields include the information commonly found in a citation plus an abstract (if available) and subject headings. Search engines search web content which is typically the full text of sources.
    1. The bottom line: you get better results in a database by using effective keyword search strategies.
    2. To develop an effective search strategy, you need to:
      1. determine the key concepts in your topic and
      2. develop a good list of keyword synonyms.
    1. Why use synonyms?
      Because there is more than one way to express a concept or idea. You don’t know if the article you’re looking for uses the same expression for a key concept that you are using.
    2. Consider: Will an author use:
      1. Hypertension or High Blood Pressure?
      2. Teach or Instruct?
      3. Therapy or Treatment?

Don’t get “keyword lock!” Be willing to try a different term as a keyword. If you are having trouble thinking of synonyms, check a thesaurus, dictionary, or reference book for ideas.

Keyword worksheet

  1. Library Resources

How to find the SCSU Library Website
SCSU online databases

    1. SCSU Library Web page

lib web page

  1. Basic Research Skills

Locating and Defining a Database
Database Searching Overview:
You can search using the SCSU library online dbases by choosing:
Simple search
Advanced search

Simple vs Advanced Search

  1. Identifying a Scholarly Source

scholarly sources

  1. Boolean operators

  1. Databases:
    CINAHL, MEDLINE, PubMed, Health Source: Consumer Edition, Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition

Psychology:
PsychINFO

General Science
ScienceDirect
Arts & Humanities Citation Index

  1. How do you evaluate a source of information to determine if it is appropriate for academic/scholarly use. There is no set “checklist” to complete but below are some criteria to consider when you are evaluating a source.
    1. ACCURACY
      1. Does the author cite reliable sources?
      2. How does the information compare with that in other works on the topic?
      3. Can you determine if the information has gone through peer-review?
      4. Are there factual, spelling, typographical, or grammatical errors?
    2. AUDIENCE
      1. Who do you think the authors are trying to reach?
      2. Is the language, vocabulary, style and tone appropriate for intended audience?
      3. What are the audience demographics? (age, educational level, etc.)
      4. Are the authors targeting a particular group or segment of society?
    3. AUTHORITY
      1. Who wrote the information found in the article or on the site?
      2. What are the author’s credentials/qualifications for this particular topic?
      3. Is the author affiliated with a particular organization or institution?
      4. What does that affiliation suggest about the author?
    1. CURRENCY
      1. Is the content current?
      2. Does the date of the information directly affect the accuracy or usefulness of the information?
    1. OBJECTIVITY/BIAS
      1. What is the author’s or website’s point of view?
      2. Is the point of view subtle or explicit?
      3. Is the information presented as fact or opinion?
      4. If opinion, is the opinion supported by credible data or informed argument?
      5. Is the information one-sided?
      6. Are alternate views represented?
      7. Does the point of view affect how you view the information?
    1. PURPOSE
      1. What is the author’s purpose or objective, to explain, provide new information or news, entertain, persuade or sell?
      2. Does the purpose affect how you view the information presented?
  1. InterLibrary Loan

  1. Copyright and Fair Use

Copyright & Fair Use: What is it? Why should I care? - Eda Talushllari's E-Portfolio
(https://sites.google.com/site/cuin3313/resources/copyright-fair-use-what-is-it-why-should-i-care)

Author Rights and Publishing & Finding Author Instructions for Publishing in Scholarly Journals

    1. Plagiarism, academic honesty
  1. Writing Tips
  2. Dissemination of Research

+++++++++++
Plamen Miltenoff, Ph.D., MLIS
Professor
320-308-3072
pmiltenoff@stcloudstate.edu
http://web.stcloudstate.edu/pmiltenoff/faculty/
schedule a meeting: https://doodle.com/digitalliteracy
find my office: https://youtu.be/QAng6b_FJqs

 

ed tech companies

Investment continues to flow to ed tech, with $803 million injected during the first six months of the year, according to the industry news website EdSurge. But half of that went to just six companies, including the celebrity tutorial provider MasterClass, the online learning platform Udemy and the school and college review site Niche.

From the outside, the ed-tech sector may appear as if “there’s a bonanza and it’s like the dot-com boom again and everybody’s printing money,” said Michael Hansen, CEO of the K-12 and higher education digital learning provider Cengage. “That is not the case.”

Even if they want to buy more ed-tech tools, meanwhile, schools and colleges are short on cash. Expenses for measures to deal with Covid-19 are up, while budgets are expected to be down.

Analysts and industry insiders now expect a wave of acquisitions as already-dominant brands like these seek to corner even more of the market by snatching up smaller players that provide services they don’t.

