Examinando por Autor "Pizarro, Celeste"

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Actividades para la enseñanza de la robótica con el fin de mejorar el pensamiento computacional para estudiantes del Grado en Educación Infantil y en Educación Primaria
(2024-09-30) Cavero, Sergio; Hijón-Neira, Raquel; Borrás-Gené, Oriol; Pizarro, Celeste
Can a learning companion be used to continue teaching programming to children even during the COVID-19 pandemic?
(IEEE, 2020-08-27) Ocaña, José Miguel; Morales-Urrutia, Elizabeth K.; Perez-Marín, Diana; Pizarro, Celeste
Learning how to program in Primary Education has attracted significant research in recent years. It is unclear though how programming environments and languages should be adapted to children to achieve better learning and use, but one trend seems to be the use of Scratch. The question in this paper is what programming environment can be used to continue teaching programming to children who have already been taught Scratch for years. This paper’s proposal is that students aged between 10 and 12 can benefit from interacting with a friendly learning companion using p-code such as Alcody. The hypothesis is that students (aged between 10 and 12) with a knowledge of Scratch will be able to significantly improve their scores by using a learning companion to teach them how to program even during the COVID-19 pandemic. To check the hypothesis, an experiment was carried out during the 2019/2020 academic year with 137 students in Ecuador. A significant improvement in the scores of the students was recorded together with high satisfaction.
Can Mindfulness Help Primary Education Students to Learn How to Program With an Emotional Learning Companion?
(IEEE, 2021-01-13) Morales-Urrutia, Elizabeth; Ocaña, Jose Miguel; Pérez-Marín, Diana; Pizarro, Celeste
Teaching programming to children has attracted significant research in recent decades. In our previous work, we co-designed the learning companion called Alcody with children between 10-12 years old who had some previous programming knowledge. Alcody is based on Papert’s constructionism theory, interacting with the students in pseudocode and providing recommendations as emotional support. Students using Alcody could significantly increase their scores in a programming test as well as seeming to be happy using the system. However, the relationship between the increase in scores and satisfaction and motivation levels was not explored. Moreover, since the COVID-19 pandemic, children have seemed too distracted and stressed to keep focusing on learning programming. This is why this paper introduces, for the first time in the literature, the use of mindfulness (the quality of being aware of the present moment) to help children focus before their programming sessions. The hypothesis is that by integrating mindfulness into the teaching of programming to children with an emotional learning companion, such as Alcody, the learning of programming concepts and students’ attitudes to learning can be improved. To test the hypothesis, an experiment was carried out with 137 students between 10-12 years old during the 2020 summer, split into a control group (without mindfulness) and a test group (with mindfulness). The 69 students in the test group achieved a significantly higher improvement in their post-test programming scores, and significantly higher satisfaction and motivation levels than the students in the control group. Moreover, students in the test group reported that they liked the experience of practicing mindfulness and that they felt it helped them to focus. It is therefore concluded that integrating mindfulness practices into the teaching of programming to children can be beneficial to increase their scores, satisfaction, and motivation levels.
Conflict Avoidance: 0-1 linear models for Conflict Detection & Resolution
(Springer, 2013) Alonso-Ayuso, Antonio; Escudero, Laureano F; Olaso, Pablo; Pizarro, Celeste
The Conflict Detection and Resolution Problem for Air Traffic Flow Man- agement consists of deciding the best strategy for airborne aircraft so that there is guarantee that no conflict takes place, i.e., all aircraft maintain the minimum safety distance at every time instant. Two integer linear optimization models for conflict avoidance between any number of aircraft in the airspace are proposed, the first being a pure 0-1 linear which avoids conflicts by means of altitude changes, and the second a mixed 0-1 linear whose strategy is based on altitude and speed changes. Several ob- jective functions are established. Due to the small elapsed time that is required for solving both problems, the approach can be used in real time by using state-of-the-art mixed integer linear optimization software.
