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Browsing Computer Science and Informatics by Author "De Wet, Lizette"
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Item Open Access Assessing a brain-computer interface by evoking the auditory cortex through binaural beat(University of the Free State, 2013-01) Potgieter, Louwrens; De Wet, Lizette; Schall, RobertEnglish: Why can some people study, read books, and work while listening to music or with noise in the background while other people simply cannot? This was the question that prompted this research study. The aim of this project was to assess the impact of binaural beats on participants during the performance of a task. The participants were exposed to different binaural beats that changed the dominant brainwaves while they were engaging in the task. A braincomputer interface was used to monitor the performance of the task in which a Lego Mindstorm robot was controlled as it moved through a course. To accomplish the aim of the project, the effects of binaural tones on participants’ task performance were investigated in relation to participants’ levels of frustration, excitement, engagement, meditation and performance. Participants were monitored by means of using an Emotiv EPOC neuroheadset. Although previous studies on binaural beats have been done, most of these studies were done on Attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) children, with users performing everyday tasks. In these studies, time was the only metric used. The researcher collected data by means of questionnaires that were completed by the participants to obtain personal information and measure the user experience. The aspects of frustration, excitement, engagement, meditation and performance were determined using the Emotiv headset in combination with the Emotiv software development kit, Microsoft Robotics Studio and software created by the researcher. After intensive statistical analysis, the researcher found that different sound frequencies did indeed affect user performance. Sessions where no sound frequency was applied were associated with more errors and longer time durations compared with all other frequencies. It can be concluded that invoking a participant’s dominant brainwave by means of binaural tones can change his/her state of mind. This in turn can affect the long-term excitement, short-term excitement, engagement, meditation, frustration or performance of a participant while performing a task. Much remains to be learned, in particular regarding the combination of brain-computer interfaces and human-computer interaction. The possibility of new cutting-edge technologies that could provide a platform for further in-depth research is an exciting prospect.Item Open Access Assessing a brain-computer interface by evoking the auditory cortex through binaural beats(University of the Free State, 2014-07-22) Potgieter, Louwrens; De Wet, Lizette; Schall, RobertEnglish: Why can some people study, read books, and work while listening to music or with noise in the background while other people simply cannot? This was the question that prompted this research study. The aim of this project was to assess the impact of binaural beats on participants during the performance of a task. The participants were exposed to different binaural beats that changed the dominant brainwaves while they were engaging in the task. A braincomputer interface was used to monitor the performance of the task in which a Lego Mindstorm robot was controlled as it moved through a course. To accomplish the aim of the project, the effects of binaural tones on participants’ task performance were investigated in relation to participants’ levels of frustration, excitement, engagement, meditation and performance. Participants were monitored by means of using an Emotiv EPOC neuroheadset. Although previous studies on binaural beats have been done, most of these studies were done on Attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) children, with users performing everyday tasks. In these studies, time was the only metric used. The researcher collected data by means of questionnaires that were completed by the participants to obtain personal information and measure the user experience. The aspects of frustration, excitement, engagement, meditation and performance were determined using the Emotiv headset in combination with the Emotiv software development kit, Microsoft Robotics Studio and software created by the researcher. After intensive statistical analysis, the researcher found that different sound frequencies did indeed affect user performance. Sessions where no sound frequency was applied were associated with more errors and longer time durations compared with all other frequencies. It can be concluded that invoking a participant’s dominant brainwave by means of binaural tones can change his/her state of mind. This in turn can affect the long-term excitement, short-term excitement, engagement, meditation, frustration or performance of a participant while performing a task. Much remains to be learned, in particular regarding the combination of brain-computer interfaces and human-computer interaction. The possibility of new cutting-edge technologies that could provide a platform for further in-depth research is an exciting prospect.Item Open Access Assessing the use of a Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) in mathematics education: the case of a cognitive game(University of the Free State, 2015) Verkijika, Silas Formunyuy; De Wet, LizetteEnglish: South Africa currently faces a huge shortage of mathematics skills, a problem commonly referred to as the “math crisis”. Researchers in South Africa have attributed the growing “math crisis” to the lack of cognitive functions among learners. However, existing solutions to address the problem have overlooked the role of cognitive functions in improving mathematics aptitude. Moreover, even though cognitive functions have been widely established to have a significant influence on mathematics performance, there is surprisingly little research on how to enhance cognitive functions (Witt, 2011). Consequently, this study had as primary objective to explore the impact of a BCI-based mathematics educational