Current Search: Roberts, Thomas (x)
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- Title
- Analysis of the Congruency between Educational Choices and Community College Student Degree Aspirations.
- Creator
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Quathamer, Mark, Owens, J. Thomas, Cintron Delgado, Rosa, Cox, Thomas, Marshall, Nancy, LAMB, ROBERT, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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This research explored variables that influence community college student degree aspirations and students purpose for enrolling and pursuing specific degree types. The study was conducted using secondary data for students pursuing Associate in Arts, Associate in Science, and Bachelor of Applied Science degrees at a single community college. A logistic regression test was used to test graduate and baccalaureate degree aspirations of the entire sample of students and separately by degree type....
Show moreThis research explored variables that influence community college student degree aspirations and students purpose for enrolling and pursuing specific degree types. The study was conducted using secondary data for students pursuing Associate in Arts, Associate in Science, and Bachelor of Applied Science degrees at a single community college. A logistic regression test was used to test graduate and baccalaureate degree aspirations of the entire sample of students and separately by degree type. Significant predictors of degree aspirations included age, gender, credits enrolled in, participation in student groups, academic course planning, receipt of scholarship, and college GPA. In general, community college students had high degree aspirations. Younger students tended to be on the collegiate transfer track and older students tended to want to pursue baccalaureate degrees locally. In addition to having high degree aspirations, a large proportion of students attended the college for occupational purposes and created intermediate and long-term goals related to their academic aspirations. The findings of the research confirm findings of previous studies on college student degree aspirations, and add to the understanding of variables contribute to students' educational goals. Recommendations for practice and future research are presented.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- Identifier
- CFE0005539, ucf:50327
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005539
- Title
- PERCEPTIONS OF RESEARCH ADMINISTRATORS ON THE VALUE OF CERTIFICATION.
- Creator
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Roberts, Thomas, House, Jess, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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The purpose of this study was to determine the perceived value of certification to research administration professionals and demographic characteristics. This study sought to determine whether those who have attained the Certificate in Research Administration (CRA) perceive a benefit to their careers and why most research administrators do not attempt certification. The primary research question studied is concerned with the relationship between perceived value of the CRA to research...
Show moreThe purpose of this study was to determine the perceived value of certification to research administration professionals and demographic characteristics. This study sought to determine whether those who have attained the Certificate in Research Administration (CRA) perceive a benefit to their careers and why most research administrators do not attempt certification. The primary research question studied is concerned with the relationship between perceived value of the CRA to research administration professionals and demographic characteristics. The survey instrument, Research Administrator Survey, was electronically distributed to 277 research administrators based in the Southeast region of the National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA). A total of 230 surveys were completed and returned for a usable return rate of 83%. The research revealed that CRAs consistently perceived the value of certification to be greater than non-certified research administrators; however, the majority of both CRAs and non-certified research administrators perception was that becoming certified would, or did, enhance their knowledge as research administrators. Overall, the majority of non-certified research administrators reported that their reason for not attempting certification was that they did not believe there was any benefit to becoming certified, but when all the other reasons for not attempting certification are closely examined, the responses taken as a whole indicate that as many non-certified research administrators may perceive a benefit to becoming certified as those who do not perceive a benefit. In summary, the data indicated that non-certified research administrators do perceive some benefit to certification. It is recommended that the Research Administrators Certification Council (RACC) attempt to be more closely aligned with the with National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA) and the Society of Research Administrators International (SRA) since research administrators report having extremely positive professional development experiences with these organizations. It is further recommended that research be conducted to determine if curriculum at the university level should be developed in research administration management. Finally, it is recommended that NCURA and SRA engage in research to determine how many people are involved in the profession of research administration to help make decisions in regard to continuing adult education.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2005
- Identifier
- CFE0000622, ucf:46508
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000622
- Title
- Factors Influencing the Variability in Social Capital.
- Creator
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Downing, James, Wan, Thomas, Kapucu, Naim, Zhang, Ning, Ford, Robert, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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This research provides insights into three aspects of social capital: the factors that influence its variability; its two-dimensional nature; and the relationship between social capital and membership in a YMCA. These insights have implications for social capital theory, for public policy, for organizational management and for individual well-being. Most social capital research treats the construct as a causal variable and analyzes the implications of different levels of social capital for...
