Facets Of Learning Research Articles

Analyzing the Efficacy of Digital Tools in Enhancing Imaginative Writing Abilities

Several facets of learning, include imaginative writing transformed from digital technologies. Writing creatively fosters students' creativity and critical thinking abilities, an essential part of literacy education. The long-term effects of digital technologies on imaginative writing skills (IWS), despite the increasing usage. The potential of digital tools diversions might constitute the intended benefits and the application of these technologies utilized in educational institutions. The study aims to investigate how digital tool improve writing skills and develop innovative writing abilities by fostering creativity. The research intends to identify which digital tools offer the most significant benefits and how integrated into educational practices to support imaginative writing development. This study included a total of 60 participants, including males (28) and females (32) for imaginative writing skills. Utilizing SPSS software, a statistical analysis of the data was carried out. The data was analyzed using a t-test, ANOVA, and regression analyses. These analyses demonstrated imaginative writing skills. The research findings demonstrated that digital tools greatly enhanced participant’s creative writing skills, vocabulary growth and story structure. The use of digital tools could significantly improve participant’s capacity for imaginative writing skill development.

International Journal of Role-playing 13 -- Full Issue -- IJRP

IJRP 13: Full Issue
 Table of Contents
 Sarah Lynne Bowman, William J. White, and Evan Torner, "Editorial: Transformative Play Seminar 2022: Education,Personal Development, and Meaning Making”
 This special issue is the first of a two-part series collecting the short articles presented during the Transformative Play Initiative Seminar, held at Uppsala University Campus Gotland in Visby, Sweden on October 20-21, 2022.
 Maryanne Cullinanand Jennifer Genova, “Gaming the Systems: A Component Analysis Frameworkfor the Classroom Use of RPGs”
 This article presents guidelines for constructing educational experiences with learning role-playing games (LRPGs) based on specific learning objectives, including academic skills, social emotional skills, and executive functioning skills.
 Josefin Westborg, “The Educational Role-Playing Game Design Matrix:Mapping Design Components onto Types of Education”
 This article offers categories for understanding different facets of learning and role-playing games, including setting, purpose, framing, type of processing, and learning objectives. Types of games categorized include leisure, stand-alone educational RPGs, RPGs in education, and Educational RPGs.
 Aditya Anupam, "Playing the Belly of the Beast: Games for Learning Strategic Thinking in Tech Ethics"
 This article discusses the design of an interactive digital narrative the author is developing called Lights Out Warehouse, which is geared toward engineering students in universities. The game explores ethical issues around automated labor and organizing.
 Xiong Shuo,Ruoyu Wen, andHuijuan Zheng, “The Player Category Research of Murder Mystery Games”
 This article introduces the development process of Jubensha in China. Inspired by Bartle’s (1996) Player Taxonomy the authors build a model of a player typology for MMG, including the professor, braggart, conqueror, detective, actor, politician, socializer, and viewer.
 Miguel Angel BastarracheaMagnani, “A Coin with Two Sides:Role-Playing Games as Symbolic Devices”
 This article explores RPGs through the lens of philosophy and depth psychology. He discusses their ritual and mythic nature and how these elements converge as symbols.
 Ayça Durmus andSedef Topcuoglu, “Self Arcana: A Self-Reflective, Story-Based Tarot Game”
 This article discusses the development of Self Arcana, a role-playing game involving drawing one’s own tarot cards and engaging in storytelling in order to achieve greater self-insight. The authors offer a duoethnography featuring their experiences designing and playing the game.
 Giuseppe Femia, “A Reparative Play in Dungeons & Dragons”
 This article highlights RPGs’ potential for reparative play in which participants can express queer identities. The author includes an autoethnographic account of his experiences in Dungeons & Dragons, which allowed him to express his assexuality in meaningful ways.
 Albert R. Spencer, “The Vampire Foucault:Erotic Horror Role-Playing Games as a Technologies of the Self”
 This article describes the potential of erotic horror role-playing games such as in the World of Darkness to provide opportunities for transformative bleed.

The Educational Role-Playing Game Design Matrix: Mapping Design Components onto Types of Education

This article offers categories for understanding different facets of learning and role-playing games, including setting, purpose, framing, type of processing, and learning objectives. Types of games categorized include leisure, stand-alone educational RPGs, RPGs in education, and Educational RPGs.

