Striking the Right Balance in Summer Learning for Special Needs Students

Science.gov (United States)

Zipperer, Holly

2011-01-01

Parents of special needs children know how hard their children work to master new skills. It can be heartrending when hard-won progress evaporates. Summer can present a particular dilemma to those with learning challenges. The freedom, recreation, and fun is something everybody looks forward to, but this break from learning can result in the loss…

Diet quality limits summer growth of field vole populations.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kristian M Forbes

Full Text Available Marked variation occurs in both seasonal and multiannual population density peaks of northern European small mammal species, including voles. The availability of dietary proteins is a key factor limiting the population growth of herbivore species. The objective of this study is to investigate the degree to which protein availability influences the growth of increasing vole populations. We hypothesise that the summer growth of folivorous vole populations is positively associated with dietary protein availability. A field experiment was conducted over a summer reproductive period in 18 vegetated enclosures. Populations of field voles (Microtus agrestis were randomised amongst three treatment groups: 1 food supplementation with ad libitum high protein (30% dry weight pellets, 2 food supplementation with ad libitum low protein (1% dry weight; both supplemented foods had equivalent energy content pellets, and 3 control (no food supplementation, n = 6 per treatment. Vole density, survival, demographic attributes and condition indicators were monitored with live-trapping and blood sampling. Highest final vole densities were attained in populations that received high protein supplementation and lowest in low protein populations. Control populations displayed intermediate densities. The survival rate of voles was similar in all treatment groups. The proportion of females, and of those that were pregnant or lactating, was highest in the high protein supplemented populations. This suggests that variation in reproductive, rather than survival rates of voles, accounted for density differences between the treatment groups. We found no clear association between population demography and individual physiological condition. Our results demonstrate that dietary protein availability limits vole population growth during the summer growing season. This suggests that the nutritional quality of forage may be an underestimated source of interannual variation in the

Learning by Doing: Teaching Multimedia Journalism through Coverage of the 50th Anniversary of "Freedom Summer"

Science.gov (United States)

Pain, Paromita; Masullo Chen, Gina; Campbell, Christopher P.

2016-01-01

In-depth qualitative interviews with participants of a high school journalism workshop reveal that immersing students in coverage of a historically important news event enhances learning of multimedia journalism. Study explores how using a team-based approach to coverage of the 50th anniversary of "Freedom Summer," a key event in…

Enhancing Postgraduate Learning and Teaching: Postgraduate Summer School in Dairy Science

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pietro Celi

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Dairy science is a multidisciplinary area of scientific investigation and Ph.D. students aiming to do research in the field of animal and/or veterinary sciences must be aware of this. Ph.D. students often have vast spectra of research interests, and it is quite challenging to satisfy the expectation of all of them. The aim of this study was to establish an international Ph.D. training program based on research collaboration between the University of Sydney and the University of Padova. The core component of this program was a two-week Postgraduate Summer School in Dairy Science, which was held at the University of Padova, for Ph.D. students of both universities. Therefore, we designed a program that encompassed seminars, workshops, laboratory practical sessions, and farm visits. Participants were surveyed using a written questionnaire. Overall, participants have uniformly praised the Summer School calling it a rewarding and valuable learning experience. The Ph.D. Summer School in Dairy Science provided its participants a positive learning experience, provided them the opportunity to establish an international network, and facilitated the development of transferable skills.

SUPPORT FOR HU CFRT SUMMER HIGH SCHOOL FUSION WORKSHOP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Punjabi, Alkesh

2010-01-01

Nine summer fusion science research workshops for minority and female high school students were conducted at the Hampton University Center for Fusion Research and Training from 1996 to 2005. Each workshop was of the duration of eight weeks. In all 35 high school students were mentored. The students presented 28 contributed papers at the annual meetings of the American Physical Society Division of Plasma Physics. These contributed papers were very well received by the plasma physics and fusion science research community. The students won a number of prestigious local, state, and national honors, awards, prizes, and scholarships. The notable among these are the two regional finalist positions in the 1999 Siemens-Westinghouse Science and Technology Competitions; 1st Place U.S. Army Award, 2006; 1st Place U.S. Naval Science Award, 2006; Yale Science and Engineering Association Best 11th Grade Project, 2006; Society of Physics Students Book Award, 2006; APS Corporate Minority Scholarship and others. This workshop program conducted by the HU CFRT has been an exemplary success, and served the minority and female students exceptionally fruitfully. The Summer High School Fusion Science Workshop is an immensely successful outreach activity conducted by the HU CFRT. In this workshop, we train, motivate, and provide high quality research experiences to young and talented high school scholars with emphasis on under-represented minorities and female students in fusion science and related areas. The purpose of this workshop is to expose minority and female students to the excitement of research in science at an early stage in their academic lives. It is our hope that this may lead the high school students to pursue higher education and careers in physical sciences, mathematics, and perhaps in fusion science. To our knowledge, this workshop is the first and only one to date, of fusion science for under-represented minorities and female high school students at an HBCU. The faculty

Applying Machine Learning and High Performance Computing to Water Quality Assessment and Prediction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ruijian Zhang

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Water quality assessment and prediction is a more and more important issue. Traditional ways either take lots of time or they can only do assessments. In this research, by applying machine learning algorithm to a long period time of water attributes’ data; we can generate a decision tree so that it can predict the future day’s water quality in an easy and efficient way. The idea is to combine the traditional ways and the computer algorithms together. Using machine learning algorithms, the assessment of water quality will be far more efficient, and by generating the decision tree, the prediction will be quite accurate. The drawback of the machine learning modeling is that the execution takes quite long time, especially when we employ a better accuracy but more time-consuming algorithm in clustering. Therefore, we applied the high performance computing (HPC System to deal with this problem. Up to now, the pilot experiments have achieved very promising preliminary results. The visualized water quality assessment and prediction obtained from this project would be published in an interactive website so that the public and the environmental managers could use the information for their decision making.

Effective Summer Programming: What Educators and Policymakers Should Know

Science.gov (United States)

McEachin, Andrew; Augustine, Catherine H.; McCombs, Jennifer

2018-01-01

The evidence suggests that many types of summer learning programs have the potential to reduce summer learning losses and perhaps create learning gains. However, implementing a summer program does not guarantee positive effects on students' learning. A key question then is: What factors make a summer learning program effective? This article, drawn…

Impact of the Extended Learning Opportunities Summer Adventures in Learning (ELO SAIL) Program on Student Academic Performance: Part 1, Results from Fall 2012 to Fall 2015

Science.gov (United States)

Cooper-Martin, Elizabeth; Wolanin, Natalie; Jang, Seong; Modarresi, Shahpar; Zhao, Huafang

2016-01-01

Extended Learning Opportunities Summer Adventures in Learning (ELO SAIL) is a Montgomery County Public Schools summer program for students in all Title I elementary schools; it targets students who will be in kindergarten-Grade 2 in the fall following the program. This report analyzed demographic characteristics of attendees and the impact of the…

Teaching Quality and Learning Creativity in Technical and Vocational Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Kembuan, D. R. E.; Rompas, P. T. D.; Mintjelungan, M.; Pantondate, T.; Kilis, B. M. H.

2018-02-01

The purpose of this study is to obtain information about the teacher quality of teaching and learning creativity with the outcomes of student learning in a vocational high school in Indonesia. This research is a survey research. The sample used in this research is 50 teachers, selected by simple random sampling. Data were analyzed by using correlation analysis. The findings of this study are as follows: (1) There is a significant and positive correlation between teacher quality of teaching with the outcomes of student learning at the vocational high school; (2) There is a significant and positive correlation between learning creativity with the outcomes of student learning at the vocational high school, and (3) there is a significant and positive correlation between the teacher quality of teaching and learning creativity with the outcomes of student learning at the school. That is, if the use of appropriate the teacher quality of teaching and learning creativity, then the outcomes of student learning at the school. Finally it can be concluded that to improve the outcomes of student learning, it has to be followed by an improvement of teacher quality of teaching and learning creativity.

The quality of the forage eaten by Norwegian reindeer on South Georgia in summer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Svein D. Mathiesen

2000-03-01

Full Text Available The chemical composition and digestibility of plants selected by Norwegian reindeer (Rangifer t. tarandus on the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia (SG were investigated in the austral summer and compared with two qualities of standard grasses of Phleum pratense of European origin. Paridiochola flabellata, Poa pratense, Poa annua, Deschampsia antarctka, and Phleum alpinum collected on SG contained 14.8, 17.6, 22.8, 16.1 and 10.1% respectively of crude protein of dry matter (DM. Aceana magellanica also collected on SG contained 19.8% of crude protein and 18.8% of water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC of DM, while the tussock grass P. flabellata, contained as much as 29-3% of WSC of DM. Total plant cell-wall contents (CWC, including cellulose, hemi-cellulose and lignin in P. flabellata, P. pratense, P. annua and P. alpinum were 53.2, 49.6, 41.7 and 40.4% of DM respectively, while A. magellanica contained only 17.5% of DM CWC. The lignin concentrations of plants analysed varied between 1.2 and 3.2% of DM. Mean in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD of selected plants ranged from 70% in P. flabellata to 83% in P. alpinum after 48 h incubation in rumen fluid from these reindeer. In contrast, the IVDMD of the poor and high quality standard grass Phleum pratense were 54% and 73% of DM, respectively. The forage eaten by reindeer on SG in summer was of high quality, with low lignin content, moderate protein concentration and high degradability in rumen fluid.

S'Cool LAB Summer CAMP 2017

CERN Multimedia

Woithe, Julia

2017-01-01

The S’Cool LAB Summer CAMP is an opportunity for high-school students (aged 16-19) from all around the world to spend 2 weeks exploring the fascinating world of particle physics. The 24 selected participants spend their summer at S’Cool LAB, CERN’s hands-on particle physics learning laboratory, for an epic programme of lectures and tutorials, team research projects, visits of CERN’s research installations, and social activities.

The effect of image quality, repeated study, and assessment method on anatomy learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Fenesi, Barbara; Mackinnon, Chelsea; Cheng, Lucia; Kim, Joseph A; Wainman, Bruce C

2017-06-01

The use of two-dimensional (2D) images is consistently used to prepare anatomy students for handling real specimen. This study examined whether the quality of 2D images is a critical component in anatomy learning. The visual clarity and consistency of 2D anatomical images was systematically manipulated to produce low-quality and high-quality images of the human hand and human eye. On day 0, participants learned about each anatomical specimen from paper booklets using either low-quality or high-quality images, and then completed a comprehension test using either 2D images or three-dimensional (3D) cadaveric specimens. On day 1, participants relearned each booklet, and on day 2 participants completed a final comprehension test using either 2D images or 3D cadaveric specimens. The effect of image quality on learning varied according to anatomical content, with high-quality images having a greater effect on improving learning of hand anatomy than eye anatomy (high-quality vs. low-quality for hand anatomy P = 0.018; high-quality vs. low-quality for eye anatomy P = 0.247). Also, the benefit of high-quality images on hand anatomy learning was restricted to performance on short-answer (SA) questions immediately after learning (high-quality vs. low-quality on SA questions P = 0.018), but did not apply to performance on multiple-choice (MC) questions (high-quality vs. low-quality on MC questions P = 0.109) or after participants had an additional learning opportunity (24 hours later) with anatomy content (high vs. low on SA questions P = 0.643). This study underscores the limited impact of image quality on anatomy learning, and questions whether investment in enhancing image quality of learning aids significantly promotes knowledge development. Anat Sci Educ 10: 249-261. © 2016 American Association of Anatomists. © 2016 American Association of Anatomists.

Summer Matters: Advocating for Summer Learning That Can Weather Political Seasons

Science.gov (United States)

McQuade, Aaron

2015-01-01

Research has shown that an idle summer is not just boring; it can cost a student as much as two to three months of educational progress. Summer is critical to each child's development, both mind and body. Any meaningful attempts to get at America's equity divide and the consequent gap in opportunities for kids must include summer education as a…

Modelling of air quality for Winter and Summer episodes in Switzerland. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Andreani-Aksoyoglu, S.; Keller, J.; Barmpadimos, L.; Oderbolz, D.; Tinguely, M.; Prevot, A. [Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), Laboratory of Atmospheric Chemistry, Villigen (Switzerland); Alfarra, R. [University of Manchester, Manchester (United Kingdom); Sandradewi, J. [Jisca Sandradewi, Hoexter (Germany)

2009-05-15

This final report issued by the General Energy Research Department and its Laboratory of Atmospheric Chemistry at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) reports on the results obtained from the modelling of regional air quality for three episodes, January-February 2006, June 2006 and January 2007. The focus of the calculations is on particulate matter concentrations, as well as on ozone levels in summer. The model results were compared with the aerosol data collected by an Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (AMS), which was operated during all three episodes as well as with the air quality monitoring data from further monitoring programs. The air quality model used in this study is described and the results obtained for various types of locations - rural, city, high-altitude and motorway-near - are presented and discussed. The models used are described.

Art Animates: Ideas Inspired by a University-Sponsored Summer Arts Academy for Middle and High School Students

Science.gov (United States)

Danker, Stephanie; French, Kelley

2016-01-01

Art can provide a vehicle for animating learning. Teachers bring ideas to life through curriculum, while artists realize their ideas through images, often translating between forms, media and spaces. This paper describes the context, content and format of a residential Summer Arts Academy for gifted and talented middle and high school students,…

Evaluation of Game-Based Learning in Cybersecurity Education for High School Students

OpenAIRE

Jin, Ge; Tu, Manghui; Kim, Tae-Hoon; Heffron, Justin; White, Jonathan

2018-01-01

The increasing demand for global cybersecurity workforce made it a critical mission for universities and colleges to attract and train next generation of cybersecurity professionals. To address this issue, Purdue University Northwest (PNW) launched high school summer camps to 181 high school students, with 51.3% underrepresented minority ratio. PNW summer camp activities were delivered in the format of game based learning and hands-on labs. Four cybersecurity education games were developed to...

High quality interaction in the classroom: a focus for professional learning

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Damhuis, R.; de Blauw, A.

2008-01-01

Oral language education is important throughout primary school for the development of language and learning. Yet in today's educational practice this core principle is neglected and classroom interactions lack quality. Teachers know that supporting students to participate actively in learning is

Developing High School Geoscientists through Summer Internships

Science.gov (United States)

Saltzman, J.

2012-12-01

High school students in the San Francisco Bay Area have the opportunity to contribute to Earth sciences research during the summer at Stanford University. The School of Earth Sciences hosts about 25 high school students each summer to support ongoing research, through more than just washing glassware. To increase diversity in the geosciences, we select students from diverse backgrounds through an application process which lessens the burden on busy faculty. The students work for 15-20 hours per week under the supervision of graduate students or postdoctoral fellows. The supervisors come to value the interns for a few reasons: not only are they getting some extra help with their research, but they are getting teaching experience in an informal but powerful way and supervising the interns' work over the summer. Another key part of the internship is bringing all of the interns together regularly. Whether it is for career talks, lab tours or field trip, high school students find kindred spirits in the group. Another important reason for weekly gatherings is to introduce the students to the wide field of Earth sciences and the different approaches and paths that scientists take. The summer ends with a culminating event where interns make short informal presentations about their research which give them an opportunity to articulate the big questions they have been helping to answer. Some interns are also invited to present a poster in a session for high school students at the Fall AGU meeting. These experiences of working in the laboratory and communicating about the research are part of the world of Earth sciences that are absent for most youth. The high school internships foster good will between Stanford and the local communities, help develop a more Earth and environmentally knowledgeable public and may have a long-term affect on diversifying the geosciences by exposing more young people to these fields.

The Implications of Summer Learning Loss for Value-Added Estimates of Teacher Effectiveness

Science.gov (United States)

Gershenson, Seth; Hayes, Michael S.

2018-01-01

School districts across the United States increasingly use value-added models (VAMs) to evaluate teachers. In practice, VAMs typically rely on lagged test scores from the previous academic year, which necessarily conflate summer with school-year learning and potentially bias estimates of teacher effectiveness. We investigate the practical…

Learning Receptive Fields and Quality Lookups for Blind Quality Assessment of Stereoscopic Images.

Science.gov (United States)

Shao, Feng; Lin, Weisi; Wang, Shanshan; Jiang, Gangyi; Yu, Mei; Dai, Qionghai

2016-03-01

Blind quality assessment of 3D images encounters more new challenges than its 2D counterparts. In this paper, we propose a blind quality assessment for stereoscopic images by learning the characteristics of receptive fields (RFs) from perspective of dictionary learning, and constructing quality lookups to replace human opinion scores without performance loss. The important feature of the proposed method is that we do not need a large set of samples of distorted stereoscopic images and the corresponding human opinion scores to learn a regression model. To be more specific, in the training phase, we learn local RFs (LRFs) and global RFs (GRFs) from the reference and distorted stereoscopic images, respectively, and construct their corresponding local quality lookups (LQLs) and global quality lookups (GQLs). In the testing phase, blind quality pooling can be easily achieved by searching optimal GRF and LRF indexes from the learnt LQLs and GQLs, and the quality score is obtained by combining the LRF and GRF indexes together. Experimental results on three publicly 3D image quality assessment databases demonstrate that in comparison with the existing methods, the devised algorithm achieves high consistent alignment with subjective assessment.

On the quality of Svalbard reindeer pasture in the summer and autumn

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hans Staaland

1984-05-01

Full Text Available Late summer and autumn reindeer pasture plants from Adventdalen, Svalbard were analyzed for contents of fatty acids, energy content, protein, fibre, ether extract as well as content of macro minerals. Food intake of grazing reindeer in Adventdalen was estimated from fecal production. Large intake of high quality food seems to account for the growth and fattening of Svalbard reindeer during summer.Om kvaliteten på reinbeite av reinbeite på Svalbard sommer og høst.Abstract in Norwegian / Sammendrag: Innholdet av fettsyrer, energi, protein, fiber, eterekstrakt og makromineraler ble analysert i reinbeiteplanter fra Adventdalen på Svalbard. Plantene ble samlet på ettersommeren. Forinntaket hos beitende rein i Adventdalen ble estimert ut fra fecesproduksjonen. Et stort inntak av for med høy kvalitet synes å kunne forklare vekst og fettlagring hos Svalbard-reinen om sommeren.Huippuvuorten poronlaidunten laadusta kesalla ja syksylla.Abstract in Finnish / Yhteenveto: Rasvahappojen, energian, fiiberin, eetteriuutteen ja makromineraalien sisaltoa analysoitiin poronlaidunkasveissa Huippuvuorten Adventtilaaksosta. Kasvit kerattiin loppukesalla. Adventtilaaksossa laiduntavien porojen rehun kulunki arvioitiin lannan maarasta. Korkealaatuisen rehun suuri kulutus nayttaa vovan selittaa Huippuvuorten porojen kasvun ja rasvakerrostuman kesalla.

Anomalous western Pacific subtropical high during El Niño developing summer in comparison with decaying summer

Science.gov (United States)

Xue, Feng; Dong, Xiao; Fan, Fangxing

2018-03-01

The anomalous behavior of the western Pacific subtropical high (WPSH) in El Niño developing summer is studied based on the composite results of eight major El Niño events during 1979-2013. It is shown that the WPSH tends to retreat eastwards with weak intensity during the developing summer. The anomaly exhibits an intraseasonal variation with a weaker anomaly in June and July and a stronger anomaly in August, indicating that different underlying physical mechanisms may be responsible for the anomalous WPSH during early and late summer periods. In June and July, owing to the cold advection anomaly characterized as a weak northerly anomaly from high latitudes, geopotential height in East Asia is reduced and the WPSH tends to retreat eastwards slightly. By contrast, enhanced convection over the warm pool in August makes the atmosphere more sensitive to El Niño forcing. Consequently, a cyclonic anomaly in the western Pacific is induced, which is consistent with the seasonal march of atmospheric circulation from July to August. Accordingly, geopotential height in the western Pacific is reduced significantly, and the WPSH tends to retreat eastwards remarkably in August. Different from the developing summer, geopotential height in the decaying summer over East Asia and the western Pacific tends to enhance and extend northwards from June to August consistently, reaching the maximum anomaly in August. Therefore, the seasonal march plays an important role in the WPSH anomaly for both the developing and decaying summer.

Supporting visual quality assessment with machine learning

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gastaldo, P.; Zunino, R.; Redi, J.

2013-01-01

Objective metrics for visual quality assessment often base their reliability on the explicit modeling of the highly non-linear behavior of human perception; as a result, they may be complex and computationally expensive. Conversely, machine learning (ML) paradigms allow to tackle the quality

21st Summer Farmers’ Market Boasts Quality Goods and Great People | Poster

Science.gov (United States)

NCI at Frederick’s 21st summer farmers’ market has officially begun, and this year’s vendors invite all employees to visit, browse their wares, and learn about the benefits of consuming all-natural products. The market is held every Tuesday until October 16 from 10:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. outside of Building 549—rain, shine, or, in the case of the most recent Tuesday, snow.

Quality in e-learning

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Masoumi, Davoud; Lindstrom, Berner

2012-01-01

With the growing demand for e-learning along with striving for excellence associated with globalization, there are worldwide calls for enhancing and assuring quality in e-learning, specifically in the context of the developing countries. Such calls for quality enhancement, accountability, added v...

Nuclear science summer school for high scholl students

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Foster, D.E.; Stone, C.A.

1997-01-01

We have developed a two-week summer lecture and laboratory course that introduces hihg school students to concepts in nuclear science. The program has operated at the San Jose State University Nuclear Science Facility for two years. Experienced high school science teachers run the summer scholl, assisted by other science teachers. Students consider the program to be effective. Its popularity is shown by numerous requests for reservations and the necessity to offer multiple sections in 1997. (author)

"What I Did over My Summer Vacation..."

Science.gov (United States)

Techniques: Making Education and Career Connections, 1997

1997-01-01

A tech prep summer camp was designed to give ninth graders a taste of tech prep before they were asked to choose a high school path. Parents were invited to dinner to learn about tech prep programs and their potential for successful careers. (JOW)

A SWOT Analysis for Organizing a Summer School: Case Study for Advanced Summer School in Analyzing Market Data 2013

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Radu Herman

2013-05-01

Full Text Available The economics scholars agree that investment in education is a competitive advantage. After participating and graduating the “Advanced Summer School in Analyzing Market Data 2013”, the students will gain some formal competences is applied knowledge in Statistics with the IBM SPSS Statistics software. Studies show that the employers seek also practical competences in the undergraduate students, along with the theoretical knowledge. The article focuses on a SWOT analysis for organizing a Summer School in order to compose lists of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. The purpose of the “Advanced Summer School in Analyzing Market Data 2013“ is to train undergraduate students from social-human sciences to gain competences which are valued in the market and a certificate for attendance, to develop an appropriate training program which combines applied knowledge, statistics and IBM SPSS software and to create a „Summer School quality brand” with high-quality training programs for the Faculty of Administration and Business.

System Quality Characteristics for Selecting Mobile Learning Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohamed SARRAB

2015-10-01

Full Text Available The majority of M-learning (Mobile learning applications available today are developed for the formal learning and education environment. These applications are characterized by the improvement in the interaction between learners and instructors to provide high interaction and flexibility to the learning process. M-learning is gaining increased recognition and adoption by different organizations. With the high number of M-learning applications available today, making the right decision about which, application to choose can be quite challenging. To date there is no complete and well defined set of system characteristics for such M-learning applications. This paper presents system quality characteristics for selecting M-learning applications based on the result of a systematic review conducted in this domain.

Standardized quality in MOOC based learning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maiorescu Irina

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Quality in the field of e-learning and, particularly, in the field of MOOC( Massive Open Online Courses, is a topic of growing importance in both academic institutions and in the private sector as it has generally been proved that quality management can contribute to improving the performance of organizations, regardless of their object of activity. Despite the fact that there are standards relating to quality management in a general manner, professionals, academic staff, specialists and bodies felt the need for having a standardized approach of the quality in the sector of e-learning. Therefore, in the last years, in different countries quality guidelines have been developed and used for e-Learning or distance education (for example the ASTD criteria for e- Learning, the BLA Quality Mark, Quality Platform Learning by D-ELAN etc.. The current paper aims to give insights to this new form of online education provided by MOOC platforms using the specific quality standard approach.

High-quality and small-capacity e-learning video featuring lecturer-superimposing PC screen images

Science.gov (United States)

Nomura, Yoshihiko; Murakami, Michinobu; Sakamoto, Ryota; Sugiura, Tokuhiro; Matsui, Hirokazu; Kato, Norihiko

2006-10-01

Information processing and communication technology are progressing quickly, and are prevailing throughout various technological fields. Therefore, the development of such technology should respond to the needs for improvement of quality in the e-learning education system. The authors propose a new video-image compression processing system that ingeniously employs the features of the lecturing scene. While dynamic lecturing scene is shot by a digital video camera, screen images are electronically stored by a PC screen image capturing software in relatively long period at a practical class. Then, a lecturer and a lecture stick are extracted from the digital video images by pattern recognition techniques, and the extracted images are superimposed on the appropriate PC screen images by off-line processing. Thus, we have succeeded to create a high-quality and small-capacity (HQ/SC) video-on-demand educational content featuring the advantages: the high quality of image sharpness, the small electronic file capacity, and the realistic lecturer motion.

E-learning quality assurance: aspects and criteria of e-learning evaluation

OpenAIRE

Al-barakat, Ayman

2010-01-01

The field of e-learning quality is a major concern. E-learning quality evaluation not easy mission in e-Learning development, assessment of the product is the final step of the process, and the one that is usually ignored. As e-learning has been developed during the recent years, it became more and more apparent that quality would be one of the most crucial factors for its future. Many studies have been conducted on this issue trying to identify quality for e-learning.

Automation of information decision support to improve e-learning resources quality

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A.L. Danchenko

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Purpose. In conditions of active development of e-learning the high quality of e-learning resources is very important. Providing the high quality of e-learning resources in situation with mass higher education and rapid obsolescence of information requires the automation of information decision support for improving the quality of e-learning resources by development of decision support system. Methodology. The problem is solved by methods of artificial intelligence. The knowledge base of information structure of decision support system that is based on frame model of knowledge representation and inference production rules are developed. Findings. According to the results of the analysis of life cycle processes and requirements to the e-learning resources quality the information model of the structure of the knowledge base of the decision support system, the inference rules for the automatically generating of recommendations and the software implementation are developed. Practical value. It is established that the basic requirements for quality are performance, validity, reliability and manufacturability. It is shown that the using of a software implementation of decision support system for researched courses gives a growth of the quality according to the complex quality criteria. The information structure of a knowledge base system to support decision-making and rules of inference can be used by methodologists and content developers of learning systems.

