Learning and adaptation in physical heterogeneous teams of robots

In this paper we present a novel approach to assigning roles to robots in a team of physical heterogeneous robots. Its members compete for these roles and get rewards for them. The rewards are used to determine each agent’s preferences and which agents are better adapted to the environment. These aspects are included in the decision making process. Agent interactions are modelled using the concept of an ecosystem in which each robot is a species, resulting in emergent behaviour of the whole set of agents. One of the most important features of this approach is its high adaptability. Unlike some other learning techniques, this approach does not need to start a whole exploitation process when the environment changes. All this is exemplified by means of experiments run on a simulator. In addition, the algorithm developed was applied as applied to several teams of robots in order to analyse the impact of heterogeneity in these systems

EdShare, OERs and impact

This presentation was prepared as a contribution to the “Does it make a difference? The impact of repositories and OERs on teaching and learning”, JISC funded event, in collaboration with SCORE and LORO, held on 23 March 2011, at the Open University, Milton Keynes. The work reflects the thinking and approach for EdShare at the University of Southampton in March 2011.

Technology Enhanced Learning Guide

Technology is changing how students learn and how we research. Perhaps you want to use technology to enhance communication or improve student support. You may want create a distance learning activity, a flexibly delivered module or indeed a whole course. You may simply want to find out where to find authoritative information, or to see what support exists for this type of work. The University is committed to delivering high quality learning and teaching, using technology where appropriate, in order to offer a distinctive Southampton educational experience. Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL), also known as e‑learning, is becoming increasingly important to students, teaching staff and the institution. This guide highlights some of the most important matters to consider. It is intended to help you to tackle the key issues that determine the success of TEL projects and to work on those projects in a considered way. Written with the input of colleagues from around the University, it prompts you to ask important questions and points you to sources of up-to-date knowledge and advice. Technology changes rapidly. This guide is about managing the work in a practical way. The University supports the use of a variety of TEL approaches for teaching and learning and colleagues are ready to offer their experience and advice. Each person has distinctive skills and specific experiences. No single person will have all the answers you are looking for. Be ready to investigate alternative approaches that suit you and your students’ needs in different ways. - Madeline Paterson, University of Southampton

Models of Learning and Motivation

A brief skim through educational theory intended for students registered on a single module in Technology Enhanced Learning. Startes with Blooms taxonomy, travles through instructivism and constructivism and on to theories of motivation/

COMP1205 W1 Independent Learning and Using Your Time

An introduction to learning at University

Slides and notes: processes

Slides which explain/elaborate the process and point to the various resources on which you might draw

Disability and Identity Processes

This article presents a reflection about the Disability like a human phenomenon, which needs not only new definitions if not a criticism point of view as a Concept, with the end of indicate representations forms not only for people with disabilities if not for the citizens in general. Considers discourses that identify arguments from social sciences, appearing the Disability like a differentiate condition between human beings, mainly for an exclusion process that announce social behaviors in relations with the persons with disabilities.

Renovación curricular en programas de ciencias de la salud y su impacto en las prácticas pedagógicas de los profesores

Este artículo es un avance del proyecto de investigación “Transformaciones de las prácticas pedagógicas de los profesores en un proceso de renovación curricular”. Su marco conceptual se fundamenta en el análisis de cuatro ejes centrales: el primero hace referencia al concepto de currículo, que compromete varios aspectos relacionados con los diferentes actores del sistema educativo; el segundo afronta las renovaciones curriculares en programas de Ciencias de la Salud, que permite aclarar y determinar lo que la comunidad académica entiende al respecto, sus características, fines y efectos; el tercero analiza la información para identificar los factores que posibilitan la apropiación o no de los principios de las renovaciones curriculares reflejados en las prácticas pedagógicas de los profesores; el cuarto explora conceptualizaciones acerca de cómo el profesor interpreta y orienta su actuar educativo. Finalmente, se propone una discusión cuyo hilo conductor responde a las siguientes preguntas: ¿Cómo los procesos de renovación curricular en programas de formación profesional en Ciencias de la Salud impactan las prácticas pedagógicas de los profesores? ¿Cuáles son los factores que posibilitan la apropiación de los principios de las renovaciones curriculares en las prácticas pedagógicas de los profesores en programas de formación profesional en Ciencias de la Salud?