DEVELOPMENT AND STANDARDIZATION OF ONLINE LEARNING SATISFACTION QUESTIONNAIRE (OLSQ)

The elaboration based on factors found in the literature review and the initial steps in the validation process of the students' online learning satisfaction questionnaire are covered in the current paper (OLSQ). In this initial stage of the study, 150 students, with ages ranging from 15 to 18, were selected as a sample. The 29 items in the developed instrument rate students' levels of satisfaction with various facets of learning on a two-point Likert scale. Factor analysis was used to validate the data, and the Cronbach's alpha coefficient was calculated to determine reliability.

El trasfondo afectivo intersubjetivo en la adquisición de conocimiento y la confianza como actitud epistémica

Among the wide variety of experiences linked to academic work, there are some intense affective experiences that are more directly related to the conceptual development that the learners will achieve because they are intrinsically linked to the activity displayed during the acquisition of knowledge, such is the case of curiosity, confusion and surprise. These epistemic emotions that occur during learning activities are aimed at the conceptual content of the individual's beliefs. The objective of this work is to theoretically explore the idea that the conceptual development that occurs in educational contexts depends on the development of an affective tendency with an intersubjective base that serves as a background to the advent of epistemic emotions in social learning situations. The confidence with which a learning situation is faced is a general tendency (an epistemic attitude) fruit of the individual's trajectory that functions as a background for the activities in which knowledge is acquired. An adequate understanding of the relationships between epistemic emotions, confidence and knowledge can generate ideas that promote the consolidation of this attitude as a facet of learning in school. As pedagogical implications of this conceptual model, some common epistemic emotional patterns are presented in asymmetrical relationships between teachers and children.

Reviving Microscopy in Paramedical Anatomy Courses Using Web‐based Virtual Microscopy and Interactive Exercises

As the paramedical programs evolved at West Virginia University, large combined anatomy courses with gross and microanatomy laboratories were replaced with predominantly didactic courses geared towards each individual field. The first year pharmacy anatomy course and the dental hygiene oral histology both place emphasis on histology but the courses did not give students the opportunity to experience student‐directed active learning using a microscope. We created a series of laboratory exercises using a virtual microscopy website developed within our department that features a large collection of annotated normal and pathological histological specimens. The website mimics the actual use of a microscope and facilitates student independent study. Students were provided with laboratory guidelines and faculty video tutorials to facilitate their use of the programs and understanding of histology. In addition, we created identification exercises using a separate website where students could view and label specimens, enter text and share comments with peers and faculty via a chat room. Students readily adapted to using the virtual microscope and the on‐line platform proved to be extremely advantageous when COVID restricted personal contact with students. There was renewed engagement with students taking the lead in interpretation of specimens and group discussion. Students were allowed unlimited attempts in the identification exercises which promoted “educated guessing” and continual faculty feedback. Incorporation of a laboratory component into the courses allowed students to practice their interpretational skills and improved overall academic performance by testing students on other facets of learning. Improvement in academic performance of the dental hygiene students was most pronounced since the laboratory component was integrated throughout the semester. Student feedback was very positive encouraging our further development of clinically‐related exercises.