++++++++++++++++

Tech-based contact tracing could put schools in murky privacy territory

https://www.educationdive.com/news/tech-based-contact-tracing-could-put-schools-in-murky-privacy-territory/584881/

  • A white paper from the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (STOP) suggests the use of contact tracing technology by schools could erode student privacy and may not be effective in preventing the spread of coronavirus.

Despite the pandemic, schools still must conform to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and other laws governing student privacy. Districts can disclose information to public health officials, for example, but information can’t be released to the general public without written consent from parents.

The Safely Reopen Schools mobile app is one tool available for automating contact tracing. The idea is that if two mobile phones are close enough to connect via Bluetooth, the phone owners are close enough to transmit the virus. The app includes daily health check-ins and educational notifications, but no personal information is exchanged between the phones, and the app won’t disclose who tested positive.

Colleges are also using apps to help trace and track students’ exposure to coronavirus. In August, 20,000 participants from the University of Alabama at Birmingham were asked to test the GuideSafe mobile app, which will alert them if they’ve been in contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19. The app determines the proximity of two people through cell phone signal strength. If someone reports they contracted the virus, an alert will be sent to anyone who has been within six feet of them for at least 15 minutes over the previous two weeks.

Critics of the technology claim these apps aren’t actually capable of contract tracing and could undermine manual efforts to do so.

+++++++++++++++++
more on ed tech in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=educational+technology

Populism vs Meritocracy

Michael Sandel: ‘The populist backlash has been a revolt against the tyranny of merit’

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/sep/06/michael-sandel-the-populist-backlash-has-been-a-revolt-against-the-tyranny-of-merit

Even a perfect meritocracy, he says, would be a bad thing.

Centre-left elites abandoned old class loyalties and took on a new role as moralising life-coaches, dedicated to helping working-class individuals shape up to a world in which they were on their own. “On globalisation,” says Sandel, “these parties said the choice was no longer between left and right, but between ‘open’ and ‘closed’. Open meant free flow of capital, goods and people across borders.”

“Those at the top deserved their place but so too did those who were left behind. They hadn’t striven as effectively. They hadn’t got a university degree and so on.” As centre-left parties and their representatives became more and more middle-class, the focus on upward mobility intensified.

Blue-collar workers were in effect given a double-edged invitation to “better” themselves or carry the burden of their own failure. Many took their votes elsewhere, nursing a sense of betrayal. “The populist backlash of recent years has been a revolt against the tyranny of merit, as it has been experienced by those who feel humiliated by meritocracy and by this entire political project.”

Does he empathise, then, with Trumpism? “I have no sympathy whatsoever for Donald Trump, who is a pernicious character. But my book conveys a sympathetic understanding of the people who voted for him. For all the thousands and thousands of lies Trump tells, the one authentic thing about him is his deep sense of insecurity and resentment against elites, which he thinks have looked down upon him throughout his life. That does provide a very important clue to his political appeal.

“Am I tough on the Democrats? Yes, because it was their uncritical embrace of market assumptions and meritocracy that prepared the way for Trump. Even if Trump is defeated in the next election and is somehow extracted from the Oval Office, the Democratic party will not succeed unless it redefines its mission to be more attentive to legitimate grievances and resentment, to which progressive politics contributed during the era of globalisation.”

“We need to rethink the role of universities as arbiters of opportunity,” he says, “which is something we have come to take for granted. Credentialism has become the last acceptable prejudice. It would be a serious mistake to leave the issue of investment in vocational training and apprenticeships to the right. Greater investment is important not only to support the ability of people without an advanced degree to make a living. The public recognition it conveys can help shift attitudes towards a better appreciation of the contribution to the common good made by people who haven’t been to university.”

A new respect and status for the non-credentialed, he says, should be accompanied by a belated humility on the part of the winners in the supposedly meritocratic race.

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Why meritocracy isn’t working

https://www.ft.com/content/f881fb55-8f06-4508-a812-815a10505077

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As we “knowledge workers” know, clever people aren’t always the most collaborative. And what they have in brainpower, they often lack in empathy. We live, after all, in a cognitive meritocracy in which IQ is valued much more highly than EQ (emotional intelligence) or most physical abilities.

political analyst David Goodhart, whose new book Head, Hand, Heart

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Over the past several decades, as traditional class structures in countries such as the US and the UK began to break down, they were replaced by a new system of educational and professional advancement based on test scores, grades and intelligence, at least as narrowly defined by IQ. Suddenly, smart working-class kids could become part of a meritocratic elite.

