Search Results (5)

In a unique case-study approach in which I served as both the research participant and the experimenter, I wore eye-tracking glasses while teaching a brief music lesson to two university students learning trumpet, then approximately two weeks later, I watched a video of the lesson and tracked my gaze again. To investigate unconscious perceptual processes engaged during music teaching, I compared my attention allocation while teaching to my attention allocation during selfobservation. My gaze behavior while teaching revealed a high level of automaticity regarding lesson sequencing and allocation of attention. Strategic moment-to-moment shifts in attention between the two students occurred entirely below my conscious awareness, yet post hoc analyses revealed precisely timed changes that were related to momentary goals. While watching the video, absent the demands of behavioral interaction and momentary decision-making, I directed more sustained attention to both students than I had while teaching. These results reveal important features of “teacher thinking” that are not directly observable or typically construed as conscious behavior. That this component of teaching practice does not involve volitional control suggests that teachers’ descriptions of their thinking may not reveal to novices important elements of pedagogical expertise. Full article

Design discussion is crucial in the architectural design process. To enhance the spatial understanding of 3D space and discussion effectiveness, recently, some systems have been proposed to support design discussion interactively in an immersive virtual environment. The entire design discussion can be archived and potentially become course materials for future learners. In this paper, we propose an asynchronous VR exploration system that aims to help learners explore content effectively and efficiently anywhere and at any time. To improve effectiveness and efficiency, we also propose a summarization-to-detail approach with the application space by which students can observe the visualization of spatial summarization of actions and participants’ dwell time or the temporal distribution of dialogues and then locate the important or interesting region or dialogue for further exploration. To further explore the discussion content, students can call the preview to see the time-lapse animation of the object operation to understand the change in models or playback to view the discussion details. We conducted an exploratory user study with 10 participants to evaluate user experience, user impression, and effectiveness of learning the design discussion course content using our asynchronous VR design discussion content exploration system. The results indicate that the interactive VR exploration system presented can help learners study the design discussion content effectively. Participants also provided some positive feedback and confirmed the usefulness and value of the system presented. Our applications and lessons learned have implications for future asynchronous VR exploration systems, not only for architectural design discussion content, but also for other applications, such as industrial visual inspections and educational visualizations of design discussions. Full article

Most nitrogen (N) in organic fertilizers must be mineralized to become available to plants, a process in which microorganisms play crucial roles. Droughts may impact microorganisms associated with the N cycle, negatively affecting N mineralization and plant N supply. The effects of drought on N-related processes may further be shaped by the farming system. We buried ¹⁵N-enriched plant material and reduced precipitation in conventionally and organically (biodynamically) managed wheat fields. On two sampling dates, we evaluated the soil water content, plant parameters and the plants’ ¹⁵N isotope signature. We intended to study the microbial communities associated with the N cycle to link potential treatment effects on plant N provisioning with characteristics of the underlying microbial community. However, floods impaired the experiment after the first sampling date, and the molecular work on the microbial communities was not performed. Focusing on the pre-flooding sampling date, our data suggested that processes associated with N transformation are sensitive to drought, but the role of the farming system needs further investigation. Since the underlying research question, the set-up and the lessons learned from this study may guide future experiments, we presented improvements to the set-up and provided ideas for additional analyses, hoping to promote research on this topic. Full article

Reading students’ faces and their body language, checking their worksheets, and keeping eye contact is a key trait of teacher competence. The new technology of mobile eye-tracking provides researchers with possibilities to explore teaching from the viewpoint of teacher gaze, but also introduces many new method questions. This study had the primary aim to investigate teachers’ attention distribution over space: the number and durations of several types of their gazes, and how their gaze depends on the factors of students´ gender, achievement, and position in the classroom. Results show that teacher gaze was distributed unevenly across both space and time. Teachers looked at the most-watched students 3–8 times more often than at the least-watched ones. Students sitting in the first row and the middle section received significantly more gaze than those sitting outside this zone. All three teachers made more single gaze visits—looking at the students but making no eye contact—than mutual gazes or student material gazes. The three teachers’ gaze distribution also varied substantially from lesson to lesson. Our results are important for understanding teacher behavior in real classrooms, but also point to the relevance of appropriate method design in future classroom studies with eye-tracking. Full article

Major companies in the minerals industry are increasingly recognizing that their operations have an impact in the wider community. Regarding transportation issues, this impact extends beyond purely the safety of company vehicle fleets to consideration of Community Road Safety (CRS) concerns, which address the driving, walking, and riding practices of community members in a locale with increased heavy vehicle traffic. Our assessment here of national and international trends in approaches to road safety awareness and associated road safety strategies is meant to inform companies in the minerals industry of developments that can influence the design of their road safety initiatives. The review begins by considering the overall road safety context and the dominant “safe systems” framework employed internationally. Thereafter, it considers what is typically included in CRS initiatives for the minerals industry. Three case studies are then presented to highlight approaches that feature exemplary collaboration, design, implementation, or impact. Thereafter, we analyze lessons learnt by key researchers and practitioners in the CRS field. Finally, we conclude that best CRS practices for the minerals industry rely on eleven factors, including for example collaboration with local entities and stepwise implementation. Full article