Show moreThis research provides insights into three aspects of social capital: the factors that influence its variability; its two-dimensional nature; and the relationship between social capital and membership in a YMCA. These insights have implications for social capital theory, for public policy, for organizational management and for individual well-being. Most social capital research treats the construct as a causal variable and analyzes the implications of different levels of social capital for certain aspects of individual and community well-being. This treatment implies that levels of social capital vary. Little research has been done to analyze the factors that cause social capital variability and therefore the understanding of social capital variability lacks insight. Before social capital variability can be explored, an intermediate issue must be addressed. Social capital is usually conceived of as a single-dimension construct. In fact social capital has two dimensions: the attitudes of social capital and the behaviors of social capital. Unidimensionality is sufficient when social capital is used exogenously but it is insufficiently nuanced when used for the purpose of recommending policies to increase it. This research analyzes the two-dimensional nature of social capital. Finally, a number of social capital behaviors have been studied but membership in the YMCA is not one of them. This research examines the relationship, ceteris paribus, between membership in the Central Florida YMCA and individual social capital.A survey questionnaire was mailed to 10,000 YMCA members in Central Florida and 21,000 residents who were demographically similar. There were 1,881 completed responses. The results were analyzed using structural equation modeling and were guided by social capital theory and the theory of reasoned action.ivThe results of the study indicate that the two most influential factors of social capital variability are personal educational attainment and the average educational attainment of the community. The study also confirms that social capital is a two-dimensional construct and the two dimensions are iterative. The study results also revealed that members of the Central Florida YMCA had higher levels of social capital ceteris paribus.This study is significant in four areas: social capital theory, public policy, management of social capital-generating organizations and for individuals. At the theoretical level, insight has been gained into both the causes of social capital variability and the two-dimensional nature of social capital. Regarding public policy, this research provides clear evidence that education provides a greater role in building a community than simply creating human capital; it also creates social capital. Both educational institutions and those organizations that create social capital should be supported. Furthermore, social capital promulgation through public policy should target both dimensions of social capital to be most effective. For managers of social capital-generating organizations social capital can be used as a metric for measuring organizational effectiveness and community impact. For individuals, there is now an evidence-based approach for developing a life plan for creating personal social capital. This research is unique because it simultaneously brings insights into four distinct spheres of social capital.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2011
- Identifier
- CFE0004103, ucf:49085
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004103
- Title
- Searching for Meaningful Use of Health Information Technology: A Study of Cardiovascular Disease Care in Veterans General Hospitals.
- Creator
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Thaldorf, Carey, Wan, Thomas, Fottler, Myron, Liberman, Aaron, Campbell, Robert, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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The cost of healthcare in the United States is on an upward trajectory towards an unsustainable level. In order to address this, Congress and the Obama Administration passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 to begin the process of controlling these costs. Within the ARRA is the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) section which creates financial incentives to invest in Health Information Technology (HIT) and to develop a means to...
Show moreThe cost of healthcare in the United States is on an upward trajectory towards an unsustainable level. In order to address this, Congress and the Obama Administration passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 to begin the process of controlling these costs. Within the ARRA is the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) section which creates financial incentives to invest in Health Information Technology (HIT) and to develop a means to measure the Meaningful Use of specific functions of Electronic Health Records (EHRs). This research examines the widely used Joint Commission datasets to determine their suitability as a basis of meeting the government mandated measuring of Meaningful Use. The datasets used for this study consists of hospital level performance measures with a sample size of 370 hospital samples of HIT Use Intensity and Cardiovascular Performance attained from the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). An Organizational Network Theoretical approach was applied to the data in a non-experimental, sample-resample design to data collected in 2007. A Structural Equation Model (SEM) was built to test for the strength of the correlation between HIT Use Intensity and Cardiovascular Performance and a Latent Growth Curve Model (LGM) was built to examine the effect of the trajectory of HIT Use Intensity on the trajectory of Cardiovascular Performance. The SEM found a weak (.18) correlation between HIT Use Intensity and Cardiovascular Performance and the model only captured 12 percent of the variance. The LGM found no convergence between the trajectories of HIT Use Intensity and Cardiovascular Performance. This may have been the result of the data being non-normally distributed and heavily skewed to the high end of the scale. The policy implications of this study indicate that while Joint Commission data capture only a small amount of the variance attributed to HIT Use it does show a weak but positive correlation between increases in HIT Use Intensity and Increases in Cardiovascular Performance at the hospital level. Future research into adjustments to Joint Commission data measures (or others) may prove to be valuable in measuring the Meaningful Use of HIT systems in order to help hospitals make educated decisions on which HIT systems to purchase and the potential benefits associated with them.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2011
- Identifier
- CFE0004488, ucf:49319
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004488
- Title
- Offender Reentry: A Mixed Model Study of Interorganizational Commitment to Partnership.