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But there was a dark side. As British sociologist Michael Young observed when he coined the term in his prescient book of dystopian fiction The Rise of the Meritocracy (1958),

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members of the working class must judge themselves not by their own standards — in which traits of character, experience, common sense and grit are often as important as test-based intelligence — but by the standards of the meritocratic elite. Without the appropriate degrees, professional qualifications and opinions sanctioned by their educated overlords, they were all too often deemed unworthy — or as Hillary Clinton once put it in a quip that helped end her political career, “deplorables”.

In their book Deaths of Despair, Anne Case and Angus Deaton spelt out the toll this has taken on working-class white men in particular. Contempt can be just as lethal as poverty — low status in a hierarchy produces the stress and anxiety that trigger immune system-damaging cortisol to be released in the body.

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more on populism in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=populism

on meritocracty in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=meritocracy

in house made library counters

LITA listserv exchange on “Raspberry PI Counter for Library Users”

On 7/10/20, 10:05 AM, “lita-l-request@lists.ala.org on behalf of Hammer, Erich F” <lita-l-request@lists.ala.org on behalf of erich@albany.edu> wrote:

Jason,

I think that is a very interesting project.  If I understand how it works (comparing reference images to live images), it should still work if a “fuzzy” or translucent filter were placed on the lens as a privacy measure, correct? You could even make the fuzzy video publicly accessible to prove to folks that privacy is protected.

If that’s the case, IMHO, it really is a commercially viable idea and it would have a market far beyond libraries.  Open source code and hardware designs and sales of pre-packaged hardware and support.  Time for some crowdsource funding!  🙂

Erich

On Friday, July 10, 2020 at 10:14, Jason Griffey eloquently inscribed:
I ran a multi-year project to do counting (as well as attention measurement)
called Measure the Future (http://.measurethefuture.net). That project is i
desperate need of updating….there has been some work done on it at the
> University of OK libraries, but we haven’t seen their code push et. As the
> code stands on GitHub, it isn’t usable….the installation is broken based on
> some underlying dependencies.  The Univ of OK code fixes the issue, but it
> hasn’t been pushed yet. But if you want to see the general code and way we
> approached it, that is all available.  > Jason
> On Jul 8, 2020, 1:37 PM -0500, Mitchell, James Ray
> <jmitchell20@una.edu>, wrote:
>         Hi Kun,
>         I don’t know if this will be useful to you or not, but Code4Lib journal
> had an article a couple years ago that might be helpful. It’s called
> “Testing Three Type of Raspberry Pi People Counters.” The link to the
> article is https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fjournal.code4lib.org%2Farticles%2F12947&amp;data=02%7C01%7Cpmiltenoff%40stcloudstate.edu%7C8d2342df6f3d4d83766508d824e29f23%7C5011c7c60ab446ab9ef4fae74a921a7f%7C0%7C1%7C637299903041974052&amp;sdata=f9qeftEvktqHakDqWY%2BxHTj3kei7idOFAJnROp%2FiOCU%3D&amp;reserved=0
>         Regards    >         James

My note:
In 2018, following the university president’s call for ANY possible savings, the library administrator was send a proposal requesting information regarding the license for the current library counters and proposing the save the money for the license by creating an in-house Arduino counter. The blueprints for such counter were share (as per another LITA listserv exchange). SCSU Physics professor agreement to lead the project was secured as well as the opportunity for SCSU Physics students to develop the project as part of their individual study plan. The proposal was never addressed neither by the middle nor the upper management.

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more on raspberry pi in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=raspberry

more on arduino in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=arduino

Emerging Trends and Impacts of the Internet of Things in Libraries

Emerging Trends and Impacts of the Internet of Things in Libraries

https://www.igi-global.com/gateway/book/244559

Chapters:

Holland, B. (2020). Emerging Technology and Today’s Libraries. In Holland, B. (Eds.), Emerging Trends and Impacts of the Internet of Things in Libraries (pp. 1-33). IGI Global. http://doi:10.4018/978-1-7998-4742-7.ch001

The purpose of this chapter is to examine emerging technology and today’s libraries. New technology stands out first and foremost given that they will end up revolutionizing every industry in an age where digital transformation plays a major role. Major trends will define technological disruption. The next-gen of communication, core computing, and integration technologies will adopt new architectures. Major technological, economic, and environmental changes have generated interest in smart cities. Sensing technologies have made IoT possible, but also provide the data required for AI algorithms and models, often in real-time, to make intelligent business and operational decisions. Smart cities consume different types of electronic internet of things (IoT) sensors to collect data and then use these data to manage assets and resources efficiently. This includes data collected from citizens, devices, and assets that are processed and analyzed to monitor and manage, schools, libraries, hospitals, and other community services.