game as a tool for facilitating the development of cognitive function that enhance mathematics skills in children. The choice of a BCI-based solution for enhancing cognitive functions stems from recent neuroscience literature that highlights the potential of BCIs as tools for enhancing cognitive functions. Existing neuroscience, psychological and mathematical education research have established a number of cognitive functions (working memory, inhibitory control, math anxiety, and number sense) that affect mathematics education. This study combined these existing paradigms with the BCI device to provide a technological solution for enhancing the basic cognitive functions that foster mathematics learning. Following these assertions, a BCI-based mathematics educational game was developed taking into account the target population (children from the ages from 9-16) and the important role of digital educational games in improving education (in this case mathematics education in particular). Using a within-subjects short-term longitudinal research design, this study established that a BCI-based mathematics educational game could be used to significantly enhance four basic cognitive functions (working memory, inhibitory control, math anxiety, and number sense). These four cognitive functions have been widely acknowledged as significant fundamental aspects of mathematics education. As such, adopting such a technological solution in South African schools can go a long way to address the current “math crises” by enabling educators and learners to address the issue of low cognitive functions. This study culminated with practical recommendations on how to address the “math crisis” in South Africa.Item Open Access Determining the usability of pedagogical interface agents in the context of adult computer literacy training: a South African perspective(University of the Free State, 2016) Mabanza, Ntima; De Wet, Lizette; Schall, Robert𝑬𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉 The problem of high computer illiteracy amongst adults in 3rd world countries, such as South Africa (SA), is preventing these individuals from becoming part of workforce as computer skills have become one of the major requirements to enter the job market. The other challenge for this group is that most of the current adult computer literacy training is conducted using approaches such as conventional training and e-learning. Often these approaches pose intellectual challenges to people who have never been exposed to a computer. In line with this, this research study was conducted in an effort to find new approaches to assist adult computer illiterate people, specifically in SA, to acquire the skills necessary (i.e. basic computer literacy) to promote employability and the improvement of their lives. The use of Pedagogical Interface Agents (PIAs) is one example of such a new approach. Over the years, many research studies on the potential of PIAs in promoting learning have been carried out. The results obtained from these studies showed that PIAs can improve student learning, engagement and motivation. However, most of these studies have focused on age groups ranging from childhood to undergraduate college students. Little attention has been paid to the use of PIAs in adult learning, and in computer literacy training, specifically in the word processing environment. The aim of this research study was to establish, through user testing, whether the incorporation of a variety of PIAs could improve and facilitate the computer literacy training (specifically in a word processing environment) for adult computer illiterates in SA. To achieve this aim, Simulated Microsoft Office Word System (SMOS), a simulated word processor system incorporating 10 PIAs (varying in terms of appearance, gender, voice and reality) was used in conjunction with MS Word to collect data needed for this research. A summative usability evaluation was performed in this study. The pragmatist paradigm was selected as a suitable paradigm for the current study. This research study employed the convergent parallel mixed-methods design. Study participants consisted of a group of adults from Mangaung-University of the Free State Community Partnership Programme (MUCPP) who could understand and speak English, had little or no formal education and had never been exposed to a computer before. In order to better assess the usability of the 10 PIAs incorporated in SMOS, participants were divided into two groups, namely the test group (trained with SMOS, which incorporated PIAs) and the control group (trained with MS Word, without PIAs). Afterwards, participants from both groups were given 11 basic word processing tasks to complete using their respective systems (i.e. SMOS or MS Word) as part of the user assessment. In this study, reliability and validity were established through the use of multiple sources of data, which were directly linked to the study aims and objectives. A pilot study was conducted to check the appropriateness of data collection techniques used in this study. The user test performed in this study sought to measure three usability attributes, namely efficiency (measured by means of task efforts), effectiveness (measured by means of both individual and total number of errors) and satisfaction (measured by means of the user experience questionnaire related to the amount learnt from the study overall, enjoyment in being part of the study, and willingness to participate in a similar study in future). Observations and interviews were used to complement and better understand the effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction data. All collected user test data were analysed using comparative statistical test techniques. The comparative analyses‟ results showed that test group participants (trained with SMOS, which incorporated PIAs) outperformed the control group participants (trained with MS Word, without PIAs) in both efficiency and effectiveness. With regard to the satisfaction, no difference was noted between participants from the two groups. Based on the findings of this study, it can be inferred that the use of PIAs could assist in overcoming many problems faced by adult computer illiterate users during computer literacy