- Creator
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Humiston, Gail, Langworthy, Robert, Holmes, Stephen, Rosky, Jeffrey, Bryer, Thomas, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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This study explores the associations between the independent variables of organizational motivations and culture with the dependent variable of organizational commitment to local jail reentry partnerships. A cross-sectional, mixed methods design was used based primarily on a quantitative survey mailed to organizational informants involved in jail reentry activities within three central Florida counties. Qualitative data was also collected by observing conveniently sampled reentry meetings and...
Show moreThis study explores the associations between the independent variables of organizational motivations and culture with the dependent variable of organizational commitment to local jail reentry partnerships. A cross-sectional, mixed methods design was used based primarily on a quantitative survey mailed to organizational informants involved in jail reentry activities within three central Florida counties. Qualitative data was also collected by observing conveniently sampled reentry meetings and analyzing the content of social artifacts, such as meeting handouts, minutes, e-mails, and other related documents. This study extends the literature by using the theoretical framework of Oliver (1990) to develop measures of organizations' motivations (i.e., reciprocity, stability, efficiency, asymmetry, and legitimacy) to partner with jails in reentry. It also extends the literature of Fletcher, Lehman, Wexler, Melnick, Taxman, and Young (2009) by furthering the development of valid measures of interorganizational relationships. Fletcher and associates found two levels of relationships (i.e., structured and unstructured); whereas this study found that organizations are linked according to elements (i.e., linking clients, services, providers, data, program evaluation and grant funding, and management) within increasing levels of complexity. Bivariate and multivariate analyses indicated positive associations between the predictor and outcome variables, as hypothesized. However, the sample size was not large enough to determine the strength or significance between the variables. The directed content analysis of the qualitative data supported the presence of the theoretical constructs, but also indicated that they were not mutually exclusive or exhaustive. Two of the three counties ended formal reentry meetings, so a case study approach was used to analyze the three counties using the theory of loose coupling (Orton (&) Weick, 1990; Weick, 1976). Although all three counties experienced the same external pressures to begin formal meetings, there were differences in partnership structures, leadership goals, and events which serve to explain why only one county was able to sustain those formal meetings. Results of this study have both research and practical implications. The development of valid measures for moderating variables in reentry will allow researchers to relate those variables to reentry program outcomes. By exploring the associations between organizational motivations and cultures with varying levels of commitment to interorganizational relationships, correctional officials will better understand who will partner, why, and to what degree. As a result, we may better understand the extent to which reforms targeting offender reentry can be successfully planned, implemented, and sustained. There are limitations to this study. Methodological errors associated with surveys, the primary data collection method herein, include the following: measurement, coverage, sampling, and nonresponse (Dillman, Smyth, (&) Christian, 2009). Despite having a relatively large sample size for analysis at the organizational level, the correlation design and small sample size (N = 68) limit the ability to draw causal inferences.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- Identifier
- CFE0005507, ucf:50361
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005507
- Title
- An Examination of Job Analysis: Developing Interdisciplinary Strategies in Human Resource Management Facilitative of Mitigating Propensities of Teacher Attrition.
- Creator
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DeVere, Julio, Folger, Robert, Storey, Valerie A., Fisher, Thomas, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Despite repeated attempts by school administrators, policymakers and researchers to diagnose and correct rising occurrences of teacher turnover, there has been little change in the actual efforts to retain teachers in academy organizations. In response, this study was conducted to describe process constraints within the academy organization that are responsible for managing teacher turnover. To provide a description of current teacher retention efforts by school administrators, a survey...
Show moreDespite repeated attempts by school administrators, policymakers and researchers to diagnose and correct rising occurrences of teacher turnover, there has been little change in the actual efforts to retain teachers in academy organizations. In response, this study was conducted to describe process constraints within the academy organization that are responsible for managing teacher turnover. To provide a description of current teacher retention efforts by school administrators, a survey instrument was administered to school teachers in the State of Florida. The population sample was dispersed throughout the entire state and closely reflected the demographics of Florida school teachers.The survey addressed two issues: Whether or not there is a consistent effort by school administrators to gauge a teacher's desire to remain in their current position and whether or not the teachers perceive related administration decisions to be fair. To describe perceptions of fairness, a two-prong model was used to measure perceptions of Voice and Equity. Of the 215 respondents, only about 25 percent were administered a survey within the last year that gauges their desire to remain in their current position. Of these respondents who were given a retention survey by their administrators, results were mixed, with only about half of all respondents leaning towards a favorable perception of fairness. The results indicate that there is a logical need for process improvement within the administration of academy organizations before teacher turnover could be managed effectively.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- Identifier
- CFE0005480, ucf:50342
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005480
- Title
- The Influences of Roles and Support Systems on the Baccalaureate Degree Attainment of Nontraditional Learners.