Makori, E. O. (2020). Blockchain Applications and Trends That Promote Information Management. In Holland, B. (Eds.), Emerging Trends and Impacts of the Internet of Things in Libraries (pp. 34-51). IGI Global. http://doi:10.4018/978-1-7998-4742-7.ch002
Blockchain revolutionary paradigm is the new and emerging digital innovation that organizations have no choice but to embrace and implement in order to sustain and manage service delivery to the customers. From disruptive to sustaining perspective, blockchain practices have transformed the information management environment with innovative products and services. Blockchain-based applications and innovations provide information management professionals and practitioners with robust and secure opportunities to transform corporate affairs and social responsibilities of organizations through accountability, integrity, and transparency; information governance; data and information security; as well as digital internet of things.
Hahn, J. (2020). Student Engagement and Smart Spaces: Library Browsing and Internet of Things Technology. In Holland, B. (Eds.), Emerging Trends and Impacts of the Internet of Things in Libraries (pp. 52-70). IGI Global. http://doi:10.4018/978-1-7998-4742-7.ch003
The purpose of this chapter is to provide evidence-based findings on student engagement within smart library spaces. The focus of smart libraries includes spaces that are enhanced with the internet of things (IoT) infrastructure and library collection maps accessed through a library-designed mobile application. The analysis herein explored IoT-based browsing within an undergraduate library collection. The open stacks and mobile infrastructure provided several years (2016-2019) of user-generated smart building data on browsing and selecting items in open stacks. The methods of analysis used in this chapter include transactional analysis and data visualization of IoT infrastructure logs. By analyzing server logs from the computing infrastructure that powers the IoT services, it is possible to infer in greater detail than heretofore possible the specifics of the way library collections are a target of undergraduate student engagement.
Treskon, M. (2020). Providing an Environment for Authentic Learning Experiences. In Holland, B. (Eds.), Emerging Trends and Impacts of the Internet of Things in Libraries (pp. 71-86). IGI Global. http://doi:10.4018/978-1-7998-4742-7.ch004
The Loyola Notre Dame Library provides authentic learning environments for undergraduate students by serving as “client” for senior capstone projects. Through the creative application of IoT technologies such as Arduinos and Raspberry Pis in a library setting, the students gain valuable experience working through software design methodology and create software in response to a real-world challenge. Although these proof-of-concept projects could be implemented, the library is primarily interested in furthering the research, teaching, and learning missions of the two universities it supports. Whether the library gets a product that is worth implementing is not a requirement; it is a “bonus.”
Rashid, M., Nazeer, I., Gupta, S. K., & Khanam, Z. (2020). Internet of Things: Architecture, Challenges, and Future Directions. In Holland, B. (Ed.), Emerging Trends and Impacts of the Internet of Things in Libraries (pp. 87-104). IGI Global. http://doi:10.4018/978-1-7998-4742-7.ch005
The internet of things (IoT) is a computing paradigm that has changed our daily livelihood and functioning. IoT focuses on the interconnection of all the sensor-based devices like smart meters, coffee machines, cell phones, etc., enabling these devices to exchange data with each other during human interactions. With easy connectivity among humans and devices, speed of data generation is getting multi-fold, increasing exponentially in volume, and is getting more complex in nature. In this chapter, the authors will outline the architecture of IoT for handling various issues and challenges in real-world problems and will cover various areas where usage of IoT is done in real applications. The authors believe that this chapter will act as a guide for researchers in IoT to create a technical revolution for future generations.
Martin, L. (2020). Cloud Computing, Smart Technology, and Library Automation. In Holland, B. (Eds.), Emerging Trends and Impacts of the Internet of Things in Libraries (pp. 105-123). IGI Global. http://doi:10.4018/978-1-7998-4742-7.ch006
As technology continues to change, the landscape of the work of librarians and libraries continue to adapt and adopt innovations that support their services. Technology also continues to be an essential tool for dissemination, retrieving, storing, and accessing the resources and information. Cloud computing is an essential component employed to carry out these tasks. The concept of cloud computing has long been a tool utilized in libraries. Many libraries use OCLC to catalog and manage resources and share resources, WorldCat, and other library applications that are cloud-based services. Cloud computing services are used in the library automation process. Using cloud-based services can streamline library services, minimize cost, and the need to have designated space for servers, software, or other hardware to perform library operations. Cloud computing systems with the library consolidate, unify, and optimize library operations such as acquisitions, cataloging, circulation, discovery, and retrieval of information.
Owusu-Ansah, S. (2020). Developing a Digital Engagement Strategy for Ghanaian University Libraries: An Exploratory Study. In Holland, B. (Eds.), Emerging Trends and Impacts of the Internet of Things in Libraries (pp. 124-139). IGI Global. http://doi:10.4018/978-1-7998-4742-7.ch007
