ABSTRACT
This study presents a novel video recommendation system for an algebra virtual learning environment (VLE) that leverages ideas and methods from engagement measurement, item response theory, and reinforcement learning. Following Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) theory, but considering low affect and high affect students separately, we developed a system of five categories of video recommendations: 1) Watch new video;2) Review current topic video with a new tutor;3) Review segment of current video with current tutor;4) Review segment of current video with a new tutor;5) Watch next video in curriculum sequence. The category of recommendation was determined by student scores on a quiz and a sensor-free engagement detection model. New video recommendations (i.e., category 1) were selected based on a novel reinforcement learning algorithm that takes input from an item response theory model. The recommendation system was evaluated in a large field experiment, both before and after school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The results show evidence of effectiveness of the video recommendation algorithm during the period of normal school operations, but the effect disappears after school closures. Implications for teacher orchestration of technology for normal classroom use and periods of school closure are discussed. © 2022 ACM.
ABSTRACT
The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has resulted in a massive amount of global research on the social and human dimensions of the disease. Between academic researchers, governments, and polling firms, thousands of survey projects have been launched globally, tracking aspects like public opinion, social impacts, and drivers of disease transmission and mitigation. This deluge of research has created numerous potential risks and problems, including methodological concerns, duplication of efforts, and inappropriate selection and application of social science research techniques. Such concerns are more acute when projects are launched under the auspices of quick response, time-pressured conditions–and are magnified when such research is often intended for rapid public and policy-maker consumption, given the massive public importance of the topic. Copyright © 2022 Kennedy, Jensen and Jensen.
ABSTRACT
Space education not only plays a key role in helping young people understand the natural world and their impact on the planet but is also vital in ensuring that future generations can make meaningful contributions to the space sector at all levels. Positive perceptions of the space sector can lead young people to take roles where they can contribute to new knowledge, develop new technologies, and tackle societal challenges. As the relationship between science and society is tested by global events-such as climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic-scientific trust and accountability have become topics of frequent and public debate. The way in which young people engage with space education and perceive their potential involvement with the space sector is of greater importance now than ever before. This paper describes a two-year European space education project that was carried out before and during the COVID-19 global pandemic. An evaluation of the project activities showed that young people are generally enthusiastic about space, but their perceptions of the European space sector-and their connections to it-are less positive. Recommendations are made on the challenges facing the space sector and how it needs to adapt to better support the development of a more inclusive space education community.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 global pandemic has transformed the relationship between science and society. The ensuing public health crisis has placed aspects of this relationship in harsh relief;perceptions of scientific credibility, risk, uncertainty, and democracy are all publicly debated in ways unforeseen before the pandemic. This unprecedented situation presents opportunities to reassess how certain disciplines contribute to the public understanding of science. Space education has long provided a lens through which people can consider the intersection of the natural world with society. Space science is critical to understanding how human activity and pollution affect global warming, which in turn, inextricably links it to perceptions of the natural world, environmental change, science communication, and public engagement. The pandemic has caused a dramatic shift in how space education projects connect with public audiences, with participation pivoting to online engagement. This transition, coupled with the renewed societal examination of trust in science, means that it is an ideal time for the field of space education to reflect on its development. Whether it evolves into its own distinct field, or remains an area that straddles disciplinary boundaries, such as science education, communication, and public engagement, are crucial considerations when scientific trust, accountability, and responsibility are in question. This paper describes the current state of space education, recent advances in the field, and relevant COVID-19 challenges. The experience of an international space education project in adapting to online engagement is recounted, and provides a perspective on potential future directions for the field. © Copyright © 2021 Roche, Bell, Hurley, D’Arcy, Owens, Jensen, Jensen, Gonzalez and Russo.
ABSTRACT
In the midst of a pandemic, the efficacy of official measures to mitigate the COVID-19 crisis largely depends on public attitudes towards them, where conspiracy beliefs represent potential threats to the efficacy of measures such as vaccination. Here, we present predictors and outcomes associated with a COVID-19 vaccination conspiracy belief. In a representative survey of Germany, sociodemographic predictors of this belief were found to include age, federal state, migration background and school leaving qualification. The study revealed correlations with trust in scientific and governmental information sources, respondents' self-assessment of being informed about science, general conspiracy mindedness, the frequency of using Twitter and messaging apps, as well as willingness to voluntarily take the COVID-19 vaccine. Our results cohere with and build on the general literature on conspiracy mindedness and related factors. The findings provide an evidence base for more effective health and crisis communication in Germany and beyond.
ABSTRACT
In late 2019, an acute, severe lower respiratory tract illness of unknown etiology, linked to contact with a live seafood and animal market, was reported in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, subsequently shown to be caused by a novel coronavirus termed the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) Coronavirus (CoV)-2. The infection caused by this virus is referred to as coronavirus disease 2019, or COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2 infects human cells through binding of viral surface spike protein to human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptors, predominantly expressed on Type II alveolar cells, in the lung. SARS-CoV-2 is highly transmissible, and affected patients can transmit the infection while asymptomatic. Patients commonly complain of fever, dry cough, fatigue, myalgias, headache, and dyspnea. Most infected patients have mild disease and recover, with more severe disease and mortality more commonly present in older individuals and patients with comorbidities, such as hypertension, diabetes, and chronic cardiovascular and respiratory conditions. The diagnosis of COVID-19 is typically established through identification of viral nucleic acid at real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction on respiratory tract samples. Chest radiography in COVID-19 infection may be normal;when abnormal, patchy areas of lower lobe ground-glass opacity and/or consolidation are seen. Computed tomography is more sensitive than chest radiography for detection of the infection and commonly shows multifocal, bilateral, peripheral, and basal predominant round or oval areas of ground-glass opacity that may subsequently transition to consolidation. Treatment for COVID-19 is currently supportive, with various ongoing trials evaluating a number of potentially therapeutic agents.