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- Using data mining with time series data in short-term stocks predictionPublication . Azevedo, Jose Manuel; Almeida, Rui; Almeida, PedroData Mining (DM) methods are being increasingly used in prediction with time series data, in addition to traditional statistical approaches. This paper presents a literature review of the use of DM with time series data, focusing on short- time stocks prediction. This is an area that has been attracting a great deal of attention from researchers in the field. The main contribution of this paper is to provide an outline of the use of DM with time series data, using mainly examples related with short-term stocks prediction. This is important to a better understanding of the field. Some of the main trends and open issues will also be introduced.
- New challenges in mathematics for the european higher educationPublication . Torres, Cristina; babo, lurdes; Azevedo, Jose ManuelIn this paper we will talk about a math project submitted to the Lifelong Learning Programme. European higher education needs a reform in order to play its full role in the Europe of Knowledge. Modernisation of higher education is necessary in the areas of curricula (Bologna process), funding and governance so that higher education institutions can face the challenges posed by globalisation and contribute more effectively to the training and retraining of the European workforce. On the other hand Mathematics is an essential component of all educational systems. Mathematical literacy is being scrutinized in assessment efforts such as the OCDE Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). This showed a low level in Europe. Due to the Bologna Process, which brought several didactical implications for Higher Education (HE) institutions, there is the need of lifelong learning. This evolution is in conflict with the earlier mentioned lack of competencies on basic sciences, such as Mathematics. Forced by this duality, efforts are combined to share expertise in the Math field and the integration of pedagogical methodologies becomes a necessity. Thus, several European countries have proposed an International Project to the Lifelong Learning Programme, Action ERASMUS Modernisation of Higher Education, to make institutions more attractive and more responsive to the needs of the labour market, citizens and society at large. One of the main goals of the project is to attract students to math through high-quality instructional units in an understandable, exciting and attractive way.
- Multiple-choice tests: a tool in assessing knowledgePublication . Azevedo, Jose Manuel; Lopes, Ana Paula; babo, lurdes; Torres, CristinaThe purpose of this paper is to analyse if Multiple-Choice Tests may be considered an interesting alternative for assessing knowledge, particularly in the Mathematics area, as opposed to the traditional methods, such as open questions exams. In this sense we illustrate some opinions of the researchers in this area. Often the perception of the people about the construction of this kind of exams is that they are easy to create. But it is not true! Construct well written tests it’s a hard work and needs writing ability from the teachers. Our proposal is analyse the construction difficulties of multiple - choice tests as well some advantages and limitations of this type of tests. We also show the frequent critics and worries, since the beginning of this objective format usage. Finally in this context some examples of Multiple-Choice Items in the Mathematics area are given, and we illustrate as how we can take advantage and improve this kind of tests.
- The active mathematics project at ISCAPPublication . Azevedo, Jose Manuel; babo, lurdes; Lopes, Ana PaulaThis paper summarizes a project that is contributing to a change in the way of teaching and learning Mathematics. Mathematics is a subject of the Accounting and Administration course. In this subject we teach: Functions and Algebra. The aim is that the students understand the basic concepts and is able to apply them in other issues, when possible, establishing a bridge between the issues that they have studied and their application in Accounting. As from this year, the Accounting course falls under in Bologna Process. The teacher and the student roles have changed. The time for theoretical and practical classes has been reduced, so it was necessary to modify the way of teaching and learning. In the theoretical classes we use systems of multimedia projection to present the concepts, and in the practical classes we solve exercises. To supplement our theoretical and practical classes we have developed an active mathematics project called MatActiva based on the Moodle platform offered by PAOL - Projecto de Apoio Online (Online Support Project). In the last versions of Moodle, it is possible use the TeX language to create math questions. Using this tool we created a set of interactive materials. With the creation of this new project we wanted to take advantage already obtained results with the previous experiences, giving to the students opportunities to complement their study in Mathematics. One of the great objectives is to motivate students, encourage them to overcome theirs difficulties through an auto-study, giving them more confidence and the opportunity to seeing others perspectives of the mathematics subjects. In the MatActiva project the students have a big collection of information about the way of the subject works, which includes the objectives, the program, recommended bibliography, evaluation method and summaries. It works as material support for the practical and theoretical classes, the slides of the theoretical classes are available, the sheets with exercises for the students to do in the classroom and complementary exercises, as well as the exams of previous years. Students can also do diagnostic tests and evaluation tests online. Our approach is a reflexive one, based on the professional experience of the teachers that explore and incorporate new tools of Moodle with their students and coordinate the project MatActiva.
- Data analysis and learning analytics for measure effects of gamification in a math online projectPublication . Lopes, Ana Paula; babo, lurdes; Azevedo, Jose Manuel; Torres, CristinaNowadays the use of the information and communication technologies (ICT) is more and more common in the learning and teaching process. Modern forms of education have risen and these require the implementation of new learning paradigms: situated cognition, student-centred learning, distributed cognition, constructivism, and communities of practice, among others. However there is an important problem that concerns educators, the lack of student motivation and engagement in education, especially in the e-learning environment (Online Education, Online Courses), where the motivation and the active role of students are definitely the key. Therefore, the interest of researchers in the subject of gamification, which main pillars are motivation, progressiveness and instant feedback, has increased. Furthermore, influence of gamification, depending on utilized components (challenge, curiosity, competion, recognition, etc) may have different effects on students. Thus, there is a need of deeper understanding of dependencies between engagement and implemented gamification elements. The goal of such analysis could be personalization of an e-learning system based on a model that enables management of gamification process individually for every student. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how gamification affects a Mathematics Online Course that is using this model as a pedagogical strategy. It relates such strategy with active learning practices and discusses its effectiveness, investigating how gamification can motivate students to participate more deeply and even to change their self-concept as learners. Moreover, the learning analytics and data analysis shows that implementation of the gamification components contributes to the engagement of students in an e-learning environment, having a positive impact on the final grade.