This study represents a framework that digital libraries can leverage to increase usage and visibility. The adopted qualitative research aims to examine a digital engagement strategy for the libraries in the University of Ghana (UG). Data is collected from participants (digital librarians) who are key stakeholders of digital library service provision in the University of Ghana Library System (UGLS). The chapter reveals that digital library services included rare collections, e-journal, e-databases, e-books, microfilms, e-theses, e-newspapers, and e-past questions. Additionally, the research revealed that the digital library service patronage could be enhanced through outreach programmes, open access, exhibitions, social media, and conferences. Digital librarians recommend that to optimize digital library services, literacy programmes/instructions, social media platforms, IT equipment, software, and website must be deployed. In conclusion, a DES helps UGLS foster new relationships, connect with new audiences, and establish new or improved brand identity.
Nambobi, M., Ssemwogerere, R., & Ramadhan, B. K. (2020). Implementation of Autonomous Library Assistants Using RFID Technology. In Holland, B. (Ed.), Emerging Trends and Impacts of the Internet of Things in Libraries (pp. 140-150). IGI Global. http://doi:10.4018/978-1-7998-4742-7.ch008
This is an interesting time to innovate around disruptive technologies like the internet of things (IoT), machine learning, blockchain. Autonomous assistants (IoT) are the electro-mechanical system that performs any prescribed task automatically with no human intervention through self-learning and adaptation to changing environments. This means that by acknowledging autonomy, the system has to perceive environments, actuate a movement, and perform tasks with a high degree of autonomy. This means the ability to make their own decisions in a given set of the environment. It is important to note that autonomous IoT using radio frequency identification (RFID) technology is used in educational sectors to boost the research the arena, improve customer service, ease book identification and traceability of items in the library. This chapter discusses the role, importance, the critical tools, applicability, and challenges of autonomous IoT in the library using RFID technology.
Priya, A., & Sahana, S. K. (2020). Processor Scheduling in High-Performance Computing (HPC) Environment. In Holland, B. (Ed.), Emerging Trends and Impacts of the Internet of Things in Libraries (pp. 151-179). IGI Global. http://doi:10.4018/978-1-7998-4742-7.ch009
Processor scheduling is one of the thrust areas in the field of computer science. The future technologies use a huge amount of processing for execution of their tasks like huge games, programming software, and in the field of quantum computing. In real-time, many complex problems are solved by GPU programming. The primary concern of scheduling is to reduce the time complexity and manpower. Several traditional techniques exit for processor scheduling. The performance of traditional techniques is reduced when it comes to the huge processing of tasks. Most scheduling problems are NP-hard in nature. Many of the complex problems are recently solved by GPU programming. GPU scheduling is another complex issue as it runs thousands of threads in parallel and needs to be scheduled efficiently. For such large-scale scheduling problems, the performance of state-of-the-art algorithms is very poor. It is observed that evolutionary and genetic-based algorithms exhibit better performance for large-scale combinatorial and internet of things (IoT) problems.
Kirsch, B. (2020). Virtual Reality in Libraries. In Holland, B. (Eds.), Emerging Trends and Impacts of the Internet of Things in Libraries (pp. 180-193). IGI Global. http://doi:10.4018/978-1-7998-4742-7.ch010
Librarians are beginning to offer virtual reality (VR) services in libraries. This chapter reviews how libraries are currently using virtual reality for both consumption and creation purposes. Virtual reality tools will be compared and contrasted, and recommendations will be given for purchasing and circulating headsets and VR equipment. Google Tour Creator and a smartphone or 360-degree camera can be used to create a virtual tour of the library and other virtual reality content. These new library services will be discussed along with practical advice and best practices for incorporating virtual reality into the library for instructional and entertainment purposes.
Heffernan, K. L., & Chartier, S. (2020). Augmented Reality Gamifies the Library: A Ride Through the Technological Frontier. In Holland, B. (Ed.), Emerging Trends and Impacts of the Internet of Things in Libraries (pp. 194-210). IGI Global. http://doi:10.4018/978-1-7998-4742-7.ch011
Two librarians at a University in New Hampshire attempted to integrate gamification and mobile technologies into the exploration of, and orientation to, the library’s services and resources. From augmented reality to virtual escape rooms and finally an in-house app created by undergraduate, campus-based, game design students, the library team learned much about the triumphs and challenges that come with attempting to utilize new technologies to reach users in the 21st century. This chapter is a narrative describing years of various attempts, innovation, and iteration, which have led to the library team being on the verge of introducing an app that could revolutionize campus discovery and engagement.
Miltenoff, P. (2020). Video 360 and Augmented Reality: Visualization to Help Educators Enter the Era of eXtended Reality. In Holland, B. (Eds.), Emerging Trends and Impacts of the Internet of Things in Libraries (pp. 211-225). IGI Global. http://doi:10.4018/978-1-7998-4742-7.ch012
The advent of all types of eXtended Reality (XR)—VR, AR, MR—raises serious questions, both technological and pedagogical. The setup of campus services around XR is only the prelude to the more complex and expensive project of creating learning content using XR. In 2018, the authors started a limited proof-of-concept augmented reality (AR) project for a library tour. Building on their previous research and experience creating a virtual reality (VR) library tour, they sought a scalable introduction of XR services and content for the campus community. The AR library tour aimed to start us toward a matrix for similar services for the entire campus. They also explored the attitudes of students, faculty, and staff toward this new technology and its incorporation in education, as well as its potential and limitations toward the creation of a “smart” library.