Quality Indicators for Learning Analytics

Science.gov (United States)

Scheffel, Maren; Drachsler, Hendrik; Stoyanov, Slavi; Specht, Marcus

2014-01-01

This article proposes a framework of quality indicators for learning analytics that aims to standardise the evaluation of learning analytics tools and to provide a mean to capture evidence for the impact of learning analytics on educational practices in a standardised manner. The criteria of the framework and its quality indicators are based on…

High engagement, high quality: A guiding framework for developing empirically informed asynchronous e-learning programs for health professional educators.

Science.gov (United States)

Sinclair, Peter M; Levett-Jones, Tracey; Morris, Amanda; Carter, Ben; Bennett, Paul N; Kable, Ashley

2017-03-01

E-learning involves the transfer of skills and knowledge via technology so that learners can access meaningful and authentic educational materials. While learner engagement is important, in the context of healthcare education, pedagogy must not be sacrificed for edu-tainment style instructional design. Consequently, health professional educators need to be competent in the use of current web-based educational technologies so that learners are able to access relevant and engaging e-learning materials without restriction. The increasing popularity of asynchronous e-learning programs developed for use outside of formal education institutions has made this need more relevant. In these contexts, educators must balance design and functionality to deliver relevant, cost-effective, sustainable, and accessible programs that overcome scheduling and geographic barriers for learners. This paper presents 10 guiding design principles and their application in the development of an e-learning program for general practice nurses focused on behavior change. Consideration of these principles will assist educators to develop high quality, pedagogically sound, engaging, and interactive e-learning resources. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Applying Machine Learning and High Performance Computing to Water Quality Assessment and Prediction

OpenAIRE

Ruijian Zhang; Deren Li

2017-01-01

Water quality assessment and prediction is a more and more important issue. Traditional ways either take lots of time or they can only do assessments. In this research, by applying machine learning algorithm to a long period time of water attributes’ data; we can generate a decision tree so that it can predict the future day’s water quality in an easy and efficient way. The idea is to combine the traditional ways and the computer algorithms together. Using machine learning algorithms, the ass...

NASA Ames Summer High School Apprenticeship Research Program

Science.gov (United States)

Powell, P.

1985-01-01

The Summer High School Apprenticeship Research Program (SHARP) is described. This program is designed to provide engineering experience for gifted female and minority high school students. The students from this work study program which features trips, lectures, written reports, and job experience describe their individual work with their mentors.

Collaboration, Pedagogy, and Media: Short-Term Summer Programs Emphasize Project Based and Social Emotional Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Bowden, William R.

2015-01-01

Summer programs that experiment with combining media literacy and social-emotional learning can potentially affect students' academic performance. Based on a six-week program, working with rising eighth grade students in a low-income school district, this program allowed students to work on media projects while trying to develop stronger…

Faculty Development in Higher Education: Long-Term Impact of a Summer Teaching and Learning Workshop

Science.gov (United States)

Persellin, Diane; Goodrick, Terry

2010-01-01

Past participants of the Associated Colleges of the South Summer Teaching and Learning Workshop were surveyed to determine long-term impact of this type of professional development experience. Results indicate a large majority of participants across rank and academic discipline continued to view the workshop as effective and valued feedback from…

New Zealand Summer of Code/Summer of Technology: an industry, student and tertiary engagement

OpenAIRE

Komisarczuk, Peter; Clegg, John; McDavitt, Ruth; Linton, Andy

2011-01-01

In 2006 the Wellington Summer of Code was brought to life engaging ICT undergraduates with innovative Wellington employers, it has developed into a thriving talent pipeline engaging all levels of tertiary students and industry in the Wellington region. Summer of Code engages students during term time through industry led learning and a summer seminar and workshop series that are open to all. It has worked with the NZCS to integrate the Evening with Industry where undergraduates see young IT p...

Empirical investigation to explore factors that achieve high quality of mobile learning system based on students’ perspectives

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammed Amin Almaiah

2016-09-01

Full Text Available This study presents three frameworks for mobile learning system based on quality factors derived from the updated DeLone and McLean information system success model. This study used the questionnaire as a quantitative method to explore quality factors for mobile learning system based on perspectives of 392 students. This study opens future work for using the identified quality factors as guidelines for researchers and designers to design and develop mobile learning applications.

Supplement to a Teacher's Notebook: Alternatives for Children with Learning Problems. Learning Alternatives in the Summer: One Program. Reading Games and Activities.

Science.gov (United States)

Migdail, Sherry R.; Vail, Priscilla L.

The first section of this booklet describes a six-week summer workshop designed for children, ages five to thirteen, who have moderate to serious learning problems. In the morning session, teachers worked with the children individually or in small groups. In the afternoon, teachers assessed student abilities and devised individualized instruction…

Participation in Summer School and High School Graduation in the Sun Valley High School District

Science.gov (United States)

Trujillo, Gabriel

2012-01-01

This study examines the effectiveness of a summer school credit recovery program in the Sun Valley High School District. Using logistic regression I assess the relationship between race, gender, course failure, school of origin and summer school participation for a sample of students that failed one or more classes in their first year of high…

A Studi on High Plant Systems Course with Active Learning in Higher Education Through Outdoor Learning to Increase Student Learning Activities

OpenAIRE

Nur Rokhimah Hanik, Anwari Adi Nugroho

2015-01-01

Biology learning especially high plant system courses needs to be applied to active learning centered on the student (Active Learning In Higher Education) to enhance the students' learning activities so that the quality of learning for the better. Outdoor Learning is one of the active learning invites students to learn outside of the classroom by exploring the surrounding environment. This research aims to improve the students' learning activities in the course of high plant systems through t...

Academic goals and learning quality in higher education students.

Science.gov (United States)

Valle, Antonio; Núñez, José C; Cabanach, Ramón G; González-Pienda, Julio A; Rodríguez, Susana; Rosário, Pedro; Muñoz-Cadavid, María A; Cerezo, Rebeca

2009-05-01

In this paper, the relations between academic goals and various indicators that define the quality of the learning process are analyzed. The purpose was to determine to what extent high, moderate, or low levels of academic goals were positively or negatively related to effort regulation, the value assigned to academic tasks, meta-cognitive self-regulation, self-efficacy, beliefs about learning control, and management of time and study environment. The investigation was carried out with a sample of 632 university students (70% female and 30% male) and mean age of 21.22 (SD=2.2).The results show that learning goals, or task orientation, are positively related to all the indictors of learning quality considered herein. Although for other kinds of goals-work-avoidance goals, performance-approach goals, and performance-avoidance goals-significant relations were not found with all the indicators, there was a similar tendency of significant results in all cases; the higher the levels of these goals, the lower the levels of the indicators of learning quality.

The Development of a Service-Learning Program for First-Year Students Based on the Hallmarks of High Quality Service-Learning and Rigorous Program Evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Bradley H.; Gahagan, James; McQuillin, Samuel; Haywood, Benjamin; Cole, Caroline Pender; Bolton, Clay; Wampler, Mary Katherine

2011-01-01

We describe six hallmarks of high quality service-learning and explain how these considerations guided the development of a Transitional Coaching Program (TCP) during the first three years of implementation. We have demonstrated that the TCP is acceptable, feasible, and sustainable. Improvements have been seen in the degree of impact on learning…

Indian Summer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Galindo, E. [Sho-Ban High School, Fort Hall, ID (United States)

1997-08-01

This paper focuses on preserving and strengthening two resources culturally and socially important to the Shoshone-Bannock Indian Tribe on the Fort Hall Reservation in Idaho; their young people and the Pacific-Northwest Salmon. After learning that salmon were not returning in significant numbers to ancestral fishing waters at headwater spawning sites, tribal youth wanted to know why. As a result, the Indian Summer project was conceived to give Shoshone-Bannock High School students the opportunity to develop hands-on, workable solutions to improve future Indian fishing and help make the river healthy again. The project goals were to increase the number of fry introduced into the streams, teach the Shoshone-Bannock students how to use scientific methodologies, and get students, parents, community members, and Indian and non-Indian mentors excited about learning. The students chose an egg incubation experiment to help increase self-sustaining, natural production of steelhead trout, and formulated and carried out a three step plan to increase the hatch-rate of steelhead trout in Idaho waters. With the help of local companies, governmental agencies, scientists, and mentors students have been able to meet their project goals, and at the same time, have learned how to use scientific methods to solve real life problems, how to return what they have used to the water and land, and how to have fun and enjoy life while learning.

High Quality and High Yield Cultivation Technologies of Summer Soybean%夏大豆优质高产栽培技术

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

张智

2014-01-01

介绍了夏大豆优质高产栽培技术，主要包括种子选择及处理、播种、田间管理、肥水运筹、病虫草害防治等内容，以供种植户参考。%High yield cultivation technologies of summer soybean were introduced,including selection and treatment of seeds,sowing,field management,application of fertilizer and water,pest and disease control etc.,so as to provide reference for growers.

Evaluation of Game-Based Learning in Cybersecurity Education for High School Students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ge Jin

2018-02-01

Full Text Available The increasing demand for global cybersecurity workforce made it a critical mission for universities and colleges to attract and train next generation of cybersecurity professionals. To address this issue, Purdue University Northwest (PNW launched high school summer camps to 181 high school students, with 51.3% underrepresented minority ratio. PNW summer camp activities were delivered in the format of game based learning and hands-on labs. Four cybersecurity education games were developed to teach social engineering, cyber-attack and defense methods, secure online behavior, and cybersecurity principles. Survey result of 154 camp participants indicated that the cybersecurity education games were very effective in cybersecurity awareness training. Further analysis of survey data revealed that the gamification of cybersecurity education to raise students’ interests in computer science and cybersecurity was more effective in male high school students than in female students.

A River Summer on the Hudson

Science.gov (United States)

Kenna, T. C.; Pfirman, S.; Selleck, B.; Son, L.; Land, M.; Cronin, J.

2006-12-01

River Summer is a month-long faculty development program extending from the continental shelf off New York City to the headwaters of the Hudson in the Adirondack Mountains. During the program, faculty from the Environmental Consortium of Hudson Valley Colleges and Universities teach each other about the Hudson environment, using innovative methods of teaching and learning, with a focus on incorporation of hands-on approaches from the perspective of multiple disciplines. Over four weeks, faculty from research universities, community colleges, liberal arts institutions, and middle and high schools work and live together, on board a research vessel or in a remote tent campsite, for several days at a time. Using the geology, hydrology, and landscape of the River as a foundation, River Summer focuses on understanding development of the Hudson within the context of its natural resources and cultural history. Participants conduct field sampling and analyses and consider issues through approaches that are common to many disciplines: scaling for problem solving; sampling and assessing bias and representation; observing and documenting; representing and depicting; interpretation and assessing relationships and causality; and evaluation. They also get a chance to experience, first-hand, the complexity and often open-ended nature of doing science. By allowing individuals, many of whom come from non-science disciplines, to experience these methods and processes in a safe learning environment, science is made more meaningful and accessible. The program's pedagogy is based on the principles of cognitive psychology and immersive field-, place- and inquiry-based learning. Field programs have been found to provide memorable, transformative experiences for undergraduate students, and our experience with River Summer 2005 and 2006 suggests they are equally effective with faculty. Evaluation shows that River Summer has a significant impact on its participants. Participants develop new

Setting the foundations for international and crossdisciplinary learning: The US-Denmark Summer School "Renewable Energy: In Practice"

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Favaloro, Tela; Jenkins, Bryan M.; Lehmann, Martin

The grand challenges posed by global climate change, scarce natural resources, and the volatility of the international energy market require targeted action towards finding technologically, economically, and socially viable solutions based on renewable energy generation and sustainable practice...... conferencing and other tools to facilitate interaction between the international participants and learn more about the communities and technologies involved. A primary focus of the program is experiential learning through diverse and cross-cultural interactions, with participants coming not only from the US...... engaging across disciplines cultivates entrepreneurially-minded and complex systems thinking necessary for innovation. Over the eight years of the summer school, a number of lessons have been learned regarding effective program design and assessment. In this proceeding, we will elaborate on these learnings...

Hybrid Model for e-Learning Quality Evaluation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suzana M. Savic

2012-02-01

Full Text Available E-learning is becoming increasingly important for the competitive advantage of economic organizations and higher education institutions. Therefore, it is becoming a significant aspect of quality which has to be integrated into the management system of every organization or institution. The paper examines e-learning quality characteristics, standards, criteria and indicators and presents a multi-criteria hybrid model for e-learning quality evaluation based on the method of Analytic Hierarchy Process, trend analysis, and data comparison.

1999 Summer Research Program for High School Juniors at the University of Rochester's Laboratory for Laser Energetics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2002-10-09

oak-B202--During the summer of 1999, 12 students from Rochester-area high schools participated in the Laboratory for Laser Energetics' Summer High School Research Program. The goal of this program is to excite a group of high school students about careers in the areas of science and technology by exposing them to research in a state-of-the-art environment. Too often, students are exposed to ''research'' only through classroom laboratories that have prescribed procedures and predictable results. In LLE's summer program, the students experience all of the trials, tribulations, and rewards of scientific research. By participating in research in a real environment, the students often become more enthusiastic about careers in science and technology. In addition, LLE gains from the contributions of the many highly talented students who are attracted to the program. The students spent most of their time working on their individual research projects with members of LLE's technical staff. The projects were related to current research activities at LLE and covered a broad range of areas of interest including laser modeling, diagnostic development, chemistry, liquid crystal devices, and opacity data visualization. The students, their high schools, their LLE supervisors and their project titles are listed in the table. Their written reports are collected in this volume. The students attended weekly seminars on technical topics associated with LLE's research. Topics this year included lasers, fusion, holography, optical materials, global warming, measurement errors, and scientific ethics. The students also received safety training, learned how to give scientific presentations, and were introduced to LLE's resources, especially the computational facilities. The program culminated with the High School Student Summer Research Symposium on 25 August at which the students presented the results of their research to an audience that

Quantity-quality measuring method possibilities in improving operator's learning quality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zvonarev, V.P.

1984-01-01

Possibilities of obtainnjng qualitative-quantitative estimations of different aspects of learning process and their application in determination of learning purposes, substantiation of the training program choice of types and forms of studies directed at quality improvement of operator learning are considered

The Role of Interactional Quality in Learning from Touch Screens during Infancy: Context Matters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elizabeth Zack

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Interactional quality has been shown to enhance learning during book reading and play, but has not been examined during touch screen use. Learning to apply knowledge from a touch screen is complex for infants because it involves transfer of learning between a 2-dimensional (2D screen and 3-dimensional (3D object in the physical world. This study uses a touch screen procedure to examine interactional quality measured via maternal structuring, diversity of maternal language, and dyadic emotional responsiveness and infant outcomes during a transfer of learning task. Fifty 15-month-old infants and their mothers participated in this semi-naturalistic teaching task. Mothers were given a 3D object, and a static image of the object presented on a touch screen. Mothers had 5 minutes to teach their infant that a button on the real toy works in the same way as a virtual button on the touch screen (or vice versa. Overall, 64% of infants learned how to make the button work, transferring learning from the touch screen to the 3D object or vice versa. Infants were just as successful in the 3D to 2D transfer direction as they were in the 2D to 3D transfer direction. A cluster analysis based on emotional responsiveness, the proportion of diverse maternal verbal input, and amount of maternal structuring resulted in two levels of interactional quality: high quality and moderate quality. A logistic regression revealed the level of interactional quality predicted infant transfer. Infants were 19 times more likely to succeed and transfer learning between the touch screen and real object if they were in a high interactional quality dyad, even after controlling for infant activity levels. The present findings suggest that interactional quality between mother and infant plays an important role in making touch screens effective teaching tools for infants’ learning.

The Role of Interactional Quality in Learning from Touch Screens during Infancy: Context Matters.

Science.gov (United States)

Zack, Elizabeth; Barr, Rachel

2016-01-01

Interactional quality has been shown to enhance learning during book reading and play, but has not been examined during touch screen use. Learning to apply knowledge from a touch screen is complex for infants because it involves transfer of learning between a two-dimensional (2D) screen and three-dimensional (3D) object in the physical world. This study uses a touch screen procedure to examine interactional quality measured via maternal structuring, diversity of maternal language, and dyadic emotional responsiveness and infant outcomes during a transfer of learning task. Fifty 15-month-old infants and their mothers participated in this semi-naturalistic teaching task. Mothers were given a 3D object, and a static image of the object presented on a touch screen. Mothers had 5 min to teach their infant that a button on the real toy works in the same way as a virtual button on the touch screen (or vice versa). Overall, 64% of infants learned how to make the button work, transferring learning from the touch screen to the 3D object or vice versa. Infants were just as successful in the 3D to 2D transfer direction as they were in the 2D to 3D transfer direction. A cluster analysis based on emotional responsiveness, the proportion of diverse maternal verbal input, and amount of maternal structuring resulted in two levels of interactional quality: high quality and moderate quality. A logistic regression revealed the level of interactional quality predicted infant transfer. Infants were 19 times more likely to succeed and transfer learning between the touch screen and real object if they were in a high interactional quality dyad, even after controlling for infant activity levels. The present findings suggest that interactional quality between mother and infant plays an important role in making touch screens effective teaching tools for infants' learning.

Final technical report. 1998 HU CFRT summer fusion high school workshop

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ali, Halima; Punjabi, Alkesh

1999-01-01

The center conducted its third High School Summer Fusion Science Workshop in Summer 1998. The center had only three faculty mentors available only for a part of Summer 1998, The center accepted four scholars in this workshop, Prof. Halima Ali coordinated this workshop. Each student was assigned to a research mentor according to the student's interest in a specific research area and problem. In the workshop in the center, the students received instructions and training in the basics of energy, plasma and fusion sciences. They also received one-on-one instructions and training by their mentors to further their understanding of the subject and to introduce to relevant concepts such as magnetic confinement fusion, tokamaks, diverters and area-preserving maps

Physiological response and semen quality of rabbit bucks supplemented with Moringa leaves ethanolic extract during summer season.

Science.gov (United States)

El-Desoky, N I; Hashem, N M; Elkomy, A; Abo-Elezz, Z R

2017-09-01

Exposure of rabbit bucks to summer heat stress reduces their homeostasis and semen quality leading to a temporal subfertility. The potentiality of ethanolic extract of Moringa oleifera leaves (M. oleifera ethanolic extract (MLEE)) to reduce negative impacts of heat stress on physiological and semen quality traits was investigated. A total of 28 adult V-line rabbit bucks were randomly distributed among four experimental groups of seven rabbits each. The first group received water (placebo) and served as a control (M0). The other three groups were given orally MLEE at levels of 50 (M50), 100 (M100) and 150 (M150) mg/kg BW every other day for 12 consecutive weeks during the summer season. Chemical constituents of MLEE were detected by gas chromatography/MS. During the experimental period, ambient temperature and relative humidity were recorded daily and were used to estimate temperature and humidity index. Feed intake, BW, rectal temperature were recorded and blood serum biochemical attributes were determined. Semen samples were collected weekly and were analyzed for semen quality traits. Results showed that MLEE contained high percentages of long-chain fatty acids and antioxidant agents. Feed intake and BW were not affected significantly by the treatment, however rectal temperature was decreased significantly by 0.42°C, 0.24°C and 0.40°C in the M50, M100 and M150 groups, respectively, compared with the M0 group. Treatment with 50 mg/kg BW increased concentration of serum albumin (115%; P<0.05), total antioxidant capacity (132%; P<0.05) and testosterone (160%; P=0.098) as well as seminal plasma initial fructose (127%; P=0.092) compared with the control group. Compared with the control, MLEE supplementation with 50, 100 and 150 mg/kg BW increased significantly sperm concentration by 118%, 151% and 158%, sperm progressive motility by 117%, 120% and 118%, sperm viability by 129%, 137% and 127%, sperm normal morphology by 114%, 113% and 114%, intact acrosome sperm by

Summer Students: getting professional at CERN

CERN Multimedia

2001-01-01

The summer season at CERN is known for the traditional visit of Summer Students coming from Member and non-Member States. This time, a total of 176 future scientists are spending part of their summer with us, learning and working in the laboratory. Summer Students enjoying a lecture on particle physics by Ronald Kleiss. Now that summer has finally arrived, you'll have noticed some changes at CERN: longer queues at the bar, faces you don't recognise in the corridors, and a breath of fresh air, but where is it coming from? The answer is easy: the Summer Students are here! Aged between 20 and 27, this group of 176 future scientists has been selected from 600 candidates to spend their summer at the Laboratory. This year, there are 24 more 'Summies' than last following a recommendation in the 2000 5-yearly review to increase the number of students. The Summies mainly come from Member States, but this year there are also 11 Americans, two Mexicans, an Armenian, a Turk, a Pakistani and two South Africans. Judith N...

Development and application of blended learning at the level of doctoral studies

Science.gov (United States)

Šraj, Mojca; Sapač, Klaudija; Žgajnar Gotvajn, Andreja; Lobnik, Franc; Lobnik, Matjaž; Šubic, Žiga; Brilly, Mitja

2017-04-01

Use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in the higher education is inevitable. The use of ICT in the educational processes has many advantages and can improve their quality if used appropriately. In recent years, among educators and teachers increased use of blended learning, which is characterized by combining distance learning through digital media with traditional classroom learning (face-to-face learning). This paper presents the results of the use of blended learning in an international, interdisciplinary doctoral summer school Environmental Protection which was held in Ljubljana, Slovenia in the summer of 2016. At the end of May 2017 the consortium of the University of Ljubljana, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, University of Brescia and company Piktorama will organize the second summer school for doctoral students on the topic of Natural Hazards where again blended learning will be used. Furthermore, in the scope of the Second World Open Educational Resources Congress, which will be held in September 2017 under the auspices of UNESCO, the consortium will prepare a roundtable, where participants will discuss and share experiences of using blended learning. The implementation of two doctoral summer schools and workshop is financed by Erasmus+ programme. Information about the project, summer schools and workshop can be found at: http://www.let-group.com/summerschool.html and http://ksh.fgg.uni-lj.si/eplus/index.html.

2nd Machine Learning School for High Energy Physics

CERN Document Server

2016-01-01

The Second Machine Learning summer school organized by Yandex School of Data Analysis and Laboratory of Methods for Big Data Analysis of National Research University Higher School of Economics will be held in Lund, Sweden from 20 to 26 June 2016. It is hosted by Lund University. The school is intended to cover the relatively young area of data analysis and computational research that has started to emerge in High Energy Physics (HEP). It is known by several names including “Multivariate Analysis”, “Neural Networks”, “Classification/Clusterization techniques”. In more generic terms, these techniques belong to the field of “Machine Learning”, which is an area that is based on research performed in Statistics and has received a lot of attention from the Data Science community. There are plenty of essential problems in High energy Physics that can be solved using Machine Learning methods. These vary from online data filtering and reconstruction to offline data analysis. Students of the school w...

The antecedents of e-learning outcome: an examination of system quality, technology readiness, and learning behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Ho, Li-An

2009-01-01

The rapid advancement of Internet and computer technology has not only influenced the way we live, but also the way we learn. Due to the implementation of e-learning in urban junior high schools in Taiwan, it has become essential to find out how external and internal factors affect junior high school students' online learning behavior, which consequently affects their learning outcome. The present study aims to propose a conceptual structural equation model to investigate the relationships among e-Learning system quality (eLSQ), technology readiness (TR), learning behavior (LB), and learning outcome (LO), and to demonstrate the direct and indirect effect of eLSQ and TR on LO from the perspectives of LB. Data collected from 10 urban junior high schools in Taiwan (N = 376) were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results reveal that both eLSQ and TR have a direct and significant impact on LB. However, eLSQ and TR influence LO indirectly through LB. In addition, LB has a direct and positive significant influence on LO. Managerial implications are proposed and research limitations are discussed.

Blind CT image quality assessment via deep learning strategy: initial study

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Sui; He, Ji; Wang, Yongbo; Liao, Yuting; Zeng, Dong; Bian, Zhaoying; Ma, Jianhua

2018-03-01

Computed Tomography (CT) is one of the most important medical imaging modality. CT images can be used to assist in the detection and diagnosis of lesions and to facilitate follow-up treatment. However, CT images are vulnerable to noise. Actually, there are two major source intrinsically causing the CT data noise, i.e., the X-ray photo statistics and the electronic noise background. Therefore, it is necessary to doing image quality assessment (IQA) in CT imaging before diagnosis and treatment. Most of existing CT images IQA methods are based on human observer study. However, these methods are impractical in clinical for their complex and time-consuming. In this paper, we presented a blind CT image quality assessment via deep learning strategy. A database of 1500 CT images is constructed, containing 300 high-quality images and 1200 corresponding noisy images. Specifically, the high-quality images were used to simulate the corresponding noisy images at four different doses. Then, the images are scored by the experienced radiologists by the following attributes: image noise, artifacts, edge and structure, overall image quality, and tumor size and boundary estimation with five-point scale. We trained a network for learning the non-liner map from CT images to subjective evaluation scores. Then, we load the pre-trained model to yield predicted score from the test image. To demonstrate the performance of the deep learning network in IQA, correlation coefficients: Pearson Linear Correlation Coefficient (PLCC) and Spearman Rank Order Correlation Coefficient (SROCC) are utilized. And the experimental result demonstrate that the presented deep learning based IQA strategy can be used in the CT image quality assessment.

Quality Assurance in E-Learning: PDPP Evaluation Model and its Application

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Weiyuan Zhang

2012-06-01

Full Text Available E-learning has become an increasingly important teaching and learning mode in educational institutions and corporate training. The evaluation of e-learning, however, is essential for the quality assurance of e-learning courses. This paper constructs a four-phase evaluation model for e-learning courses, which includes planning, development, process, and product evaluation, called the PDPP evaluation model. Planning evaluation includes market demand, feasibility, target student group, course objectives, and finance. Development evaluation includes instructional design, course material design, course Web site design, flexibility, student-student interaction, teacher/tutor support, technical support, and assessment. Process evaluation includes technical support, Web site utilization, learning interaction, learning evaluation, learning support, and flexibility. Product evaluation includes student satisfaction, teaching effectiveness, learning effectiveness, and sustainability. Using the PDPP model as a research framework, a purely e-learning course on Research Methods in Distance Education, developed by the School of Professional and Continuing Education at the University of Hong Kong (HKU SPACE and jointly offered with the School of Distance Learning for Medical Education of Peking University (SDLME, PKU, was used as a case study. Sixty students from mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Malaysia were recruited for this course. According to summative evaluation through a student e-learning experience survey, the majority of students were very satisfied/satisfied on all e-learning dimensions of this course. The majority of students thought that the learning effectiveness of this course was equivalent, even better, than face-to-face learning because of cross-border collaborative learning, student-centred learning, sufficient learning support, and learning flexibility. This study shows that a high quality of teaching and learning might be assured by

Implementing Quality Service-Learning Programs in Community Colleges

Science.gov (United States)

Vaknin, Lauren Weiner; Bresciani, Marilee J.

