A common problem for people with disabilities, particularly those who rely on mobility devices, i... more A common problem for people with disabilities, particularly those who rely on mobility devices, is learning to navigate a new environment. This is especially troublesome for students who are attending a new university and need to figure out how to get from one place to another. All Together Now is a mobile multi-player cooperative game developed for two purposes. First, the game, developed by two computer scientists and a disability studies scholar, is intended to give disabled students a fun way to learn their way around campus, learn how to report accessibility issues on that campus, and make friends with people who have similar disabilities. Second, the game can be used as a way of fostering awareness and advocacy among students without disabilities, by having them work in teams where one member is someone with a disability that causes them to rely on mobility devices. This article describes the implementation of the game within a disability studies course and the results of two pilot tests, with both disabled and non-disabled participants.
Virtual reality provides users with a truly immersive experience that can more fully engage them ... more Virtual reality provides users with a truly immersive experience that can more fully engage them with the data. The goal of this project is to create learning environments where children can be fully immersed in and engaged with their learning materials. This technical report describes initial experiments in this area.
The advent of tangible interfaces has greatly expanded the many possible ways that one may intera... more The advent of tangible interfaces has greatly expanded the many possible ways that one may interact with a computer. TICLE (Tangible Interfaces for Collaborative Learning Environments) is a project that explores new ways that a computer can enhance learning by responding to students’ actions in a physical environment. We have developed a prototype system that watches children as they play with a Tangram puzzle on a physical tabletop, and acts as a guide on the side by offering help at appropriate times. This system is currently installed at the Goudreau Museum of Mathematics in Art and Science. This paper describes the results of two usability tests conducted at the museum. Our study suggests that the TICLE interface helps children to stay focused, think about the problem in new ways, and complete the problem at hand. It also suggests that TICLE may help children to develop problem-solving skills that transfer to similar problems. This demonstrates that a computer "guide on the...
Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, 2018
Online learning environments have become a standard support for most higher education courses, wh... more Online learning environments have become a standard support for most higher education courses, whether they are face to face, hybrid, or online. During their years of study, today’s students will need to navigate these online learning environments: from finding the syllabus to interacting with the faculty virtually. However, not all learners have equal facility when dealing with online environments. In this article we report results of two exploratory studies investigating cognitive characteristics involved in learning and personal pre-requisites that are important for a positive learner experience in an online learning environment. In particular, we examined the perceived easiness of use and perceived helpfulness of the OLE, as related to the user’s digital fluency and spatial ability. Logistic regression of scores in digital fluency (DF) tests on dichotomized survey responses demonstrated that senior undergraduate students with higher DF scores find online learning environments easy to use, and helpful, more often than their peers having lower DF scores. Comparison of mental rotation scores with the digital fluency scores, by means of linear regression analysis, demonstrated statistically significant association between spatial ability and digital fluency. As previous studies demonstrated that spatial ability can be trained, these results will facilitate digital readiness for the expansion of educational ecosystem and will help people to make better use of eLearning materials.
"A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty in Philosphy ... " Thesis (Ph. D.) --... more "A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty in Philosphy ... " Thesis (Ph. D.) -- City University of New York, 2006. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 102-108).
A promising approach to improve scientific literacy in regards to global warming and climate chan... more A promising approach to improve scientific literacy in regards to global warming and climate change is using a simulation as part of a science education course. The simulation needs to employ scientific analysis of actual data from internationally accepted and reputable databases to demonstrate the reality of the current climate change situation. One of the most important criteria for using a simulation in a science education course is the fidelity of the model. The realism of the events and consequences modeled in the simulation is significant as well. Therefore, all underlying equations and algorithms used in the simulation must have realworld scientific basis. The "Energy Choices" simulation is one such simulation. The focus of this paper is the development of a mathematical model for "Energy Intensity" as a part of the overall system dynamics in "Energy Choices" simulation. This model will define the "Energy Intensity" as a function of other independent variables that can be manipulated by users of the simulation. The relationship discovered by this research will be applied to an algorithm in the "Energy Choices" simulation.
World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology, International Journal of Educational and Pedagogical Sciences, 2020
This paper explores the impact that playing a casual game can have on a player's learning and sub... more This paper explores the impact that playing a casual game can have on a player's learning and subsequent behavior. A casual mobile game, Container Chaos, was created to teach undergraduate students about the carbon footprint of various disposable beverage containers. Learning was tested with a short quiz, and behavior was tested by observing which beverage containers players choose when offered a drink and a snack. The game was tested multiple times, under a variety of different circumstances. Findings of these tests indicate that, with extended play over time, players can learn new information and sometimes even change their behavior as a result. This has implications for how other casual games can be used to teach concepts and possibly modify behavior.