Fostering computational thinking with simulated 3D robots in secondary education
(Wiley, 2024-04-08) Castro-San Martín, Luis; Hijón-Neira, Raquel; Pizarro, Celeste; Cañas, José M.
Computational Thinking (CT) can be defined as the thought processes involved in formulating problems so that their solutions can be represented as sequential steps and algorithms. It is a key skill for children in the 21st century. However, it is unclear how CT can be developed most effectively in children. Several pedagogical methodologies have been proposed and are being investigated. The main aim of this paper is to test the hypothesis which states that using three-dimensional (3D) simulated robots helps in the learning of programming and CT concepts, such as directions, loops, conditionals, and functions. The research questions are: Does this hypothesis hold true? Are some concepts easier or better learned than others and to what extent? The goal is to measure and evaluate the effect of using as a learning tool a platform with 3D simulated robots and realistic physics, and compare it with the standard Scratch learning tool which does not use robotics but a two-dimensional (2D) cartoon avatar they are already familiar with. For practical reasons, a quasiexperimental design with nonequivalent groups and 85 second-year Secondary Education students (ages 12–13) was performed. They were separated into control and experimental groups and followed a seven-session intervention with the baseline 2D Scratch and the 3D simulated robots platform, respectively. Both used a visual block programming language and the same activities. To have quantitative and reliable results, a widely accepted CT test has been used, pre- and postintervention. Also qualitative feedback is presented. The obtained results show that using the platform with simulated 3D robots significantly helps when developing students' CT. With it, the students do learn basic programming concepts and reach higher scores in the CT test. This improvement applies to all CT-analyzed concepts except in functions where the grades are maintained. Furthermore, students manage to master the activities on the 3D simulated robots platform, which reflects on the empowerment the platform has got in them
Mathematical Optimization models for Air Traffic Flow Management: A review
(2010-02-10) Agustín, Alba; Alonso-Ayuso, Antonio; Escudero, Laureano F.; Pizarro, Celeste
Congestion problems are becoming increasingly acute in many European and American airports and air sectors. To protect Air Traffic Control (ATC) from overload a planning activity called Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM) tries to anticipate and prevent overload and limit resulting delays. When the traffic expects to exceed the airport arrival and departure capacities or the airsector capacity a delay in the flight arrival (so called-congestion) occurs. The casuistry to be considered in this field is very extensive. In general, most references to be found in the literature written some years ago refer to the simplest models, those which do not take into account airsector. This is so because this work was first studied in USA, where only the problems of congestion in airports basically occur. In the paper we present a state-of-the-art survey on the main optimization models encountered in the literature. They are classified as follows: (1) Single-Airport Ground-Holding Problem (SAGHP). The simplest of the methodologies of planning modelling studied proposes solutions to the problem of deciding the optimal planning for an arrival airport. (2) Multi-Airport Ground-Holding Problem (MAGHP). In this methodology the field of work is extended and the inter-relationship which exists between different airports is included. (3) Air Traffic Flow Management Problem (ATFMP). This methodology attempts to solve real situations that are much more complex than those which can be dealt with using the previous methodologies, since the air sector capacity is also considered. (4) Air Traffic Flow Management Rerouting Problem (ATFMRP). This methodology considers the more realistic situation where the flights can be diverted to alternative routes. (5) Air Traffic Flow Management Rerouting Problem (ATFMRP) with uncertainty. The ATFM problem is especially sensitive to changes in capacity. This leads to generalize the previous methodologies and to include generic uncertainty for these possible unforeseen changes in the parameters of the model, making way for stochastic methodologies. This type of problems are the most difficult ones, but alas the realistic ones.