Occupational therapy and its relevance in social projects. relationships, learning and opportunities: collection of experiences of University of Alberta Mscot students in Bogotá, Colombia

Occupational therapists are equipped to promote wellbeing through occupation and to enable participation and meaningful engagement of people in their social and physical environments (WFOT, 2012). As such, the role of the occupational therapists is profoundly linked to the social, cultural and environmental characteristics of the contexts in which occupations take place. The central role that context plays in occupational performance creates an interesting dichotomy for the occupational therapist: on one hand, a profound understanding of cultural and social factors is required from the Occupational Therapy (OT) in order to develop a meaningful and successful collaboration with the person; on the other hand, the ability of the occupational therapists to recognize and explore the contextual factor of an occupation-person dyad transcends cultural and spatial barriers. As a result, occupational therapists are equipped to engage in international collaboration and practice, and as such face unique and enriching challenges. International fieldwork experiences have become a tool through which occupational therapists in training can develop the critical skills for understanding the impact of cultural and social factors on occupation. An OT student in an international fieldwork experience faces numerous challenges in leading a process that is both relevant and respectful to the characteristics of the local context: language, cultural perceptions of occupation and personhood, religious backgrounds, health care access, etc. These challenges stand out as ethical considerations that must be considered when navigating an international fieldwork experience (AOTA, 2009). For more than five years now, the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine (FRM) of the University of Alberta (UoFA) and the School of Medicine and Health Sciences at the Universidad del Rosario (UR), Bogota, Colombia, have sustained a productive and meaningful international collaboration. This collaboration includes a visit by Dr. Albert Cook, professor of the FRM and former dean, to the UR as the main guest speaker in the International Congress of Technologies for Disability Support (IBERDISCAP) in 2008. Furthermore, Dr. Cook was a speaker in the research seminar of the Assistive Technology Research Group of the Universidad del Rosario. Following Dr. Cook’s visit, Professors Liliana Álvarez and Adriana Ríos travelled to Edmonton and initiated collaboration with the FRM, resulting in the signing of an agreement between the FRM and the UR in 2009, agreement that has been maintained to this day. The main goal of this agreement is to increase academic and cultural cooperation between the UR and the UofA. Other activities have included the cooperation between Dr. Kim Adams (who has largely maintained interest and effort in supporting the capacity building of the UR rehabilitation programs in coordinating the provision of research placement opportunities for UR students at the UofA), an Assistive Technology course for clinicians and students led by Dr. Adams, and a research project that researched the use of basic cell phones to provide social interaction and health information access for people with disabilities in a low-income community in Colombia (led by Tim Barlott, OT, MSc, under the supervision of Dr. Adams). Since the beginning, the occupational therapy programs of the Universidad del Rosario and the University of Alberta have promoted this collaboration and have strived to engage in interactions that provide further development opportunities for students and staff. As part of this process, the international placement experience of UofA OT students was born under the leadership of: Claudia Rozo, OT program director at UR, placement and academic leadership of Elvis Castro and Angélica Monsalve, professors of the occupational therapy program at UR; and Dr. Lili Liu, OT department director at UofA, Cori Schmitz, Academic coordinator of clinical education at the UofA; and Tim Barlott and Liliana Álvarez leading the international and cross-cultural aspect of this collaboration.This publication summarizes and illustrates the process of international placement in community settings in Colombia, undertaken by occupational therapy students of the University of Alberta. It is our hope that this document can provide and document the ethical considerations of international fieldwork experience, the special characteristics of communities and the ways in which cultural and social competences are developed and help international students navigate the international setting. We also hope that this document will stimulate discussion among professional and academic communities about the importance and richness of international placement experiences and encourage staff and students to articulate their daily efforts with the global occupational therapy agenda.

An artificial economy based on reinforcement learning and agent based modeling

In this paper, we employ techniques from artificial intelligence such as reinforcement learning and agent based modeling as building blocks of a computational model for an economy based on conventions. First we model the interaction among firms in the private sector. These firms behave in an information environment based on conventions, meaning that a firm is likely to behave as its neighbors if it observes that their actions lead to a good pay off. On the other hand, we propose the use of reinforcement learning as a computational model for the role of the government in the economy, as the agent that determines the fiscal policy, and whose objective is to maximize the growth of the economy. We present the implementation of a simulator of the proposed model based on SWARM, that employs the SARSA(λ) algorithm combined with a multilayer perceptron as the function approximation for the action value function.

Language learning and MUDs : an overview. 'Aprendizaje de idiomas y MUDs : una visión general'.

La traducción literal de MUD es Mazmorra o Calabozo multiusuario o Dimensión multiusuario. Un MUD es un juego de rol en línea que es ejecutado en un servidor. El artículo incluye direcciones de varios MUDs

Place, race and teaching geography.

Trata de la aportación que realizan la enseñanza de la geografía, y sus profesores del nivel de secundaria, a la educación en una sociedad multicultural. Éstos, se dan cuenta de que los programas escolares no reflejan las experiencias y las perspectivas de algunos de sus alumnos, procedentes de otras culturas y religiones. La respuesta a esto, fue reescribir los planes de estudio y sus textos, para permitir el estudio de culturas y modos de vida diferentes.