In this paper, we describe an application that helps hearing-impaired students learn to read and ... more In this paper, we describe an application that helps hearing-impaired students learn to read and form words by translating speech into video clips of American Sign Language (ASL). The narrator, either a parent or teacher, reads aloud to the student, and the application displays the ASL clip(s) along with the written word(s). The student is thus able to observe the speaker form the words and then see a sign they recognize, the written word, and an illustration of the meaning of the word. We have developed a prototype system along with several albums containing the supporting multimedia.
As distance education collaborations between high schools and colleges increase, there is a conce... more As distance education collaborations between high schools and colleges increase, there is a concern that little has been done to assess the quality and effectiveness of the resulting virtual courses (Carr & Young, 1999). Yet it is equally important to address or consider the many challenges and issues of the collaboration itself. How these issues are addressed will seriously
This work explores new ways that technology can enhance education. We are developing a system tha... more This work explores new ways that technology can enhance education. We are developing a system that "watches" students as they play with a Tangram puzzle on a physical tabletop, and offers help at appropriate times. Thus instead of making the computer a central part of the educational experience, our system acts as a "guide on the side" that students may either turn to for occasional help or ignore completely. This system will be installed and evaluated at the Goudreau Museum of Mathematics in Art and Science during spring 1999.
The human-computer interface is widely recognized as an important part of any software project. C... more The human-computer interface is widely recognized as an important part of any software project. Consequently, the principles of human-computer interaction are increasingly being taught in computer science departments. Usually, this type of course will focus on the design, implementation and testing of graphical user interfaces. Yet today’s ubiquitous computing applications require interfaces that are context aware and respond to more than text from a keyboard or the click of a mouse. Students who have experience developing interfaces with a range of multimodal inputs will be better prepared to meet this growing need. This paper describes a new course that is being taught at two different colleges at the undergraduate level. Students in these classes learn the theory behind good interface design while obtaining practical experience implementing applications that respond to speech, sensor input, and computer vision. This paper also describes how students go on to apply this knowledge ...
Mounting evidence suggests that current trends in global energy usage are leading to global warmi... more Mounting evidence suggests that current trends in global energy usage are leading to global warming, which will likely change our climate irreparably. Yet, as noted in IPCC reports, most people do not take this danger seriously enough to change their behaviors. Computer games, which are increasingly being used for educational purposes, have the potential to change people's understanding and attitudes toward critical issues such as energy use and global climate change. Yet it remains unclear how well serious games achieve these ends, and what, exactly, it is that makes them effective. We propose that by looking at data collected by these games, and correlating it with instruments that measure changes in attitudes, we can determine what game scenarios and activities are actually changing people's minds. This will help us to design more effective games for educating the public in a way that yields tangible results. In this paper we describe a novel strategy for classifying and ...
Virtual reality provides users with a truly immersive experience that can more fully engage them ... more Virtual reality provides users with a truly immersive experience that can more fully engage them with the data. The goal of this project is to create learning environments where children can be fully immersed in and engaged with their learning materials. This technical report describes initial experiments in this area.
This paper presents an interactive virtual breadboard system that provides automated guidance to ... more This paper presents an interactive virtual breadboard system that provides automated guidance to electrical engineering students working on electronic circuits labs. The primary contribution of the paper is the unique invariant representation of the state of the breadboard, which enables instructors to develop their own lab assignments with a set of customized hints. The paper describes the invariant state representation and its implementation in the virtual breadboard system. It also presents results of a pilot test demonstrating that using this system achieves the goal of reducing the workload of teaching assistants. Keywords—Virtual breadboard; circuit design; guide-on-theside; distance learning; digital hints; user interface
In our modern world, where science, technology and society are tightly interwoven, it is essentia... more In our modern world, where science, technology and society are tightly interwoven, it is essential that all students be able to evaluate scientific evidence and make informed decisions. Energy Choices, an agent-based simulation with a multiplayer game interface, was developed as a learning tool that models the interdependencies between the energy choices that are made, growth in local economies, and climate change on a global scale. This paper presents the results of pilot testing Energy Choices in two different settings, using two different modes of delivery.
