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PREP scholars assist UCF/IST
research faculty
Aided
by an assist from Provost Research Enhancement funds, IST is
sharing in the expertise of two world-renowned scholars, Dr. Peter
Hancock from the
Peter Hancock
University of Minnesota and Dr. David Kaup from
Clarkson University (NY).
Dr.
Hancock obtained his PhD in motor performance from the University
of Illinois, Champaign. An associate professor and director of the
Human Factors Research Laboratory, Hancock also has been a
researcher for
David Kaup
the Center for Transportation Studies at
Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
He has worked in the fields of transportation, sports
and exercise, gerontology, cognitive sciences, aging, safety and
systems, and kinesiology.
He is the author or co-author of eight books, covering human
factors psychology, ergonomics, human mental workload, stress,
workload and fatigue.
Dr
Kaup obtained his PhD from the University of Maryland. He is a
mathematical physicist with research interests in the soliton*
theory, nonlinear optics, nonlinear wave propagation, nonlinear
dynamics, and plasma physics. He has over 195 publications in
these areas. Dr. Kaup.s many groundbreaking achievements include
the Ablowitz-Kaup-Newell-Segur (AKNS)
papers, which put the Soliton Theory on solid ground and solving
the first integrable cubic system, now called the Kaup system or
the Kaup
equation.
*A
soliton is a stable solitary wave form that behaves like
particles.
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ALT
team takes learning
technology to higher levels
IST's
new Advanced Learning Technologies (ALT) team is focused on
improving training quality by developing and manipulating
leading-edge technologies as well as optimizing overall human
cognition and performance.
By applying advanced
technologies and human performance sciences to new concepts of
education, the team is able to create unique or customizable
learning environments for all types of learners.
It's no mystery to simulation and training
researchers that if you merely throw technology at learners their
chances of striking out are high.
Effective computer-based learning programs, whether
offered locally or over the Internet,
must tailor content and presentation to a variety of learning
styles and environments.
Adding the distributed learning standards issues
initiated by the White House creates a complex delivery system for
learning products.
This is a long way from your
grandma's one-room schoolhouse. Today's "lesson plan"
requires a multidisciplinary effort with contributions by human
factors psychologists, curriculum and media designers and
information technologists.
The real change for the ALT Team is the focus on
using human performance and learning as the measure of success
instead of measuring success through the presentation of content.
People train and learn in different ways and in
different environments and with varied backgrounds both in terms
of prior experience and knowledge.
By matching the type of training to the learner and
then using the new technologies to transfer knowledge in the most
optimal way, we can assure the outcome of his or her performance
is truly effective for any given situation.
A second measure of success is how these new
technologies address the needs of educators. When educators use
advanced distributed learning, they can design decentralized
models for instruction.
These models provide educational resources and
services that reach beyond any single institution or discipline.
The new learning technologies make resources more flexible and
re-usable because they link instructors and learners allowing
frequent interaction. This allows instructors to adjust to learner
requirements in novel ways.
As you can see, these new technologies, when teamed
up with a shared vision, science, and a team of experts, can help
all learners and educators achieve success in learning.
Teaching and learning styles can be so enhanced as to
move to new dimensions.
We now have the technology to support all kinds of
learners. It is up to us to strategically assess and implement the
technology, and derive processes by which we will be prepared for
new and upcoming teaching techniques, technologies, and even new
learner styles.
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Glenn Martin takes
IST "Researcher of the Year" honors
Research Associate
Glenn A. Martin recently garnered IST's "Researcher of the
Year" award for his outstanding contributions to the
institute's research in networked virtual environments.
Martin has led an assisted in several networked
environment research projects over the past few years. For the Army
Research Institute's Virtual Environment Research Testbed project he
supervised a distributed team training experiment and led a team in
enhancing the Fully Immersive Team Training system by integrating
gesture recognition, intelligent tutoring and a new distributed
simulation network protocol.
Martin earned his B.S. and M.S. in computer science
from UCF. He has worked in various research capacities for the
institute since 1992.
This year he helped coach the UCF Programming Team to
first and second place honors in regional computer programming
competition. The team went on to a 13th place position among U.S.
teams competing internationally.
Martin works in the Department for Applied Research
Technology at IST.
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