Media Research Center

About: Media Research Center is a based out in . It is known for research contribution in the topics: Collaborative learning & Educational technology. The organization has 491 authors who have published 950 publications receiving 28581 citations. The organization is also known as: MRC.

Comparing Simple and Advanced Video Tools as Supports for Complex Collaborative Design Processes

Abstract: Working with digital video technologies, particularly advanced video tools with editing capabilities, offers new prospects for meaningful learning through design. However, it is also possible that the additional complexity of such tools does not advance learning. We compared in an experiment the design processes and learning outcomes of 24 collaborating participant pairs (dyads) using 2 contrasting types of video tools for history learning. The advanced video tool WebDIVER supported segmenting, editing, and annotating capabilities. In the contrasting condition, students used a simple video playback tool with a word processor to perform the same design task. Results indicated that the advanced video editing tool was more effective in relation to (a) fostering student understanding of the topic and acquisition of cognitive skills, (b) the quality of student design products, and (c) the efficiency of dyad interactions. The implication of our experimental findings for constructivist design-based learning is t...

A politeness effect in learning with web-based intelligent tutors

Abstract: College students learned to solve chemistry stoichiometry problems with a web-based intelligent tutor that provided hints and feedback, using either polite or direct language. There was a pattern in which students with low prior knowledge of chemistry performed better on subsequent problem-solving tests if they learned from the polite tutor rather than the direct tutor (d=.78 on an immediate test, d=.51 on a delayed test), whereas students with high prior knowledge showed the reverse trend (d=-.47 for an immediate test; d=-.13 for a delayed test). These results point to a boundary condition for the politeness principle-the idea that people learn more deeply when words are in polite style. At least for low-knowledge learners, the results are consistent with social agency theory-the idea that social cues, such as politeness, can prime learners to accept a web-based tutor as a social partner and therefore try harder to make sense of the tutor's messages.

Language Effects on Children’s Nonverbal Number Line Estimations

Abstract: The mental number line of children is usually assumed to be language-independent; however, this independency has not yet been studied. In this cross-cultural study, we examined the influence of language properties on a nonverbal version of the number line task in Italian- and German-speaking first graders. The essential difference between the two languages concerns the inversion property of most German multi-digit numbers (e.g., 48 → “eight-and-forty”), whereas in Italian number-words no inversion is found. The analyses revealed two language-specific differences in the number line task: (a) Generally, the estimates of Italian children were more accurate than those of Austrian children, even when controlling for general cognitive abilities. (b) Italian children performed particularly better when inversion errors led to large estimation errors. In conclusion, these findings indicate that the organization of children’s mental number line is indeed influenced by language properties even in nonverbal settings.

Complete genomic sequence of bacteriophage felix o1.

Abstract: Bacteriophage O1 is a Myoviridae A1 group member used historically for identifying Salmonella. Sequencing revealed a single, linear, 86,155-base-pair genome with 39% average G+C content, 131 open reading frames, and 22 tRNAs. Closest protein homologs occur in Erwinia amylovora phage φEa21-4 and Escherichia coli phage wV8. Proteomic analysis indentified structural proteins: Gp23, Gp36 (major tail protein), Gp49, Gp53, Gp54, Gp55, Gp57, Gp58 (major capsid protein), Gp59, Gp63, Gp64, Gp67, Gp68, Gp69, Gp73, Gp74 and Gp77 (tail fiber). Based on phage-host codon differences, 7 tRNAs could affect translation rate during infection. Introns, holin-lysin cassettes, bacterial toxin homologs and host RNA polymerase-modifying genes were absent.