Numerous cartographic applications rely on triangulated surface models for accurate three-dimensi... more Numerous cartographic applications rely on triangulated surface models for accurate three-dimensional representations of real-world data. Some applications require a series of triangulations to represent a single surface at progressively finer levels of detail. Past work has emphasized techniques relying on plane geometry using little or no surface data. We propose a technique that adapts the triangulation to surface characteristics. Because our adaptive hierarchical triangulation focuses on the topology of a surface, it reduces the number of triangles required for a good approximation. It also produces fewer long and slivery triangles within each level of detail. Our structure guarantees the accuracy of each level of detail. Our structure only retains important triangles, thereby reducing the total number of triangles that must be stored and searched. Furthermore, the tree-like structure of our hierarchy is well-adapted to multiple resolution views, allowing smooth transitions betw...
International Journal of Mobile and Blended Learning
In developing countries, where most people have cell phones (even when they don't have reliab... more In developing countries, where most people have cell phones (even when they don't have reliable electricity or internet service), e-learning and m-learning offer great opportunities for educating a vast populace, particularly in rural communities. This article presents an analysis of primary data from over one thousand secondary school students in Indonesia, the fourth most populated nation in the world, to determine how they are using e-learning and m-learning and how device ownership influences that. The findings from the logistic regression models show that mobile devices are more important than traditional PCs in promoting e-learning, while tablets are better than smartphones for promoting m-learning. Having access to free wi-fi is equally important. Students who prefer m-learning on mobile devices over traditional e-learning activities on PCs tend to be more active and collaborative learners. These findings can help inform policy makers in improving the educational attainme...
The International Journal of Climate Change: Impacts and Responses
The talk will be based on a new online/offline game/simulation (Intelligent Energy Choices (IEC))... more The talk will be based on a new online/offline game/simulation (Intelligent Energy Choices (IEC)) that was designed to provide educators at high schools and college levels and engage general public with an interactive, interesting, tool that allows users to "control" their countries and by doing so, control the fate of the world. The conclusion from playing and observing IEC is that Millenium goals can be satisfied while the countries that they rule and the World at large prosper. IEC is an agent-based simulation/game in which the world's twentyfive most populous countries are represented either by autonomous agents (simulation) or players. IEC is focused on energy use and climate change and their global and national impact on climate and prosperity. The algorithm is based on choice between purchasing the lowest cost energy sources and Cap and Trade mechanism in which global emissions are regulated to constantly decline, and the price of a "unit" of carbon dioxide is collectively adjustable. The reference year is taken as 2003 so data are available for comparing the bottom-up results of the world controlled by the players and the top-down recent data.
A common problem for people with disabilities, particularly those who rely on mobility devices, i... more A common problem for people with disabilities, particularly those who rely on mobility devices, is learning to navigate a new environment. This is especially troublesome for students who are attending a new university and need to figure out how to get from one place to another. All Together Now is a mobile multi-player cooperative game developed for two purposes. First, the game, developed by two computer scientists and a disability studies scholar, is intended to give disabled students a fun way to learn their way around campus, learn how to report accessibility issues on that campus, and make friends with people who have similar disabilities. Second, the game can be used as a way of fostering awareness and advocacy among students without disabilities, by having them work in teams where one member is someone with a disability that causes them to rely on mobility devices. This article describes the implementation of the game within a disability studies course and the results of two pilot tests, with both disabled and non-disabled participants.
Virtual reality provides users with a truly immersive experience that can more fully engage them ... more Virtual reality provides users with a truly immersive experience that can more fully engage them with the data. The goal of this project is to create learning environments where children can be fully immersed in and engaged with their learning materials. This technical report describes initial experiments in this area.
The advent of tangible interfaces has greatly expanded the many possible ways that one may intera... more The advent of tangible interfaces has greatly expanded the many possible ways that one may interact with a computer. TICLE (Tangible Interfaces for Collaborative Learning Environments) is a project that explores new ways that a computer can enhance learning by responding to students’ actions in a physical environment. We have developed a prototype system that watches children as they play with a Tangram puzzle on a physical tabletop, and acts as a guide on the side by offering help at appropriate times. This system is currently installed at the Goudreau Museum of Mathematics in Art and Science. This paper describes the results of two usability tests conducted at the museum. Our study suggests that the TICLE interface helps children to stay focused, think about the problem in new ways, and complete the problem at hand. It also suggests that TICLE may help children to develop problem-solving skills that transfer to similar problems. This demonstrates that a computer "guide on the...
Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, 2018
Online learning environments have become a standard support for most higher education courses, wh... more Online learning environments have become a standard support for most higher education courses, whether they are face to face, hybrid, or online. During their years of study, today’s students will need to navigate these online learning environments: from finding the syllabus to interacting with the faculty virtually. However, not all learners have equal facility when dealing with online environments. In this article we report results of two exploratory studies investigating cognitive characteristics involved in learning and personal pre-requisites that are important for a positive learner experience in an online learning environment. In particular, we examined the perceived easiness of use and perceived helpfulness of the OLE, as related to the user’s digital fluency and spatial ability. Logistic regression of scores in digital fluency (DF) tests on dichotomized survey responses demonstrated that senior undergraduate students with higher DF scores find online learning environments easy to use, and helpful, more often than their peers having lower DF scores. Comparison of mental rotation scores with the digital fluency scores, by means of linear regression analysis, demonstrated statistically significant association between spatial ability and digital fluency. As previous studies demonstrated that spatial ability can be trained, these results will facilitate digital readiness for the expansion of educational ecosystem and will help people to make better use of eLearning materials.
"A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty in Philosphy ... " Thesis (Ph. D.) --... more "A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty in Philosphy ... " Thesis (Ph. D.) -- City University of New York, 2006. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 102-108).
A promising approach to improve scientific literacy in regards to global warming and climate chan... more A promising approach to improve scientific literacy in regards to global warming and climate change is using a simulation as part of a science education course. The simulation needs to employ scientific analysis of actual data from internationally accepted and reputable databases to demonstrate the reality of the current climate change situation. One of the most important criteria for using a simulation in a science education course is the fidelity of the model. The realism of the events and consequences modeled in the simulation is significant as well. Therefore, all underlying equations and algorithms used in the simulation must have realworld scientific basis. The "Energy Choices" simulation is one such simulation. The focus of this paper is the development of a mathematical model for "Energy Intensity" as a part of the overall system dynamics in "Energy Choices" simulation. This model will define the "Energy Intensity" as a function of other independent variables that can be manipulated by users of the simulation. The relationship discovered by this research will be applied to an algorithm in the "Energy Choices" simulation.
World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology, International Journal of Educational and Pedagogical Sciences, 2020
This paper explores the impact that playing a casual game can have on a player's learning and sub... more This paper explores the impact that playing a casual game can have on a player's learning and subsequent behavior. A casual mobile game, Container Chaos, was created to teach undergraduate students about the carbon footprint of various disposable beverage containers. Learning was tested with a short quiz, and behavior was tested by observing which beverage containers players choose when offered a drink and a snack. The game was tested multiple times, under a variety of different circumstances. Findings of these tests indicate that, with extended play over time, players can learn new information and sometimes even change their behavior as a result. This has implications for how other casual games can be used to teach concepts and possibly modify behavior.
In this paper, we describe an application that helps hearing-impaired students learn to read and ... more In this paper, we describe an application that helps hearing-impaired students learn to read and form words by translating speech into video clips of American Sign Language (ASL). The narrator, either a parent or teacher, reads aloud to the student, and the application displays the ASL clip(s) along with the written word(s). The student is thus able to observe the speaker form the words and then see a sign they recognize, the written word, and an illustration of the meaning of the word. We have developed a prototype system along with several albums containing the supporting multimedia.
As distance education collaborations between high schools and colleges increase, there is a conce... more As distance education collaborations between high schools and colleges increase, there is a concern that little has been done to assess the quality and effectiveness of the resulting virtual courses (Carr & Young, 1999). Yet it is equally important to address or consider the many challenges and issues of the collaboration itself. How these issues are addressed will seriously
This work explores new ways that technology can enhance education. We are developing a system tha... more This work explores new ways that technology can enhance education. We are developing a system that "watches" students as they play with a Tangram puzzle on a physical tabletop, and offers help at appropriate times. Thus instead of making the computer a central part of the educational experience, our system acts as a "guide on the side" that students may either turn to for occasional help or ignore completely. This system will be installed and evaluated at the Goudreau Museum of Mathematics in Art and Science during spring 1999.
The human-computer interface is widely recognized as an important part of any software project. C... more The human-computer interface is widely recognized as an important part of any software project. Consequently, the principles of human-computer interaction are increasingly being taught in computer science departments. Usually, this type of course will focus on the design, implementation and testing of graphical user interfaces. Yet today’s ubiquitous computing applications require interfaces that are context aware and respond to more than text from a keyboard or the click of a mouse. Students who have experience developing interfaces with a range of multimodal inputs will be better prepared to meet this growing need. This paper describes a new course that is being taught at two different colleges at the undergraduate level. Students in these classes learn the theory behind good interface design while obtaining practical experience implementing applications that respond to speech, sensor input, and computer vision. This paper also describes how students go on to apply this knowledge ...