Clerkship for Personal Growth: Teaching Psychiatry to Medical Students

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article Education & TrainingFull AccessClerkship for Personal Growth: Teaching Psychiatry to Medical StudentsFernando Espi Forcen, M.D., Ph.D.Fernando Espi ForcenSearch for more papers by this author, M.D., Ph.D.Published Online:28 Jan 2022https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.pn.2022.2.34AbstractPsychiatry teachers should use multiple communication skills to stimulate curiosity, creativity, and compassion to maximize medical students’ experience in their psychiatry rotation.A psychiatry clerkship offers the distinctive opportunity to study not just the human brain, but the human mind. Critically, it is not just the minds of patients but also those of students and teachers who are impacted; done right, a psychiatry clerkship leaves no one untouched.Before students are exposed to the field of psychiatry, all kinds of ideas may cross their minds. People have different thoughts and feelings about what mental illness is and how it should be handled. At the same time, psychiatry, our beloved field, has been affected by its troubled past and attempts to devise treatments that seem barbaric today. Nonetheless, a day or two into medical students’ psychiatry clerkship rotation, prior conceptions about psychiatry rapidly fade away. They are pleased to discover that psychiatry can be joyful, approachable, and helpful not only in the treatment of individuals with mental illness but also in understanding the psychology of our daily lives.Though most students are excited for their psychiatry clerkship, they start with some trepidation. After being assigned to a new team and given a brief orientation, they have to figure out the culture of their new rotation quickly. Sometimes they get to work with a team for a few weeks, other times just one afternoon. While there are overall goals, every supervisor they encounter may have particular expectations for them. Whatever happens is no longer completely up to them. Treatment may not go well even if they are trying hard. Being intelligent or a hard worker is no longer the key. Now they must also demonstrate interpersonal skills and the ability to cope with the uncertainty of not having absolute control of the patient’s outcome. These are new and difficult lessons to master, but ones that will help students in their future careers.Like most human beings, medical students are auditory, visual, and kinesthetic learners. In school, we are well taught how to master auditory communication, but we at times neglect the latter two communication skills. We do a good job of reporting and sharing clinical data, but sometimes we dismiss other ways to bring a message home. It is important to explain and review complex concepts about psychiatry and to stimulate students’ curiosity about the field, which will help them academically. Perhaps even more important, however, is to stimulate students’ creativity and compassion—these are not characteristics one can learn from a book.As teachers, we will have a greater chance of communicating effectively with our medical students if we consider all three facets of learning. For example, if I say, “This is a patient with a history of schizophrenia presenting with delusions,” I may not be as effective a communicator as if I say instead something visual like, “This woman was found under a bench at the park freezing in the cold and talking loudly about the end of the world.” With the second description, medical students can better visualize that person who has schizophrenia in a way that they will remember. Kinesthetically, I may add an emotional component and say, “This is a woman found under the bench at the park, alone and crying out loud about the end of the world after losing the custody of her daughter.”In teaching, positive reinforcement is effective, but more powerful, and more difficult, is social modeling. Medical students are still evolving into independent physicians, and clerkships represent perhaps the most vulnerable period of their careers. As supervisors, we need to enable students to navigate their anxieties about their performance on their own. At the same time, we can provide support and help them view their obstacles with perspective. Struggling can become a great teacher, and the experience of overcoming obstacles can foster growth. Hence, adversity in medical school can turn into one of the most meaningful experiences for their future careers.Therefore, as models, we teachers must first work on ourselves. Before we teach, we must be aware of our own affects. We are responsible for creating a healthy environment that supports learning. For me, teaching medical students has been an opportunity to create a mutually enriching experience. To learn about their unique backgrounds, interests, and personal circumstances has helped me grow as a teacher and a human being. Through helping other people, we help ourselves. ■The author acknowledges Deirdre Gorman and Nick Zagorski for help in developing this manuscript.Fernando Espi Forcen, M.D., Ph.D., is faculty for the students’ core clinical experience at Massachusetts General Hospital. ISSUES NewArchived

Disrupted state transition learning as a computational marker of compulsivity.

Disorders involving compulsivity, fear, and anxiety are linked to beliefs that the world is less predictable. We lack a mechanistic explanation for how such beliefs arise. Here, we test a hypothesis that in people with compulsivity, fear, and anxiety, learning a probabilistic mapping between actions and environmental states is compromised. In Study 1 (n = 174), we designed a novel online task that isolated state transition learning from other facets of learning and planning. To determine whether this impairment is due to learning that is too fast or too slow, we estimated state transition learning rates by fitting computational models to two independent datasets, which tested learning in environments in which state transitions were either stable (Study 2: n = 1413) or changing (Study 3: n = 192). Study 1 established that individuals with higher levels of compulsivity are more likely to demonstrate an impairment in state transition learning. Preliminary evidence here linked this impairment to a common factor comprising compulsivity and fear. Studies 2 and 3 showed that compulsivity is associated with learning that is too fast when it should be slow (i.e. when state transition are stable) and too slow when it should be fast (i.e. when state transitions change). Together, these findings indicate that compulsivity is associated with a dysregulation of state transition learning, wherein the rate of learning is not well adapted to the task environment. Thus, dysregulated state transition learning might provide a key target for therapeutic intervention in compulsivity.