Multi-mode digital teaching and learning of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) using the VARK model during COVID-19
(JSTOR, 2022-01) Perez-Marin, Diana; Paredes-Velasco, Maximiliano; Pizarro, Celeste
In this paper, a multi-mode digital teaching approach is proposed based on the use of the VARK (Visual, Aural, Read/Write, Kinaesthetic) model where students have different styles (one or more) that improve their learning (face-to-face and online). Our research question is on the effectiveness of this approach in terms of learning efficacy and students’ satisfaction. An experiment with 41 students has been carried out for five months to answer the research question and to provide a first validation of using VARK for multi-mode digital HCI teaching. During the experiment, the theoretical sessions were given through videoconference using Microsoft Teams and with the support of Moodle. In the practical sessions, students had to create a software prototype following a User-Centred Design with a real client. For this, they used Discord to collaborate in their groups, Teams to ask questions to teachers and PowerPoint and Genially to present their work online to the class through a Teams videoconference. A regression model has been provided to predict the VARK indicated by the questionnaire to each student with a prediction success of nearly 77%. Using the VARK multi-mode digital teaching approach has proved valid, and effective and beneficial in the teaching of HCI with a significant improvement in the learning scores and satisfaction levels of the students even with respect to pre-COVID-19 where the teaching was face-to-face.
On risk management of a two-stage stochastic mixed 0–1 model for the closed-loop supply chain design problem
(Elsevier, 2019-04-01) Pizarro, Celeste; Baptista, Susana; Barbosa-Povoa, Ana Paula; Escudero, Laureano F.; Gomes, Maria Isabel
In this work, the design and operation planning of a multi-period, multi-product closed-loop supply chain is addressed. Recovered end-of-life products from customers are evaluated in disassembly centers and accordingly are sent back to factories for remanufacturing, or leave the network either by being sold to third parties or by being sent to disposal. Typical uncertain parameters are product demand, production cost, and returned product volume and evaluation, among others. So, stochastic optimization approaches should be used for problem solving, where different topology decisions on the timing, location and capacity of some entities (factories, and distribution and sorting centers) are to be considered along a time horizon. A two-stage multi-period stochastic mixed 0–1 bilinear optimization model is introduced, where the combined definition of the available entities at the periods and the products’ flow among the entities, maximizes the net present value of the expected total profit along the time horizon. A version of the mixture of chance-constrained and second order stochastic dominance risk averse measures is considered for risk management at intermediate periods of the time horizon. Given the high dimensions of the model it is unrealistic to look for the optimality of the solution in an affordable computing effort for current hardware and optimization software resources. So, a decomposition approach is considered, namely a Fix-and-Relax decomposition algorithm. For assessing the computational validation of the modeling and algorithmic proposals, pilot cases are taken from a real-life glass supply chain network whose main features are retained
Structuring bilateral energy contract portfolios in competitive markets
(2010) Alonso-Ayuso, Antonio; Domenica, Nico di; Escudero, Laureano F; Pizarro, Celeste
The Effects of a Visual Execution Environment and Makey Makey on Primary School Children Learning Introductory Programming Concepts
(IEEE, 2020-01-01) Pizarro, Celeste; Pérez-Marín, Diana; Hijón-Neira, Raquel; Connolly, Cornelia
The interest of children in learning to program computers has increased dramatically in recent years with the adaptation of new programming languages such as Scratch or game-based approaches. That being so, it is still unclear how best to teach programming concepts to young children. There is a gap in the literature on how to introduce basic programming concepts to children at the primary school level, while taking factors such as the grade level and approach used into account. This paper explores the best approach for introducing basic programming concepts to school children in the 4th, 5th and 6th grades as well as the effects of the approaches on students’ learning gains (per concept). The concepts addressed here are those used in a traditional Introduction to Programming course, such as programs, memory and variables, inputs and outputs, conditionals and loops. The paper presents the resulting improvements achieved by the 4th, 5th and 6th graders in a multigroup pretest-posttest design, with a control group (the use of a blackboard as an unplugged approach) and two experimental groups (the use of a visual execution environment (VEE) with a mouse and the use of the VEE with Makey Makey). We present the results exploring the interaction between the grade and approach factors for the 144 children (9-12 years old) enrolled in primary education. The results provide statistically significant data indicating how the children succeeded in learning basic programming concepts according to their grade, the type of approach used, and the programming concept under study.