iLearn2020

YouTube Live stream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSXLJGhI2D8&feature=youtu.be
and the Discord directions: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GgI4dfq-iD85yJiyoyPApB33tIkRJRns1cJ8OpHAYno/editiLearn2020

Modest3D Guided Virtual Adventure – iLRN Conference 2020 – Session 1: currently, live session: https://youtu.be/GjxTPOFSGEM

https://mediaspace.minnstate.edu/media/Modest+3D/1_28ejh60g

CALL FOR PROPOSALS: GUIDED VIRTUAL ADVENTURE TOURS
at iLRN 2020: 6th International Conference of the Immersive Learning Research Network
Organized in conjunction with Educators in VR
Technically co-sponsored by the IEEE Education Society
June 21-25, 2020, Online
Conference theme: “Vision 20/20: Hindsight, Insight, and Foresight in XR and Immersive Learning”
Conference website: https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fimmersivelrn.org%2Filrn2020&amp;data=02%7C01%7Cpmiltenoff%40STCLOUDSTATE.EDU%7C7a9997a1d6724744f7d708d7f52d9387%7C5011c7c60ab446ab9ef4fae74a921a7f%7C0%7C0%7C637247448406614239&amp;sdata=Jt%2BFUtP3Vs%2FQi1z9HCk9x8m%2B%2BRjkZ63qrcoZnFiUdaQ%3D&amp;reserved=0
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Wednesday, June 24 • 12:00pm – 1:00pm

 Instruction and Instructional Design

Presentation 1: Inspiring Faculty (+ Students) with Tales of Immersive Tech (Practitioner Presentation #106)

Authors: Nicholas Smerker

Immersive technologies – 360º video, virtual and augmented realities – are being discussed in many corners of higher education. For an instructor who is familiar with the terms, at least in passing, learning more about why they and their students should care can be challenging, at best. In order to create a font of inspiration, the IMEX Lab team within Teaching and Learning with Technology at Penn State devised its Get Inspired web resource. Building on a similar repository for making technology stories at the sister Maker Commons website, the IMEX Lab Get Inspired landing page invites faculty to discover real world examples of how cutting edge XR tools are being used every day. In addition to very approachable video content and a short summary calling out why our team chose the story, there are also instructional designer-developed Assignment Ideas that allow for quick deployment of exercises related to – though not always relying upon – the technologies highlighted in a given Get Inspired story.

Presentation 2: Lessons Learned from Over A Decade of Designing and Teaching Immersive VR in Higher Education Online Courses (Practitioner Presentation #101)

Authors: Eileen Oconnor

This presentation overviews the design and instruction in immersive virtual reality environments created by the author beginning with Second Life and progressing to open source venues. It will highlight the diversity of VR environment developed, the challenges that were overcome, and the accomplishment of students who created their own VR environments for K12, college and corporate settings. The instruction and design materials created to enable this 100% online master’s program accomplishment will be shared; an institute launched in 2018 for emerging technology study will be noted.

Presentation 3: Virtual Reality Student Teaching Experience: A Live, Remote Option for Learning Teaching Skills During Campus Closure and Social Distancing (Practitioner Presentation #110)

Authors: Becky Lane, Christine Havens-Hafer, Catherine Fiore, Brianna Mutsindashyaka and Lauren Suna

Summary: During the Coronavirus pandemic, Ithaca College teacher education majors needed a classroom of students in order to practice teaching and receive feedback, but the campus was closed, and gatherings forbidden. Students were unable to participate in live practice teaching required for their program. We developed a virtual reality pilot project to allow students to experiment in two third-party social VR programs, AltSpaceVR and Rumii. Social VR platforms allow a live, embodied experience that mimics in-person events to give students a more realistic, robust and synchronous teaching practice opportunity. We documented the process and lessons learned to inform, develop and scale next generation efforts.