2013-01-01

This cross-case comparative study at Western Community College and the University of the Coast explored through a constructive lens the characteristics that lead to sustainable, high quality service-learning programs and how they are implemented at institutions of higher education. The researchers determined that both Western Community College and…

Free Air Quality Alerts Help New Englanders Prepare for Summer Smog Season

Science.gov (United States)

With the onset of warm summer weather, the USEPA advises New Englanders to be aware of the increased risk of ground-level ozone and fine particle air pollution (when combined, often referred to as smog), & take health precautions when smog levels are high.

Quality Assurance in Distance and Open Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Mahafzah, Mohammed Hasan

2012-01-01

E-learning has become an increasingly important teaching and learning mode in educational institutions and corporate training. The evaluation of E-learning, however, is essential for the quality assurance of E-learning courses. This paper constructs a three-phase evaluation model for E-learning courses, which includes development, process, and…

Quality in e-learning:A framework for promoting and assuring quality in virtual institutions

OpenAIRE

Masoumi, Davoud; Lindstrom, Berner

2012-01-01

With the growing demand for e-learning along with striving for excellence associated with globalization, there are worldwide calls for enhancing and assuring quality in e-learning, specifically in the context of the developing countries. Such calls for quality enhancement, accountability, added value, value for money, self-evaluation, and role players’ satisfaction in higher education settings cannot go unheeded. Addressing the concerns regarding enhancing and assuring quality in e-learning, ...

[eLearning-radiology.com--sustainability for quality assurance].

Science.gov (United States)

Ketelsen, D; Talanow, R; Uder, M; Grunewald, M

2009-04-01

The aim of the study was to analyze the availability of published radiological e-learning tools and to establish a solution for quality assurance. Substantial pubmed research was performed to identify radiological e-learning tools. 181 e-learning programs were selected. As examples two databases expanding their programs with external links, Compare (n = 435 external links) and TNT-Radiology (n = 1078 external links), were evaluated. A concept for quality assurance was developed by an international taskforce. At the time of assessment, 56.4 % (102 / 181) of the investigated e-learning tools were accessible at their original URL. A subgroup analysis of programs published 5 to 8 years ago showed significantly inferior availability to programs published 3 to 5 years ago (p eLearning-radiology.com was developed by the taskforce and published online. This tool allows authors to present their programs and users to evaluate the e-learning tools depending on several criteria in order to remove inoperable links and to obtain information about the complexity and quality of the e-learning tools. More than 50 % of investigated radiological e-learning tools on the Internet were not accessible after a period of 5 to 8 years. As a consequence, an independent, international tool for quality assurance was designed and published online under www.eLearning-radiology.com .

Summer at CERN: a time to make friends

CERN Multimedia

2013-01-01

Summer brings the opportunity for many of us to spend time enjoying the company of our families and friends. It also brings a new generation of young people to CERN – the summer students.   We often talk about the extended CERN community as a being like a big family, where the common bond is the science we do. The summer students who join us every year are in many ways the newest additions to this family. This year we have welcomed 276 students in total, with an impressive 133 from non-Member states. As usual they are joining in the learning experience that the programme offers and taking the opportunity to socialise. However, this year they are showing a particular enthusiasm for developing activities together that are linked to spreading the message about CERN. They’ve shown great support for the CERN Summer Student Webfest – now in its second year - where they were invited to work in teams and design web apps that will encourage the public to learn more abou...

Effects of rearing systems on laying performance, egg quality, and serum biochemistry of Xianju chickens in summer.

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, X Y; Yin, Z Z; Ma, Y Z; Cao, H Y; Dong, D J

2017-09-01

The objective of this study was to compare the laying performance, egg quality, and serum biochemistry of hens maintained in conventional cage rearing system (CRS), flat net-rearing system (NRS), and free range system (FRS) under summer conditions. Indigenous Xianju chickens (n = 540) were randomly allocated into cages or pens of rearing system groups, within each system there were 5 replicates with 36 hens in each replicate. The experiment lasted between 21 and 29 wk of age. Hen-day egg production (P = 0.00) and egg mass (P = 0.00) were higher in the CRS but were similar in the NRS and FRS. Lowest egg weight (P = 0.02), yolk weight (P = 0.00) and yolk ratio (P = 0.01), and feed intake (P = 0.01) were observed from the FRS, whereas lowest feed conversion ratio (FCR) was recorded from the CRS (P = 0.01). Rearing systems had negligible effect on egg quality. Serum Ca (P = 0.04) and total protein (P = 0.03) levels were found to be higher in the CRS but were lower in the FRS. Serum levels of glucose (P = 0.01), cholesterol (P = 0.00), and triglyceride (P = 0.00) in the CRS increased compared with the NRS and FRS groups, whereas serum levels of high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C; P = 0.01) in the CRS decreased. It can be concluded that under summer conditions, Xianju chickens from CRS had an advantage in terms of productivity parameters, but exhibited higher levels of serum lipids and glucose. © 2017 Poultry Science Association Inc.

What Do Children Eat in the Summer? A Direct Observation of Summer Day Camps That Serve Meals.

Science.gov (United States)

Kenney, Erica L; Lee, Rebekka M; Brooks, Carolyn J; Cradock, Angie L; Gortmaker, Steven L

2017-07-01

More than 14 million children in the United States attend summer camp annually, yet little is known about the food environment in day camps. Our aim was to describe the nutritional quality of meals served to, brought by, and consumed by children attending summer day camps serving meals and snacks, and to describe camp water access. We conducted a cross-sectional study. Participants were 149 children attending five summer camps in Boston, MA, in 2013. Foods and beverages served were observed for 5 consecutive days. For 2 days, children's dietary intake was directly observed using a validated protocol. Outcome measures included total energy (kilocalories) and servings of different types of foods and beverages served and consumed during breakfast, lunch, and snack. Mean total energy, trans fats, sodium, sugar, and fiber served per meal were calculated across the camps, as were mean weekly frequencies of serving fruits, vegetables, meat/meat alternates, grains, milk, 100% juice, sugar-sweetened beverages, whole grains, red/highly processed meats, grain-based desserts, and salty snacks. Mean consumption was calculated per camper per day. Camps served a mean (standard deviation) of 647.7 (134.3) kcal for lunch, 401.8 (149.6) kcal for breakfast, and 266.4 (150.8) kcal for snack. Most camps served red/highly processed meats, salty snacks, and grain-based desserts frequently, and rarely served vegetables or water. Children consumed little (eg, at lunch, 36.5% of fruit portions, 35.0% of meat/meat alternative portions, and 37.6% of milk portions served) except for salty snacks (66.9% of portions) and grain-based desserts (64.1% of portions). Sugar-sweetened beverages and salty snacks were frequently brought to camp. One-quarter of campers drank nothing throughout the entire camp day. The nutritional quality of foods and beverages served at summer day camps could be improved. Future studies should assess barriers to consumption of healthy foods and beverages in these

Quality Perception within Corporate E-Learning Providers in Catalonia

Science.gov (United States)

Sangra, Albert; Fernandez-Michels, Pedro

2011-01-01

Purpose: The paper seeks to describe the Catalan corporate e-learning providers from the perspective of quality perception, quality assessment and quality control. Design/methodology/approach: A literature review reveals key aspects of the definition of quality in e-learning. The results of the review constitute the basis for exploratory research…

E-Learning Quality Standards for Consumer Protection and Consumer Confidence: A Canadian Case Study in E-Learning Quality Assurance

Science.gov (United States)

Barker, Kathryn Chang

2007-01-01

Emerging concerns about quality of e-learning products and services animated a project in Canada to create quality standards that derived primarily from the needs of consumer, that could be used to guide the development and choice of e-learning at all levels of education and training, and that could be implemented in a simple manner. A set of…

Organizational learning in developing the integrated quality management

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juhani Anttila

2018-04-01

Full Text Available High quality is organizations’ competitive advantage. It is beneficial to base this on professional approach, and basic concepts and definitions with scientific foundation. The necessary main concepts consist of quality, quality management, quality improvement and quality assurance. Organizations' top management is responsible of the quality management decisions and implementations. The present practical situation is fragmented and the implementations are most often based on the instrumental means of the different methodological schools, which is confusing and detrimental to the understanding and usefulness of the concept of quality management. It is not beneficial to build a special system for quality management by only following the requirements of the general standard. This cannot ensure competitive business advantage. In this article, we present an alternative approach that is a natural practical way to realize quality management as the teleological solution, Quality Integration, in which the general and specific quality concepts, principles and methodology are embedded within the normal business management activities. Our Quality Integration is based on the thinking of organizational learning. Its framework covers both running the current business and improving the overall business performance. This model has been used as the thinking framework in practical organizational cases since 1990’s. As the business circumstances change constantly, the organization must be constantly ready to renew through both small and radical changes. This change also receives resistance, and the development takes place according to a multi-phase process towards the new integration and requires a proper recognition and decisions. Principles of the organizational learning can help organizations in a consistent way. Evaluation of the overall organizational performance is an important quality management practice and should take into account performance enablers

Summer program Report : Quality control and Aging study for the GE1/1 detectors in CMS Muon endcap upgrade

CERN Document Server

Rajan, Adithya

2017-01-01

In this report, I summarize the work I did during my tenure in the Summer program. The project started with conducting three quality controls -- gas leak test, High Voltage test and Gas gain test. These are necessary to check if the GE1/1 detectors pass the requirements necessary for its deployment in the CMS. Then, I explain how aging study of the detectors was conducted and how the data was analyzed to ascertain if the detector has undergone aging. Lastly, the ongoing process of setting up a further accelerated aging study within the GEM lab is explained, with some potential difficulties associated with it.

Aggregative Learning Method and Its Application for Communication Quality Evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

Akhmetov, Dauren F.; Kotaki, Minoru

2007-12-01

In this paper, so-called Aggregative Learning Method (ALM) is proposed to improve and simplify the learning and classification abilities of different data processing systems. It provides a universal basis for design and analysis of mathematical models of wide class. A procedure was elaborated for time series model reconstruction and analysis for linear and nonlinear cases. Data approximation accuracy (during learning phase) and data classification quality (during recall phase) are estimated from introduced statistic parameters. The validity and efficiency of the proposed approach have been demonstrated through its application for monitoring of wireless communication quality, namely, for Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) system. Low memory and computation resources were shown to be needed for the procedure realization, especially for data classification (recall) stage. Characterized with high computational efficiency and simple decision making procedure, the derived approaches can be useful for simple and reliable real-time surveillance and control system design.

Gamification and the Quality of Informal Post-Experiential Learning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Viktoria Lambert

2017-09-01

Full Text Available As corporate learning moves out of the classroom into the hands of learners, the responsibilities of those who provide guidance in this process are changing. The overall prevalence of learning tools creates a need for competent learning leaders who make decisions about the development of the workforce. With special focus on the least used gamified learning tool, the aim of the study was to investigate the enablement of gamified learning tools determined by certain attributes of this research. A questionnaire survey had been conducted on a selected sample of 100 high-level learning leaders from 28 countries to examine if there are significant correlations between the usage of gamified learning tools and corporate learning leaders’ minds, their competences and the organizational culture profiles of companies. Results had been analysed with the SPSS statistical software package and indicated that relationships between these variables cannot be categorically proven, so no predictions can be made about the future of gamified learning based on these attributes. It is the highest time to conduct an extensive research to examine relationships between the quality of informal learning and learning tools in the ICT domain.

Real-World Solutions for Developing High-Quality PHP Frameworks and Applications

CERN Document Server

Bergmann, Sebastian

2011-01-01

Learn to develop high-quality applications and frameworks in PHP Packed with in-depth information and step-by-step guidance, this book escorts you through the process of creating, maintaining and extending sustainable software of high quality with PHP. World-renowned PHP experts present real-world case studies for developing high-quality applications and frameworks in PHP that can easily be adapted to changing business requirements. . They offer different approaches to solving  typical development and quality assurance problems that every developer needs to know and master.Details the process

A 2006 SPS Summer Intern’s Experiences, Reflections, and Future Ambitions

Science.gov (United States)

Deml, Ann

2006-12-01

As a SPS Summer Intern from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, I spent nine weeks in the Washington, D.C. area working with the American Physical Society. My work dealt primarily with the development of a ComPADRE outreach website, Physics To Go, which offers the public opportunities to engage in informal physics learning. Specific tasks that I performed included locating content to feature on the homepage, obtaining photographer permissions, and cataloging quality websites into the digital library. At the conclusion of the summer, I accepted an offer to continue working on Physics To Go and have further contributed to its expansion. Participating in this internship has influenced my life in several respects, and as a result, I will be enrolling in a graduate program this coming year. Additionally, I am making plans to participate in a National Student Exchange program and am considering a career with a greater emphasis on research. The internship has served as an invaluable and irreplaceable experience.

Summer Research Program - 1998 High School Apprenticeship Program. Volume 14. Phillips Laboratory

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Moore, Gary

1998-01-01

The United States Air Force Summer Research Program (USAF-SRP) is designed to introduce university, college, and technical institute faculty members, graduate students, and high school students to Air Force research...

Summer Research Program - 1998 High School Apprenticeship Program Volume 13 Rome Laboratory

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Moore, Gary

1998-01-01

The United States Air Force Summer Research Program (USAF-SRP) is designed to introduce university, college, and technical institute faculty members, graduate students, and high school students to Air Force research...

Summer Research Program - 1997 High School Apprenticeship Program. Volume 14, Rome Laboratory

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Moore, Gary

1997-01-01

The United States Air Force Summer Research Program (USAF-SRP) is designed to introduce university, college, and technical institute faculty members, graduate students, and high school students to Air Force research...

Summer Research Program - 1996 High School Apprenticeship Program Volume 13 Phillips Laboratory

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Moore, Gary

1996-01-01

The United States Air Force Summer Research Program (USAF-SRP) is designed to introduce university, college, and technical institute faculty members, graduate students, and high school students to Air Force research...

Serving two masters: quality teaching and learning versus economic rationalism.

Science.gov (United States)

Kenny, A J; Kendall, S

2001-11-01

Nurse educators face the challenge of competing pressures. Programmes must be developed that more adequately prepare students to meet the demands of a changing and complex health care system. These programmes must reflect excellence in teaching and learning and this needs to be achieved within the constraints of economic rationalism. The design of a model based on principles of self directed learning assisted one university to deliver a high quality clinical skills programme. Copyright 2001 Harcourt Publishers Ltd.

Towards a Quality Assessment Method for Learning Preference Profiles in Negotiation

Science.gov (United States)

Hindriks, Koen V.; Tykhonov, Dmytro

In automated negotiation, information gained about an opponent's preference profile by means of learning techniques may significantly improve an agent's negotiation performance. It therefore is useful to gain a better understanding of how various negotiation factors influence the quality of learning. The quality of learning techniques in negotiation are typically assessed indirectly by means of comparing the utility levels of agreed outcomes and other more global negotiation parameters. An evaluation of learning based on such general criteria, however, does not provide any insight into the influence of various aspects of negotiation on the quality of the learned model itself. The quality may depend on such aspects as the domain of negotiation, the structure of the preference profiles, the negotiation strategies used by the parties, and others. To gain a better understanding of the performance of proposed learning techniques in the context of negotiation and to be able to assess the potential to improve the performance of such techniques a more systematic assessment method is needed. In this paper we propose such a systematic method to analyse the quality of the information gained about opponent preferences by learning in single-instance negotiations. The method includes measures to assess the quality of a learned preference profile and proposes an experimental setup to analyse the influence of various negotiation aspects on the quality of learning. We apply the method to a Bayesian learning approach for learning an opponent's preference profile and discuss our findings.

Evaluation of quality of pedagogic model for blended learning on course “Life safety”

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. V. Legan

2016-01-01

effective questionnaire method was used for self-analysis of pedagogical activity. Some indicators for monitoring of opinions on the quality of the learning process for the blended model, designed in the form of a questionnaire, were identified.The pedagogical model of the blended learning course «Health and Safety» shows the structure of the pedagogical process: target, informative, organizational and activity, analytical and productive components.A choice of the used technologies, forms, active and interactive methods in the learning process, learning tools is made; a new generation of multi-media resources is developed; the quality of education according to the process approach is made; the results of the mastering of the course «Health and Safety» in the two groups of students are demonstrated.It is shown that the results of mastering of the course «Health and Safety» at different structural models of the blended learning are virtually identical. The successful mastering of the topic «Electrical Safety» requires the use of laboratory settings and simulators, as well as further study during the session in the classrooms. It is shown that a process approach, revealing the area for improvement, is applicable for making the self-assessment of the blended learning. We have received the high indicators of the quality training satisfaction for the blended model in both groups.The high level of satisfaction with the quality of e-learning environment and placed in its electronic resources promotes organizing of education in the remote access.

Quality Practices: An Open Distance Learning Perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kemlall RAMDASS

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Global transformation in higher education over the past two decades has led to the implementation of national policies in order to measure the performance of institutions in South Africa. The Higher Education Quality Council (HEQC adopted the quality assurance (QA model for the purposes of accountability and governance in South African Higher Education. The first Council of Higher Education (CHE audit, encouraged a compliance mentality through a ‘tick box’ mentality, thereby encouraging compliance of minimum standards. Thus, quality assurance audits became a ‘feared’ phenomenon in all higher education institutions in South Africa. The complete lack of stewardship in addressing the culture of quality and its’ implications for continuous improvement has led to inefficiencies in the entire higher education landscape. In this paper the ‘fuzzy’ and perhaps ‘slippery’ nature of quality is addressed through a critical analysis of the concepts of development, enhancement and assurance in relation to the quality of teaching and learning in higher education through a case study methodology using qualitative analysis in an open distance learning institution (ODL. The key argument is that although quality is important for improvement, practices at the institution are not changing in the way they should because of a quality culture that is determined by the Department of Higher Education and Training. Hence the research question is to determine the status of quality with a view of recommending total quality management as a strategy that would enhance the practice of quality in the organization. Therefore, this paper explores the current quality practices with the intent to improve the delivery of teaching and learning in an ODL environment.

A Summer at the University: A twenty five years experience with High School Students

Science.gov (United States)

Zamorano, Nelson

2014-03-01

After running a summer school for enthusiastic high school students for 25 years, we reached the point where three of my colleagues at the physics department, are exstudents from two physics courses offered (more than ten years ago) within our program. There are also graduates in some others Faculties in different universities. Here we would like to describe the evolution of this project since its beginning, with 60 students in an introductory physics class to the 3000 now attending (January 2014) the around 60 courses offered in almost all areas of knowledge, from theater to Biotechnology. Lately, as we became aware of the relevance of teaching sciences to young kids in elementary school, we started a winter section addressing this group of students. The courses are mainly a hands on experience. In this talk we will comment about our learning experience working on this kind of projects and our projections for the future. Partial travel support from Escuela de Verano.

Reflection on Cuboid Net with Mathematical Learning Quality

Science.gov (United States)

Sari, Atikah; Suryadi, Didi; Syaodih, Ernawulan

2017-09-01

This research aims to formulate an alternative to the reflection in mathematics learning activities related to the activities of the professionalism of teachers motivated by a desire to improve the quality of learning. This study is a qualitative study using the Didactical Design research. This study was conducted in one of the elementary schools. The data collection techniques are triangulation with the research subject is teacher 5th grade. The results of this study indicate that through deep reflection, teachers can design learning design in accordance with the conditions of the class. Also revealed that teachers have difficulty in choosing methods of learning and contextual learning media. Based on the implementation of activities of reflection and make the learning design based on the results of reflection can be concluded that the quality of learning in the class will develop.

A theoretical framework for measuring the quality of student learning ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The most important principles of outcomes-based education is that planning, teaching and assessment should focus on helping learners to achieve significant outcomes to high standards. This cannot be achieved without having suitable ways to describe desired learning outcomes and the quality of students' ...

American Summer Students At CERN A Presence From Across The Pond

CERN Multimedia

2001-01-01

Students touring the Michigan Muon Chamber Production Labs for the CERN ATLAS Experiment during their orientation week in Ann Arbor in June, 2001. Every summer for about forty years, students from all over Europe have come to CERN to take part in high energy physics projects and learn all that they can from the experts. This honor of being 'official' CERN summer students was, for a long time, limited to only the students of Member States. However, four years ago an exception was made, Americans came on the scene under the funding of the US National Science Foundation (NSF), and the Summer Student Programme was infused with a new transatlantic vigour (along with a few eloquent catch phrases like'yo dude'). The reasons for American interest in the CERN summer student programme were many, but there was one which was particularly critical. With the invention of the World Wide Web, international boundaries were quickly disappearing and it was becoming clear to several American physicists that it was essential f...

Quality Improvement and Learning in Productive Systems

OpenAIRE

Charles H. Fine

1986-01-01

Recent interest in product quality suggests that effort devoted to improving the quality of manufactured products may reduce unit costs. This conjecture---that improving quality can lower costs---challenges the traditional assumption that unit costs increase with increased quality assurance activities and has significant implications for quality management. By introducing the idea of a quality-based learning curve, this paper links the previously disjoint literatures of quality control and le...

Arctic summer school onboard an icebreaker

Science.gov (United States)

Alexeev, Vladimir A.; Repina, Irina A.

2014-05-01

The International Arctic Research Center (IARC) of the University of Alaska Fairbanks conducted a summer school for PhD students, post-docs and early career scientists in August-September 2013, jointly with an arctic expedition as a part of NABOS project (Nansen and Amundsen Basin Observational System) onboard the Russian research vessel "Akademik Fedorov". Both the summer school and NABOS expedition were funded by the National Science Foundation. The one-month long summer school brought together graduate students and young scientists with specialists in arctic oceanography and climate to convey to a new generation of scientists the opportunities and challenges of arctic climate observations and modeling. Young scientists gained hands-on experience during the field campaign and learned about key issues in arctic climate from observational, diagnostic, and modeling perspectives. The summer school consisted of background lectures, participation in fieldwork and mini-projects. The mini-projects were performed in collaboration with summer school instructors and members of the expedition. Key topics covered in the lectures included: - arctic climate: key characteristics and processes; - physical processes in the Arctic Ocean; - sea ice and the Arctic Ocean; - trace gases, aerosols, and chemistry: importance for climate changes; - feedbacks in the arctic system (e.g., surface albedo, clouds, water vapor, circulation); - arctic climate variations: past, ongoing, and projected; - global climate models: an overview. An outreach specialist from the Miami Science Museum was writing a blog from the icebreaker with some very impressive statistics (results as of January 1, 2014): Total number of blog posts: 176 Blog posts written/contributed by scientists: 42 Blog views: 22,684 Comments: 1,215 Number of countries who viewed the blog: 89 (on 6 continents) The 33-day long NABOS expedition started on August 22, 2013 from Kirkenes, Norway. The vessel ("Akademik Fedorov") returned to

eLearning-radiology.com. Sustainability for quality assurance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ketelsen, D.; Talanow, R.; Uder, M.; Grunewald, M.

2009-01-01

Purpose: The aim of the study was to analyze the availability of published radiological e-learning tools and to establish a solution for quality assurance. Materials and Methods: Substantial pubmed research was performed to identify radiological e-learning tools. 181 e-learning programs were selected. As examples two databases expanding their programs with external links, Compare (n = 435 external links) and TNT-Radiology (n = 1078 external links), were evaluated. A concept for quality assurance was developed by an international taskforce. Results: At the time of assessment, 56.4 % (102/181) of the investigated e-learning tools were accessible at their original URL. A subgroup analysis of programs published 5 to 8 years ago showed significantly inferior availability to programs published 3 to 5 years ago (p < 0.01). The analysis of external links showed 49.2 % and 61.0 % accessible links for the programs Compare (published 2003) and TNT-Radiology (published 2006), respectively. As a consequence, the domain www.eLearning-radiology.com was developed by the taskforce and published online. This tool allows authors to present their programs and users to evaluate the e-learning tools depending on several criteria in order to remove inoperable links and to obtain information about the complexity and quality of the e-learning tools. (orig.)

Factors Determining e-Learning Service Quality

Science.gov (United States)

Uppal, Muhammad Amaad; Ali, Samnan; Gulliver, Stephen R.

2018-01-01

e-Learning courses are fast becoming common-place, yet the success of these online courses varies considerably. Since limited research addresses the issue of e-learning quality (ELQ) of service in higher education environments, there is an increasing need to effectively assess ELQ. In this paper, we argue that to obtain a satisfactory e-learning…

Quality in E-Learning: A Framework for Promoting and Assuring Quality in Virtual Institutions

Science.gov (United States)

Masoumi, D.; Lindstrom, B.

2012-01-01

With the growing demand for e-learning along with striving for excellence associated with globalization, there are worldwide calls for enhancing and assuring quality in e-learning, specifically in the context of the developing countries. Such calls for quality enhancement, accountability, added value, value for money, self-evaluation, and role…

Air quality monitoring using mobile microscopy and machine learning

KAUST Repository

Wu, Yi-Chen; Shiledar, Ashutosh; Li, Yi-Cheng; Wong, Jeffrey; Feng, Steve; Chen, Xuan; Chen, Christine; Jin, Kevin; Janamian, Saba; Yang, Zhe; Ballard, Zachary Scott; Gö rö cs, Zoltá n; Feizi, Alborz; Ozcan, Aydogan

2017-01-01

Rapid, accurate and high-throughput sizing and quantification of particulate matter (PM) in air is crucial for monitoring and improving air quality. In fact, particles in air with a diameter of ≤2.5 μm have been classified as carcinogenic by the World Health Organization. Here we present a field-portable cost-effective platform for high-throughput quantification of particulate matter using computational lens-free microscopy and machine-learning. This platform, termed c-Air, is also integrated with a smartphone application for device control and display of results. This mobile device rapidly screens 6.5 L of air in 30 s and generates microscopic images of the aerosols in air. It provides statistics of the particle size and density distribution with a sizing accuracy of ~93%. We tested this mobile platform by measuring the air quality at different indoor and outdoor environments and measurement times, and compared our results to those of an Environmental Protection Agency–approved device based on beta-attenuation monitoring, which showed strong correlation to c-Air measurements. Furthermore, we used c-Air to map the air quality around Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) over 24 h to confirm that the impact of LAX on increased PM concentration was present even at >7 km away from the airport, especially along the direction of landing flights. With its machine-learning-based computational microscopy interface, c-Air can be adaptively tailored to detect specific particles in air, for example, various types of pollen and mold and provide a cost-effective mobile solution for highly accurate and distributed sensing of air quality.

