Autonomous repeatable surveys for long term monitoring of marine habitats. Australia has committed to using marine resources in a sustainable manner and to conserve the biodiversity of its marine habitats. In order to manage its marine environment effectively, marine scientists, managers and policy makers require timely and accurate information on the state of the environment. Current knowledge and techniques are limited and will have difficulty scaling to satisfy Australia's needs. A monitorin ....Autonomous repeatable surveys for long term monitoring of marine habitats. Australia has committed to using marine resources in a sustainable manner and to conserve the biodiversity of its marine habitats. In order to manage its marine environment effectively, marine scientists, managers and policy makers require timely and accurate information on the state of the environment. Current knowledge and techniques are limited and will have difficulty scaling to satisfy Australia's needs. A monitoring system that relies on machines to perform a substantial fraction of survey work and basic data analysis can scale more easily and provide more information at lower costs. Read moreRead less
Developing a personalised Music Affect Recommender System. The project aims to develop a personalised music recommender system using perceived tone quality, affect and liking. Recommender systems using prior verbal annotations and ratings are common (Amazon) but inappropriate for less popular music by unfamiliar artists, which lacks social use data. The project intends to build on work into perception of musical affect and its relation to loudness and tone quality; and the automation of the orga ....Developing a personalised Music Affect Recommender System. The project aims to develop a personalised music recommender system using perceived tone quality, affect and liking. Recommender systems using prior verbal annotations and ratings are common (Amazon) but inappropriate for less popular music by unfamiliar artists, which lacks social use data. The project intends to build on work into perception of musical affect and its relation to loudness and tone quality; and the automation of the organisation of digital libraries both by labels and acoustic content. Developing this, the project seeks to create a model that gives recommendations which accounts for an individual's preferences based on acoustic content, affect and liking. The system will be designed to update rapidly and to encourage exploration of familiar and unfamiliar music.Read moreRead less
Learning the complexity of scientific knowledge about climate change with computer modelling and visualization technologies. This project provides benefits to the national priorities of a environmentally sustainable Australia; and frontier technologies for building and transforming Australian industries. The project helpins students in Australia more deeply understand the sciences that underlie environmental sustainability. Learning with modelling and visualization technologies will help student ....Learning the complexity of scientific knowledge about climate change with computer modelling and visualization technologies. This project provides benefits to the national priorities of a environmentally sustainable Australia; and frontier technologies for building and transforming Australian industries. The project helpins students in Australia more deeply understand the sciences that underlie environmental sustainability. Learning with modelling and visualization technologies will help students learn important scientific knowledge and prepare them for the use of frontier technologies that are becoming infused into the practices of scientists and professionals in many fields. This project also directly contributes to the national Digital Education Revolution initiative.Read moreRead less
Multiliteracy testing: a criterion-referenced tool to assess secondary students’ multiliteracy learning within a technology-rich, multimodal domain. Evidence shows that while multimodal learning in schools is occurring, a valid measurement and diagnostic tool to provide reliable scores and accurate diagnostic information does not exist. This project aims to develop a criterion-referenced tool to measure students' multiliteracy learning within technology-rich, multimodal domains.