training in a 3rd world environment like in SA. However, it is suggested that key aspects, such as characteristics of adult learners, PIAs‟ external observable characteristics, and adult learners‟ satisfaction/ability to use the system, need to be systematically explored. ___________________________________________________________________Item Open Access Evaluating and improving the usability of e-government websites in Sub-Saharan Africa for enhancing citizen adoption and usage(University of the Free State, 2017) Verkijika, Silas Formunyuy; De Wet, Lizette𝑬𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉 E-government has been widely known to be an important factor for fostering a nation’s economic and social development. It holds enormous potential for improving the administrative efficiency of public institutions, encouraging democratic governance, deracinating public sector corruption, and building trust between citizens/private sector and governments. However, most e-government initiatives to date have failed to attain their full potential, because they are increasingly plagued by usability issues. The case is worse for e-government initiatives in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) as many researchers have posited that this region is the least developed with regards to e-government diffusion. Moreover, its e-government systems are mostly characterised by poor usability. Consequently, advancing e-government in SSA necessitates advancing the usability of current e-government systems in the region, as usability has been shown to be a vital precondition for e-government progress. As such, this study had as primary objective to develop a model for improving the usability of e-government websites in SSA. The study focused on e-government websites as these sites are generally acknowledged to be the primary platform for government interaction with citizens and other stakeholders. In order to achieve this goal, the design science research (DSR) approach was used as the overall research method for this thesis. The DSR was selected due to its core focus on developing useful artefacts that can effectively address DSR problems. This research approach was further supported by mixed methods encompassing usability evaluation (heuristic evaluation and automated testing) and cross-sectional analysis of national indicators. Using a six-dimensional framework as the core theoretical framework for assessing the usability of e-government websites in SSA, the study concluded that SSA e-government websites were currently characterised by poor usability. After evaluating 279 e-government websites from 31 SSA countries, it was observed that the average usability score for the websites was 36.2%, with the most usable website having a score of 64.8%, while the least usable website scored 10.8%. The poor level of usability was consistent for all the six dimensions. Out of a weighted score of 16.7 for each dimension, the following mean scores were obtained: 7.6 for online services, 6.3 for user-help and feedback, 6.2 for navigation, 5.7 for legitimacy, 5.4 for information architecture, and 3.3 for accessibility accommodation. The study further identified 8 national indicators (corruption, cybersecurity, gender inequality, global competitiveness, human development, innovation, national income, and population age distribution) with significant associations to both e-government development and the usability of e-government websites in SSA. Based on these findings, a policy-ingrained model was proposed for advancing the usability of e-government websites in SSA. The model comprised of four mental models (government, designer, evaluator, and user), with each having both general and specific strategies for improving e-government website usability in SSA. Additionally, the model presented the practical and policy implications regarding the role that the identified national indicators could play in advancing e-government website usability in the region. Moreover, the model was accompanied by a quick assessment checklist that could be used by IT staff of government agencies to evaluate their websites in order to determine which strategies from the model could be applied. The outcomes of this study could contribute to the development of practical and policy-based solutions for improving the usability of e-government websites in SSA, as well as advance the theoretical knowledge base on the use of information systems in government. ___________________________________________________________________Item Open Access Teaching human-computer interaction modules - and then came COVID-19(Frontiers, 2022) De Wet, LizetteIn teaching Human-Computer Interaction at university level, it has always been beneficial to explain the related theory and engage students in a practical way, whether individually or in groups. And then came COVID-19. Face-to-face classes were replaced by emergency remote teaching methods. Students became student numbers in cyber space. The danger became real to convert back to the traditional way of presenting lectures, namely a lecturer doing all the talking and the students being the passive audience. This paper describes how the author had to adapt and innovate in terms of teaching Human-Computer Interaction modules to university students in a practical way during the COVID-19 pandemic. Frequent online quizzes, audio messages, online group discussion, smaller topic-dedicated practical activities, and webinars encouraging student participation, were employed. Instead of having access to eye-tracking technology in a usability laboratory, students had to innovate for usability evaluation assignments by employing observation, think-aloud protocols, and performance and self-reported metrics as data gathering methods. The laboratory had to be replaced by COVID-compliant places of residence. The outcomes of adapting previously-used teaching methods and inventing new ways to encourage student participation, were surprisingly positive. An additional advantage was that many of these methods turned out to be so successful that their application could be continued and extended to post-pandemic times for a blended learning approach to further enrich Human-Computer Interaction teaching.