Air quality monitoring using mobile microscopy and machine learning

KAUST Repository

Wu, Yi-Chen

2017-09-08

Rapid, accurate and high-throughput sizing and quantification of particulate matter (PM) in air is crucial for monitoring and improving air quality. In fact, particles in air with a diameter of ≤2.5 μm have been classified as carcinogenic by the World Health Organization. Here we present a field-portable cost-effective platform for high-throughput quantification of particulate matter using computational lens-free microscopy and machine-learning. This platform, termed c-Air, is also integrated with a smartphone application for device control and display of results. This mobile device rapidly screens 6.5 L of air in 30 s and generates microscopic images of the aerosols in air. It provides statistics of the particle size and density distribution with a sizing accuracy of ~93%. We tested this mobile platform by measuring the air quality at different indoor and outdoor environments and measurement times, and compared our results to those of an Environmental Protection Agency–approved device based on beta-attenuation monitoring, which showed strong correlation to c-Air measurements. Furthermore, we used c-Air to map the air quality around Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) over 24 h to confirm that the impact of LAX on increased PM concentration was present even at >7 km away from the airport, especially along the direction of landing flights. With its machine-learning-based computational microscopy interface, c-Air can be adaptively tailored to detect specific particles in air, for example, various types of pollen and mold and provide a cost-effective mobile solution for highly accurate and distributed sensing of air quality.

Improving health care quality and safety: the role of collective learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Singer, Sara J; Benzer, Justin K; Hamdan, Sami U

2015-01-01

Despite decades of effort to improve quality and safety in health care, this goal feels increasingly elusive. Successful examples of improvement are infrequently replicated. This scoping review synthesizes 76 empirical or conceptual studies (out of 1208 originally screened) addressing learning in quality or safety improvement, that were published in selected health care and management journals between January 2000 and December 2014 to deepen understanding of the role that collective learning plays in quality and safety improvement. We categorize learning activities using a theoretical model that shows how leadership and environmental factors support collective learning processes and practices, and in turn team and organizational improvement outcomes. By focusing on quality and safety improvement, our review elaborates the premise of learning theory that leadership, environment, and processes combine to create conditions that promote learning. Specifically, we found that learning for quality and safety improvement includes experimentation (including deliberate experimentation, improvisation, learning from failures, exploration, and exploitation), internal and external knowledge acquisition, performance monitoring and comparison, and training. Supportive learning environments are characterized by team characteristics like psychological safety, appreciation of differences, openness to new ideas social motivation, and team autonomy; team contextual factors including learning resources like time for reflection, access to knowledge, organizational capabilities; incentives; and organizational culture, strategy, and structure; and external environmental factors including institutional pressures, environmental dynamism and competitiveness and learning collaboratives. Lastly learning in the context of quality and safety improvement requires leadership that reinforces learning through actions and behaviors that affect people, such as coaching and trust building, and through

An analytical quality framework for learning cities and regions

Science.gov (United States)

Preisinger-Kleine, Randolph

2013-09-01

There is broad agreement that innovation, knowledge and learning have become the main source of wealth, employment and economic development of cities, regions and nations. Over the past two decades, the number of European cities and regions which label themselves as "learning city" or "learning region" has constantly grown. However, there are also pitfalls and constraints which not only hinder them in unlocking their full potential, but also significantly narrow their effects and their wider impact on society. Most prominently, learning cities and regions manifest serious difficulties in rendering transparent the surplus value they generate, which is vital for attracting investment into lifelong learning. While evaluation and quality management are still perceived as being a bureaucratic necessity rather than a lesson one could learn from or an investment in the future, it is also true that without evaluation and quality assurance local networks do not have the means to examine their strengths and weaknesses. In order to design strategies to maximise the strengths and effectively address the weaknesses it is necessary to understand the factors that contribute to success and those that pose challenges. This article proposes an analytical quality framework which is generic and can be used to promote a culture of quality in learning cities and regions. The proposed framework builds on the findings and results of the R3L+ project, part-funded by the European Commission under the Grundtvig (adult education) strand of the Lifelong Learning programme 2007-2013.

Characteristics and Mechanisms of Zonal Oscillation of Western Pacific Subtropical High in Summer

Science.gov (United States)

Guan, W.; Ren, X.; Hu, H.

2017-12-01

The zonal oscillation of the western Pacific subtropical high (WPSH) influences the weather and climate over East Asia significantly. This study investigates the features and mechanisms of the zonal oscillation of the WPSH during summer on subseasonal time scales. The zonal oscillation index of the WPSH is defined by normalized subseasonal geopotential height anomaly at 500hPa averaged over the WPSH's western edge (110° - 140°E, 10° - 30°N). The index shows a predominant oscillation with a period of 10-40 days. Large positive index indicates a strong anticyclonic anomaly over East Asia and its coastal region south of 30°N at both 850hPa and 500hPa. The WPSH stretches more westward accompanied by warmer SST anomalies beneath the western edge of the WPSH. Meanwhile, above-normal precipitation is seen over the Yangtze-Huaihe river basin and below-normal precipitation over the south of the Yangtze River. Negative index suggests a more eastward position of WPSH. The anomalies in circulation and SST for negative index are almost the mirror image of those for the positive index. In early summer, the zonal shift of the WPSH is affected by both the East Asia/Pacific (EAP) teleconnection pattern and the Silk road pattern (SRP). The positive (negative) phase of the EAP pattern is characterized by a low-level anticyclonic (cyclonic) anomaly over the subtropical western Pacific, indicating the western extension (eastward retreat) of the WPSH. Comparing with the EAP pattern, the SRP forms an upper-level anticyclonic (cyclonic) anomaly in mid-latitudes of East Asia, and then leads to the westward (eastward) movement of the WPSH. In late summer, the zonal shift of the WPSH is mainly affected by the EAP pattern, because the EAP pattern in late summer is stronger than that in early summer. The zonal shift of the WPSH is also influenced by the subseasonal air-sea interaction locally. During the early stage of WPSH's westward stretch, the local SST anomaly in late summer is

Using ePortfolios to Assess Applied and Collaborative Learning and Academic Identity in a Summer Research Program for Community College Students

Science.gov (United States)

Singer-Freeman, Karen; Bastone, Linda; Skrivanek, Joseph

2016-01-01

We evaluate the extent to which ePortfolios can be used to assess applied and collaborative learning and academic identity among community college students from underrepresented minority groups who participated in a summer research program. Thirty-eight students were evaluated by their research sponsor and two or three naïve faculty evaluators.…

Millions Learning: Scaling up Quality Education in Developing Countries

Science.gov (United States)

Robinson, Jenny Perlman; Winthrop, Rebecca

2016-01-01

"Millions Learning: Scaling up Quality Education in Developing Countries" tells the story of where and how quality education has scaled in low- and middle-income countries. The story emerges from wide-ranging research on scaling and learning, including 14 in-depth case studies from around the globe. Ultimately, "Millions…

Summer Research Program - 1996 High School Apprenticeship Program Volume 15A Wright Laboratory

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Moore, Gary

1996-01-01

The United States Air Force Summer Research Program (USAF-SRP) is designed to introduce university, college, and technical institute faculty members, graduate students, and high school students to Air Force research...

Summer Research Program - 1996 High School Apprenticeship Program. Volume 12B, Armstrong Laboratory

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Moore, Gary

1996-01-01

The United States Air Force Summer Research Program (USAF-SRP) is designed to introduce university, college, and technical institute faculty members, graduate students, and high school students to Air Force research...

Summer Research Program - 1998 High School Apprenticeship Program Volume 15C Wright Laboratory

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Moore, Gary

1998-01-01

The United States Air Force Summer Research Program (USAF-SRP) is designed to introduce university, college, and technical institute faculty members, graduate students, and high school students to Air Force research...

Summer Research Program - 1998 High School Apprenticeship Program Volume 15B Wright Laboratory

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Moore, Gary

1998-01-01

The United States Air Force Summer Research Program (USAF-SRP) is designed to introduce university, college, and technical institute faculty members, graduate students, and high school students to Air Force research...

The 1985 National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Summer High School Apprenticeship Research Program (SHARP)

Science.gov (United States)

1985-01-01

In 1985, a total of 126 talented high school students gained first hand knowledge about science and engineering careers by working directly with a NASA scientist or engineer during the summer. This marked the sixth year of operation for NASA's Summer High School Apprenticeship Research Program (SHARP). The major priority of maintaining the high standards and success of prior years was satisfied. The following eight sites participated in the Program: Ames Research Center, Ames' Dryden Flight Research Facility, Goddard Space Flight Center, Goddard's Wallop Flight Facility, Kennedy Space Center, Langley Research Center, Lewis Research Center, and Marshall Space Flight Center. Tresp Associates served as the SHARP contractor and worked closely with NASA staff at headquarters and the sites just mentioned to plan, implement, and evaluate the program.

A Rotational Blended Learning Model: Enhancement and Quality Assurance

Science.gov (United States)

Ghoul, Said

2013-01-01

Research on blended learning theory and practice is growing nowadays with a focus on the development, evaluation, and quality assurance of case studies. However, the enhancement of blended learning existing models, the specification of their online parts, and the quality assurance related specifically to them have not received enough attention.…

Creating a Total Quality Environment (TQE) for Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Freed, Jann E.

2005-01-01

This article describes a model for creating a total quality environment (TQE) for learning in which everyone is considered a learner. The model consists of 11 interrelated characteristics derived from the literature in the areas of continuous improvement, leadership, learning, learning organizations, and spirituality. The characteristics in the…

A planning quality evaluation tool for prostate adaptive IMRT based on machine learning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu Xiaofeng; Ge Yaorong; Li Taoran; Thongphiew, Danthai; Yin Fangfang; Wu, Q Jackie

2011-01-01

Purpose: To ensure plan quality for adaptive IMRT of the prostate, we developed a quantitative evaluation tool using a machine learning approach. This tool generates dose volume histograms (DVHs) of organs-at-risk (OARs) based on prior plans as a reference, to be compared with the adaptive plan derived from fluence map deformation. Methods: Under the same configuration using seven-field 15 MV photon beams, DVHs of OARs (bladder and rectum) were estimated based on anatomical information of the patient and a model learned from a database of high quality prior plans. In this study, the anatomical information was characterized by the organ volumes and distance-to-target histogram (DTH). The database consists of 198 high quality prostate plans and was validated with 14 cases outside the training pool. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to DVHs and DTHs to quantify their salient features. Then, support vector regression (SVR) was implemented to establish the correlation between the features of the DVH and the anatomical information. Results: DVH/DTH curves could be characterized sufficiently just using only two or three truncated principal components, thus, patient anatomical information was quantified with reduced numbers of variables. The evaluation of the model using the test data set demonstrated its accuracy ∼80% in prediction and effectiveness in improving ART planning quality. Conclusions: An adaptive IMRT plan quality evaluation tool based on machine learning has been developed, which estimates OAR sparing and provides reference in evaluating ART.

Simulation of summer ozone episodes in Southeast Louisiana during 2006-2015

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, H.; Zhang, H.

2017-12-01

Southeast Louisiana experiences high ozone (O3) events due to immense emissions from industrial and urban sources and unique meteorology conditions of high temperatures, intensive solar radiation and land-sea breeze circulation. The Community Multi-scale Air Quality (CMAQ) model with modified photochemical mechanism is used to investigate the contributions of regional transport to ozone (O3) and its precursors to Southeast Louisiana in summer months from 2006 to 2015. The meteorological and CMAQ model performance are validated. Spatial and temporal variations of O3 are investigated during summer episodes in 10 years. Contributions of different source types and regions to 1 hour O3 are also quantified. Changes in the contributions of different source types and regions are also obtained to help design intelligent control measures.

Improving health care quality and safety: the role of collective learning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Singer SJ

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Sara J Singer,1–4 Justin K Benzer,4–6 Sami U Hamdan4,6 1Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; 2Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; 3Mongan Institute for Health Policy, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; 4Center for Healthcare Organization and Implementation Research, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA; 5VISN 17 Center of Excellence for Research on Returning War Veterans, Waco, TX, USA; 6Department of Health Policy and Management, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA Abstract: Despite decades of effort to improve quality and safety in health care, this goal feels increasingly elusive. Successful examples of improvement are infrequently replicated. This scoping review synthesizes 76 empirical or conceptual studies (out of 1208 originally screened addressing learning in quality or safety improvement, that were published in selected health care and management journals between January 2000 and December 2014 to deepen understanding of the role that collective learning plays in quality and safety improvement. We categorize learning activities using a theoretical model that shows how leadership and environmental factors support collective learning processes and practices, and in turn team and organizational improvement outcomes. By focusing on quality and safety improvement, our review elaborates the premise of learning theory that leadership, environment, and processes combine to create conditions that promote learning. Specifically, we found that learning for quality and safety improvement includes experimentation (including deliberate experimentation, improvisation, learning from failures, exploration, and exploitation, internal and external knowledge acquisition, performance monitoring and comparison, and training. Supportive learning environments are characterized by team characteristics like psychological

Methodology for Evaluating Quality and Reusability of Learning Objects

Science.gov (United States)

Kurilovas, Eugenijus; Bireniene, Virginija; Serikoviene, Silvija

2011-01-01

The aim of the paper is to present the scientific model and several methods for the expert evaluation of quality of learning objects (LOs) paying especial attention to LOs reusability level. The activities of eQNet Quality Network for a European Learning Resource Exchange (LRE) aimed to improve reusability of LOs of European Schoolnet's LRE…

High School Students' Implicit Theories of What Facilitates Science Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Parsons, Eileen Carlton; Miles, Rhea; Petersen, Michael

2011-01-01

Background: Research has primarily concentrated on adults' implicit theories about high quality science education for all students. Little work has considered the students' perspective. This study investigated high school students' implicit theories about what helped them learn science. Purpose: This study addressed (1) What characterizes high…

Learning-Based Precool Algorithms for Exploiting Foodstuff as Thermal Energy Reserve

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vinther, Kasper; Rasmussen, Henrik; Izadi-Zamanabadi, Roozbeh

2015-01-01

Refrigeration is important to sustain high foodstuff quality and lifetime. Keeping the foodstuff within temperature thresholds in supermarkets is also important due to legislative requirements. Failure to do so can result in discarded foodstuff, a penalty fine to the shop owner, and health issues....... However, the refrigeration system might not be dimensioned to cope with hot summer days or performance degradation over time. Two learning-based algorithms are therefore proposed for thermostatically controlled loads, which precools the foodstuff in display cases in an anticipatory manner based on how...

Innovative and high quality education through Open Education and OER

OpenAIRE

Stracke, Christian M.

2017-01-01

Online presentation and webinar by Stracke, C. M. (2017, 18 December) on "Innovative and high quality education through Open Education and OER" for the Belt and Road Open Education Learning Week by the Beijing Normal University, China.

Trajectories of Attaining and Sustaining Quality in E-learning ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Trajectories of Attaining and Sustaining Quality in E-learning. ... Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. ... Experts must be employed who will evaluate appropriateness of e-learning procedures, accuracy of e-learning content ...

Effects of Exogenous Enzymatic Treatment During Processing on the Sensory Quality of Summer Tieguanyin Oolong Tea from the Chinese Anxi County

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xue-Bo Zhang

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In order to att enuate the bitt er taste and improve the aroma of the summer tieguanyin oolong tea from the Chinese Anxi county, the eff ects of processing treatment with exogenous laccase and α-galactosidase on tea sensory quality and related compounds were investigated. The solutio ns of laccase and/or α-galactosidase were sprayed on the tea leaves before the fi rst drying process. The sensory evaluation results showed that the sensory quality of the tea was signifi cantly enhanced with the enzymatic treatment. The combined application of laccase a t 8.25 and α- galactosidase at 22 U per kg of fresh tea shoots achieved the most satisfying sensory quality. Further analysis of fl avour-related constituents was carried out by HPLC and GC-MS. The HPLC analysis showed that the contents of catechins and total polyphen ols were reduced, compared to the untreated group, by 11.9 and 13.3 % respectively, and the total soluble sugars and water extract content were increased by 19.4 and 6.6 % respectively, aft er the treatment with both enzymes. The decrease of catechins and total polyphenols reduced the bitt erness and astringency of the summer tea, while the increase of total soluble sugars and water extract content improved the sweetness and mellow taste. The aromatic compound data from GC-MS showed that the total essential oil content in these tea samples co-treated with laccase and α-galactos idase increased significantly, in which aldehydes, alcohols, esters and alkenes increased by 23.28, 37.05, 20.10 and 38.99 %, respectively. Our data suggest that the exogenous enzymatic treatment can enhance the summer oolong tea quality, especially its taste and aroma.

A MODEL OF MANAGEMENT STRATEGY FOR A QUALITY LEARNING IN ISLAMIC HIGHER EDUCATION (IHE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ara Hidayat

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The quality of Islamic education is generally influenced by several factors, among other things: leadership, organizational culture, lecturercompetence versus faculty student ratio, dynamic curriculum, library collections and learning facilities. The factors above are most likely to influence and impact the quality of education process in general. Developing a model of management strategy for quality learning is a minimal effort to improve quality graduates of a university. The model was developed on the basis of the following theories: (1 transformative leadership (Tichy and Devana (1997, (2 strategy of learning organization, (Peter (2002, and (3 a quality-based management (Griffin, 2004. Furthermore, the model shares the following characteristics: (1 a quality learning emerges from an effective and efficient management of academic service; (2 developing management of a quality learning is continuous lecture development; (3 lecture plays an important role in developing a quality learning; (4 a quality learning stipulates that a leader be loyal and committed to their job, wise and have a sense of democracy.

Emotional Climate and High Quality Learning Experiences in Science Teacher Education

Science.gov (United States)

Bellocchi, Alberto; Ritchie, Stephen M.; Tobin, Kenneth; King, Donna; Sandhu, Maryam; Henderson, Senka

2014-01-01

The role of emotion during learning encounters in science teacher education is under-researched and under-theorized. In this case study, we explore the emotional climates (ECs), that is, the collective states of emotional arousal, of a preservice secondary science education class to illuminate practice for producing and reproducing high quality…

Quality specifications in postgraduate medical e-learning: an integrative literature review leading to a postgraduate medical e-learning model.

Science.gov (United States)

De Leeuw, R A; Westerman, Michiel; Nelson, E; Ket, J C F; Scheele, F

2016-07-08

E-learning is driving major shifts in medical education. Prioritizing learning theories and quality models improves the success of e-learning programs. Although many e-learning quality standards are available, few are focused on postgraduate medical education. We conducted an integrative review of the current postgraduate medical e-learning literature to identify quality specifications. The literature was thematically organized into a working model. Unique quality specifications (n = 72) were consolidated and re-organized into a six-domain model that we called the Postgraduate Medical E-learning Model (Postgraduate ME Model). This model was partially based on the ISO-19796 standard, and drew on cognitive load multimedia principles. The domains of the model are preparation, software design and system specifications, communication, content, assessment, and maintenance. This review clarified the current state of postgraduate medical e-learning standards and specifications. It also synthesized these specifications into a single working model. To validate our findings, the next-steps include testing the Postgraduate ME Model in controlled e-learning settings.

European summer temperatures since Roman times

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luterbacher, J; Werner, J P; Smerdon, J E; Fernández-Donado, L; González-Rouco, F J; Barriopedro, D; Ljungqvist, F C; Büntgen, U; Frank, D; Zorita, E; Wagner, S; Esper, J; McCarroll, D; Toreti, A; Jungclaus, J H; Bothe, O; Barriendos, M; Bertolin, C; Camuffo, D; Brázdil, R

2016-01-01

The spatial context is critical when assessing present-day climate anomalies, attributing them to potential forcings and making statements regarding their frequency and severity in a long-term perspective. Recent international initiatives have expanded the number of high-quality proxy-records and developed new statistical reconstruction methods. These advances allow more rigorous regional past temperature reconstructions and, in turn, the possibility of evaluating climate models on policy-relevant, spatio-temporal scales. Here we provide a new proxy-based, annually-resolved, spatial reconstruction of the European summer (June–August) temperature fields back to 755 CE based on Bayesian hierarchical modelling (BHM), together with estimates of the European mean temperature variation since 138 BCE based on BHM and composite-plus-scaling (CPS). Our reconstructions compare well with independent instrumental and proxy-based temperature estimates, but suggest a larger amplitude in summer temperature variability than previously reported. Both CPS and BHM reconstructions indicate that the mean 20th century European summer temperature was not significantly different from some earlier centuries, including the 1st, 2nd, 8th and 10th centuries CE. The 1st century (in BHM also the 10th century) may even have been slightly warmer than the 20th century, but the difference is not statistically significant. Comparing each 50 yr period with the 1951–2000 period reveals a similar pattern. Recent summers, however, have been unusually warm in the context of the last two millennia and there are no 30 yr periods in either reconstruction that exceed the mean average European summer temperature of the last 3 decades (1986–2015 CE). A comparison with an ensemble of climate model simulations suggests that the reconstructed European summer temperature variability over the period 850–2000 CE reflects changes in both internal variability and external forcing on multi-decadal time

Sleep Quality Prediction From Wearable Data Using Deep Learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Sathyanarayana, Aarti; Joty, Shafiq; Fernandez-Luque, Luis; Ofli, Ferda; Srivastava, Jaideep; Elmagarmid, Ahmed; Arora, Teresa; Taheri, Shahrad

2016-11-04

The importance of sleep is paramount to health. Insufficient sleep can reduce physical, emotional, and mental well-being and can lead to a multitude of health complications among people with chronic conditions. Physical activity and sleep are highly interrelated health behaviors. Our physical activity during the day (ie, awake time) influences our quality of sleep, and vice versa. The current popularity of wearables for tracking physical activity and sleep, including actigraphy devices, can foster the development of new advanced data analytics. This can help to develop new electronic health (eHealth) applications and provide more insights into sleep science. The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of predicting sleep quality (ie, poor or adequate sleep efficiency) given the physical activity wearable data during awake time. In this study, we focused on predicting good or poor sleep efficiency as an indicator of sleep quality. Actigraphy sensors are wearable medical devices used to study sleep and physical activity patterns. The dataset used in our experiments contained the complete actigraphy data from a subset of 92 adolescents over 1 full week. Physical activity data during awake time was used to create predictive models for sleep quality, in particular, poor or good sleep efficiency. The physical activity data from sleep time was used for the evaluation. We compared the predictive performance of traditional logistic regression with more advanced deep learning methods: multilayer perceptron (MLP), convolutional neural network (CNN), simple Elman-type recurrent neural network (RNN), long short-term memory (LSTM-RNN), and a time-batched version of LSTM-RNN (TB-LSTM). Deep learning models were able to predict the quality of sleep (ie, poor or good sleep efficiency) based on wearable data from awake periods. More specifically, the deep learning methods performed better than traditional logistic regression. “CNN had the highest specificity and

Summer Session: A Time for Innovation

Science.gov (United States)

Mola, Monty

2013-05-01

Summer is almost here (at least for those of us who teach semesters). Many of us are taking a well-deserved break to spend time with our families, conduct research, travel, and myriad other activities. Some of us, however, will be teaching summer school. For those of us lucky enough to be teaching this summer, we have one suggestion: Be bold! Summer is the ideal time to try something new with your teaching. We have known for some time that alternative pedagogies and engaging teaching strategies can be more effective than traditional lectures as student learning environments. However, even with headlines in The Washington Post proclaiming that the lecture is dead,2 inroads of physics education research-based curricula have been slow to diffuse into the classrooms for the greater population of college physics instructors.3 Many instructors of traditional physics courses see the use of research-based instructional strategies (RBIS) as desirable but risky and time consuming.3 Assuming a traditional physics course structure, both the where and the when each component takes place can also limit the types of engaging pedagogies used.4

Observed variability of summer precipitation pattern and extreme events in East China associated with variations of the East Asian summer monsoon: VARIABILITY OF SUMMER PRECIPITATION AND EXTREME EVENT IN EAST CHINA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Lei [School of Atmospheric Sciences, Nanjing University, China; Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland WA USA; Qian, Yun [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland WA USA; Zhang, Yaocun [School of Atmospheric Sciences, Nanjing University, China; Zhao, Chun [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland WA USA; Leung, L. Ruby [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland WA USA; Huang, Anning [School of Atmospheric Sciences, Nanjing University, China; Xiao, Chuliang [Cooperative Institute for Limnology and Ecosystems Research, School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor MI USA

2015-11-09

This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of interannual and interdecadal variations of summer precipitation and precipitation-related extreme events in China associated with variations of the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) from 1979-2012. A high-quality daily precipitation dataset covering 2287 weather stations in China is analyzed. Based on the precipitation pattern analysis using empirical orthogonal functions, three sub-periods of 1979-1992 (period I), 1993-1999 (period II) and 2000-2012 (period III) are identified to be representative of the precipitation variability. Similar significant variability of the extreme precipitation indices is found across four sub-regions in eastern China. The spatial patterns of summer mean precipitation, the number of days with daily rainfall exceeding 95th percentile precipitation (R95p) and the maximum number of consecutive wet days (CWD) anomalies are consistent, but opposite to that of maximum consecutive dry days (CDD) anomalies during the three sub-periods. However, the spatial patterns of hydroclimatic intensity (HY-INT) are notably different from that of the other three extreme indices, but highly correlated to the dry events. The changes of precipitation anomaly patterns are accompanied by the change of the EASM regime and the abrupt shift of the position of the west Pacific subtropical high around 1992/1993 and 1999/2000, respectively, which influence the moisture transport that contributes most to the precipitation anomalies. Lastly, the EASM intensity is linked to sea surface temperature anomaly over the tropical Indian and Pacific Ocean that influences deep convection over the oceans.

The Vatican Observatory Summer Schools in observational astronomy and astrophysics

Science.gov (United States)

Corbally, Christopher J.

