In mathematics education, studies reveal difficulties in the teaching-learning of trigonometry in secondary and higher education, due to the fact that students are not encouraged to achieve a deep conceptual understanding of abstract concepts. Several studies demonstrate that incorporating digital technologies has a positive impact on students’ learning. However, most of the existing technologies do not consider the use of the body and multiple senses. Tangible User Interfaces (TUIs) in contrast, can host bodily interactions that have the potential of enhancing learning. Nonetheless, there is a lack of applications of TUIs for trigonometry education. This study consisted in designing and validating a tangible interface for the teaching-learning of basic concepts of trigonometry. The interface hosts a pedagogical experience that privileges exploration through physical manipulation and fosters intuitive and collaborative learning. A Pre-Test was applied to 121 students to determine previous knowledge, yielding a 29.1% performance. After two sessions using the interface, the results of a Post-Test reveal an increase of 37.1%, confirming the educational effectiveness of the interface and the pedagogical experience to facilitate learning of basic concepts of trigonometry.

Abstract This article describes the rationale, aims, and methodology of the Accelerating Medicines Partnership® Schizophrenia (AMP® SCZ). This is the largest international collaboration to date that will develop algorithms to predict trajectories and outcomes of individuals at clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis and to advance the development and use of novel pharmacological interventions for CHR individuals. We present a description of the participating research networks and the data processing analysis and coordination center, their processes for data harmonization across 43 sites from 13 participating countries (recruitment across North America, Australia, Europe, Asia, and South America), data flow and quality assessment processes, data analyses, and the transfer of data to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Data Archive (NDA) for use by the research community. In an expected sample of approximately 2000 CHR individuals and 640 matched healthy controls, AMP SCZ will collect clinical, environmental, and cognitive data along with multimodal biomarkers, including neuroimaging, electrophysiology, fluid biospecimens, speech and facial expression samples, novel measures derived from digital health technologies including smartphone-based daily surveys, and passive sensing as well as actigraphy. The study will investigate a range of clinical outcomes over a 2-year period, including transition to psychosis, remission or persistence of CHR status, attenuated positive symptoms, persistent negative symptoms, mood and anxiety symptoms, and psychosocial functioning. The global reach of AMP SCZ and its harmonized innovative methods promise to catalyze the development of new treatments to address critical unmet clinical and public health needs in CHR individuals.

There is substantial concern about critical environmental problems related to waste in production sectors such as textile, construction, and packaging. The materials ascribed to the sector’s unsustainability are primarily fabrics, plastic, and hazardous solvents, making developing new biobased materials imperative. As such, various strategies have been investigated to convert and recycle waste and give them commercial value via the manufacture of biobased materials. This review discusses the various types of raw materials as sources to develop new biobased materials that could promote the transition toward sustainability. According to the literature, the functional qualities of biobased materials are comparable to those of synthetic materials. Raw material sources such as biomass, derived from plant and animal-based waste, are attractive due to their low cost, abundance, and biodegradability. The manufacture of biomaterials, as well as their characterization and performance, are also discussed. Further, this review will offer a comprehensive view of the potential applicability and current commercial applications of the developed biobased materials in relevant areas such as packaging, construction, textile, and wastewater remediation. This could be a potential field of research to address the environmental challenges posed by the continuous growth of the global population.

Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) is the standard to assess and train clinical skills in healthcare students. However, conducting an OSCE demands expensive resources such as time, qualified personnel, and adequate facilities. The aim to provide more cost-effective examinations has promoted the emergence of electronic versions of OSCEs (eOSCEs). However, existing eOSCEs available in the market do not adequately adapt to diverse local contexts. For a Spanish-speaking country such as Chile, implementing foreign eOSCEs requires to adjust the examination to unfamiliar terminology, archetypes, and procedures, thus hindering the quality of the assessment. This article reports on the design of Ch-eOSCE, an eOSCE tailored for the Chilean local context and culture. Ch-eOSCE is comprised of a mobile application and a back-end system. A prototype of the application was developed and tested with three healthcare experts to gather their perception of usability and coherence, yielding an overall evaluation of 4.5 in a scale range of 5. The preliminary results reveal that Ch-eOSCE has the potential to become a viable solution for a context-specific eOSCE for the Chilean healthcare context.

In the last three decades, the application of TUIs (tangible user interfaces) in education has demonstrated its positive influence on performance and learning of students. At Universidad del Desarrollo in Chile, monitoring of diagnostic tests over time evidences difficulties and challenges in the teaching-learning of trigonometry in first-year Engineering education. This study consisted in designing and validating a tangible interface to learn trigonometry in the classroom setting. The methodology used was a quasi-experiment with first-year students from the Schools of Design and Engineering at Universidad del Desarrollo in Chile. Principles of the theory of Embodied Cognition and Blended Interaction were applied to model an intuitive, collaborative and meaningful learning experience. During the design process, three Intermediate Models were tested with several types of users, and two Prototypes were tested with an experimental group. User-testing highly contributed to the design of the interaction experience and the interface, progressively defining the functional and pedagogical aspects. Comparative analysis of Pre and Post-Test results, demonstrate that students’ performance increased by 37.1% after two sessions using the interface.

En educación matemática, estudios evidencian dificultades y desafíos en la enseñanza-aprendizaje de trigonometría en educación secundaria y superior, donde no se estimula al estudiante a obtener un entendimiento conceptual profundo de los conceptos. Considerando su relevancia para diversas disciplinas, es necesario implementar nuevos acercamientos a su enseñanza, donde se privilegie un rol activo del estudiante en su propio aprendizaje. Diversos estudios demuestran que la incorporación de tecnologías digitales influyen positivamente aprendizaje de los alumnos, sin embargo, la mayoría de las tecnologías existentes responden al paradigma de interacción tradicional con un computador, donde no se considera el uso del cuerpo y de los múltiples sentidos. Las Interfaces Tangibles (TUI) en cambio, pueden albergar interacciones corporales, brindando directo tributo a la teoría de la Cognición Corporal. Sin embargo existe un vacío en la aplicación de TUI para la educación de trigonometría. Esta investigación consistió en diseñar y validar una interfaz tangible para la enseñanza-aprendizaje de trigonometría inicial. La interfaz alberga una experiencia de aprendizaje que privilegia la exploración, el uso de la intuición, y fomenta el aprendizaje colaborativo. Se realizó un Pre-Test diagnóstico con 119 estudiantes para determinar conocimientos previos dando un rendimiento promedio de 29.1%. Luego de dos intervenciones con la interfaz propuesta, los resultados de un Post-Test muestran un incremento del rendimiento en un 37.1%, lo que valida la efectividad pedagógica de la interfaz y experiencia pedagógica para el aprendizaje de conceptos básicos de trigonometría.

Design for Sustainability has evolved rapidly over the last decades as a response to unprecedented global challenges. Several models have been developed to address the need to design more sustainable products, services, and policies. These strategies are oriented towards more sustainable ways of living. The Compass, developed by the Index Project in Denmark, is a method that offers a framework to structure the design process while considering social, environmental, and economic sustainability aspects. This article presents an exploratory case study to infuse sustainability in design education using this method in interdisciplinary teams. The context is a master’s degree offered by a design school in a Chilean university. The study's outcomes reveal that The Compass method is a dynamic and flexible structure for design in interdisciplinary teams. To strengthen its applicability, it could incorporate links to sustainability methods from various areas of knowledge that specifically address economic, environmental, or social aspects. Complementing The Compass with these sustainable approaches to confront the complexity of the challenges may facilitate the move from good ideas to feasible, sustainable design solutions in design and other fields.