Όρους Χρήσης του Εθνικού Αρχείου Διδακτορικών Διατριβών, καθώς και της
Περίληψη σε άλλη γλώσσα
The current doctoral thesis concerns research topics in the field of Human and Computer interaction (HCI), which is a crossover between related academic principles, such as computer science, cognitive and social psychology. The research of this thesis focuses on investigating the enhancement of the educational process through the integration of alternative ways of learning and interaction from an HCI perspective. In terms of learning, the integration of experiential activities into computational interactive systems, as well as the use of electronic educational environments or games was investigated, based on the needs and particularities of learners in the context of an educational process. Concerning interaction, alternative methods of interaction with computing systems were studied, both for creating an encouraging user environment and for correlating them to the learning preferences and difficulties each user may encounter. Alternative ways of interaction imply the use of a more nat ...
The current doctoral thesis concerns research topics in the field of Human and Computer interaction (HCI), which is a crossover between related academic principles, such as computer science, cognitive and social psychology. The research of this thesis focuses on investigating the enhancement of the educational process through the integration of alternative ways of learning and interaction from an HCI perspective. In terms of learning, the integration of experiential activities into computational interactive systems, as well as the use of electronic educational environments or games was investigated, based on the needs and particularities of learners in the context of an educational process. Concerning interaction, alternative methods of interaction with computing systems were studied, both for creating an encouraging user environment and for correlating them to the learning preferences and difficulties each user may encounter. Alternative ways of interaction imply the use of a more natural communication channel between a user and a computer in terms of input such as voice and movement.The main goal of the thesis was to develop an appropriately designed computer supported educational framework, with the necessary tools and methods to enable learners to have a more active role in the learning process, increasing their participation and meeting their personal educational needs. As it was identified during the course of this research, the provision of a more enjoyable and improved learning environment can be achieved using new technologies and methods. The use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in educational environments is constantly increasing, either with the use of audiovisual media or with the use of educational games. Nowadays, it becomes increasingly accepted that alternative ways of education, such as for example experiential learning is more effective and increases the learner's motivation to participate. Towards the further development of experiential learning, in the past years, there has been an increase in the number of pedagogical methods that employ more practical ways of learning such as problem-based learning, learning through co-operation and role-playing, learning through activities and game-based learning amongst others. In the context of the study of educational environments, this research focused on methodologies that facilitate distance learning and appropriate experimental processes were carried out. The first parameter that was investigated was the implementation of experiential learning in an educational environment. In order to explore how experiential learning can be embedded in a computational interactive learning environment, a role-playing game was designed and implemented in a three-dimensional virtual environment. The second parameter investigated was the user’s specific learning profile. This investigation was supported by the development of an educational environment called e-Hoop, the main target of which was to first evaluate the learning preferences and difficulties of the users and then provide the most appropriate educational material. In brief, it supports the idea of enhancing the individual learners’ learning attributes, which means the most effective way they process information, for example visually or acoustically and reducing the cognitive load by presenting the learning material in a more enjoyable, fun and simplified form.In the field of HCI, the use of physical interfaces in interactive computing systems is becoming increasingly valuable, which they in turn prove to be invaluable tools in the education field. Natural ways of interaction such as gestures or body movements, are pleasant, they promote the active participation of the learners, their motivation and attention, all while enhancing the learning process in parallel. Additionally, they provide the users with a more human-like communication experience and can act as a catalyst in the process of alternative ways of learning. However, it is not evident which natural ways of interaction, in which way and in what combination is it feasible to be integrated into educational environments to aid in an alternative learning process. In the context of this research, a comparative study of alternative ways of interaction with every system designed was initially carried out, examining both the subjective and emotional experience of users along with the increased incentive to participate. Subsequently, there was an investigation of the correlation of users' learning profiles with respect to the interaction method they utilised. To actualise this goal, an educational game was designed and developed, which through its user interface, enabled the users to interact with more natural ways of communicating, either by using voice or by using motion. The results fueled the next step of the research which was the development of a new approach for the evaluation of learning difficulties in children. In particular, this method implements the cognitive skill tests related to spatial and time orientation and the sequence of events, while simultaneously collecting information on the child's motor skills. For the purpose of this method, Kin-LDD, an innovative tool, was designed and developed. Kin-LDD is a serious game for children, which is pleasant and offers a natural user interaction interface through gestures, while in parallel provides a tool for specialists to examine the cognitive motor skills in children.In the present doctoral thesis, experimental techniques were implemented, aiming at the collection of both quantitative and qualitative data and the extraction of objective and subjective conclusions. The results of the aforementioned researches confirmed the goals set in the initial phase of the dissertation. In summary, the research carried out in this doctoral thesis, proposes a methodology for the creation and enrichment of an encouraging, pleasant and innovative educational environment with the main purpose of addressing the individual learner’s needs and at the same time to actively involve them in the learning process. The research has shown that such 'engagement' is achieved by integrating and using alternative learning methods such as experiential activities and different communication channels between the user and the system, while also deemed a good practice for achieving a pleasant experience for learner in an educational environment framework. In addition, it has been shown that the use of alternative ways of interaction within interactive computing systems, based on their correlation with the user's learning preferences and difficulties, when applied to educational environments, the active participation of users is enhanced. Therefore, during this research, the assumptions and objectives of the dissertations were actualised, both on a theoretical but also on a practical level. The underlying framework for this research, has managed to strengthen the learners’ participation, to address their individual learning needs, difficulties and obstacles faced by each learner, to facilitate an encouraging environment that provides a pleasant experience for the end user and to provide alternative ways of interaction between user and computer, with emphasis on the use of physical interfaces.
Αφορά στους συνδεδεμένους στο σύστημα χρήστες οι οποίοι έχουν αλληλεπιδράσει με τη διδακτορική διατριβή. Ως επί το πλείστον, αφορά τις μεταφορτώσεις. Πηγή: Εθνικό Αρχείο Διδακτορικών Διατριβών.
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