Two seemingly incongruous components have come together about every two years: the serene terraces of the Pope's summer residence at Castel Gandolfo, and the noisy exuberance of 25 beginning-level graduate students. Add in a small faculty of first-rate professors and a resourceful local support team, and one has the ingredients for the month-long Vatican Observatory Summer Schools. The eighth School takes place in the summer of 2001, and its goals are the same as when the series started in 1986: to encourage and motivate a mix of young people from industrialized and developing countries who are at critical moments of their research careers, and to make a small, but significant contribution to the progress of developing countries by exposing some of their most talented young citizens to people involved in high quality research in astrophysics. This account outlines the nature of the Schools, their follow-up, and something of how the spirit of sharing of personal and institutional resources is achieved.

Uninformative contexts support word learning for high-skill spellers.

Science.gov (United States)

Eskenazi, Michael A; Swischuk, Natascha K; Folk, Jocelyn R; Abraham, Ashley N

2018-04-30

The current study investigated how high-skill spellers and low-skill spellers incidentally learn words during reading. The purpose of the study was to determine whether readers can use uninformative contexts to support word learning after forming a lexical representation for a novel word, consistent with instance-based resonance processes. Previous research has found that uninformative contexts damage word learning; however, there may have been insufficient exposure to informative contexts (only one) prior to exposure to uninformative contexts (Webb, 2007; Webb, 2008). In Experiment 1, participants read sentences with one novel word (i.e., blaph, clurge) embedded in them in three different conditions: Informative (six informative contexts to support word learning), Mixed (three informative contexts followed by three uninformative contexts), and Uninformative (six uninformative contexts). Experiment 2 added a new condition with only three informative contexts to further clarify the conclusions of Experiment 1. Results indicated that uninformative contexts can support word learning, but only for high-skill spellers. Further, when participants learned the spelling of the novel word, they were more likely to learn the meaning of that word. This effect was much larger for high-skill spellers than for low-skill spellers. Results are consistent with the Lexical Quality Hypothesis (LQH) in that high-skill spellers form stronger orthographic representations which support word learning (Perfetti, 2007). Results also support an instance-based resonance process of word learning in that prior informative contexts can be reactivated to support word learning in future contexts (Bolger, Balass, Landen, & Perfetti, 2008; Balass, Nelson, & Perfetti, 2010; Reichle & Perfetti, 2003). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

NMF-Based Image Quality Assessment Using Extreme Learning Machine.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Shuigen; Deng, Chenwei; Lin, Weisi; Huang, Guang-Bin; Zhao, Baojun

2017-01-01

Numerous state-of-the-art perceptual image quality assessment (IQA) algorithms share a common two-stage process: distortion description followed by distortion effects pooling. As for the first stage, the distortion descriptors or measurements are expected to be effective representatives of human visual variations, while the second stage should well express the relationship among quality descriptors and the perceptual visual quality. However, most of the existing quality descriptors (e.g., luminance, contrast, and gradient) do not seem to be consistent with human perception, and the effects pooling is often done in ad-hoc ways. In this paper, we propose a novel full-reference IQA metric. It applies non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) to measure image degradations by making use of the parts-based representation of NMF. On the other hand, a new machine learning technique [extreme learning machine (ELM)] is employed to address the limitations of the existing pooling techniques. Compared with neural networks and support vector regression, ELM can achieve higher learning accuracy with faster learning speed. Extensive experimental results demonstrate that the proposed metric has better performance and lower computational complexity in comparison with the relevant state-of-the-art approaches.

Pioneering a Nursing Home Quality Improvement Learning Collaborative: A Case Study of Method and Lessons Learned.

Science.gov (United States)

Gillespie, Suzanne M; Olsan, Tobie; Liebel, Dianne; Cai, Xueya; Stewart, Reginald; Katz, Paul R; Karuza, Jurgis

2016-02-01

To describe the development of a nursing home (NH) quality improvement learning collaborative (QILC) that provides Lean Six Sigma (LSS) training and infrastructure support for quality assurance performance improvement change efforts. Case report. Twenty-seven NHs located in the Greater Rochester, NY area. The learning collaborative approach in which interprofessional teams from different NHs work together to improve common clinical and organizational processes by sharing experiences and evidence-based practices to achieve measurable changes in resident outcomes and system efficiencies. NH participation, curriculum design, LSS projects. Over 6 years, 27 NHs from urban and rural settings joined the QILC as organizational members and sponsored 47 interprofessional teams to learn LSS techniques and tools, and to implement quality improvement projects. NHs, in both urban and rural settings, can benefit from participation in QILCs and are able to learn and apply LSS tools in their team-based quality improvement efforts. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Full-reference quality assessment of stereoscopic images by learning binocular receptive field properties.

Science.gov (United States)

Shao, Feng; Li, Kemeng; Lin, Weisi; Jiang, Gangyi; Yu, Mei; Dai, Qionghai

2015-10-01

Quality assessment of 3D images encounters more challenges than its 2D counterparts. Directly applying 2D image quality metrics is not the solution. In this paper, we propose a new full-reference quality assessment for stereoscopic images by learning binocular receptive field properties to be more in line with human visual perception. To be more specific, in the training phase, we learn a multiscale dictionary from the training database, so that the latent structure of images can be represented as a set of basis vectors. In the quality estimation phase, we compute sparse feature similarity index based on the estimated sparse coefficient vectors by considering their phase difference and amplitude difference, and compute global luminance similarity index by considering luminance changes. The final quality score is obtained by incorporating binocular combination based on sparse energy and sparse complexity. Experimental results on five public 3D image quality assessment databases demonstrate that in comparison with the most related existing methods, the devised algorithm achieves high consistency with subjective assessment.

The Effect of Number and Presentation Order of High-Constraint Sentences on Second Language Word Learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Tengfei; Chen, Ran; Dunlap, Susan; Chen, Baoguo

2016-01-01

This paper presents the results of an experiment that investigated the effects of number and presentation order of high-constraint sentences on semantic processing of unknown second language (L2) words (pseudowords) through reading. All participants were Chinese native speakers who learned English as a foreign language. In the experiment, sentence constraint and order of different constraint sentences were manipulated in English sentences, as well as L2 proficiency level of participants. We found that the number of high-constraint sentences was supportive for L2 word learning except in the condition in which high-constraint exposure was presented first. Moreover, when the number of high-constraint sentences was the same, learning was significantly better when the first exposure was a high-constraint exposure. And no proficiency level effects were found. Our results provided direct evidence that L2 word learning benefited from high quality language input and first presentations of high quality language input.

Summer Research Program - 1998 High School Apprenticeship Program Final Reports. Volume 12, Armstrong Laboratory

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Moore, Gary

1998-01-01

The United States Air Force Summer Research Program (USAF-SRP) is designed to introduce university, college, and technical institute faculty members, graduate students, and high school students to Air Force research...

Summer Research Program - 1996 High School Apprenticeship Program. Volume 16, Arnold Engineering Development Center

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Moore, Gary

1996-01-01

The United States Air Force Summer Research Program (USAF-SRP) is designed to introduce university, college, and technical institute faculty members, graduate students, and high school students to Air Force research...

Summer Research Program - 1997 High School Appenticeship Program Volume 16 Arnold Engineering Development Center

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Moore, Gary

1997-01-01

The United States Air Force Summer Research Program (USAF-SRP) is designed to introduce university, college, and technical institute faculty members, graduate students, and high school students to Air Force research...

NASA-Ames Summer High School Apprenticeship Research Program (SHARP)

Science.gov (United States)

Powell, P.

1983-01-01

The function of SHARP is to recognize high school juniors who have demonstrated unusually high promise for sucess in mathemtics and science. Twenty academically talented students who will be seniors in high school in September were chosen to participate in SHARP 83. Mentors were selected to provide students with first-hand experiences in a research and development environment in order that each student might try out his or her tentative professional career choice. Some special features of SHARP included field trips to private industries doing similar and related research, special lectures on topics of research here at ARC, individual and group counseling sessions, written research papers and oral reports, and primarily the opportunity to be exposed to the present frontiers in space exploration and research. The long-range goal of SHARP is to contribute to the future recruitment of needed scientists and engineers. This final report is summary of all the phases of the planning and implemenation of the 1983 Summer High School Apprenticeship Research Program (SHARP).

A critical reflection on how information communication technology can facilitate high quality teaching and learning for dyslexic children and their spelling

OpenAIRE

Green, Stacey

2017-01-01

This paper discusses how information communication technology (ICT) can facilitate high quality teaching and learning for dyslexic children and their spelling. Previous research has suggested that ICT can have a positive effect on dyslexic children’s spelling ability and confidence (Lange et al, 2006, Tuner and Pughe, 2003). The use of an IPad therefore was utilised in small group spelling sessions to assess the effect ICT, specifically IPads, can have on pupils who have a diagnosis of dyslex...

The role of context in preschool learning: a multilevel examination of the contribution of context-specific problem behaviors and classroom process quality to low-income children's approaches to learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Domínguez, Ximena; Vitiello, Virginia E; Fuccillo, Janna M; Greenfield, Daryl B; Bulotsky-Shearer, Rebecca J

2011-04-01

Research suggests that promoting adaptive approaches to learning early in childhood may help close the gap between advantaged and disadvantaged children. Recent research has identified specific child-level and classroom-level variables that are significantly associated with preschoolers' approaches to learning. However, further research is needed to understand the interactive effects of these variables and determine whether classroom-level variables buffer the detrimental effects of child-level risk variables. Using a largely urban and minority sample (N=275) of preschool children, the present study examined the additive and interactive effects of children's context-specific problem behaviors and classroom process quality dimensions on children's approaches to learning. Teachers rated children's problem behavior and approaches to learning and independent assessors conducted classroom observations to assess process quality. Problem behaviors in structured learning situations and in peer and teacher interactions were found to negatively predict variance in approaches to learning. Classroom process quality domains did not independently predict variance in approaches to learning. Nonetheless, classroom process quality played an important role in these associations; high emotional support buffered the detrimental effects of problem behavior, whereas high instructional support exacerbated them. The findings of this study have important implications for classroom practices aimed at helping children who exhibit problem behaviors. Copyright © 2010 Society for the Study of School Psychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Machine Learning Regression scheme to design a FR-Image Quality Assessment Algorithm

OpenAIRE

Charrier , Christophe; Lezoray , Olivier; Lebrun , Gilles

2012-01-01

International audience; A crucial step in image compression is the evaluation of its performance, and more precisely available ways to measure the quality of compressed images. In this paper, a machine learning expert, providing a quality score is proposed. This quality measure is based on a learned classification process in order to respect that of human observers. The proposed method namely Machine Learning-based Image Quality Measurment (MLIQM) first classifies the quality using multi Supp...

RULE-BASE METHOD FOR ANALYSIS OF QUALITY E-LEARNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

darsih darsih darsih

2016-04-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Assessing the quality of e-learning courses to measure the success of e-learning systems in online learning is essential. The system can be used to improve education. The study analyzes the quality of e-learning course on the web site www.kulon.undip.ac.id used a questionnaire with questions based on the variables of ISO 9126. Penilaiann Likert scale was used with a web app. Rule-base reasoning method is used to subject the quality of e-learningyang assessed. A case study conducted in four e-learning courses with 133 sample / respondents as users of the e-learning course. From the obtained results of research conducted both for the value of e-learning from each subject tested. In addition, each e-learning courses have different advantages depending on certain variables. Keywords : E-Learning, Rule-Base, Questionnaire, Likert, Measuring.

Quality of Learning Facilities and Learning Environment: Challenges for Teaching and Learning in Kenya's Public Universities

Science.gov (United States)

Ndirangu, Mwangi; Udoto, Maurice O.

2011-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to report findings on the perceptions of quality of educational facilities in Kenyan public universities, and the implications for teaching/learning, and the learning environment. Design/methodology/approach: The study adopted an exploratory descriptive design. A total of 332 and 107 undergraduate students…

3rd CERN-Fermilab Hadron Collider Physics Summer School

CERN Multimedia

2008-01-01

August 12-22, 2008, Fermilab The school web site is http://cern.ch/hcpss with links to the academic programme and the application procedure. The APPLICATION DEADLINE IS 29 FEBRUARY 2008. The goal of the CERN-Fermilab Hadron Collider Physics Summer Schools is to offer students and young researchers in high-energy physics a concentrated syllabus on the theory and experimental challenges of hadron collider physics. The third session of the summer school will focus on exposing young post-docs and advanced graduate students to broader theories and real data beyond what they’ve learned at their home institutions. Experts from across the globe will lecture on the theoretical and experimental foundations of hadron collider physics, host parallel discussion sessions and answer students’ questions. This year’s school will also have a greater focus on physics beyond the Standard Model, as well as more time for questions at the end of each lecture. The 2008 School will be held at ...

3rd CERN-Fermilab HadronCollider Physics Summer School

CERN Multimedia

EP Department

2008-01-01

August 12-22, 2008, Fermilab The school web site is http://cern.ch/hcpss with links to the academic programme and the application procedure. The APPLICATION DEADLINE IS 29 FEBRUARY 2008. The goal of the CERN-Fermilab Hadron Collider Physics Summer Schools is to offer students and young researchers in high-energy physics a concentrated syllabus on the theory and experimental challenges of hadron collider physics. The third session of the summer school will focus on exposing young post-docs and advanced graduate students to broader theories and real data beyond what they’ve learned at their home institutions. Experts from across the globe will lecture on the theoretical and experimental foundations of hadron collider physics, host parallel discussion sessions and answer students’ questions. This year’s school will also have a greater focus on physics beyond the Standard Model, as well as more time for questions at the end of each lecture. The 2008 School will be held at Fermilab. Further enquiries should ...

Recent very high heat stress summers will be the norm within 20 years

Science.gov (United States)

Li, C.; Zhang, X.; Zwiers, F. W.

2017-12-01

The wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) accounts for the effect of environmental temperature and humidity on thermal comfort, and is considered as a heat stress index most relevant to human health. In this study, we compare observation-based and modeled 1973-2012 summer WBGT over north hemispheric land between 10° N and 60° N covered by sufficient observations. We show that summer WBGT has trended upward since 1973, and that these upward trends are more likely to be anthropogenic than natural in origin. Of the observed 1.08 °C warming in summer WBGT during 1973-2012, greenhouse gas increases alone could have contributed 1.55 °C (90% confidence interval 1.04 2.25°C), which is partly offset by 0.51°C (0.01 1.20°C) cooling due to other anthropogenic forcings such as anthropogenic aerosols, ozone and land use change. At regional scales, the record summer mean WBGT experienced during 1973-2012 is now expected to be at least 70 times as likely to occur compared to if there were no anthropogenic influence. Future projections under the representative concentration pathway emissions scenario RCP8.5 that are constrained by observations indicate that within 20 years at least 50% of the future summers will have seasonal mean WBGT higher the highest in the historical record in all the analyzed regions, and that this percentage will increase dramatically to 95% by mid-century. The projected high WBGT temperatures can pose potentially dangerous impacts on human and natural systems, calling for urgent need for the development of adaptation measures.

Quality Management In Open And Distance Learning Situation ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The quality of Nigerian Education has been criticized from the lowest to the highest level of the system. It has been discussed in various mass media. People have expressed the need to raise the quality of our education in the country. This paper looks at the concepts of quality, management and open and distance learning.

e-Learning quality: Scale development and validation in Indian context

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arun Kumar Agariya

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to develop a reliable and valid e-learning quality measurement scales from the learner as well as faculty perspectives in Indian context. Exploratory factor analysis followed by confirmatory factor analysis was done which is presented in two forms; covariance model and the structural model. The covariance model shows that the factors namely collaboration, industry acceptance and value addition are important from the learner’s point of view whereas the factors namely transparency in assessment, technical know-how and engagement (from students are important from faculty point of view. Factors namely course content and design structures (technology/website design are found equally important for learner’s as well as faculty’s perspective. The structural models validate the previously extracted factors along with their indicators. The findings of this study validate the long held belief that e-learning quality is a multidimensional construct and serves as a critical success factor. The proposed scale will help in identifying issues that contribute towards e-learning quality in Indian context and thereby formulating strategies accordingly, resulting in efficient (in terms of cost and effective (outcomes e-learning practices, which is the necessity of the hour for the economic development of the country. A fair amount of literature on e-learning dealt with identifying factors explaining the constructs of quality, perceived value and satisfaction. But there is paucity of research pertaining to e-learning quality scale development and validation from the learner as well as faculty perspective. This study is an attempt to bridge this gap in the existing literature.

A Learning Based Precool Algorithm for Utilization of Foodstuff as Thermal Energy Storage

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vinther, Kasper; Rasmussen, Henrik; Izadi-Zamanabadi, Roozbeh

2013-01-01

Maintaining foodstuff within predefined temperature thresholds is important due to legislative requirements and to sustain high foodstuff quality. This is achieved using a refrigeration system. However, these systems might not be dimensioned for hot summer days or possible component performance...... degradation. A learning based algorithm is proposed in this paper, which precools the foodstuff in an anticipatory manner based on the saturation level in the system on recent days. The method is evaluated using a simulation model of a supermarket refrigeration system and simulations show that thermal energy...

Highly qualified does not equal high quality: A study of urban stakeholders' perceptions of quality in science teaching

Science.gov (United States)

Miranda, Rommel Joseph

By employing qualitative methods, this study sought to determine the perceptions that urban stakeholders hold about what characteristics should distinguish a high school science teacher whom they would consider to demonstrate high quality in science teaching. A maximum variation sample of six science teachers, three school administrators, six parents and six students from a large urban public school district were interviewed using semi-structured, in-depth interview techniques. From these data, a list of observable characteristics which urban stakeholders hold as evidence of high quality in science teaching was generated. Observational techniques were utilized to determine the extent to which six urban high school science teachers, who meet the NCLB Act criteria for being "highly qualified", actually possessed the characteristics which these stakeholders hold as evidence of high quality in science teaching. Constant comparative analysis was used to analyze the data set. The findings suggest that urban stakeholders perceive that a high school science teacher who demonstrates high quality in science teaching should be knowledgeable about their subject matter, their student population, and should be resourceful; should possess an academic background in science and professional experience in science teaching; should exhibit professionalism, a passion for science and teaching, and a dedication to teaching and student learning; should be skillful in planning and preparing science lessons and in organizing the classroom, in presenting the subject matter to students, in conducting a variety of hands-on activities, and in managing a classroom; and should assess whether students complete class goals and objectives, and provide feedback about grades for students promptly. The findings further reveal that some of the urban high school science teachers who were deemed to be "highly qualified", as defined by the NCLB Act, engaged in practices that threatened quality in science

An Evaluation Quality Framework for Analysing School-Based Learning (SBL) to Work-Based Learning (WBL) Transition Module

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alseddiqi, M; Mishra, R; Pislaru, C

2012-01-01

The paper presents the results from a quality framework to measure the effectiveness of a new engineering course entitled 'school-based learning (SBL) to work-based learning (WBL) transition module' in the Technical and Vocational Education (TVE) system in Bahrain. The framework is an extended version of existing information quality frameworks with respect to pedagogical and technological contexts. It incorporates specific pedagogical and technological dimensions as per the Bahrain modern industry requirements. Users' views questionnaire on the effectiveness of the new transition module was distributed to various stakeholders including TVE teachers and students. The aim was to receive critical information in diagnosing, monitoring and evaluating different views and perceptions about the effectiveness of the new module. The analysis categorised the quality dimensions by their relative importance. This was carried out using the principal component analysis available in SPSS. The analysis clearly identified the most important quality dimensions integrated in the new module for SBL-to-WBL transition. It was also apparent that the new module contains workplace proficiencies, prepares TVE students for work placement, provides effective teaching and learning methodologies, integrates innovative technology in the process of learning, meets modern industrial needs, and presents a cooperative learning environment for TVE students. From the principal component analysis finding, to calculate the percentage of relative importance of each factor and its quality dimensions, was significant. The percentage comparison would justify the most important factor as well as the most important quality dimensions. Also, the new, re-arranged quality dimensions from the finding with an extended number of factors tended to improve the extended version of the quality information framework to a revised quality framework.

Teaching High School Students Machine Learning Algorithms to Analyze Flood Risk Factors in River Deltas

Science.gov (United States)

Rose, R.; Aizenman, H.; Mei, E.; Choudhury, N.

2013-12-01

High School students interested in the STEM fields benefit most when actively participating, so I created a series of learning modules on how to analyze complex systems using machine-learning that give automated feedback to students. The automated feedbacks give timely responses that will encourage the students to continue testing and enhancing their programs. I have designed my modules to take the tactical learning approach in conveying the concepts behind correlation, linear regression, and vector distance based classification and clustering. On successful completion of these modules, students will learn how to calculate linear regression, Pearson's correlation, and apply classification and clustering techniques to a dataset. Working on these modules will allow the students to take back to the classroom what they've learned and then apply it to the Earth Science curriculum. During my research this summer, we applied these lessons to analyzing river deltas; we looked at trends in the different variables over time, looked for similarities in NDVI, precipitation, inundation, runoff and discharge, and attempted to predict floods based on the precipitation, waves mean, area of discharge, NDVI, and inundation.

Summer High School Apprenticeship Research Program (SHARP) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Science.gov (United States)

1984-01-01

A total of 125 talented high school students had the opportunity to gain first hand experience about science and engineering careers by working directly with a NASA scientist or engineer during the summer. This marked the fifth year of operation for NASA's Summer High School Apprenticehsip Research Program (SHARP). Ferguson Bryan served as the SHARP contractor and worked closely with NASA staff at Headquarters and the eight participating sites to plan, implement, and evaluate the Program. The main objectives were to strengthen SHARP and expand the number of students in the Program. These eight sites participated in the Program: Ames Research Center North, Ames' Dryden Flight Research Facility, Goddard Space Flight Center, Goddard's Wallops Flight Facility, Kennedy Space Center, Langley Research Center, Lewis Research Center, and Marshall Space Flight Center.

Summer 2014 Pathways Report

Science.gov (United States)

Hand, Zachary

2014-01-01

Over the summer I had the exciting opportunity to work for NASA at the Kennedy Space Center as a Mission Assurance Engineering intern. When I was offered a position in mission assurance for the Safety and Mission Assurance directorate's Launch Services Division, I didn't really know what I would be doing, but I knew it would be an excellent opportunity to learn and grow professionally. In this report I will provide some background information on the Launch Services Division, as well as detail my duties and accomplishments during my time as an intern. Additionally, I will relate the significance of my work experience to my current academic work and future career goals. This report contains background information on Mission Assurance Engineering, a description of my duties and accomplishments over the summer of 2014, and relates the significance of my work experience to my school work and future career goals. It is a required document for the Pathways program.

Quality of E-Learners’ Time and Learning Performance Beyond Quantitative Time-on-Task

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Margarida Romero

2011-06-01

Full Text Available AbstractAlong with the amount of time spent learning (or time-on-task, the quality of learning time has a real influence on learning performance. Quality of time in online learning depends on students’ time availability and their willingness to devote quality cognitive time to learning activities. However, the quantity and quality of the time spent by adult e-learners on learning activities can be reduced by professional, family, and social commitments. Considering that the main time pattern followed by most adult e-learners is a professional one, it may be beneficial for online education programs to offer a certain degree of flexibility in instructional time that might allow adult learners to adjust their learning times to their professional constraints. However, using the time left over once professional and family requirements have been fulfilled could lead to a reduction in quality time for learning. This paper starts by introducing the concept of quality of learning time from an online student-centred perspective. The impact of students’ time-related variables (working hours, time-on-task engagement, time flexibility, time of day, day of week is then analyzed according to individual and collaborative grades achieved during an online master’s degree program. The data show that both students’ time flexibility (r = .98 and especially their availability to learn in the morning are related to better grades in individual (r = .93 and collaborative activities (r = .46.

The role of learning and customer orientation for delivering service quality to patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Bellou, Victoria

2010-01-01

This study seeks to investigate the impact that learning orientation, internal and external customer orientation have on quality of care delivered to patients. Additionally, given the differences between managerial and non-managerial employees regarding organizational value perception and focus on the needs of internal customers and patients, the study aims to examine potential variations in these relationships. The study took place in ten out of 31 public hospitals operating in the five largest districts in continental Greece. Hospitals were chosen on a random basis. Out of 800 questionnaires that were personally administered, 499 usable responses were gathered. The extent to which employees create and use knowledge and focus on satisfying the needs of both internal customers and patients is indicative of the quality of care provided. In addition, only managerial employees believe that learning orientation reinforces quality of care. The fact that employees rated quality of care delivered to patients and that most employees had extended tenure should be taken into consideration when interpreting these findings. Top management needs to create a strong and clear culture that emphasizes learning, as well as internal customer and patient orientation, and infuse them among all organizational members. Moreover, human resource management policies should be aligned to meeting or exceeding patients' requests and expectations. The paper enhances existing knowledge with regard to the antecedents of offering medical care of high quality.

The Impact of the Summer Seminar Program on Midshipman Performance: Does Summer Seminar Participation Influence Success at the Naval Academy?

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Norton, Michael

2004-01-01

.... Based on this literature, it is theorized that Summer Seminar program participation will be positively correlated to increased graduation rates and increased academic cumulative quality point ratings...

Characteristics of summer-time energy exchange in a high Arctic tundra heath 2000–2010

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Magnus Lund

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Global warming will bring about changes in surface energy balance of Arctic ecosystems, which will have implications for ecosystem structure and functioning, as well as for climate system feedback mechanisms. In this study, we present a unique, long-term (2000–2010 record of summer-time energy balance components (net radiation, R n; sensible heat flux, H; latent heat flux, LE; and soil heat flux, G from a high Arctic tundra heath in Zackenberg, Northeast Greenland. This area has been subjected to strong summer-time warming with increasing active layer depths (ALD during the last decades. We observe high energy partitioning into H, low partitioning into LE and high Bowen ratio (β=H/LE compared with other Arctic sites, associated with local climatic conditions dominated by onshore winds, slender vegetation with low transpiration activity and relatively dry soils. Surface saturation vapour pressure deficit (D s was found to be an important variable controlling within-year surface energy partitioning. Throughout the study period, we observe increasing H/R n and LE/R n and decreasing G/R n and β, related to increasing ALD and decreasing soil wetness. Thus, changes in summer-time surface energy balance partitioning in Arctic ecosystems may be of importance for the climate system.