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Tuesday, June 23 • 5:00pm – 6:00pm
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Sunday, June 21 • 8:00am – 9:00am
Escape the (Class)room games in OpenSim or Second Life FULLhttps://ilrn2020.sched.com/event/ceKP/escape-the-classroom-games-in-opensim-or-second-lifePre-registration for this tour is required as places are limited. Joining instructions will be emailed to registrants ahead of the scheduled tour time.The Guided Virtual Adventure tour will take you to EduNation in Second Life to experience an Escape room game. For one hour, a group of participants engage in voice communication and try to solve puzzles, riddles or conundrums and follow clues to eventually escape the space. These scenarios are designed for problem solving and negotiating language and are ideal for language education. They are fun and exciting and the clock ticking adds to game play.Tour guide(s)/leader(s): Philp Heike, let’s talk online sprl, Belgium

Target audience sector: Informal and/or lifelong learning

Supported devices: Desktop/laptop – Windows, Desktop/laptop – Mac

Platform/environment access: Download from a website and install on a desktop/laptop computer
Official website: http://www.secondlife.com

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Thursday, June 25 • 9:00am – 10:00am

Games and Gamification II

Click here to remove from My Sched.

Presentation 1: Evaluating the impact of multimodal Collaborative Virtual Environments on user’s spatial knowledge and experience of gamified educational tasks (Full Paper #91)

Authors: Ioannis Doumanis and Daphne Economou

>>Access Video Presentation<<

Several research projects in spatial cognition have suggested Virtual Environments (VEs) as an effective way of facilitating mental map development of a physical space. In the study reported in this paper, we evaluated the effectiveness of multimodal real-time interaction in distilling understanding of the VE after completing gamified educational tasks. We also measure the impact of these design elements on the user’s experience of educational tasks. The VE used reassembles an art gallery and it was built using REVERIE (Real and Virtual Engagement In Realistic Immersive Environment) a framework designed to enable multimodal communication on the Web. We compared the impact of REVERIE VG with an educational platform called Edu-Simulation for the same gamified educational tasks. We found that the multimodal VE had no impact on the ability of students to retain a mental model of the virtual space. However, we also found that students thought that it was easier to build a mental map of the virtual space in REVERIE VG. This means that using a multimodal CVE in a gamified educational experience does not benefit spatial performance, but also it does not cause distraction. The paper ends with future work and conclusions and suggestions for improving mental map construction and user experience in multimodal CVEs.

Presentation 2: A case study on student’s perception of the virtual game supported collaborative learning (Full Paper #42)

Authors: Xiuli Huang, Juhou He and Hongyan Wang

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The English education course in China aims to help students establish the English skills to enhance their international competitiveness. However, in traditional English classes, students often lack the linguistic environment to apply the English skills they learned in their textbook. Virtual reality (VR) technology can set up an immersive English language environment and then promote the learners to use English by presenting different collaborative communication tasks. In this paper, spherical video-based virtual reality technology was applied to build a linguistic environment and a collaborative learning strategy was adopted to promote their communication. Additionally, a mixed-methods research approach was used to analyze students’ achievement between a traditional classroom and a virtual reality supported collaborative classroom and their perception towards the two approaches. The experimental results revealed that the virtual reality supported collaborative classroom was able to enhance the students’ achievement. Moreover, by analyzing the interview, students’ attitudes towards the virtual reality supported collaborative class were reported and the use of language learning strategies in virtual reality supported collaborative class was represented. These findings could be valuable references for those who intend to create opportunities for students to collaborate and communicate in the target language in their classroom and then improve their language skills

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Thursday, June 25 • 11:00am – 12:00pm

 Games and Gamification III

Click here to remove from My Sched.

Presentation 1: Reducing Cognitive Load through the Worked Example Effect within a Serious Game Environment (Full Paper #19)

Authors: Bernadette Spieler, Naomi Pfaff and Wolfgang Slany

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Novices often struggle to represent problems mentally; the unfamiliar process can exhaust their cognitive resources, creating frustration that deters them from learning. By improving novices’ mental representation of problems, worked examples improve both problem-solving skills and transfer performance. Programming requires both skills. In programming, it is not sufficient to simply understand how Stackoverflow examples work; programmers have to be able to adapt the principles and apply them to their own programs. This paper shows evidence in support of the theory that worked examples are the most efficient mode of instruction for novices. In the present study, 42 students were asked to solve the tutorial The Magic Word, a game especially for girls created with the Catrobat programming environment. While the experimental group was presented with a series of worked examples of code, the control groups were instructed through theoretical text examples. The final task was a transfer question. While the average score was not significantly better in the worked example condition, the fact that participants in this experimental group finished significantly faster than the control group suggests that their overall performance was better than that of their counterparts.