- Matemática activa - moodlePublication . Torres, Cristina; Babo, Lurdes; Azevedo, Jose Manuel; Lopes, Ana PaulaEsta sessão prática tem como objectivo explorar algumas funcionalidades da plataforma Moodle, familiarizar os formandos com a sua utilização, mostrando as suas potencialidades na elaboração de recursos educativos e a sua aplicação no processo de ensino/aprendizagem, incentivando a produção de materiais de apoio ao ensino da Matemática. Desta forma, os formandos poderão acrescentar à sua disciplina on-line uma nova dimensão de interactividade e promover uma participação mais activa dos alunos Sugere-se que os formandos tragam alguns testes de avaliação ou fichas de trabalho que já tenham realizado, de preferência em formato digital, para que a sessão seja mais produtiva.
- O projecto matactiva no ISCAPPublication . Torres, Cristina; Lopes, Ana Paula; Azevedo, Jose Manuel; babo, lurdesA partir do ano 2007/2008 todos os cursos do ISCAP foram adequados ao Processo de Bolonha, o que pressupõe várias mudanças a nível dos papéis do professor e do aluno, das metodologias e da avaliação. A carga horária semanal das disciplinas da Matemática foi bastante reduzida, por isso foi necessário desenvolver novas estratégias e metodologias de apoio ao aluno. Para complementar as aulas teóricas e práticas desenvolvemos um projecto com o nome MatActiva baseado na plataforma Moodle, disponibilizada pelo PAOL (Projecto de Apoio On-Line). O Moodle permite usar a linguagem TEX para criar materiais que utilizam símbolos matemáticos. Fazendo uso desta funcionalidade, criámos um conjunto de recursos interactivos de fácil utilização. No MatActiva os estudantes têm acesso a um conjunto diversificado de materiais: apontamentos teóricos que lhes fornecem, não só os pré-requisitos necessários para as disciplinas de matemática, mas também material de acompanhamento aos respectivos programas. Para isso, criaram-se vários recursos sendo os testes de escolha múltipla os mais procurados pelos alunos. Estes testes podem ser realizados e corrigidos on-line e para cada resposta errada existe um feedback de resolução. Como o ISCAP recebe alunos ERASMUS e estes frequentam a disciplina de Matemática, foi também desenvolvido material em inglês. Os principais objectivos do nosso projecto são motivar os alunos, encoraja-los a superar as suas dificuldades de uma forma autónoma, permitindo-lhes aumentar a sua autoconfiança e gosto pela aprendizagem da Matemática, assim como fomentar a comunicação professor-aluno e aluno-aluno.
- How two different level institutions can cooperate for the same purpose: to motivate students to learn mathematicsPublication . babo, lurdes; Azevedo, Jose Manuel; Torres, Cristina; Paula Lopes, Ana; Camilo, Alice; Melo, Fernando; Garcia, HelenaThe aim of this paper is to introduce an active method in math to foster problem solving and research skills in the context of linear systems. The implementation of our research was supported by a project funded by the Porto City Council with a partnership between an institution of higher education, the Institute of Accounting and Administration of Porto (ISCAP) and the Cerco of Porto, an Elementary and Secondary School. This school and the specific class were selected because some serious problems were identified by school teachers and managers, with regard to learning and motivation. The goal of this project was to promote students’ scientific culture, autonomy, and passion for learning. Particularly in mathematics, the project intended to introduce confidence in knowledge and skills acquisition. Our desire was to develop collaborative work around projects that support reflection and action, in order to improve learning outcomes and quality, with students-centered learning. In addition, we envisage promoting creativity in the elaboration of everyday problems that can be solved through systems of equations. Throughout this paper we present our research and the details about the more important self-active activities that were produced by students. Furthermore, a survey was developed and answered by students and parents/tutors to ascertain their opinion about the project. In general, the results were very positive, and gave good feedback that allows us to proceed with the project in the future, disseminating it to other classes.
- E-assessment in mathematics courses with multiple-choice questions testsPublication . Azevedo, Jose ManuelWith the implementation of the Bologna Process several challenges have been posed to higher education institution, particularly in Portugal. One of the main implications is related to the change of the paradigm of a teacher centered education, to a paradigm that is student centered. This change implies the change of the way to assess courses in higher education institutions. Continuous and formative assessments emerged as the focus, catalyzed by electronic assessment, or e-assessment. This paper presents a case of the implementation of an e-assessment strategy, implemented in order to allow continuous, formative assessment in numerous mathematics classes using multiple-choice questions tests implement in Moodle open-source learning management system. The implementation can be considered a success.
- Developing multiple - choice questions in mathematicsPublication . Torres, Cristina; Lopes, Ana Paula; Azevedo, Jose Manuel; babo, lurdesIn this paper we wish to illustrate different perspectives used to create Multiple-Choice questions and we will show how we can improve these in the construction of math tests. As it is known, web technologies have a great influence on student’s behaviour. Based on an on-line project beginning at 2007 which has been contributing to help students on their individual work, we would like to share our experience and thoughts with colleagues who have a common concern when they have the task of constructing Multiple-Choice tests. We feel that Multiple-Choice tests play an important and a very useful supporting role in selfevaluation or self-examination of our students. Nonetheless, good Multiple–Choice Test Items are generally more complex and time-consuming to create than other types of tests. It requires a certain amount of skill. However, this skill maybe increases through study, practice and experience. This paper discusses a number of issues related to the use of Multiple-Choice questions, lists the advantages and disadvantages of this question format contrasting it with open questions. Some examples are given in this context.