An approach to automatic learning assessment based on the computational theory of perceptions

E-learning systems output a huge quantity of data on a learning process. However, it takes a lot of specialist human resources to manually process these data and generate an assessment report. Additionally, for formative assessment, the report should state the attainment level of the learning goals defined by the instructor. This paper describes the use of the granular linguistic model of a phenomenon (GLMP) to model the assessment of the learning process and implement the automated generation of an assessment report. GLMP is based on fuzzy logic and the computational theory of perceptions. This technique is useful for implementing complex assessment criteria using inference systems based on linguistic rules. Apart from the grade, the model also generates a detailed natural language progress report on the achieved proficiency level, based exclusively on the objective data gathered from correct and incorrect responses. This is illustrated by applying the model to the assessment of Dijkstra’s algorithm learning using a visual simulation-based graph algorithm learning environment, called GRAPH

Do Clothing Style and Color Affect Our Perceptions of Others?

Prior research has shown that women who wear red clothing or suggestive clothing are perceived as more attractive, having greater sexual intent, and having more negative qualities than women dressed in different colors or less suggestive clothing. This bias towards perceiving sexual intent may be evolutionary or may be due to people projecting their emotions onto others. The current study builds from this research by performing a 2 (color: white or red) x 2 (clothing type: suggestive or non-suggestive) between-subjects experiment. We hypothesized that women would be perceived as more attractive and as having greater sexual intent while wearing red and suggestive clothing rather than while wearing red and non-suggestive clothing or while in either of the white clothing conditions. Although we found no significant interaction between the color and clothing conditions, we did find multiple main effects. This suggests that either the color red or the suggestive clothing type will make a difference in perceptions of attractiveness and sexual intent, but when together, the effect is alleviated

Inservice Education of High School Computer Science Teachers

The United States urgently needs strong high school computer science programs. Our economy and the technological level of our society depend upon a continuing supply of high quality scientists, mathematicians, engineers, business people, computer scientists, and technicians, all equipped with a solid foundation in computer science. This supply depends upon a strong computer science program that begins in high school..

Effects of targeted memory reactivation on cortical networks

<p><span>Sleep is a complex physiological process with an important role in memory consolidation characterised by a series of spatiotemporal changes of brain activity and connectivity. Here we investigate how task related responses differ between pre-sleep wake, sleep, and post-sleep wake.<span>  </span>To this end, we trained participants on a serial reaction time task using both right and left hands, and used Targeted Memory Reactivation (TMR), in which auditory cues are associated with learned material and then re-presented in subsequent wake or sleep in order to elicit memory reactivation.<span>  </span>Neural responses just after each cue showed increased theta band connectivity between frontal and other cortical regions, as well as between hemispheres, in slow wave sleep compared to pre- or post- sleep wake.<span>  </span>This pattern was consistent across cues associated with both right- and left-hand movements. We also searched for hand-specific connectivity and found that this could be identified in within-hemisphere connectivity after TMR cues during sleep and post-sleep sessions. The fact that we could identify which hand had been cued during sleep suggests that these connectivity measures could potentially be used to determine how successfully memory is reactivated by our manipulation. Collectively, these findings indicate that TMR modulates the brain cortical networks showing clear differences between wake and sleep connectivity patterns</span></p&gt