Learning in the city and responding reactively

ABSTRACT The politics of lifelong learning and learnification have triggered educational philosophy’s justified indignation and blanket critiques of learning. The market logic of learning has, meanwhile, seized the city and caused a further educational-philosophical reactive response, which I critique in the form that it has taken inter alia in many prominent recent educational-philosophical works. After explaining what I mean by ‘reactive response’ I focus on the educational-philosophical reaction to the shift toward lifelong learning. Then I move to how this shift has been translated into a discourse of city learning and how some educational theory responds to this discourse. My critique concludes with suggestions for an ethic of stereoscopically tackling facets of learning.

Teaching diversity, cultural competency, and globalization to American public affairs students: Integrating comparative approaches to public administration and policy

Diversity, cultural competency, and global awareness are three broad and mutually reinforcing conceptual themes in the literature of American public affairs education that are rarely implicitly interconnected. A primary challenge has concerned how to teach these themes, either separately or in unison, when designing courses and curricula to satisfy professional standards. This article first explores how broad conceptual themes can be practically transformed into course learning objectives on which assignments may be based. Second, this article explores how comparative public administration and policy may be utilized as a venue for drawing analytical connections across the three themes to promote higher levels of critical thinking. Although comparative approaches have historically been grounded in research-focused studies, pedagogical development of the field holds significant promise in training public administrators to better understand the intricacies of different cultures, nations, governments, and policies as a facet of learning and job performance. This article illustrates several assignment examples of how comparative analysis may be integrated as a pedagogical strategy in teaching American public affairs students the complexities of public service in the diverse and multicultural world of the 21st century.

Reversal Learning Performance in the XY∗ Mouse Model of Klinefelter and Turner Syndromes.

Klinefelter syndrome (KS; 47, XXY) and Turner syndrome (TS; 45, XO) are caused by two relatively common sex chromosome aneuploidies. These conditions are associated with an increased odds of neuropsychiatric disorders, including attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), as well as impairments in cognition that include learning delays, attentional dysfunction and impulsivity. We studied cognitive functions in the XY∗ mouse model, which allows comparison of XXY to XY males (KS model), and XO to XX females (TS model). We evaluated adult mice with and without gonads, using a version of an operant reversal-learning task (RLT) that can be used to measure various facets of learning, impulsivity and attention. In the KS model, only one measure related to impulsivity – perseverative responding under reversal conditions – reliably discriminated gonadally intact XXY and XY mice. In contrast, a fundamental learning impairment (more trials to criterion in acquisition phase) in XXY mice, as compared to XY, was observed in gonadectomized subjects. No other task measures showed differences consistent with KS. In the TS mouse model, XO mice did not show a pattern of results consistent with TS, similar to past observations. Thus, the application of this RLT to these XY∗ models reveals only limited behavioral impairments relevant to KS.

Travelling with Darwin and Humboldt. A Transdisciplinary Educational Experience

Aim. This research aims to confirm that transdisciplinary projects can be very adequate to develop content and competencies traditionally assigned to Sciences and Arts in higher education, exploring the possibilities of outdoor education.
 Methods. The subjects of the study were one hundred alumni of two different courses “Natural Sciences for Teachers” and “Literary Training for Teachers” at a Spanish university. An educational experience around the phenomenon of scientific travelers was developed, focusing on Charles Darwin and Alexander von Humboldt and the literary genres of travel journals and letters. The main activity contained three phases, including indoor and outdoor education, in which both subjects tackled the same 6 educational topics from a different perspective. After different individual and group activities around those topics, alumni from both subjects merged at a natural environment where a scientific-literary tour took place. At the end of the academic year, an assessment questionnaire with open and closed questions was filled out by all participants.
 Results and conclusion. After the analysis of all the collected data, we can deduce that the experience was a success. The students appreciated aspects like the setting in which the experience took place, the possibility of interacting with alumni from different courses and the integration of Sciences and Arts. Thus, we have demonstrated that the same activities can be implemented in prototypical subjects of Sciences and Arts and that outdoor education is an ideal resource to achieve a holistic pedagogy engaging the sensory and emotional facets of learning.