Community-based STEM professional learning for teachers of middle years. This project aims to develop a novel community-based program that focuses on a museum-based, teacher professional development program which is based awareness and performance of middle year students in School Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education. Improving STEM workforce readiness is critical to producing a more creative society and a leading, dynamic economy. Building STEM education capacity th ....Community-based STEM professional learning for teachers of middle years. This project aims to develop a novel community-based program that focuses on a museum-based, teacher professional development program which is based awareness and performance of middle year students in School Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education. Improving STEM workforce readiness is critical to producing a more creative society and a leading, dynamic economy. Building STEM education capacity through access to professional learning and museum and STEM professional community resources is critically important for improving students’ proficiencies, attitudes, and interest in STEM. The project outcome will be to develop a STEM professional learning model that can be used to create a more skilled and educated STEM workforce. Read moreRead less
Realising the Potential of Australia’s High Capacity Students. This project aims to investigate factors that contribute to high capacity students failing to improve in literacy, numeracy and problem solving compared with their lower capacity peers. The project aims to focus on protective factors that might mitigate against this negative association between capacity and achievement. The study and method extends previous research the influence of evidence-based decisions by collaborative teacher t ....Realising the Potential of Australia’s High Capacity Students. This project aims to investigate factors that contribute to high capacity students failing to improve in literacy, numeracy and problem solving compared with their lower capacity peers. The project aims to focus on protective factors that might mitigate against this negative association between capacity and achievement. The study and method extends previous research the influence of evidence-based decisions by collaborative teacher teams on student achievement. In partnership with the Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, this project seeks to identify ways that will enable systems of education to realise the learning potential of all students.Read moreRead less
Building executive function in imaginary play. This project aims to develop a sustainable, play-based program to increase the executive functions of children in the year prior to school. Executive functions (EF) are cognitive processes that control an individual’s behaviour and cognition and include processes such as working memory, inhibitory control and attention. There is evidence that EF skills are critical to a successful transition to formal learning environments and future academic achiev ....Building executive function in imaginary play. This project aims to develop a sustainable, play-based program to increase the executive functions of children in the year prior to school. Executive functions (EF) are cognitive processes that control an individual’s behaviour and cognition and include processes such as working memory, inhibitory control and attention. There is evidence that EF skills are critical to a successful transition to formal learning environments and future academic achievement, and that they are amenable to early intervention. Improving children’s EF skills in the year prior to school could produce lasting benefits across the school years, particularly for more vulnerable children. This project intends to inform professional development programs in early childhood education.Read moreRead less
A RCT of an education reengagement program for at-risk youth. A RCT of an education reengagement program for at-risk youth. This project aims to determine the best and most cost-effective way to help 12–15 year olds re-engage with school when they become at-risk for dropping out, by conducting a gold-standard randomized-control trial. 20% of Australians fail to attain a Year 12 or equivalent certificate, often for preventable reasons. Dropouts are more likely to be unemployed, have psychological ....A RCT of an education reengagement program for at-risk youth. A RCT of an education reengagement program for at-risk youth. This project aims to determine the best and most cost-effective way to help 12–15 year olds re-engage with school when they become at-risk for dropping out, by conducting a gold-standard randomized-control trial. 20% of Australians fail to attain a Year 12 or equivalent certificate, often for preventable reasons. Dropouts are more likely to be unemployed, have psychological, social, and health problems, and end up in prison. This project could influence implementation of programmes and policy related to youth dropout, promote youth economic, social and physical wellbeing, and decrease their chance of committing crimes and becoming a social burden.Read moreRead less
From economic benefit to social cost: Antecedents of irresponsible gambling. The social impact of gambling is a challenge for policy-makers. Australia's gambling expenditure in 2001 contributed $4.4 billion in tax revenue. This economic benefit however, is offset by significant social costs ($1.8 to $5.6 billion). We will identify when and how distorted memory for previous gambling outcomes and gaming machine accessibility can cause irresponsible gambling. The results can be used to make informe ....From economic benefit to social cost: Antecedents of irresponsible gambling. The social impact of gambling is a challenge for policy-makers. Australia's gambling expenditure in 2001 contributed $4.4 billion in tax revenue. This economic benefit however, is offset by significant social costs ($1.8 to $5.6 billion). We will identify when and how distorted memory for previous gambling outcomes and gaming machine accessibility can cause irresponsible gambling. The results can be used to make informed assessments of the social impact of increasing the accessibility of gambling opportunities on local communities. The results can also be used to understand how gambling that contributes to the economy of a community becomes a social cost.Read moreRead less
Executive functioning, gender, age and medication as predictors of developmental well-being among students with ADHD. This study constructs social-cognitive phenotypes of ADHD, evaluates mental health and investigates ADHD student perceptions of classroom environment and achievement in science as functions of executive functioning, gender, age and medication. The effect of standard psychostimulant intervention and a novel nonpsychostimulant option on executive function, developmental and educati ....Executive functioning, gender, age and medication as predictors of developmental well-being among students with ADHD. This study constructs social-cognitive phenotypes of ADHD, evaluates mental health and investigates ADHD student perceptions of classroom environment and achievement in science as functions of executive functioning, gender, age and medication. The effect of standard psychostimulant intervention and a novel nonpsychostimulant option on executive function, developmental and educational outcomes will be investigated. The expected outcomes will inform more effective teacher professional development, and reduce school problems associated with psychostimulant medication and its illicit distribution by students. The linkage of health and education partners meets a nationally identified need for more effective collaboration to improve education outcomes for ADHD students.Read moreRead less