- Creator
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Roberts, Shirdricka, Cox, Dr. Thomas, Vitale, Thomas, Hopp, Carolyn, Campbell, Laurie, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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The purpose of the research study was to examine the influences of roles and support systems on the baccalaureate attainment of nontraditional learners. A qualitative bounded case study was conducted that include ten face-to-face interviews with nontraditional learners attending the same University during the same time period. The study provided a brief overview on the challenges, support systems, and motivations of these nontraditional learners. Theories used to frame the study's conceptual...
Show moreThe purpose of the research study was to examine the influences of roles and support systems on the baccalaureate attainment of nontraditional learners. A qualitative bounded case study was conducted that include ten face-to-face interviews with nontraditional learners attending the same University during the same time period. The study provided a brief overview on the challenges, support systems, and motivations of these nontraditional learners. Theories used to frame the study's conceptual framework and address its research questions included Biddle's (1979) Role Theory, McClusky's Theory of Margin, Load and Power (1971) and Tinto's (1975, 1993, 2012) and Bean and Metzner's (1985) Theory of Persistence.The results of the study indicated: 1) The role management that adult learners employed while being a full-time or part-time student. 2) The challenges that adult learners had to address as it relates to their multiple roles and degree attainment. 3) The support systems that adult learners used to assist them in their efforts to role manage and persist towards graduation. 4) The motivations behind an adult learner's pursuit of an undergraduate degree.iii
Show less - Date Issued
- 2017
- Identifier
- CFE0006648, ucf:51220
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006648
- Title
- AN EXPLORATION OF PUBLIC MISCONCEPTIONS OF MUNICIPAL WATER FLUORIDATION RELATING TO ORAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH.
- Creator
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Hawkins, Thomas A, Borgon, Robert, Duranceau, Steven, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Municipal water fluoridation began in 1945, and in the past 70 years, it appears to have decreased the rate of dental caries nationwide. Despite being deemed one of the top ten innovations of the 20th century, there continues to be misconceptions with this controversial practice. The intent of this thesis is to address some of the misconceptions with water fluoridation, and what possible solutions could be provided to alleviate the concerns. This was accomplished through a literature review...
Show moreMunicipal water fluoridation began in 1945, and in the past 70 years, it appears to have decreased the rate of dental caries nationwide. Despite being deemed one of the top ten innovations of the 20th century, there continues to be misconceptions with this controversial practice. The intent of this thesis is to address some of the misconceptions with water fluoridation, and what possible solutions could be provided to alleviate the concerns. This was accomplished through a literature review of current research articles. Two main topics were explored: the public health and oral health concerns and how they contribute to the controversy. Results from the literature show that there was an increasing campaign from anti-fluoridators that use misleading information to advocate for ceasing water fluoridation. There was also a common concern about fluoridated water causing dental fluorosis. Furthermore, there was a trend with the lack of education and knowledge about water fluoridation, predominately in rural and low-income communities. Overall, it was reasoned that the best way to reduce the misconceptions of water fluoridation is to increase educational opportunities through medical professionals creating inter-department relationships and redirecting various government programs to target different populations.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2019
- Identifier
- CFH2000504, ucf:45608
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH2000504
- Title
- The Collector as Arbiter of Art: A Phenomenological Investigation of Collectors' Critical Judgment Development and Their Understanding of Art Toward a Theoretical Model for Appreciation and Criticism in Art Education.
- Creator
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Grey, Anne, Brewer, Thomas, Sivo, Stephen, Kaplan, Jeffrey, Price, Mark, Roberts, Sherron, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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The purpose of this study was to investigate art collectors' specific method of developing and making critical judgments in the context of their understanding of art. Phenomenological research methods were employed to obtain data through interviews with collectors of Contemporary African American art, Latin American art, and Minimalist and Conceptual art. Based on the findings, collectors' approaches to critical judgment can be categorized into three areas. First, critical skills are both...