Four facets of learning in performance measurement

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to contribute to a better understanding of the role of learning in performance measurement.Design/methodology/approachThe authors develop a theoretical framework combining workplace learning theory with purposes of performance measurement. The authors elaborate this framework empirically by identifying critical incidents from a case set within a context containing a broad range of different performance measurement activities. Finally, the authors discuss the results and the possible implications for using the theoretical framework in order to better understand facets of learning regarding the design of performance measurement.FindingsWorkplace learning theory provides a deeper understanding of how the mechanisms of performance measurements support control or improvement purposes. The authors propose a tentative framework for learning as a driver for performance measurement and four facets of learning are identified: reproductive, rule-oriented, goal-oriented and creative learning.Research limitations/implicationsThe empirical material is limited to the healthcare context and further studies are needed in order to validate the findings in other settings.Practical implicationsThe authors argue that all managers must consider what kind of learning environment and what kind of learning outcomes best serve the interests of their organisation. Purposeful and carefully designed organisational arrangements and learning environments are more likely to induce intended learning outcomes.Originality/valuePrevious connections between the fields of “performance measurement” and “workplace learning” often lack any deeper conceptualisations or problematisations of the concept of learning. In this paper, the authors provide a more nuanced discussion about the process of learning in performance measurement, which may provide a basis for further research and scholarly attention.

Amnesic patients show superior generalization in category learning.

Generalization is the application of existing knowledge to novel situations. Questions remain about the precise role of the hippocampus in this facet of learning, but a connectionist model by Gluck and Myers (1993) predicts that generalization should be enhanced following hippocampal damage. In a two-category learning task, a group of amnesic patients (n = 9) learned the training items to a similar level of accuracy as matched controls (n = 9). Both groups then classified new items at various levels of distortion. The amnesic group showed significantly more accurate generalization to high-distortion novel items, a difference also present compared to a larger group of unmatched controls (n = 33). The model prediction of a broadening of generalization gradients in amnesia, at least for items near category boundaries, was supported by the results. Our study shows for the first time that amnesia can sometimes improve generalization. (PsycINFO Database Record

Unveiling the Effectiveness of Massive Open Online Courses at Abdelhamidibnbadis University, Algeria

Moving from the “Classical System” to the LMD one (Licence Master Doctorat), the Algerian University is facing several hurdles in teaching and learning English as a foreign language (EFL) which prevent it to fulfil the demands of higher education and globalization. One key element which can foster knowledge and raise the quality education is the advent of MOOCs. Massive open online courses (MOOCs), which are a set of courses that take place online and are open for every single person who seeks the best teaching quality of leading prestigious universities for free, are a new educational phenomenon that have rapidly immersed into higher education. This paper aims to investigate the potential of MOOCs at AbdelhamidIbn badis University Algeria , which can be brought to the Algerian University, as well as to scrutinize the students’ and teachers’ attitudes towards their integration- offline, in teaching and learning EFL. This research allows us to explore a new facet of learning and teaching EFL in the Algerian context. In this prospect, our main issue concerns the MOOCs’ implementation in the Algerian university. The study is conducted with 42 EFL students to get as much data as possible to validate or invalidate our main hypothesis. Accordingly, we have used a mixed method research using an experiment conducted in three stages to allow learners to self-direct their learning process. The findings show that MOOCs make students more productive and make teachers less centred. However, we recommend that teachers would promote for a good understanding of MOOCs.

Revitalizing music teacher preparation with selected ‘Essential Conditions’

Abstract The widespread adoption of technology makes it necessary to extend technological resources to the classroom to best prepare students for long-term success. While technology can improve many facets of learning and teaching, music educators have generally been hesitant to incorporate technology to its full potential. Partnerships with professional organizations, such as the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), can help music educators best reach students and achieve cultural relevancy in the digital age. Restructuring music education to integrate what ISTE calls ‘Essential Conditions’ of learning with technology, such as student-centred learning, equitable access and engaged communities, begins with undergraduate music education preparation. The purpose of this article is to identify the necessity of a synergism between music education and selected ISTE ‘Essential Conditions’ for technology-based learning, describe implications these selected conditions have on the current state of American undergraduate music education programmes, and provide recommendations for music teacher education.