Developing mathematics learning set for special-needs junior high school student oriented to learning interest and achievement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ai Sadidah

2016-11-01

Full Text Available This study aims to produce a mathematics learning set for special-needs students (mathematical learning disability and mathematically gifted of Junior High School Grade VIII Second Semester oriented to learning interests and achievement which is valid, practical, and effective. This study was a research and development study using the Four-D development model consisting of four stages: (1 define, (2 design, (3 develop, and (4 disseminate. The quality of learning set consisting of the following three criterions: (1 validity, (2 practicality, and (3 effectiveness.  The data analysis technique used in this study is a descriptive quantitative analysis. The research produced learning set consisting of lesson plans and student worksheets. The result of the research shows that: (1 the learning set fulfill the valid criteria base on experts’ appraisal; (2 the learning set fulfill the practical criterion base on teacher’s and students’ questionnaire, and observation of learning implementation; (3 the learning set fulfill the effectiveness criterion base on learning interest and achievement.

REVITALIZATION OF ENGLISH TEACHER EDUCATION: AN EFFORT TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF STUDENTS‟ LEARNING IN ENGLISH

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdul Muth‘im

2017-04-01

Full Text Available It is commonly believed that the quality of teachers correlates with the quality of students‘ learning. This implies that if the quality of teachers is good the quality of students‘ learning will be good too. On the contrary, if the quality of teachers is bad the quality of students‘ learning will be bad too. The following data may justify this belief. First, the results of UKA (Uji Kompetensi Awal and UKG (Uji Kompetensi Guru held by the Ministry of Education and Culture in 2012 indicate that the mean score of the first was 42.25 whereas the mean score of the second was 45.82 – lower than the passing grade of UN (Ujian Nasional. When they are correlated with the results of study carried out by PISA on mathematics, natural sciences and language in 2009 and the study conducted by TIMSS on mathematics and natural sciences in 2007 and 2011 the belief may have its justification. PISA‘s study uncovered that Indonesian students were only in level 3 (out of 6 levels. Whereas, TIMSS‘ study revealed that around 95% of Indonesian junior high school students could only reach intermediate level (among five levels. Based on the above data, there must some efforts that must be done to improve the quality of teachers so that the quality of students‘ learning can be made better too. Revitalization of language teacher education is suggested to be one of the solutions.

Water Quality Monitoring of an Urban Estuary and a Coastal Aquifer Using Field Kits and Meters: A Community-Based Environmental Research Project

Science.gov (United States)

Jung, Hun Bok; Zamora, Felix; Duzgoren-Aydin, Nurdan S.

2017-01-01

Water quality is an important interdisciplinary environmental topic for project-based learning. An undergraduate summer research internship program at a public minority serving institution engaged environmental science majors in community-based research experiences. The research focused on the field monitoring of water quality for surface water…

Implementation of dictionary pair learning algorithm for image quality improvement

Science.gov (United States)

Vimala, C.; Aruna Priya, P.

2018-04-01

This paper proposes an image denoising on dictionary pair learning algorithm. Visual information is transmitted in the form of digital images is becoming a major method of communication in the modern age, but the image obtained after transmissions is often corrupted with noise. The received image needs processing before it can be used in applications. Image denoising involves the manipulation of the image data to produce a visually high quality image.

A Context-Based Approach to E-Learning Quality

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kjærgaard, Hanne Wacher; Kjeldsen, Lars Peter

The aim of the article is to provide new, operational knowledge concerning implementation and quality assurance of e-learning. This is done through the merging of the two models presented in Högskoleverket’s report (Högskoleverket, 2008) and the article, ”The quality of evaluation is enhanced, when...... the model used is contextualized”2 (Kjeldsen, Laursen, & Mark, 2010) respectively. The article builds on the basic assumption that staff who are introduced to e-learning need to know why they must acquire new knowledge and skills, and what it will take for them to reach a position where they master the new...

Results of Summer Enrichment Program to Promote High School Students' Interest in Engineering

Science.gov (United States)

Hart, Brenda; McAnulty, Kate

2014-01-01

For more than thirty years, personnel from the University of Louisville J.B. Speed School of Engineering have presented a summer program targeting high school students historically underrepresented in engineering fields. INSPIRE provides these students with an introduction to careers in engineering and assists the students in planning their…

Tree Rings Show Recent High Summer-Autumn Precipitation in Northwest Australia Is Unprecedented within the Last Two Centuries.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alison J O'Donnell

Full Text Available An understanding of past hydroclimatic variability is critical to resolving the significance of recent recorded trends in Australian precipitation and informing climate models. Our aim was to reconstruct past hydroclimatic variability in semi-arid northwest Australia to provide a longer context within which to examine a recent period of unusually high summer-autumn precipitation. We developed a 210-year ring-width chronology from Callitris columellaris, which was highly correlated with summer-autumn (Dec-May precipitation (r = 0.81; 1910-2011; p < 0.0001 and autumn (Mar-May self-calibrating Palmer drought severity index (scPDSI, r = 0.73; 1910-2011; p < 0.0001 across semi-arid northwest Australia. A linear regression model was used to reconstruct precipitation and explained 66% of the variance in observed summer-autumn precipitation. Our reconstruction reveals inter-annual to multi-decadal scale variation in hydroclimate of the region during the last 210 years, typically showing periods of below average precipitation extending from one to three decades and periods of above average precipitation, which were often less than a decade. Our results demonstrate that the last two decades (1995-2012 have been unusually wet (average summer-autumn precipitation of 310 mm compared to the previous two centuries (average summer-autumn precipitation of 229 mm, coinciding with both an anomalously high frequency and intensity of tropical cyclones in northwest Australia and the dominance of the positive phase of the Southern Annular Mode.

Tree Rings Show Recent High Summer-Autumn Precipitation in Northwest Australia Is Unprecedented within the Last Two Centuries

Science.gov (United States)

O'Donnell, Alison J.; Cook, Edward R.; Palmer, Jonathan G.; Turney, Chris S. M.; Page, Gerald F. M.; Grierson, Pauline F.

2015-01-01

An understanding of past hydroclimatic variability is critical to resolving the significance of recent recorded trends in Australian precipitation and informing climate models. Our aim was to reconstruct past hydroclimatic variability in semi-arid northwest Australia to provide a longer context within which to examine a recent period of unusually high summer-autumn precipitation. We developed a 210-year ring-width chronology from Callitris columellaris, which was highly correlated with summer-autumn (Dec–May) precipitation (r = 0.81; 1910–2011; p < 0.0001) and autumn (Mar–May) self-calibrating Palmer drought severity index (scPDSI, r = 0.73; 1910–2011; p < 0.0001) across semi-arid northwest Australia. A linear regression model was used to reconstruct precipitation and explained 66% of the variance in observed summer-autumn precipitation. Our reconstruction reveals inter-annual to multi-decadal scale variation in hydroclimate of the region during the last 210 years, typically showing periods of below average precipitation extending from one to three decades and periods of above average precipitation, which were often less than a decade. Our results demonstrate that the last two decades (1995–2012) have been unusually wet (average summer-autumn precipitation of 310 mm) compared to the previous two centuries (average summer-autumn precipitation of 229 mm), coinciding with both an anomalously high frequency and intensity of tropical cyclones in northwest Australia and the dominance of the positive phase of the Southern Annular Mode. PMID:26039148

Students' Conception of Learning Environment and Their Approach to Learning and Its Implication on Quality Education

Science.gov (United States)

Belaineh, Matheas Shemelis

2017-01-01

Quality of education in higher institutions can be affected by different factors. It partly rests on the learning environment created by teachers and the learning approach students are employing during their learning. The main purpose of this study is to examine the learning environment at Mizan Tepi University from students' perspective and their…

School-Based Health Education Programmes, Health-Learning Capacity and Child Oral Health--related Quality of Life

Science.gov (United States)

Freeman, Ruth; Gibson, Barry; Humphris, Gerry; Leonard, Helen; Yuan, Siyang; Whelton, Helen

2016-01-01

Objective: To use a model of health learning to examine the role of health-learning capacity and the effect of a school-based oral health education intervention (Winning Smiles) on the health outcome, child oral health-related quality of life (COHRQoL). Setting: Primary schools, high social deprivation, Ireland/Northern Ireland. Design: Cluster…

Factors that Impact Quality of E-Teaching/Learning Technologies in Higher Education

Science.gov (United States)

Daukilas, Sigitas; Kaciniene, Irma; Vaisnoriene, Daiva; Vascila, Vytautas

2008-01-01

The article analyzes and assesses factors that have impact upon the quality of eTeaching/learning technologies in higher education; it is on their basis that the concept of eTeaching/learning quality is denied. Research data about the students' motives in choosing various teaching/learning technologies for the development of their competence are…

The role of summer precipitation and summer temperature in establishment and growth of dwarf shrub Betula nana in northeast Siberian tundra

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Li, Bingxi; Heijmans, Monique M P D; Berendse, Frank

2016-01-01

It is widely believed that deciduous tundra-shrub dominance is increasing in the pan-Arctic region, mainly due to rising temperature. We sampled dwarf birch (Betula nana L.) at a northeastern Siberian tundra site and used dendrochronological methods to explore the relationship between climatic...... variables and local shrub dominance. We found that establishment of shrub ramets was positively related to summer precipitation, which implies that the current high dominance of B. nana at our study site could be related to high summer precipitation in the period from 1960 to 1990. The results confirmed...... that early summer temperature is most influential to annual growth rates of B. nana. In addition, summer precipitation stimulated shrub growth in years with warm summers, suggesting that B. nana growth may be co-limited by summer moisture supply. The dual controlling role of temperature and summer...

Application of a simulation model of water quality in the improvement of high basin of Rio Negro - Antioquia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Molina Perez, Francisco; Wills Toro, Alvaro; Ramirez Cardona, Juan F

1995-01-01

The present article consigns the application of a model of water quality: QUAL2E, of the high basin of the Rio Negro in the East Antioquia. The system Rio Negro was divided in 16 homogeneous tracts, in which 15 seating capacity stations and sampling were located, this way 5 in the Rio Negro and 10 in the main flowing gulches. In the period October of 1993 to May of 1994, they were carried out 10 samplings of quality of the water, coupling this way, the basic data for the hydrological scenarios of summer, intermission and winter. Later on it was carried out the calibration of the pattern for the summer and the validation for winter; the parameters were refined especially suspended solids, dissolved oxygen and DBO5. The use of the pattern allows carrying out the prospective for the quality of the water in the region facilitating a better one taking of decisions in the related with the use of the resource and actions of prevention and control

High Arctic summer warming tracked by increased Cassiope tetragona growth in the world's northernmost polar desert.

Science.gov (United States)

Weijers, Stef; Buchwal, Agata; Blok, Daan; Löffler, Jörg; Elberling, Bo

2017-11-01

Rapid climate warming has resulted in shrub expansion, mainly of erect deciduous shrubs in the Low Arctic, but the more extreme, sparsely vegetated, cold and dry High Arctic is generally considered to remain resistant to such shrub expansion in the next decades. Dwarf shrub dendrochronology may reveal climatological causes of past changes in growth, but is hindered at many High Arctic sites by short and fragmented instrumental climate records. Moreover, only few High Arctic shrub chronologies cover the recent decade of substantial warming. This study investigated the climatic causes of growth variability of the evergreen dwarf shrub Cassiope tetragona between 1927 and 2012 in the northernmost polar desert at 83°N in North Greenland. We analysed climate-growth relationships over the period with available instrumental data (1950-2012) between a 102-year-long C. tetragona shoot length chronology and instrumental climate records from the three nearest meteorological stations, gridded climate data, and North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and Arctic Oscillation (AO) indices. July extreme maximum temperatures (JulT emx ), as measured at Alert, Canada, June NAO, and previous October AO, together explained 41% of the observed variance in annual C. tetragona growth and likely represent in situ summer temperatures. JulT emx explained 27% and was reconstructed back to 1927. The reconstruction showed relatively high growing season temperatures in the early to mid-twentieth century, as well as warming in recent decades. The rapid growth increase in C. tetragona shrubs in response to recent High Arctic summer warming shows that recent and future warming might promote an expansion of this evergreen dwarf shrub, mainly through densification of existing shrub patches, at High Arctic sites with sufficient winter snow cover and ample water supply during summer from melting snow and ice as well as thawing permafrost, contrasting earlier notions of limited shrub growth sensitivity to

Teaching Surgical Procedures with Movies: Tips for High-quality Video Clips

OpenAIRE

Jacquemart, Mathieu; Bouletreau, Pierre; Breton, Pierre; Mojallal, Ali; Sigaux, Nicolas

2016-01-01

Summary: Video must now be considered as a precious tool for learning surgery. However, the medium does present production challenges, and currently, quality movies are not always accessible. We developed a series of 7 surgical videos and made them available on a publicly accessible internet website. Our videos have been viewed by thousands of people worldwide. High-quality educational movies must respect strategic and technical points to be reliable.

Teaching Surgical Procedures with Movies: Tips for High-quality Video Clips.

Science.gov (United States)

Jacquemart, Mathieu; Bouletreau, Pierre; Breton, Pierre; Mojallal, Ali; Sigaux, Nicolas

2016-09-01

Video must now be considered as a precious tool for learning surgery. However, the medium does present production challenges, and currently, quality movies are not always accessible. We developed a series of 7 surgical videos and made them available on a publicly accessible internet website. Our videos have been viewed by thousands of people worldwide. High-quality educational movies must respect strategic and technical points to be reliable.

The summer school students’ viewpoints about important factors in learning, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

LEILA BAZRAFCAN

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Introduction: The main goal of education is learning and change in behavior which has been revolutionized in the 21st century due to the rapid and widespread changes in science. The traditional approach to education does no longer meet the learners’ needs, necessitating new changes in educational curricula. This study was designed to determine the factors influencing learning in the 21st century and find out the students’ viewpoints on this issue. Methods: This is a descriptive study aiming at determining the students’ views on new approaches to learning in the 21st century. To do so, a researcher-made questionnaire was designed. It contained 30 questions in 3 sections including demographic data, background questions and two open questions about their suggestions and criticisms. The reliability and validity of the questionnaire was pilot-tested and measured, which proved to be describable. 150 students participating in university summer schools in Shiraz University of Medical Sciences were enrolled. The questionnaires were sent to the students in person and through electronic mails. The students were asked to return the completed questionnaires to the given email address. The data were analyzed in SPSS, version 14, using descriptive statistics of frequency, mean, percentage and standard deviation and t-test. P<0. 05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: 150 questionnaires were appropriately filled out and given to the researchers. The results indicated that, according to the students, 6 factors including the use of computer in teaching, enhancement of virtual learning, the use of mobile in relations, enjoyment of electronic learning contexts, the learning focus on attitudes and the facilitating role of the lectures were the most influential factors in learning. On the other hand, the government’s responsibility and responsiveness, creativity and risk taking, increase in the social relationship among the learners, focus on

A Study on Knowledge Gain and Retention when Using Multimedia Learning Materials of Different Quality

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maja Gligora Marković

2015-07-01

The results of an experimental study that involves low-quality and high-quality MLMs for two different topics and their effects on knowledge gain and retention of the polytechnic school students are presented. For the purpose of the research the LORI assessment tool was used to evaluate the quality of MLMs. The analysis of research data shows that MLMs developed according to the principles of multimedia learning and principles for reducing cognitive load were perceived as being of higher quality than those that were not developed using multimedia principles. Furthermore, the students’ usage of high-quality MLMs during treatment resulted in better knowledge acquisition and retention indicated by significantly higher scores in the three knowledge assessments.

The implementation of e-learning with team builder at vocational high schools

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mahmud Al Haq Patwary

2015-06-01

Full Text Available This research is aimed at: (1 producing an appropriate e-learning for English language studies in vocational high school, (2 evaluating the suitability of the developed e-learning in terms of appropriateness, accuracy and clarity, screen presentation and design, and appropriateness of the team builder module aspect, and (3 evaluating the effectiveness of the e-learning in practical application. This research and development (R&D study used Alessi and Trollip’s model rearranged following ADDIE model, where the development of instruction followed Dick and Carey’s model and the need assessment procedures were adapted from Lee & Owens. Overall appropriateness and quality of the e-learning from alpha testing is ‘very appropriate’ and from beta testing is ‘excellent’. Alpha testing reveals that, the Team Builder Module is ‘very appropriate’ and beta testing reveals that, its overall quality is ‘excellent’. The e-learning is highly effective. The average score of the students raises 3.82 points (or 42.44% in the post-test from pre-test score. The minimum score of the post-test (i.e. 8 is more than the maximum score of the pre-test (i.e. 7, so it is concluded that the use of e-learning does not deteriorate the performance of the students, but improves their performance.

Summer Research Program - 1997. High School Apprenticeship Program. Final Reports, Volume 12A, Armstrong Laboratory

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Moore, Gary

1997-01-01

The United States Air Force Summer Research Program (USAF-SRP) is designed to introduce university, college, and technical institute faculty members, graduate students, and high school students to Air Force research...

Summer Research Program - 1997. High School Apprenticeship Program. Final Reports Volume 15B, Wright Laboratory

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Moore, Gary

1997-01-01

The United States Air Force Summer Research Program (USAF-SRP) is designed to introduce university, college, and technical institute faculty members, graduate students, and high school students to Air Force research...

Summer Research Program - 1996. High School Apprenticeship Program Final Reports. Volume 15B, Wright Laboratory

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Moore, Gary

1996-01-01

The United States Air Force Summer Research Program (USAF-SRP) is designed to introduce university, college, and technical institute faculty members, graduate students, and high school students to Air Force research...

Summer Research Program - 1997. High School Apprenticeship Program Final Reports. Volume 15A, Wright Laboratory

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Moore, Gary

1997-01-01

The United States Air Force Summer Research Program (USAF-SRP) is designed to introduce university, college, and technical institute faculty members, graduate students, and high school students to Air Force research...

Summer Research Program - 1997. High School Apprenticeship Program. Final Reports. Volume 15C, Wright Laboratory

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Moore, Gary

1997-01-01

The United States Air Force Summer Research Program (USAF-SRP) is designed to introduce university, college, and technical institute faculty members, graduate students, and high school students to Air Force research...

Summer of Seasons Workshop Program for Emerging Educators in Earth System Science

Science.gov (United States)

Chaudhury, S. Raj

2002-01-01

Norfolk State University BEST Lab successfully hosted three Summer of Seasons programs from 1998-2001. The Summer of Seasons program combined activities during the summer with additional seminars and workshops to provide broad outreach in the number of students and teachers who participated. Lessons learned from the each of the first two years of this project were incorporated into the design of the final year's activities. The "Summer of Seasons" workshop program provided emerging educators with the familiarity and knowledge to utilize in the classroom curriculum materials developed through NASA sponsorship on Earth System Science. A special emphasis was placed on the use of advanced technologies to dispel the commonly held misconceptions regarding seasonal, climactic and global change phenomena.

Summer Schools In Nuclear Chemistry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clark, Sue; Herbert, Mieva; Mantica, Paul

2006-01-01

This the report for the 5 year activities for the ACS Summer Schools in Nuclear and Radiochemistry. The American Chemical Society's Summer Schools in Nuclear and Radiochemistry were held at Brookhaven National Laboratory (Upton, NY) and San Jose State University (San Jose, CA) during the award period February 1, 2002 to January 31, 2007. The Summer Schools are intensive, six-week program involving both a lecture component covering fundamental principles of nuclear chemistry and radiochemistry and a laboratory component allowing hands-on experience for the students to test many of the basic principles they learn about in lecture. Each site hosted 12 undergraduate students annually, and students received coursework credits towards their undergraduate degrees. Up to 7 student credit hours were earned at San Jose State University, and Brookhaven students received up to 6 college credits through BNL's management partner, SUNY Stony Brook. Funding from the award period covered travel, housing, educational expenses, and student stipends, for the 24 undergraduate participants. Furthermore, funding was also used to cover expenses for lecturers and staff to run the programs at the two facilities. The students were provided with nuclear and radiochemistry training equivalent to a three-hour upper-level undergraduate course along with a two-hour hands-on laboratory experience within the six-week summer period. Lectures were held 5 days per week. Students completed an extensive laboratory sequence, as well as radiation safety training at the start of the Summer Schools. The summer school curriculum was enhanced with a Guest Lecture series, as well as through several one-day symposia and organized field trips to nuclear-related research and applied science laboratories. This enrichment afforded an opportunity for students to see the broader impacts of nuclear science in today's world, and to experience some of the future challenges through formal and informal discussions with

A Model for Discussing the Quality of Technology-Enhanced Learning in Blended Learning Programmes

Science.gov (United States)

Casanova, Diogo; Moreira, António

2017-01-01

This paper presents a comprehensive model for supporting informed and critical discussions concerning the quality of Technology-Enhanced Learning in Blended Learning programmes. The model aims to support discussions around domains such as how institutions are prepared, the participants' background and expectations, the course design, and the…

Fostering the Quality of Teaching and Learning by Developing the "Neglected Half " of University Teachers' Competencies

Science.gov (United States)

Marentic Požarnik, Barica; Lavric, Andreja

2015-01-01

For too long, the quality of teaching and learning in universities has been undervalued in comparison to research. Current social, economic, ecological and other challenges require that more attention be given to measures to improve the situation. Academic staff should receive incentives, policy support and high-quality pedagogical training to…

Quality Assurance in E-Learning: PDPP Evaluation Model and Its Application

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Weiyuan; Cheng, Y. L.

2012-01-01

E-learning has become an increasingly important teaching and learning mode in educational institutions and corporate training. The evaluation of e-learning, however, is essential for the quality assurance of e-learning courses. This paper constructs a four-phase evaluation model for e-learning courses, which includes planning, development,…

Language and Text-to-Speech Technologies for Highly Accessible Language & Culture Learning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anouk Gelan

2011-06-01

Full Text Available This contribution presents the results of the “Speech technology integrated learning modules for Intercultural Dialogue” project. The project objective was to increase the availability and quality of e-learning opportunities for less widely-used and less taught European languages using a user-friendly and highly accessible learning environment. The integration of new Text-to-Speech developments into web-based authoring software for tutorial CALL had a double goal: on the one hand increase the accessibility of e-learning packages, also for learners having difficulty reading (e.g. dyslexic learners or preferring auditory learning; on the other hand exploiting some didactic possibilities of this technology.

Game-Based Learning in an OpenSim-Supported Virtual Environment on Perceived Motivational Quality of Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Heesung; Ke, Fengfeng; Paek, Insu

2017-01-01

This experimental study was intended to examine whether game-based learning (GBL) that encompasses four particular game characteristics (challenges, a storyline, immediate rewards and the integration of game-play with learning content) in an OpenSimulator-supported virtual reality learning environment can improve perceived motivational quality of…

eLearning-radiology.com. Sustainability for quality assurance; eLearning-radiology.com. Nachhaltigkeit im Sinne der Qualitaetssicherung

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ketelsen, D. [Tuebingen Univ. (Germany). Abt. fuer Diagnostische und Interventionelle Radiologie; Talanow, R. [Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH (United States). Abt. fuer Nuklearmedizin; Uder, M. [Erlangen-Nuernberg Univ. (Germany). Inst. fuer Diagnostische Radiologie; Grunewald, M. [Erlangen-Nuernberg Univ. (Germany). Nuklearmedizinische Klinik

2009-04-15

Purpose: The aim of the study was to analyze the availability of published radiological e-learning tools and to establish a solution for quality assurance. Materials and Methods: Substantial pubmed research was performed to identify radiological e-learning tools. 181 e-learning programs were selected. As examples two databases expanding their programs with external links, Compare (n = 435 external links) and TNT-Radiology (n = 1078 external links), were evaluated. A concept for quality assurance was developed by an international taskforce. Results: At the time of assessment, 56.4 % (102/181) of the investigated e-learning tools were accessible at their original URL. A subgroup analysis of programs published 5 to 8 years ago showed significantly inferior availability to programs published 3 to 5 years ago (p < 0.01). The analysis of external links showed 49.2 % and 61.0 % accessible links for the programs Compare (published 2003) and TNT-Radiology (published 2006), respectively. As a consequence, the domain www.eLearning-radiology.com was developed by the taskforce and published online. This tool allows authors to present their programs and users to evaluate the e-learning tools depending on several criteria in order to remove inoperable links and to obtain information about the complexity and quality of the e-learning tools. (orig.)

Collaborative activities for improving the quality of science teaching and learning and learning to teach science

Science.gov (United States)

Tobin, Kenneth

2012-03-01

I have been involved in research on collaborative activities for improving the quality of teaching and learning high school science. Initially the collaborative activities we researched involved the uses of coteaching and cogenerative dialogue in urban middle and high schools in Philadelphia and New York (currently I have active research sites in New York and Brisbane, Australia). The research not only transformed practices but also produced theories that informed the development of additional collaborative activities and served as interventions for research and creation of heuristics for professional development programs and teacher certification courses. The presentation describes a collage of collaborative approaches to teaching and learning science, including coteaching, cogenerative dialogue, radical listening, critical reflection, and mindful action. For each activity in the collage I provide theoretical frameworks and empirical support, ongoing research, and priorities for the road ahead. I also address methodologies used in the research, illustrating how teachers and students collaborated as researchers in multilevel investigations of teaching and learning and learning to teach that included ethnography, video analysis, and sophisticated analyses of the voice, facial expression of emotion, eye gaze, and movement of the body during classroom interactions. I trace the evolution of studies of face-to-face interactions in science classes to the current focus on emotions and physiological aspects of teaching and learning (e.g., pulse rate, pulse strength, breathing patterns) that relate to science participation and achievement.

The use of induced mutation combined with crossing in high quality rice breeding

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Do Huu At; Bui Huy Thuy; Nguyen Van Bich; Tran Duy Quy; Nguyen Minh Cong

2001-01-01

The high quality rice varieties: Tam thom mutant rice Var., DT17 rice Var, DT21 glutinous rice Var were formed by induced mutation combined with crossing. Tam thom mutant rice Var. lost photosensitivity, could be planted 2 crops/year. DT17 rice Var with high yielding capacity, suitable for growth on lowland in summer crop, is replacing step-by-step Moctuyen rice Var. in North Vietnam. DT21 glutinous rice Var. could be planted 2 crops/year and had short growth duration, average yield was 4.0-4.5 tons/ha. These three ones had good quality, soft and scent cooked rice, suitable for customers and export requirements. Tam thom mutant rice Var. DT17 rice Var., DT21 and glutinous rice Var. were adopted for regional production by Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and allowed to be in trial production. (author)

The use of induced mutation combined with crossing in high quality rice breeding

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Do Huu At; Bui Huy Thuy; Nguyen Van Bich; Tran Duy Quy [Agricultural Genetics Institute, Division of Genetics and Hybrid Rice Technology, Hanoi (Viet Nam); Nguyen Minh Cong [Hanoi No. 1 Teacher Training Univ., Department of Genetics (Viet Nam)

2001-03-01

The high quality rice varieties: Tam thom mutant rice Var., DT17 rice Var, DT21 glutinous rice Var were formed by induced mutation combined with crossing. Tam thom mutant rice Var. lost photosensitivity, could be planted 2 crops/year. DT17 rice Var with high yielding capacity, suitable for growth on lowland in summer crop, is replacing step-by-step Moctuyen rice Var. in North Vietnam. DT21 glutinous rice Var. could be planted 2 crops/year and had short growth duration, average yield was 4.0-4.5 tons/ha. These three ones had good quality, soft and scent cooked rice, suitable for customers and export requirements. Tam thom mutant rice Var. DT17 rice Var., DT21 and glutinous rice Var. were adopted for regional production by Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and allowed to be in trial production. (author)

Do quality improvement collaboratives' educational components match the dominant learning style preferences of the participants?