Mounting evidence suggests that current trends in global energy usage are leading to global warmi... more Mounting evidence suggests that current trends in global energy usage are leading to global warming, which will likely change our climate irreparably. Yet, as noted in IPCC reports, most people do not take this danger seriously enough to change their behaviors. Computer games, which are increasingly being used for educational purposes, have the potential to change people's understanding and attitudes toward critical issues such as energy use and global climate change. Yet it remains unclear how well serious games achieve these ends, and what, exactly, it is that makes them effective. We propose that by looking at data collected by these games, and correlating it with instruments that measure changes in attitudes, we can determine what game scenarios and activities are actually changing people's minds. This will help us to design more effective games for educating the public in a way that yields tangible results. In this paper we describe a novel strategy for classifying and ...
Virtual reality provides users with a truly immersive experience that can more fully engage them ... more Virtual reality provides users with a truly immersive experience that can more fully engage them with the data. The goal of this project is to create learning environments where children can be fully immersed in and engaged with their learning materials. This technical report describes initial experiments in this area.
This paper presents an interactive virtual breadboard system that provides automated guidance to ... more This paper presents an interactive virtual breadboard system that provides automated guidance to electrical engineering students working on electronic circuits labs. The primary contribution of the paper is the unique invariant representation of the state of the breadboard, which enables instructors to develop their own lab assignments with a set of customized hints. The paper describes the invariant state representation and its implementation in the virtual breadboard system. It also presents results of a pilot test demonstrating that using this system achieves the goal of reducing the workload of teaching assistants. Keywords—Virtual breadboard; circuit design; guide-on-theside; distance learning; digital hints; user interface
In our modern world, where science, technology and society are tightly interwoven, it is essentia... more In our modern world, where science, technology and society are tightly interwoven, it is essential that all students be able to evaluate scientific evidence and make informed decisions. Energy Choices, an agent-based simulation with a multiplayer game interface, was developed as a learning tool that models the interdependencies between the energy choices that are made, growth in local economies, and climate change on a global scale. This paper presents the results of pilot testing Energy Choices in two different settings, using two different modes of delivery.
Numerous cartographic applications rely on triangulated surface models for accurate three-dimensi... more Numerous cartographic applications rely on triangulated surface models for accurate three-dimensional representations of real-world data. Some applications require a series of triangulations to represent a single surface at progressively finer levels of detail. Past work has emphasized techniques relying on plane geometry using little or no surface data. We propose a technique that adapts the triangulation to surface characteristics. Because our adaptive hierarchical triangulation focuses on the topology of a surface, it reduces the number of triangles required for a good approximation. It also produces fewer long and slivery triangles within each level of detail. Our structure guarantees the accuracy of each level of detail. Our structure only retains important triangles, thereby reducing the total number of triangles that must be stored and searched. Furthermore, the tree-like structure of our hierarchy is well-adapted to multiple resolution views, allowing smooth transitions betw...
International Journal of Mobile and Blended Learning
In developing countries, where most people have cell phones (even when they don't have reliab... more In developing countries, where most people have cell phones (even when they don't have reliable electricity or internet service), e-learning and m-learning offer great opportunities for educating a vast populace, particularly in rural communities. This article presents an analysis of primary data from over one thousand secondary school students in Indonesia, the fourth most populated nation in the world, to determine how they are using e-learning and m-learning and how device ownership influences that. The findings from the logistic regression models show that mobile devices are more important than traditional PCs in promoting e-learning, while tablets are better than smartphones for promoting m-learning. Having access to free wi-fi is equally important. Students who prefer m-learning on mobile devices over traditional e-learning activities on PCs tend to be more active and collaborative learners. These findings can help inform policy makers in improving the educational attainme...
The International Journal of Climate Change: Impacts and Responses
The talk will be based on a new online/offline game/simulation (Intelligent Energy Choices (IEC))... more The talk will be based on a new online/offline game/simulation (Intelligent Energy Choices (IEC)) that was designed to provide educators at high schools and college levels and engage general public with an interactive, interesting, tool that allows users to "control" their countries and by doing so, control the fate of the world. The conclusion from playing and observing IEC is that Millenium goals can be satisfied while the countries that they rule and the World at large prosper. IEC is an agent-based simulation/game in which the world's twentyfive most populous countries are represented either by autonomous agents (simulation) or players. IEC is focused on energy use and climate change and their global and national impact on climate and prosperity. The algorithm is based on choice between purchasing the lowest cost energy sources and Cap and Trade mechanism in which global emissions are regulated to constantly decline, and the price of a "unit" of carbon dioxide is collectively adjustable. The reference year is taken as 2003 so data are available for comparing the bottom-up results of the world controlled by the players and the top-down recent data.
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Papers by Lori Scarlatos