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Publications

2022

The game pentade: A design model proposal for games for education

Authors
Raposo, L; Guerra, H; Morais, C; Coelho, A;

Publication
Handbook of Research on the Influence and Effectiveness of Gamification in Education

Abstract
The use of digital games as support tools for education has proven to be effective. To explore their potential, it is crucial to design them carefully. This chapter considers the design of games for education, where players cultivate their knowledge and practice their skills by multiplying numerous hindrances during gaming. Educational elements are integrated into the gameplay, which players acquire while playing. The game's effectiveness depends on the players' ability to form a cheerful and encouraging environment to continue playing while increasing their interest in gameplay and improving academic performance. Following a design-first development approach, an innovative proposal for this design is presented, adding a new dimension to the game's tetrad: learning dynamics. Benefiting from years of professional practice, this game pentad design framework fulfills the learning and user experience requirements while overcoming the design limitations of more conventional approaches not based on an educational purpose.

2022

Virtual Reality e-Commerce: Contextualization and Gender Impact on User Memory and User Perception of Functionalities and Size of Products

Authors
Gonçalves, G; Meirinhos, G; Filipe, V; Melo, M; Bessa, M;

Publication
IEEE ACCESS

Abstract
Virtual reality (VR) potential to isolate users from the real world while producing a rich virtual environment where users act similarly to how they would, in reality, is still being investigated in several fields. In this work, we investigated the effects of product contextualisation and gender under an immersive VR application where users can explore in-depth a commercial product with a hands-on experience. An experimental between-subjects study was performed with 38 participants between 18 and 28 years. The product tested consisted of a double-door refrigerator equipped with a touchscreen. Two independent variables were studied: Context (the refrigerator was filled with food products and placed in a kitchen), Neutral Context (empty refrigerator displayed in an empty white room), and Gender (Female and Male). As for the dependent variables, we considered how clarified users felt about the product functionalities, its size, the extent users remember details and characteristics of the refrigerator, and the user's subjective workload. The evidence shows that contextualisation and gender have no impact on any dependent variables. Therefore, we concluded that presenting a product in its context does not benefit significantly benefit it. Thus, opting for a neutral context would be preferable to save computational costs and human resources necessary to build and run the higher complexity environments required to contextualise the product.

2022

SYNCOPATION AND GROOVE IN POLYPHONIC MUSIC: PATTERNS MATTER

Authors
Sioros, G; Madison, G; Cocharro, D; Danielsen, A; Gouyon, F;

Publication
MUSIC PERCEPTION

Abstract
MUSIC OFTEN EVOKES A REGULAR BEAT AND A pleasurable sensation of wanting to move to that beat called groove. Recent studies show that a rhythmic pattern's ability to evoke groove increases at moderate levels of syncopation, essentially, when some notes occur earlier than expected. We present two studies that investigate that effect of syncopation in more realistic polyphonic music examples. First, listeners rated their urge to move to music excerpts transcribed from funk and rock songs, and to algorithmically transformed versions of these excerpts: 1) with the original syncopation removed, and 2) with various levels of pseudorandom syncopation introduced. While the original excerpts were rated higher than the de-syncopated, the algorithmic syncopation was not as successful in evoking groove. Consequently, a moderate level of syncopation increases groove, but only for certain syncopation patterns. The second study provides detailed comparisons of the original and transformed rhythmic structures that revealed key differences between them in: 1) the distribution of syncopation across instruments and metrical positions, 2) the counter-meter figures formed by the syncopating notes, and 3) the number of pickup notes. On this basis, we form four concrete hypotheses about the function of syncopation in groove, to be tested in future experiments.

2022

Relating Kleene Algebras with Pseudo Uninorms

Authors
Bedregal, BRC; Santiago, RHN; Madeira, A; Martins, MA;

Publication
Dynamic Logic. New Trends and Applications - 4th International Workshop, DaLí 2022, Haifa, Israel, July 31 - August 1, 2022, Revised Selected Papers

Abstract
This paper explores a strict relation between two core notions of the semantics of programs and of fuzzy logics: Kleene Algebras and (pseudo) uninorms. It shows that every Kleene algebra induces a pseudo uninorm, and that some pseudo uninorms induce Kleene algebras. This connection establishes a new perspective on the theory of Kleene algebras and provides a way to build (new) Kleene algebras. The latter aspect is potentially useful as a source of formalism to capture and model programs acting with fuzzy behaviours and domains. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

2022

The impact of video lecture capture on student attainment and achievement of intended learning outcomes

Authors
Remiao, F; Carmo, H; Gomes, M; Silva, R; Costa, VM; Carvalho, F; Bastos, MD;

Publication
PHARMACY EDUCATION

Abstract
Background: The multimedia capturing of live lectures has increased within higher education institutions, even in the pre-COVID-19 period. Despite student satisfaction, the video lecture capture (VLC) influence on students' attainment and achievement of intended learning outcomes is controversial. Methods: To explore the impact of VLC, a cross-sectional study across 2016/17 (n=209 students) and 2017/18 (n=206 students) was conducted in the course of Mechanistic Toxicology in Pharmaceutical Education. Results: The results showed that 73% and 90% of the assessed students entirely viewed the videos of theoretical (550 minutes) and practical/laboratory classes (250 minutes), respectively. VLC impacted student attainment and the achievement of intended learning outcomes on the capacity to understand the subjects and apply knowledge. Conclusion: The effectiveness of VLC is to be considered under the framework of constructive alignment and the specificities of the course.

2022

A Novel Discrete Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm for the Travelling Salesman Problems

Authors
Sequeiros, JA; Silva, R; Santos, AS; Bastos, J; Varela, MLR; Madureira, AM;

Publication
INNOVATIONS IN INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING

Abstract
There are Optimization Problems that are too complex to be solved efficiently by deterministic methods. For these problems, where deterministic methods have proven to be inefficient, if not completely unusable, it is common to use approximate methods, that is, optimization methods that solve the problems quickly, regardless of their size or complexity, even if they do not guarantee optimal solutions. In other words, methods that find acceptable solutions, efficiently. One particular type of approximate method, which is particularly effective in complex problems, are metaheuristics. Particle Swarm Optimization is a population-based metaheuristic, which has been particularly successful. In order to broaden the application and overcome the limitation of Particle Swarm Optimization, a discrete version of the metaheuristics is proposed. The Discrete Particle Swarm Optimization, DPSO, will change the PSO algorithm so it can be applied to discrete optimization problems. This alteration will focus on the velocity update equation. The DPSO was tested in an instance of the Traveling Salesman Problem, att48, 48 points problems proposed by Padberg and Rinaldi, which showed some promising results.

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