Science.gov (United States)

Weggelaar-Jansen, Anne Marie; van Wijngaarden, Jeroen; Slaghuis, Sarah-Sue

2015-06-20

Quality improvement collaboratives are used to improve healthcare by various organizations. Despite their popularity literature shows mixed results on their effectiveness. A quality improvement collaborative can be seen as a temporary learning organization in which knowledge about improvement themes and methods is exchanged. In this research we studied: Does the learning approach of a quality improvement collaborative match the learning styles preferences of the individual participants and how does that affect the learning process of participants? This research used a mixed methods design combining a validated learning style questionnaire with data collected in the tradition of action research methodology to study two Dutch quality improvement collaboratives. The questionnaire is based on the learning style model of Ruijters and Simons, distinguishing five learning style preferences: Acquisition of knowledge, Apperception from others, Discovery of new insights, Exercising in fictitious situations and Participation with others. The most preferred learning styles of the participants were Discovery and Participation. The learning style Acquisition was moderately preferred and Apperception and Exercising were least preferred. The educational components of the quality improvement collaboratives studied (national conferences, half-day learning sessions, faculty site visits and use of an online tool) were predominantly associated with the learning styles Acquisition and Apperception. We observed a decrease in attendance to the learning activities and non-conformance with the standardized set goals and approaches. We conclude that the participants' satisfaction with the offered learning approach changed over time. The lacking match between these learning style preferences and the learning approach in the educational components of the quality improvement collaboratives studied might be the reason why the participants felt they did not gain new insights and therefore ceased

My Summer with Science Policy

Science.gov (United States)

Murray, Marissa

This past summer I interned at the American Institute of Physics and helped research and write articles for the FYI Science Policy Bulletin. FYI is an objective digest of science policy developments in Washington, D.C. that impact the greater physical sciences community. Over the course of the summer, I independently attended, analyzed, and reported on a variety of science, technology, and funding related events including congressional hearings, government agency advisory committee meetings, and scientific society events. I wrote and co-wrote three articles on basic energy research legislation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology improvement act, and the National Science Foundation's big ideas for future investment. I had the opportunity to examine some challenging questions such as what is the role of government in funding applied research? How should science priorities be set? What is the right balance of funding across different agencies and programs? I learned about how science policy is a two-way street: science is used to inform policy decisions and policy is made to fund and regulate the conduct of science. I will conclude with how my summer working with FYI showed me the importance of science advocacy, being informed, and voting. Society of Physics Students.

Using Early Learning Standards to Provide High-Quality Education for All Children: The Early Learning Guidelines Toolkit

Science.gov (United States)

Flores, Roseanne L.; Curby, Timothy W.; Coleman, Hardin; Melo, Kristan

2016-01-01

Today with the rise in the number of 3- to 6-year-old children enrolled in center-based early childhood programs, and a focus on program quality, it becomes imperative for educators to have a better understanding of the role research plays in establishing high-quality programs as these programs provide much of the foundation that supports early…

Summer Camp, July 2016

CERN Multimedia

Staff Association

2016-01-01

During the month of July, the Staff Association’s Children’s Day-Care Centre and School EVEE held a summer camp for 4- to 6-year-olds. 24 children altogether joined in on the adventures. On the summer camp, the children got to “travel” to a different continent of the world every week. Day after day, they would pass through make-believe Customs upon arrival and get their passports stamped by a “customs officer”. For the first week, we went on a trip to Africa. In the spirit of the theme, the children got to do plenty of crafts and coloring, make their own little bindles and play various games. They even had the chance to visit the Museum of Ethnography in Geneva (MEG), learn to play the balafon and make musical instruments with Sterrenlab. For the second week, we set off to discover the Americas, exploring both the South and the North. Alongside different workshops (singing, dancing, storytelling, crafts), the children could enjoy several special ac...

Quality Computer Assisted Mobile Learning (CAML and Distance Education Leadership in Managing Technology Enhanced Learning Management System (TELMS in the Malaysian Public Tertiary Education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lee Tan Luck

2009-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract - The success in the implementation of a quality computer assisted mobile learning and distance education in a Technology Enhanced Learning Management System is highly rely on the academic leadership in managing and application of Information and Communication Technology (ICT in the tertiary level. The effectiveness of its leadership, knowledge, application and management of ICT and learning management system is of utmost important. Successful application and management includes quality and cost effectiveness of universities administration, CAML and distance education leadership development, organizational culture, academic staffs and students’ attitude and their commitment towards teaching and learning process, support towards the usage of state of the art techno-educational facilities, availability of ICT resources, maintenance and funding of a Learning Management System. This paper will discuss the above factors, which present a comprehensive framework for the implementation of a quality CAML and distance education environment in ICT application and management in the Malaysian public universities. Selected Fifty-two respondents from two Malaysian public universities which offer e Learning and distance education with Learning Management System were acquired. A survey questionnaire is used to determine the effectiveness of ICT and mobile learning application management. Data from the questionnaires were analyzed by using non-parametric and parametric statistics testing. Results of this study show there is significant different in the CAML and distance education leadership in TELMS and the application of ICT and its management in the Malaysian public universities. The study will also address the implementation elements necessary for transforming the public universities and its CAML and distance education teaching and learning process into an effective and result oriented computer assisted mobile learning management model in public

Automated Spirometry Quality Assurance: Supervised Learning From Multiple Experts.

Science.gov (United States)

Velickovski, Filip; Ceccaroni, Luigi; Marti, Robert; Burgos, Felip; Gistau, Concepcion; Alsina-Restoy, Xavier; Roca, Josep

2018-01-01

Forced spirometry testing is gradually becoming available across different healthcare tiers including primary care. It has been demonstrated in earlier work that commercially available spirometers are not fully able to assure the quality of individual spirometry manoeuvres. Thus, a need to expand the availability of high-quality spirometry assessment beyond specialist pulmonary centres has arisen. In this paper, we propose a method to select and optimise a classifier using supervised learning techniques by learning from previously classified forced spirometry tests from a group of experts. Such a method is able to take into account the shape of the curve as an expert would during visual inspection. We evaluated the final classifier on a dataset put aside for evaluation yielding an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.88 and specificities of 0.91 and 0.86 for sensitivities of 0.60 and 0.82. Furthermore, other specificities and sensitivities along the receiver operating characteristic curve were close to the level of the experts when compared against each-other, and better than an earlier rules-based method assessed on the same dataset. We foresee key benefits in raising diagnostic quality, saving time, reducing cost, and also improving remote care and monitoring services for patients with chronic respiratory diseases in the future if a clinical decision support system with the encapsulated classifier is to be integrated into the work-flow of forced spirometry testing.

A Technology Enhanced Learning Model for Quality Education

Science.gov (United States)

Sherly, Elizabeth; Uddin, Md. Meraj

Technology Enhanced Learning and Teaching (TELT) Model provides learning through collaborations and interactions with a framework for content development and collaborative knowledge sharing system as a supplementary for learning to improve the quality of education system. TELT deals with a unique pedagogy model for Technology Enhanced Learning System which includes course management system, digital library, multimedia enriched contents and video lectures, open content management system and collaboration and knowledge sharing systems. Open sources like Moodle and Wiki for content development, video on demand solution with a low cost mid range system, an exhaustive digital library are provided in a portal system. The paper depicts a case study of e-learning initiatives with TELT model at IIITM-K and how effectively implemented.

Variability in rainfall over tropical Australia during summer and relationships with the Bilybara High

Science.gov (United States)

Reason, C. J. C.

2018-04-01

Variability in summer rainfall over tropical Australia, defined here as that part of the continent north of 25° S, and its linkages with regional circulation are examined. In particular, relationships with the mid-level anticyclone (termed the Bilybara High) that exists over the northwestern Australia/Timor Sea region between August and April are considered. This High forms to the southwest of the upper-level anticyclone via a balance between the upper-level divergence over the region of tropical precipitation maximum and planetary vorticity advection and moves south and strengthens during the spring and summer. It is shown that variations in the strength and position of the Bilybara High are related to anomalies in precipitation and temperature over large parts of tropical Australia as well as some areas in the south and southeast of the landmass. Some of the interannual variations in the High are related to ENSO, but there are also a number of neutral years with large anomalies in the High and hence in rainfall. On decadal time scales, a strong relationship exists between the leading mode of tropical Australian rainfall and the Bilybara High. On both interannual and decadal scales, the relationships between the High and the regional rainfall involve changes in the monsoonal northwesterlies blowing towards northern Australia, and further south, in the easterly trade winds over the region.

Biotic and abiotic interactions in temporary summer pools of southern Portugal

OpenAIRE

Rosado, Joana; Morais, Manuela; Guilherme, Pedro; Ilheu, Maria

2012-01-01

In the south of Portugal, the summer season is characterized by reduced precipitation and high air temperatures, which causes the disruption of surface flow and subsequent formation of disconnect pools that may dry out entirely. During this dry period, there is a natural decrease of water quality standards due to the lack of water, leaving temporary rivers very vulnerable. Nevertheless, the remaining pools and surroundings become important in the survival of biological communities. Aquatic...

A Summer Math and Physics Program for High School Students: Student Performance and Lessons Learned in the Second Year

Science.gov (United States)

Timme, Nicholas; Baird, Michael; Bennett, Jake; Fry, Jason; Garrison, Lance; Maltese, Adam

2013-05-01

For the past two years, the Foundations in Physics and Mathematics (FPM) summer program has been held at Indiana University in order to fulfill two goals: provide additional physics and mathematics instruction at the high school level, and provide physics graduate students with experience and autonomy in designing curricula and teaching courses. In this paper we will detail changes made to the program for its second year and the motivation for these changes, as well as implications for future iterations of the program. We gauge the impact of the changes on student performance using pre-/post-test scores, student evaluations, and anecdotal evidence. These data show that the program has a positive impact on student knowledge and this impact was greater in magnitude in the second year of the program. We attribute this improvement primarily to the inclusion of more inquiry-driven activities. All activities, worksheets, and lesson plans used in the program are available online.

Can Text Messages Mitigate Summer Melt?

Science.gov (United States)

Castleman, Benjamin L.; Page, Lindsay C.

2013-01-01

Higher education officials have long been familiar with the concept of "summer melt," where students who have paid a deposit to attend one college or university instead matriculate at a different institution, usually presumed to be of comparable quality. In previous research, drawing on longitudinal data from various urban school…

SUPERVISION IMPLEMENTATION IN MANAGEMENT QUALITY: AN ATTEMPT TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LEARNING AT MADRASAH ALIYAH DARUL A’MAL METRO

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Subandi Subandi

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The primary purpose of this qualitative study is to identify and analyze supervision by implementing management quality to improve the quality of learning at Madrasah Aliyah Darul A’mal Metro, Lampung. The quality of management implementation is elaborated in the steps of assurance of learning quality. Two instruments, which consist of observation and questionnaire, were used in this study of which each instrument was analyzed based the deductive framework. The results of this study from each instrument revealed four steps of assurance of learning quality, among others (1 by socializing academic supervision program and its advantages to all stake holders, and (2 by implementing stages of assurance through academic supervision by the principals of Madrasah Aliyah Darul A’mal and supervisor, (3 performing supervision that is equipped with valid instrument to measure learning success, (4 performing the follow-up program by clinical and group discussion to provide appropriate model of performance.

Structure, Content, Delivery, Service, and Outcomes: Quality e-Learning in higher education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Colla J. MacDonald

2005-07-01

Full Text Available This paper addresses the need for quality e-Learning experiences. We used the Demand-Driven Learning Model (MacDonald, Stodel, Farres, Breithaupt, and Gabriel, 2001 to evaluate an online Masters in Education course. Multiple data collection methods were used to understand the experiences of stakeholders in this case study: the learners, design team, and facilitators. We found that all five dimensions of the model (structure, content, delivery, service, and outcomes must work in concert to implement a quality e-Learning course. Key themes include evolving learner needs, the search for connection, becoming an able e-participant, valued interactions, social construction of content, integration of delivery partners, and mindful weighing of benefits and trade-offs. By sharing insights into what is needed to design and deliver an e-Learning experience, our findings add to the growing knowledge of online learning. Using this model to evaluate perceptions of quality by key stakeholders has led to insights and recommendations on the Demand Driven Learning Model itself which may be useful for researchers in this area and strengthen the model. Quality has been defined in terms of the design of the e-Learning experience, the contextualized experience of learners, and evidence of learning outcomes (Carr and Carr, 2000; Jung 2000; Salmon, 2000. Quality and design of e-Learning courses, however, are sometimes compromised in an “ . . . effort to simply get something up and running��� in response to pressing consumer demands (Dick, 1996, p. 59. Educators and researchers have voiced concern over the lack of rigorous evaluation studies of e-Learning programs (e.g., Arbaugh, 2000; Howell, Saba, Lindsay, and Williams, 2004; Lockyer, Patterson, and Harper, 1999; Robinson, 2001. McGorry (2003 adds, “although the number of courses being delivered via the Internet is increasing rapidly, our knowledge of what makes these courses effective learning experiences

Identifying Students learning Styles as a Way to Promote Learning Quality

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jafar Sadegh Tabrizi

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Introduction: The major part of peoples knowledge, skills and abilities are achieved during the complex process called learning. Learning is not simply the product of mere intelligence and capabilities of individual; it also depends on other factors such as personality traits, personal interests, and t ype of duty and di fferent methods and st yles. The understanding of each individual fits with his/her learning style. The aim of this study was to determine the learning st yles of Health Care Management students in Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. Methods: Learning styles of 55 Health Services Management students in Tabriz Health and Nutrition Faculty were evaluated in 2009 using a twelve-question Kolb questionnaire in a descriptive study. The data was anal yzed using SPSS. And the frequency of students learning styles was identified by their ages and averages. Results: In this study, 69% of the students were female and the dominant learning method was Assimilator (42%. Other styles with a regard to their frequency were Diverge (24%, Coverage (22%and Accommodator (12%. In the present study,no statistically significant relationship was found in learning styles between the gender (p= 0.644and average (p = 0.676of the students. Conclusion: Assimilator and Diverge methods were the most common ones among the management students. Hence, to improve the quality of learning in this group of students, it is proposed that the teachers use interactive and creative teaching methods such as small and la rge group discussion,brain storming, problem solving, debate-based learning, self-learning and lecturing.

Faba Greens, Globe Artichoke’s Offshoots, Crenate Broomrape and Summer Squash Greens: Unconventional Vegetables of Puglia (Southern Italy With Good Quality Traits

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Massimiliano Renna

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Globe artichoke (Cynara cardunculus L. subsp. [L.] scolymus Hayek, summer squash (Cucurbita pepo L. and faba bean (Vicia faba L. are widely cultivated for their immature inflorescences, fruits and seeds, respectively. Nevertheless, in some areas of Puglia (Southern Italy, other organs of these species are traditionally used as vegetables, instead of being considered as by-products. Offshoots (so-called cardoni or carducci of globe artichoke, produced during the vegetative growing cycle and removed by common cultural procedures, are used like to the cultivated cardoons (C. cardunculus L. var. altilis DC. The stems, petioles, flowers and smaller leaves of summer squash are used as greens (so-called cime di zucchini, like other leafy vegetables such as chicory (Cichorium intybus L. and Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris L.. Also the plant apex of faba bean, about 5–10 cm long, obtained from the green pruning, are used as greens (so-called cime di fava like spinach leaves. Moreover, crenate broomrape (Orobanche crenata Forssk., a root parasite plant that produces devastating effects on many crops (mostly legumes, is used like asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L. to prepare several traditional dishes. In this study ethnobotanical surveys and quality assessment of these unconventional vegetables were performed. For their content of fiber, offshoots of globe artichokes can be considered a useful food to bowel. Summer squash greens could be recommended as a vegetable to use especially in the case of hypoglycemic diets considering both content and composition of their carbohydrates. For their low content of nitrate, faba greens could be recommended as a substitute of nitrate-rich leafy vegetables. Crenate broomrape shows a high antioxidant activity and may be considered as a very nutritious agri-food product. Overall, the results of the present study indicate that offshoots of globe artichoke, summer squash greens, faba greens and crenate broomrape have good

[A comparison of the most used instruments to assess the quality of clinical learning environments of nursing students].

Science.gov (United States)

Nicotera, Raffaella; Altini, Pietro; Dimonte, Valerio

2017-01-01

. A comparison of the most used instruments to assess the quality of clinical learning environments of nursing students. A clinical learning environment (CLE) promotes the development of professional competences, of critical and diagnostic reasoning in future nurses, thus the continuous assessment of its quality is pivotal. To describe and compare the most used instruments to measure the nursing students' perception of the quality of CLEs. Six validated questionnaires were identified and compared: CLE (Clinical Learning Environment), CLEDI (Clinical Learning Environment Diagnostic Inventory), SECEE (Student Evaluation of Clinical Education Environment), CLEI (Clinical Learning Environment Inventory), CLES (Clinical Learning Environment and Supervision), CLES+T (Clinical Learning Environment and Supervision plus Teacher nurse). The following elements were described: conceptual framework, psychometric properties, dimensions explored, the more relevant constructs able to guarantee a high quality CLE: relations between students and ward staff; level of involvement of nurse coordinators; inclusion of the student in the ward team, ward climate, involvement of clinical teacher and feedback to the students. The only instrument that explores all the relevant constructs is the CLES+T. The involvement of clinical nurse teacher and nurse coordinator are the less explored dimensions. The questionnaires CLEI, CLES and CLES+T, validated in Italian and used in several learning environments share the following weaknesses: do not assess the feedback offered to the students, the students' satisfaction for the tutoring strategies and the role of different professionals in the students' learning. The analysis of strengths and weaknesses is the basis to start from to devise and validate a new questionnaire.

E-Learning Quality Assurance: A Perspective of Business Teacher Educators and Distance Learning Coordinators

Science.gov (United States)

Chapman, Betty F.; Henderson, Ronda G.

2010-01-01

Background: Business teacher educators and distance learning coordinators have the responsibility to deliver quality online courses and programs. Therefore, they must make sure that quality assurance benchmarks are present in online business education courses and programs. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which…

Summer Nudging: Can Personalized Text Messages and Peer Mentor Outreach Increase College Going among Low-Income High School Graduates?

Science.gov (United States)

Castleman, Benjamin L.; Page, Lindsay C.

2016-01-01

A report released in April 2013 by Benjamin L Castleman of Harvard University and Lindsay C. Page of the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University examines the implications of two forms of interventions during the summer between high school and the first year of college on college enrollment. "Summer Nudging: Can Personalized…

The Case for Summer Learning: Why Supporting Students and Families All Year Is Vitally Important

Science.gov (United States)

Pitcock, Sarah

2018-01-01

For many people, the word "summer" evokes easier days, a time when life slows down. So does the term "summer break," a time parents, teachers, and students alike value as a well-deserved respite from the labor of the school year. Unfortunately, a growing body of evidence shows that summer is far from a time to recharge for many…

A variation reduction allocation model for quality improvement to minimize investment and quality costs by considering suppliers’ learning curve

Science.gov (United States)

Rosyidi, C. N.; Jauhari, WA; Suhardi, B.; Hamada, K.

2016-02-01

Quality improvement must be performed in a company to maintain its product competitiveness in the market. The goal of such improvement is to increase the customer satisfaction and the profitability of the company. In current practice, a company needs several suppliers to provide the components in assembly process of a final product. Hence quality improvement of the final product must involve the suppliers. In this paper, an optimization model to allocate the variance reduction is developed. Variation reduction is an important term in quality improvement for both manufacturer and suppliers. To improve suppliers’ components quality, the manufacturer must invest an amount of their financial resources in learning process of the suppliers. The objective function of the model is to minimize the total cost consists of investment cost, and quality costs for both internal and external quality costs. The Learning curve will determine how the employee of the suppliers will respond to the learning processes in reducing the variance of the component.

Geriatrics Curricula for Internal and Family Medicine Residents: Assessing Study Quality and Learning Outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Huai Yong; Davis, Molly

2017-02-01

Prior reviews of geriatrics curricula for internal medicine (IM) and family medicine (FM) residents have not evaluated study quality or assessed learning objectives or specific IM or FM competencies. This review of geriatrics curricula for IM and FM residents seeks to answer 3 questions: (1) What types of learning outcomes were measured? (2) How were learning outcomes measured? and (3) What was the quality of the studies? We evaluated geriatrics curricula that reported learning objectives or competencies, teaching methods, and learning outcomes, and those that used a comparative design. We searched PubMed and 4 other data sets from 2003-2015, and assessed learning outcomes, outcome measures, and the quality of studies using the Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument (MERSQI) and Best Evidence Medical Education (BEME) methods. Fourteen studies met inclusion criteria. Most curricula were intended for IM residents in the inpatient setting; only 1 was solely dedicated to FM residents. Median duration was 1 month, and minimum geriatrics competencies covered were 4. Learning outcomes ranged from Kirkpatrick levels 1 to 3. Studies that reported effect size showed a considerable impact on attitudes and knowledge, mainly via pretests and posttests. The mean MERSQI score was 10.5 (range, 8.5-13) on a scale of 5 (lowest quality) to 18 (highest quality). Few geriatrics curricula for IM and FM residents that included learning outcome assessments were published recently. Overall, changes in attitudes and knowledge were sizeable, but reporting was limited to low to moderate Kirkpatrick levels. Study quality was moderate.

Evaluation Criterion for Quality Assessment of E-Learning Content

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Alwani, Abdulkareem

2014-01-01

Research trends related to e-learning systems are oriented towards increasing the efficiency and capacity of the systems, thus they reflect a large variance in performance when considering content conformity and quality standards. The Framework related to standardisation of digital content for e-learning systems is likely to play a significant…

Stormwater quality of spring-summer-fall effluent from three partial-infiltration permeable pavement systems and conventional asphalt pavement.

Science.gov (United States)

Drake, Jennifer; Bradford, Andrea; Van Seters, Tim

2014-06-15

This study examined the spring, summer and fall water quality performance of three partial-infiltration permeable pavement (PP) systems and a conventional asphalt pavement in Ontario. The study, conducted between 2010 and 2012, compared the water quality of effluent from two Interlocking Permeable Concrete Pavements (AquaPave(®) and Eco-Optiloc(®)) and a Hydromedia(®) Pervious Concrete pavement with runoff from an Asphalt control pavement. The usage of permeable pavements can mitigate the impact of urbanization on receiving surface water systems through quantity control and stormwater treatment. The PP systems provided excellent stormwater treatment for petroleum hydrocarbons, total suspended solids, metals (copper, iron, manganese and zinc) and nutrients (total-nitrogen and total-phosphorus) by reducing event mean concentrations (EMC) as well as total pollutant loadings. The PPs significantly reduced the concentration and loading of ammonia (NH4(+)+NH3), nitrite (NO2(-)) and organic-nitrogen (Org-N) but increased the concentration and loading of nitrate (NO3(-)). The PP systems had mixed performances for the treatment of phosphate (PO4(3-)). The PP systems increased the concentration of sodium (Na) and chloride (Cl) but EMCs remained well below recommended levels for drinking water quality. Relative to the observed runoff, winter road salt was released more slowly from the PP systems resulting in elevated spring and early-summer Cl and Na concentrations in effluent. PP materials were found to introduce dissolved solids into the infiltrating stormwater. The release of these pollutants was verified by additional laboratory scale testing of the individual pavement and aggregate materials at the University of Guelph. Pollutant concentrations were greatest during the first few months after construction and declined rapidly over the course of the study. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Measuring Teachers and Learners' Perceptions of the Quality of Their Online Learning Experience

Science.gov (United States)

Gómez-Rey, Pilar; Barbera, Elena; Fernández-Navarro, Francisco

2016-01-01

This article explores the quality of the online learning experience based on the Sloan-C framework and the Online Learning Consortium's (OLC) quality scorecard. The OLC index has been implemented to evaluate quality in online programs from different perspectives. Despite this, the opinions of learners are ignored, and it is built using feedback…

Summer High School Apprenticeship Research Program (SHARP)

Science.gov (United States)

1997-01-01

The summer of 1997 will not only be noted by NASA for the mission to Mars by the Pathfinder but also for the 179 brilliant apprentices that participated in the SHARP Program. Apprentice participation increased 17% over last year's total of 153 participants. As indicated by the End-of-the-Program Evaluations, 96% of the programs' participants rated the summer experience from very good to excellent. The SHARP Management Team began the year by meeting in Cocoa Beach, Florida for the annual SHARP Planning Conference. Participants strengthened their Education Division Computer Aided Tracking System (EDCATS) skills, toured the world-renowned Kennedy Space Center, and took a journey into space during the Alien Encounter Exercise. The participants returned to their Centers with the same goals and objectives in mind. The 1997 SHARP Program goals were: (1) Utilize NASA's mission, unique facilities and specialized workforce to provide exposure, education, and enrichment experiences to expand participants' career horizons and inspire excellence in formal education and lifelong learning. (2) Develop and implement innovative education reform initiatives which support NASA's Education Strategic Plan and national education goals. (3) Utilize established statistical indicators to measure the effectiveness of SHARP's program goals. (4) Explore new recruiting methods which target the student population for which SHARP was specifically designed. (5) Increase the number of participants in the program. All of the SHARP Coordinators reported that the goals and objectives for the overall program as well as their individual program goals were achieved. Some of the goals and objectives for the Centers were: (1) To increase the students' awareness of science, mathematics, engineering, and computer technology; (2) To provide students with the opportunity to broaden their career objectives; and (3) To expose students to a variety of enrichment activities. Most of the Center goals and

1997 Summer Research Program (SRP), High School Apprenticeship Program (HSAP), Final Reports, Volume 13, Phillips Laboratory

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Moore, Gary

1997-01-01

The United States Air Force Summer Research Program (USAF-SRP) is designed to introduce university, college, and technical institute faculty members, graduate students, and high school students to Air Force research...