Presentation 2: A literature review of e-government services with gamification elements (Full Paper #56)

Authors: Ruth S. Contreras-Espinosa and Alejandro Blanco-M

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Nowadays several democracies are facing the growing problem of a breach in communication between its citizens and their political representatives, resulting in low citizen’s engagement in the participation of political decision making and on public consultations. Therefore, it is fundamental to generate a constructive relationship between both public administration and the citizens by solving its needs. This document contains a useful literature review of the gamification topic and e-government services. The documents contain a background of those concepts and conduct a selection and analysis of the different applications found. A set of three lines of research gaps are found with a potential impact on future studies.

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Thursday, June 25 • 12:00pm – 1:00pm

 Museums and Libraries

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Presentation 1: Connecting User Experience to Learning in an Evaluation of an Immersive, Interactive, Multimodal Augmented Reality Virtual Diorama in a Natural History Museum & the Importance of Story (Full Paper #51)

Authors: Maria Harrington

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Reported are the findings of user experience and learning outcomes from a July 2019 study of an immersive, interactive, multimodal augmented reality (AR) application, used in the context of a museum. The AR Perpetual Garden App is unique in creating an immersive multisensory experience of data. It allowed scientifically naïve visitors to walk into a virtual diorama constructed as a data visualization of a springtime woodland understory, and interact with multimodal information directly through their senses. The user interface comprised of two different AR data visualization scenarios reinforced with data based ambient bioacoustics, an audio story of the curator’s narrative, and interactive access to plant facts. While actual learning and dwell times were the same between the AR app and the control condition, the AR experience received higher ratings on perceived learning. The AR interface design features of “Story” and “Plant Info” showed significant correlations with actual learning outcomes, while “Ease of Use” and “3D Plants” showed significant correlations with perceived learning. As such, designers and developers of AR apps can generalize these findings to inform future designs.

Presentation 2: The Naturalist’s Workshop: Virtual Reality Interaction with a Natural Science Educational Collection (Short Paper #11)

Authors: Colin Patrick Keenan, Cynthia Lincoln, Adam Rogers, Victoria Gerson, Jack Wingo, Mikhael Vasquez-Kool and Richard L. Blanton

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For experiential educators who utilize or maintain physical collections, The Naturalist’s Workshop is an exemplar virtual reality platform to interact with digitized collections in an intuitive and playful way. The Naturalist’s Workshop is a purpose-developed application for the Oculus Quest standalone virtual reality headset for use by museum visitors on the floor of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences under the supervision of a volunteer attendant. Within the application, museum visitors are seated at a virtual desk. Using their hand controllers and head-mounted display, they explore drawers containing botanical specimens and tools-of-the-trade of a naturalist. While exploring, the participant can receive new information about any specimen by dropping it into a virtual examination tray. 360-degree photography and three-dimensionally scanned specimens are used to allow user-motivated, immersive experience of botanical meta-data such as specimen collection coordinates.

Presentation 3: 360˚ Videos: Entry level Immersive Media for Libraries and Education (Practitioner Presentation #132)

Authors: Diane Michaud

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Within the continuum of XR Technologies, 360˚ videos are relatively easy to produce and need only an inexpensive mobile VR viewer to provide a sense of immersion. 360˚ videos present an opportunity to reveal “behind the scenes” spaces that are normally inaccessible to users of academic libraries. This can promote engagement with unique special collections and specific library services. In December 2019, with little previous experience, I led the production of a short 360˚video tour, a walk-through of our institution’s archives. This was a first attempt; there are plans to transform it into a more interactive, user-driven exploration. The beta version successfully generated interest, but the enhanced version will also help prepare uninitiated users for the process of examining unique archival documents and artefacts. This presentation will cover the lessons learned, and what we would do differently for our next immersive video production. Additionally, I will propose that the medium of 360˚ video is ideal for many institutions’ current or recent predicament with campuses shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Online or immersive 360˚ video can be used for virtual tours of libraries and/or other campus spaces. Virtual tours would retain their value beyond current campus shutdowns as there will always be prospective students and families who cannot easily make a trip to campus. These virtual tours would provide a welcome alternative as they eliminate the financial burden of travel and can be taken at any time.

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