Show moreThe purpose of this study was to investigate art collectors' specific method of developing and making critical judgments in the context of their understanding of art. Phenomenological research methods were employed to obtain data through interviews with collectors of Contemporary African American art, Latin American art, and Minimalist and Conceptual art. Based on the findings, collectors' approaches to critical judgment can be categorized into three areas. First, critical skills are both intuitive and developed over time, through a holistic and aesthetic process set in the art world. Collectors' edification requires commitment, and intense looking enabling them to see how works of art communicate. Second, key events that marked collectors' methodological approaches were connections with artists and art, notable purchases, and exhibitions of their collection. These events resulted from an integration of the collectors' identification with the art work, manifested over time in various forms. Finally, those objects that best reflected collectors' specific development of critical judgment and understanding of art were noted either by specific artists in their collection or the collection as a whole, functioning as vital aspects of the collectors' life and at the same time contributing to culture and society in its capacity to cause conversations. There is an opportunity to apply the information from collectors' processes as an educational model for teaching and learning about appreciation and criticism in art education by thinking about art collections more broadly, as another way to look at life and the art in life.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2011
- Identifier
- CFE0004115, ucf:49103
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004115
- Title
- Linking a Business Capstone Course to Employer Needs in Central Florida.
- Creator
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De George, Lauren, Hopp, Carolyn, Vitale, Thomas, Hutchinson, Cynthia, Boote, David, Porter, Robert, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Capstone courses are well embedded into the curriculum of undergraduate programs in Colleges of Business and are often used to assess program outcomes and curricular goals. Assessment of best practices of Capstone programs and skills within Capstone courses are examined as assurance of learning requirements under AACSB mandates. The conceptual framework of problem-based learning serves as the foundation for national Capstone course models with student-centered pedagogies that enhance learning...
Show moreCapstone courses are well embedded into the curriculum of undergraduate programs in Colleges of Business and are often used to assess program outcomes and curricular goals. Assessment of best practices of Capstone programs and skills within Capstone courses are examined as assurance of learning requirements under AACSB mandates. The conceptual framework of problem-based learning serves as the foundation for national Capstone course models with student-centered pedagogies that enhance learning about a subject through the experience of problem solving by using thinking strategies and domain knowledge. Rubrics assess student mastery of content, professionalism, organization, language structure and presentation skills.The main purpose of this study was to determine to what extent students provided evidence of skills and competencies, as demonstrated through Capstone projects and presentations at a large metropolitan university in Central Florida, which were required to meet the needs of potential employers. Using focus group research, this study examined and interpreted Capstone student papers and presentations to determine to what extent the skill sets evidenced were sufficient for hiring entry-level positions in community business partners' respective organizations. This study served to contribute to an understanding of the factors that should be embedded in course design, linking assignments to course objectives, and overall curricular goals in order to fulfill assurance of learning requirements as established by AACSB mandates.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- Identifier
- CFE0005478, ucf:50330
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005478
- Title
- Explicit Feedback Within Game-Based Training: Examining the Influence of Source Modality Effects on Interaction.
- Creator
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Goldberg, Benjamin, Bowers, Clint, Cannon-Bowers, Janis, Kincaid, John, McDaniel, Thomas, Sottilare, Robert, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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This research aims to enhance Simulation-Based Training (SBT) applications to support training events in the absence of live instruction. The overarching purpose is to explore available tools for integrating intelligent tutoring communications in game-based learning platforms and to examine theory-based techniques for delivering explicit feedback in such environments. The primary tool influencing the design of this research was the Generalized Intelligent Framework for Tutoring (GIFT), a...
Show moreThis research aims to enhance Simulation-Based Training (SBT) applications to support training events in the absence of live instruction. The overarching purpose is to explore available tools for integrating intelligent tutoring communications in game-based learning platforms and to examine theory-based techniques for delivering explicit feedback in such environments. The primary tool influencing the design of this research was the Generalized Intelligent Framework for Tutoring (GIFT), a modular domain-independent architecture that provides the tools and methods to author, deliver, and evaluate intelligent tutoring technologies within any training platform. Influenced by research surrounding Social Cognitive Theory and Cognitive Load Theory, the resulting experiment tested varying approaches for utilizing an Embodied Pedagogical Agent (EPA) to function as a tutor during interaction in a game-based environment. Conditions were authored to assess the tradeoffs between embedding an EPA directly in a game, embedding an EPA in GIFT's browser-based Tutor-User Interface (TUI), or using audio prompts alone with no social grounding.The resulting data supports the application of using an EPA embedded in GIFT's TUI to provide explicit feedback during a game-based learning event. Analyses revealed conditions with an EPA situated in the TUI to be as effective as embedding the agent directly in the game environment. This inference is based on evidence showing reliable differences across conditions on the metrics of performance and self-reported mental demand and feedback usefulness items. This research provides source modality tradeoffs linked to tactics for relaying training relevant explicit information to a user based on real-time performance in a game.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- Identifier
- CFE0004850, ucf:49696
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004850