Children's Issues, Education, and Training

An Investigation of the Factors Predicting Participation in Social Media Challenges
Author(s):Amro Khasawneh Johns Hopkins University; Heidi Zinzow Clemson University; Kapil Chalil Madathil Clemson University; Patrick Rosopa Clemson University; Shraddhaa Narasimha Clemson University
Abstract: Online challenges phenomena are very familiar to adolescents and young adults who spend large portions of time on social media. We conducted a retrospective quantitative study with a total of 471 participants between the ages of 13 and 35 who either had participated in the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Ice Bucket Challenge (IBC) the Cinnamon Challenge (CC) or had never participated in any online challenge. We used binomial logistic regression models to classify those who participated in ALS IBC or CC versus those who didn’t with the beliefs from the Integrated Behavioral Model (IBM) as predictors. Our findings showed that both CC and ALS IBC participants had significantly greater positive emotional responses value for the outcomes of the challenge and expectation of the public to participate in the challenge in comparison to individuals who never participated in any challenge.

Cognitive Work Analysis and Visualization Design for the Graduate Admission Decision Making Process
Author(s):Xiaomei Wang Texas A&M University; Ann Bisantz State University of New York at Buffalo; Matthew Bolton State University of New York at Buffalo; Lora Cavuoto State University of New York at Buffalo; Varun Chandola State University of New York at Buffalo
Abstract: Graduate admission has always been a complex decision making process. The link between application materials and student success has remained elusive and as such there is no validated method for making decisions. To understand the purposes processes difficulties and needs of the current graduate admission process semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants from engineering departments. Cognitive work analysis techniques were used to summarize the findings from the interviews. Visualizations were designed to improve the current online review system. User feedback was collected in an experiment.

Eye Tracking Data Analytics in Virtual Reality Training: Application in Deepwater Horizon Oil Drilling Operation
Author(s):Ziho Kang University of Oklahoma; Jiwon Jeon University of Oklahoma; Saeed Salehi University of Oklahoma
Abstract: Virtual reality (VR) enable us to train in a safe environment using computer-generated simulations. One such simulated environment is the Deepwater Horizon operation and VR enables us to evaluate trainees’ and operators’ situation awareness (SA) in a non-hazardous environment. One unobtrusive and viable SA evaluation method might be the use of eye movements specifically the time-ordered visual scan paths. In this research we investigated how SA can be associated with visual scan paths in an anomaly detection task within the oil drilling rig virtual reality simulator. The results show that the trainees having lower SA tended to create random visual scan paths whereas the trainees having higher SA tended to create concentrated and refined visual scan paths. The results show promise in developing timely intervention methods through analyzing the visual scan path characteristics of the trainees.

Inclusion by Design: A 75-Minute Crash Course on Accessible Design
Author(s):Julian Brinkley Clemson University; Earl Huff Clemson University
Abstract: The community of researchers supporting instruction on design thinking has a significant body of materials to help students understand and master the process of creative problem solving in design. Missing we argue are materials and processes which directly support the design of inclusive technologies for persons with disabilities. We present ‘Inclusion by Design’ an interactive and participative crash course designed to introduce students to techniques that may be useful in an inclusive design process. In a single 75-minute session students explore the inclusive design of a transportation technology for a visually impaired persona. We report on our findings from a single pilot of the crash course involving six diverse students within a graduate course on Inclusive Design. Our findings suggest that the course may be effective in introducing techniques like storyboarding scenario creation and low fidelity prototyping to students using an approach that may be effective for various learning styles.

Transfer of Training: Effectiveness of Context-Based Visual Decision Aids to Enhance the Situation Awareness of Windstorm Risk Engineers
Author(s):Kapil Chalil Madathil Clemson University; Jeffrey Bertrand Clemson University; Sruthy Agnisarman Clemson University
Abstract: Infrastructure risk inspection more specifically windstorm inspection survey involves the process of identifying wind vulnerabilities associated with a building to limit the extent of damages in the event of an extreme weather condition. It is important to support the situation awareness (SA) of engineers when completing risk inspection tasks as lack of SA can lead to inaccurate prediction of the future state of the infrastructure system. More specifically this study investigated the transfer of training effect of checklist based and predictive display based contextual decision aids in the absence of such aids. We investigated how SA of participants exposed to these decision aids were affected when they were removed. Our findings suggest that the participants in the checklist based decision aid maintained their SA in the absence of decision aids. However participants in the predictive display had significantly lower SA in the absence of it.

Utilizing Cognitive Load Theory and Evidence-Centered Design to Inform the Design of Game-Based Learning Environments
Author(s):Dolly Bounajim North Carolina State University; Eric Wiebe North Carolina State University; Arif Rachmatullah ; Danielle Boulden; Bradford Mott Center for Educational Informatics NCSU; James Lester Center for Educational Informatics NCSU; Trudi Lord ; Frieda Reichsman ; Paul Horwitz ; Chad Dorsey
Abstract: Digital game-based learning (DGBL) environments are increasingly utilized to facilitate classroom instruction. For the game in our study a formative stealth assessment tool in the form of an intelligent tutoring system (ITS) is guided by evidence-centered assessment design (ECD). Cognitive Load Theory and ECD are utilized as diagnostic tools to analyze upsurges in hints delivered by the ITS and inform game design revisions that will promote improved learner support and learning outcomes.