An Enhanced Web-based Platform for Mobile Learning Management System

mobile learning management system which promotes the learner’s knowledge, and the entire individual learning system. Though traditional but formal, the classroom has being the adopted way of teaching and learning in most institutions. In this type of learning, students can miss lectures for reasons beyond their control. It is for these reasons that the research and development of a web-based platform for mobile learning is of essence. Making learning mobile and informal can actually provide the required solution. This work presents an enhanced web-based platform solution for mobile learning management system for addressing these problems. The inclusion of an online quiz in the system aids students to know how to properly study the learning materials presented by each specific lecturer and this increases their learning speed and ability. The system therefore is an improvement on the system presented by [1]. The development architecture of the system consists of the Interactive layer, Logic layer, Access layer, and the Storage layer. The Interactive layer is the user interface which is made up of the system user, the mobile devices used to access the internet and also context discovery. The implementation was carried out using Adobe Dreamweaver and Xampp server. The evaluation of the system showed that the practice of mLearning will considerably improve learning system in different facets of learning.

Can Bharat Bazar sustain its growth? The story of an Indian retail giant

Subject area The subject area is retailing in the Indian business context. Study level/applicability The case is suitable for an MBA course on retail marketing. Positioning is that of an advanced elective, trying to educate, apply and synthesize the facets of learning, thinking and assimilating concepts with practicalities. Case overview The case elucidates the trials and tribulations of Bharat Bazar, one of the top contenders in the Indian retail scene. It explores the journey of brand making and customer patronage. Under consideration is a set of options for the retailer's next stage of growth. While the decisions are not to be mutually exclusive, it is clear that the firm has neither the capacity to scale up without proper locations nor unlimited management resources for economic viability. The retailer naturally has to choose the best direction possible and dedicate all efforts to bring the firm to the next level of growth. The strategy has to be robust in any case. Expected learning outcomes The case will help students to: appreciate Indian macro retail variables; analyse business decisions of a retailer based on location, merchandise, and profitability; and explore future strategy options from the growth perspective as well as a socially responsible player. Social implications Socially, the case is nourishing and enriching as it connotes not only a wealth creation angle, but also a green and efficient supply chain one. Retailers must cater for the choice pattern of the society, whether essential or non essential items of consumption. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

Improving learning in statistics – A pilot trial study to achieve the triple effects of depth, breadth and integration

Statistics is an essential subject in management and science education. Yet the teaching and learning of this subject is often not smooth particularly for less numerical students. The conventional teaching approach, typified by students passively receiving statistical knowledge taught through the use of made-up data, has been discussed in previous statistics education research, and a number of revised approaches including problem-based learning, experiential learning, graphics and simulation, and understanding of students' previous statistical knowledge, have been put forward, all of which have the overriding aim at improving learning in statistics.All of these revised approaches have successfully shown the benefits of their focus on the depth of learning. However, these benefits do not come without costs, as most of them sacrifice the breadth of what students should effectively learn. What's more, it is apparent that none of these approaches nurture an environment encouraging students to integrate the statistical concepts they learn.To achieve improved learning in statistics, this study argues that deep learning constitutes only one facet of learning – breadth and integration being the others. Students should also have the right to learn the whole breadth of statistical knowledge as it was with the conventional teaching approach. They should also be given a learning setting within which they could engage in integrative learning.This paper concentrates on the pilot trial of a new teaching approach that aims at achieving the triple effects of depth, breadth, and integration in student learning of statistics. It will give an account of the theoretical underpinning, the procedures taken, and the evidence collected for the new approach with the potential to achieve these three effects. As the pilot trial has such an ambitious aim, it is likely there may be some further room to fine tune the new teaching approach. The author does not claim that the new approach introduced in this paper is an optimal solution for teaching statistics. Instead, the new teaching approach, after having achieved a successful pilot trial outcome, should be positioned as an approach showing signs of improvement compared to the existing ones.

Accelerated establishment of mature signaling patterns following stimulation of developing neuronal networks: “learning” versus “plasticity”

Neuronal networks established on micro-electrode arrays provide useful models for synaptic plasticity. Whether or not this represents a facet of learning is debated since ex vivo networks are deprived of organismal interaction with the environment. We compared developmental signaling of such networks with and without stimulation with a prerecorded synaptic signal from another mature culture as a model of sensory input. Unstimulated networks displayed a developmental increase in individual signals that eventually declined, yielding a pattern containing organized bursts of signaling. Minimal stimulation, to model the onset of sensory input hastened the onset of developmental signaling. However, the overall developmental pattern of stimulated networks, including the total number and type of signals as well as the length of this developmental period, was identical to that of unstimulated networks. One interpretation of these findings is that ongoing plasticity may be essential to establish an appropriate platform for learning once sensory input ensues.