What Role Does Knowledge Quality Play in Online Students' Satisfaction, Learning and Loyalty? An Empirical Investigation in an eLearning Context

Science.gov (United States)

Waheed, M.; Kaur, K.; Kumar, S.

2016-01-01

Quality knowledge has an impact on online students learning outcomes and loyalty. A framework that delineates the perceived eLearning knowledge quality (KQ) and its relationship with learning outcomes and loyalty is currently absent. Grounded in the KQ and information system success framework--this study presents the indicators of perceived…

Understanding the Quality of Out-of-Class English Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Lai, Chun; Zhu, Weimin; Gong, Gang

2015-01-01

Out-of-class learning constitutes an important context for human development, and active engagement in out-of-class activities is associated with successful language development. However, not all out-of-class experiences are equally beneficial to learning, and it is of paramount importance to understand what quality out-of-class English language…

Animated Cell Biology: A Quick and Easy Method for Making Effective, High-Quality Teaching Animations

Science.gov (United States)

O'Day, Danton H.

2006-01-01

There is accumulating evidence that animations aid learning of dynamic concepts in cell biology. However, existing animation packages are expensive and difficult to learn, and the subsequent production of even short animations can take weeks to months. Here I outline the principles and sequence of steps for producing high-quality PowerPoint…

Nutrition Frontiers - Summer 2016 | Division of Cancer Prevention

Science.gov (United States)

Volume 7, Issue 3 The summer issue of Nutrition Frontiers showcases the combined effects of ursolic acid and resveratrol for skin cancer, the potential chemopreventive effects of the dietary supplement 4-MU, and a method to monitor a heterocyclic aromatic amine in dyed hair. Learn about our spotlight investigators, Drs. Michael Caligiuri and Jianhua Yu, and their research on

A Blended Summer School Experience for English Learners

Science.gov (United States)

Koeppen, Olga Maritza

2016-01-01

This study analyzes Achieve3000, Lexia Core 5, and Imagine Learning software programs designed to increase student literacy levels in a six-week summer school program. The Brainology program was also used with 4th to 6th grade students to determine if there was an increase in growth mindset. Three elementary schools with the highest percentages of…

CRITERIA AND QUALITY INDICATORS OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES OF LEARNING

OpenAIRE

Oleg M. Spirin

2013-01-01

In the article the concept of information and communication technology and information and communication technology of learning is specified. It is grounded an external and internal criteria of information and communication technologies of learning quality assessment based on experience of information and communication technology quality assessment of the methodical system of informatics teachers vocational training. There are considered the external indexes – design, structural, organization...

LHC Run 2 – reaching the top of the learning curve

CERN Multimedia

2015-01-01

As the LHC Physics conference gets underway in St Petersburg, it’s a good time to take stock of where things stand with Run 2.    For all those involved with operating the LHC and its experiments in this new energy and intensity regime, 2015 was always going to be a learning curve. And learning we most certainly are. The main objective for this year has always been to set up the machine and experiments for production running at high energy and high intensity in 2016, 17 and 18.  That said, the experiments have all been able to collect quality data at 13 TeV, with the first Run 2 papers and conference presentations being written and delivered this summer. It would be unfair of me, however, to give the impression that it’s all been plain sailing. As well as the highs: smooth recommissioning of the machine, physics getting underway, and a successful transition to 25-nanosecond bunch spacing, we’ve also had our fair share of lows. There have been no sho...

Math CAMMP: A Constructivist Summer Camp for Teachers and Students

Science.gov (United States)

Green, Michael; Piel, John A.

2012-01-01

A summer session, math methods course for elementary teachers incorporates 30 hours of instruction that emphasizes (1) developmentally appropriate instructional strategies, (2) hierarchical levels of increasingly abstract manipulatives, (3) ongoing assessment of student learning, (4) integrated thematic instructional modules, (5) team planning and…

Breaking Boundaries: Quality E-Learning for the Global Knowledge Society

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lalilta Rajasingham

2009-03-01

Full Text Available The ideas and issues raised in this paper reflect a global challenge to understand the nature of E-learning in a knowledge society so that appropriate quality frameworks can be developed for new educational environments. E-learning and virtual classes evolved from distance education and struggle to gain recognition in mainstream education as legitimate quality higher education providers. The increasing use of information technology advances, particularly the internet present new educational paradigms and models that challenge conventional assumptions and indicators of quality assurance. What is needed is the development of global standards and quality assurance frameworks that can improve pedagogy in diverse cultural, knowledge and delivery paradigms. This paper seeks to explore how quality is defined, who sets whose standards, who will teach what to whom with what effect in a world of competing paradigms and parallel worlds of reality and virtual reality.

Theoretical-research summer: For a new generation of experts on high energy physics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramos-Sánchez, Saúl

2016-01-01

Motivated by the need to strengthen the comprehensive training of young Mexican physicists interested in theoretical high energy physics, the Theoretical-research summer on high energy physics program was conceived. This program, that celebrates its sixth anniversary, consists in a yearly, nationwide challenging contest in which a board of experts identify the best undergraduate contestants to support them during short research stays in high-energy- theory groups of prestigious international institutions. Out of 80 contestants, the eight awarded students have demonstrated their skills, producing highly advanced (and publicly available) reviews on particle physics, field theory, cosmology and string theory, and a published paper. (paper)

Quality in South African early learning centres: Mothers’ and teachers’ views and understanding

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Judy Van Heerden

2016-11-01

Full Text Available This study investigated how quality in early learning centres (preschools in South Africa was experienced and perceived by mothers and teachers. A theoretical framework, based on a model of quality development by Woodhead (1996, informed the study. This framework that consists of input (structural, process and outcome quality indicators is a well-established model for quality development, which has been used in developing countries. The findings generated from a thematical analysis of interview data showed that aspects perceived by mothers and teachers as quality indicators in early learning centres were predominantly process indicators and hard to ‘measure’ in a quantitative way. For mothers and teachers, children’s social-emotional well-being, holistic development, a normative foundation for values and respect, effective infrastructure and accountable learning indicated quality. A quality school climate enhances emotional and social well-being, and the findings suggest that for mothers and teachers quality concerns were not about that which the early learning centres have provided in terms of facilities (input indicators, but rather about the process indicators where centres promote children’s holistic well-being. The only outcome indicator that was regarded as extremely important by mothers and important, but not to the same extent, by teachers, is whether children are happy and content and enjoying school.

Learning Outcomes--A Useful Tool in Quality Assurance? Views from Academic Staff

Science.gov (United States)

Aamodt, Per Olaf; Frølich, Nicoline; Stensaker, Bjørn

2018-01-01

While the establishment of quality assurance has been seen for decades as the most significant instrument to secure and enhance the quality of teaching and learning in higher education, the concept of developing more specific learning outcomes has in recent years attracted much interest, not least due to the creation of national qualification…

Technology Education Using a Novel Approach in e-Learning-Towards Optimizing the Quality of Learning Outcomes

Science.gov (United States)

Malkawi, M. I.; Hawarey, M. M.

2012-04-01

some delinquency on a particular topic, the online process of e-Learning would take the student at some more detailed and deeper level on the subject matter where he/she had failed; once the student bridges the gap, to this end, then the ongoing e-Learning process would carry him/her further up the next level of the subject matter he/she is pursuing. This process is carried on at all levels of learning: section, chapter, and course level. A student may not progress to the next course level before he/she would pass the entire course at 80% or more. If in the process of repeating some section, chapter, or a whole course, then the student shall be required to score a higher percentage than the mere 80% he was required to attain the first time around; say 5% more per iteration he/she makes. Here, students going through Iterative e-Learning shall be allowed to move on to the next level of learning sooner than others if the time that takes them to learn a particular topic is shorter than would normally require an average student to expend, provided, of course, they make it through all the required assessment phases. Unlike the traditional ways of classroom or online lecturing, a student going through Iterative e-Learning is expected to achieve a quality of learning never before achieved via standard pedagogical methodologies. With Iterative e-Learning, it is expected that poorly accredited academic institutions will be able, for the first time, to produce the quality of graduates who are more capable of competing for highly paying jobs globally, and to be of the quality of contributing in more industry-supported economies.

Summer workshops for high-school science teachers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Young, H.H.; Kohl, J.

1975-01-01

A total of 52 summer workshops attended by over 1700 high-school science teachers have been given by 27 universities in the period of 1971 to 1974. These workshops are funded by ERDA to provide factual material through educational channels so that the public could obtain an informed perspective of the role of nuclear energy as an electrical power source. The workshops have included lectures, panel discussions, laboratories, and field trips, and have emphasized providing teachers with materials for use in their classrooms. Actual use of workshop material has been monitored through workshop reports, meetings, and visits. Participants have used their workshop experience for classroom presentations, talks to the public, and for assembly programs. The material developed and the experience of presenting it has proved valuable for the nuclear engineering faculty members giving the workshops. They have used their experience in other courses, for public lectures, and for other workshops. And they have gained personal experience in methods of dealing with the nuclear power controversy. A review of these workshops indicates that they offer at a reasonable cost a productive method of presenting factual information on the various solutions to the complex electrical generation problem

Summer freezing resistance: a critical filter for plant community assemblies in Mediterranean high mountains

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Sánchez Pescador

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Assessing freezing community response and whether freezing resistance is related to other functional traits is essential for understanding alpine community assemblages, particularly in Mediterranean environments where plants are exposed to freezing temperatures and summer droughts. Thus, we characterized the leaf freezing resistance of 42 plant species in 38 plots at Sierra de Guadarrama (Spain by measuring their ice nucleation temperature, freezing point (FP, and low-temperature damage (LT50, as well as determining their freezing resistance mechanisms (i.e., tolerance or avoidance. The community response to freezing was estimated for each plot as community weighted means (CWMs and functional diversity, and we assessed their relative importance with altitude. We established the relationships between freezing resistance, growth forms, and four key plant functional traits (i.e., plant height, specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content, and seed mass. There was a wide range of freezing resistance responses and more than in other alpine habitats. At the community level, the CWMs of FP and LT50 responded negatively to altitude, whereas the functional diversity of both traits increased with altitude. The proportion of freezing-tolerant species also increased with altitude. The ranges of FP and LT50 varied among growth forms, and only the leaf dry matter content correlated negatively with freezing-resistance traits. Summer freezing events represent important abiotic filters for assemblies of Mediterranean high mountain communities, as suggested by the CWMs. However, a concomitant summer drought constraint may also explain the high freezing resistance of species that thrive in these areas and the lower functional diversity of freezing resistance traits at lower altitudes. Leaves with high dry matter contents may maintain turgor at lower water potential and enhance drought tolerance in parallel to freezing resistance. This adaptation to drought seems to

Water quality assessment of a small peri-urban river using low and high frequency monitoring.

Science.gov (United States)

Ivanovsky, A; Criquet, J; Dumoulin, D; Alary, C; Prygiel, J; Duponchel, L; Billon, G

2016-05-18

The biogeochemical behaviors of small rivers that pass through suburban areas are difficult to understand because of the multi-origin inputs that can modify their behavior. In this context, a monitoring strategy has been designed for the Marque River, located in Lille Metropolitan area of northern France, that includes both low-frequency monitoring over a one-year period (monthly sampling) and high frequency monitoring (measurements every 10 minutes) in spring and summer. Several environmental and chemical parameters are evaluated including rainfall events, river flow, temperature, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, conductivity, nutritive salts and dissolved organic matter. Our results from the Marque River show that (i) it is impacted by both urban and agricultural inputs, and as a consequence, the concentrations of phosphate and inorganic nitrogen have degraded the water quality; (ii) the classic photosynthesis/respiration processes are disrupted by the inputs of organic matter and nutritive salts; (iii) during dry periods, the urban sewage inputs (treated or not) are more important during the day, as indicated by higher river flows and maximal concentrations of ammonium; (iv) phosphate concentrations depend on oxygen contents in the river; (v) high nutrient concentrations result in eutrophication of the Marque River with lower pH and oxygen concentrations in summer. During rainfalls, additional inputs of ammonium, biodegradable organic matter as well as sediment resuspension result in anoxic events; and finally (vi) concentrations of nitrate are approximately constant over the year, except in winter when higher inputs can be recorded. Having better identified the processes responsible for the observed water quality, a more informed remediation effort can be put forward to move this suburban river to a good status of water quality.

Summer 2011

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eric G. Strauss

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Cities and the Environment Editor, Eric Strauss, provides an introduction to the Summer 2011 issue. He discusses the journal's transition to its new home at Loyola Marymount University and the creation of the Center for Urban Resilience and Ecological Solution, while underscoring highlights of the special topics section on Urban Predators. The contributors to this section participated in the International Symposium on Urban Wildlife and the Environment hosted by the Wildlife Society at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in June of 2009. Finally, Dr. Strauss notes the breadth of our issue by mentioning the additional articles' focus on rain gardens, water quality, arthropod diversity, green roofs, and socio-ecological dynamics.

Improving the quality of learning in science through optimization of lesson study for learning community

Science.gov (United States)

Setyaningsih, S.

2018-03-01

Lesson Study for Learning Community is one of lecturer profession building system through collaborative and continuous learning study based on the principles of openness, collegiality, and mutual learning to build learning community in order to form professional learning community. To achieve the above, we need a strategy and learning method with specific subscription technique. This paper provides a description of how the quality of learning in the field of science can be improved by implementing strategies and methods accordingly, namely by applying lesson study for learning community optimally. Initially this research was focused on the study of instructional techniques. Learning method used is learning model Contextual teaching and Learning (CTL) and model of Problem Based Learning (PBL). The results showed that there was a significant increase in competence, attitudes, and psychomotor in the four study programs that were modelled. Therefore, it can be concluded that the implementation of learning strategies in Lesson study for Learning Community is needed to be used to improve the competence, attitude and psychomotor of science students.

A deep learning approach for predicting the quality of online health expert question-answering services.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Ze; Zhang, Zhan; Yang, Haiqin; Chen, Qing; Zuo, Decheng

2017-07-01

Recently, online health expert question-answering (HQA) services (systems) have attracted more and more health consumers to ask health-related questions everywhere at any time due to the convenience and effectiveness. However, the quality of answers in existing HQA systems varies in different situations. It is significant to provide effective tools to automatically determine the quality of the answers. Two main characteristics in HQA systems raise the difficulties of classification: (1) physicians' answers in an HQA system are usually written in short text, which yields the data sparsity issue; (2) HQA systems apply the quality control mechanism, which refrains the wisdom of crowd. The important information, such as the best answer and the number of users' votes, is missing. To tackle these issues, we prepare the first HQA research data set labeled by three medical experts in 90days and formulate the problem of predicting the quality of answers in the system as a classification task. We not only incorporate the standard textual feature of answers, but also introduce a set of unique non-textual features, i.e., the popular used surface linguistic features and the novel social features, from other modalities. A multimodal deep belief network (DBN)-based learning framework is then proposed to learn the high-level hidden semantic representations of answers from both textual features and non-textual features while the learned joint representation is fed into popular classifiers to determine the quality of answers. Finally, we conduct extensive experiments to demonstrate the effectiveness of including the non-textual features and the proposed multimodal deep learning framework. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Quality, the Enhancement of a University's Teaching and Learning and the Role of Quality Officers

Science.gov (United States)

Hodgson, Kath; Whalley, Gordon

2006-01-01

There has been, and remains, much criticism of the external monitoring of the quality of universities' learning and teaching by bodies such as the QAA largely on the grounds that it is essentially a bureaucratic collection of data that does little, if anything, to help in improving or enhancing the learning and teaching. In this article, while…

The Impact of E-Education on At Risk High School Students' Science Achievement and Experiences during Summer School Credit Recovery Courses

Science.gov (United States)

Phillips, Pamela Prevette

Nationally, at risk students make up to 30% of U.S. students in public schools. Many at risk students have poor attendance, are disengaged from the learning environment and have low academic achievement. Educational failure occurs when students do not complete the required courses and as a result do not receive a high school diploma or a certificate of attendance. Many at risk students will not graduate; nearly one-third of all United States high school students have left the public school system before graduating, which has been referred to as a national crisis. Many at risk students fail science courses that are required for graduation, such as biology. Clearly, many students are not responding positively to the conditions in many public school classrooms, suggesting the need for different methods of educating at risk students, such as e-education. Three research questions guided the study: 1) Who are the students in an e-education, online summer school credit recovery course? 2) Do students' beliefs about their learning environment or other personal factors influence their academic achievement?, and 3) How do students describe their experiences of an e-education science course? This mixed methods study investigates thirty-two at risk students who were enrolled in one of three e-education science education courses (biology, earth science, and physical science) during a summer session in a rural county in a southeastern US state. These students failed their most recent science course taken in a traditional classroom setting. Artino's (2010) social-cognitive model of academic motivation and emotion was used as a theoretical framework to highlight the salient motivational factors toward learning science (e.g., task characteristics, task value beliefs, positive emotions). Student data included pre and post tests for all e-education lessons, a final exam, survey data (Students Motivation towards Science Learning (SMTSL), time (on task and idle), field notes, and

SHARP {Summer High School Apprenticeship Research Program}

Science.gov (United States)

Glasco, Deborah (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

The Year 2002 was another successful year for SHARP. Even after 22 years of SHARP, the Program continues to grow. There were 12 NASA Field Installations with a total of 210 apprentices who participated in the summer 2002 Program supported by 215 mentors in the fields of science and engineering. The apprentices were chosen from a pool of 1,379 applicants. This was a record year for applications exceeding the previous year by over 60%. For the second consecutive year, the number of female participants exceeded the number of males with 53% female and 47% male participants in the program. The main thrust of our recruiting efforts is still focused on underrepresented populations; especially African American, Hispanic, and Native American. At the conclusion of the summer program, most SHARP Apprentices indicated on the EDCATS that they would be interested in pursuing careers in Aerospace (56.2%) while the second largest career choice was a job at NASA (45.7%). The smallest number (11.9%) were interested in careers in the government. The table of responses is listed in the Appendix. Once again this year we were fortunate in that the SHARP COTR, Ms. Deborah Glasco, gained the support of MURED funding sources at NASA to fully fund additional apprentices and boost the number of apprentices to 210.

Learning environment: the impact of clerkship location on instructional quality.

Science.gov (United States)

Prunuske, Jacob P; Deci, David M

2013-03-01

Students provide variable feedback on instructional quality at ambulatory training sites. We hypothesized several strengths and weaknesses of placing students at resident and non-resident training sites, including differences in faculty behaviors, patient characteristics, work environment, learning opportunities, and levels of student engagement. We systematically assessed for differences in learning quality between clerkship sites with and without residents. Students completed the MedED IQ, a validated survey assessing four domains of instructional quality, after completing a required primary care rotation. We calculated descriptive and summary statistics and two sample tests of proportion analyzing student agreement with each MedEd IQ item with respect to the presence or absence of resident learners. Of 149 total, 113 (75.8%) students completed the MedEd IQ site survey. A greater percentage of students at resident training sites (25.8%) than at non-resident sites (7.3%) agreed with the statement "The opportunities were too diverse, preventing me from developing proficiency." A greater percentage of students at resident training sites (19.4%) than at non-resident sites (1.2%) agreed with the statement "The health care team was not supportive of my learning." There were no differences between sites with or without residents on 14 items measuring preceptor actions or seven items measuring student involvement. Ambulatory clerkship sites with and without residents provide comparable quality learning experiences and precepting. Students placed at resident training sites may be overwhelmed with diverse opportunities and have a less supportive learning environment than students placed at non-resident sites. Future research should evaluate the impact of health care team development programs designed to foster a more supportive training environment for medical students. Ways of aligning residency and medical student education goals within the training setting should be

Conscious knowledge of learning: accessing learning strategies in a final year high school biology class

Science.gov (United States)

Conner, Lindsey; Gunstone, Richard

2004-12-01

This paper reports on a qualitative case study investigation of the knowledge and use of learning strategies by 16 students in a final year high school biology class to expand their conscious knowledge of learning. Students were provided with opportunities to engage in purposeful inquiry into the biological, social and ethical aspects of cancer. A constructivist approach was implemented to access prior content and procedural knowledge in various ways. Students were encouraged to develop evaluation of their learning skills independently through activities that promoted metacognition. Those students who planned and monitored their work produced essays of higher quality. The value and difficulties of promoting metacognitive approaches in this context are discussed, as well as the idea that metacognitive processes are difficult to research, because they have to be conscious in order to be identified by the learner, thereby making them accessible to the researcher.

From Quality Assurance to Quality Practices: An Investigation of Strong Microcultures in Teaching and Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Mårtensson, Katarina; Roxå, Torgny; Stensaker, Bjørn

2014-01-01

One of the main beliefs in quality assurance is that this activity--indirectly--will stimulate change in the work practices associated with teaching and learning in higher education. However, few studies have provided empirical evidence of the existence of such a link. Instead, quality assurance has created an unfortunate divide between formal…

1997 Summer Research Program (SRP), High School Apprenticeship Program (HSAP), Final Reports, Volume 12B, Armstrong Laboratory

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Moore, Gary

1997-01-01

The United States Air Force Summer Research Program (USAF-SRP) is designed to introduce university, college, and technical institute faculty members, graduate students, and high school students to Air Force research...

Classroom quality and academic skills: Approaches to learning as a moderator.

Science.gov (United States)

Meng, Christine

2015-12-01

The purpose of this study was to examine whether approaches to learning moderated the association between child care classroom environment and Head Start children's academic skills. The data came from the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES-2003 Cohort). The dataset is a nationally representative longitudinal study of Head Start children. The sample was selected using the stratified 4-stage sampling procedure. Data was collected in fall 2003, spring 2004, spring 2005, and spring 2006 in the first year of kindergarten. Participants included 3- and 4-year-old Head Start children (n = 786; 387 boys, 399 girls; 119 Hispanic children, 280 African American children, 312 Caucasian children). Head Start children's academic skills in letter-word identification, dictation/spelling, and mathematics at the 4 time points were measured by the Woodcock-Johnson Achievement Battery tests. Approaches to learning in fall 2003 was measured by the teacher report of the Preschool Learning Behaviors Scale. Child care classroom quality in fall 2003 was measured by the revised Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale. Results of the linear mixed effects models demonstrated that approaches to learning significantly moderated the effect of child care classroom quality on Head Start children's writing and spelling. Specifically, positive approaches to learning mitigated the negative effect of lower levels of classroom quality on dictation/spelling. Results underscore the important role of approaches to learning as a protective factor. Implications for early childhood educators with an emphasis on learning goals for disengaged children are discussed. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Designing Summer Research Experiences for Teachers and Students That Promote Classroom Science Inquiry Projects and Produce Research Results

Science.gov (United States)

George, L. A.; Parra, J.; Rao, M.; Offerman, L.

2007-12-01

Research experiences for science teachers are an important mechanism for increasing classroom teachers' science content knowledge and facility with "real world" research processes. We have developed and implemented a summer scientific research and education workshop model for high school teachers and students which promotes classroom science inquiry projects and produces important research results supporting our overarching scientific agenda. The summer training includes development of a scientific research framework, design and implementation of preliminary studies, extensive field research and training in and access to instruments, measurement techniques and statistical tools. The development and writing of scientific papers is used to reinforce the scientific research process. Using these skills, participants collaborate with scientists to produce research quality data and analysis. Following the summer experience, teachers report increased incorporation of research inquiry in their classrooms and student participation in science fair projects. This workshop format was developed for an NSF Biocomplexity Research program focused on the interaction of urban climates, air quality and human response and can be easily adapted for other scientific research projects.

Application of gamma-ray irradiation technique to select, create and develop super rice with high quality to substitute the imported hybrid rice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tran Duy Quy; Tran Duy Vuong; Tran Duy Duong; Bui Huy Thuc

2015-01-01

Three varieties NPT3, BQ and TQ14 were selected by irradiation ray source Gamma Co-60 with dry seed, 13% grain moisture and created at 25-30 krad. NPT3 is super rice varieties with characteristics such as: extremely short growing period (105-110 day crop; 130- 135 days in the spring, the average yield of 9-10 tones/ha), quality, stem, leaf stand, suitable for intensive capability, able to resist pests and unfavorable conditions especially the elements of productivity (amylase from 15-16%) and mass produced including hybrid rice as Nhi Uu 868, Thien Nguyen Uu 9, HYT100, etc. BQ rice varieties were high quality, average productivity gain of 7.5- 8.0 ton/ha, equivalent to hybrid rice, short growth period (105-110 days in summer season; 120- 130 days in spring season), and quality rice: content 18-20% amylose, rice delicious, supple as BC15. TQ14 varieties was planted in 2 seasons/ year, with agricultural and biological characteristics as Khang-Dan18 mutant with wide adaptation, high yield potential, the average gain from 5.9 to 6.2 tones/ha, short growth period (105-110 days in summer season, 130-135 days in spring season), insect resistance, quality of rice suitable for manufacturing technology like noodles, instant noodles, rice noodles, Ethanol. (author)

Project SAIL: A Summer Program Brings History Alive for Students.

Science.gov (United States)

Hollingsworth, Patricia

2001-01-01

This project describes Project SAIL (Schools for Active Interdisciplinary Learning), a federally funded project providing in-depth staff development during a 3-week summer program for teachers, parents, and their gifted/talented economically disadvantaged students. The program theme, "Searching for Patterns in History," has been used with students…

Integration study of high quality teaching resources in universities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Honglu Liu

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Purpose: The development level and quality of education depend on the merits and efficiency in the use of teaching resources, especially in the case of obvious contradiction between the demand and supply of teaching resources. So to integrate teaching resources, improve the efficiency in the use of high quality teaching resources, and take the road of content development to enhance the competitiveness of education has become very important and urgent.Design/methodology/approach: On the basis of analysis on the teaching resources of universities and the problems they faced, this paper introduced the basic concepts of cloud storage, and built the integration architecture of high quality teaching resources in universities based on the cloud storage.Findings and Originality/value: The HDFS-based cloud storage proposed in this paper is a dynamically adjustable and Internet-based storage solution, and the users can access storage targets using the network through a common and easy-to-use protocol and application programming interfaces. This new technology is useful for end users benefits. With the continuous development and improvement of cloud storage, it will necessarily result in more and more applications in the institutions of higher learning and education network.Originality/value: This paper introduced the cloud storage into the integration of high quality teaching resources in universities first and as a new form of service, it can be a good solution.

Evaluation of asynchronous E-learning in the geography curriculum: enriching learning quality in Saudi high schools

OpenAIRE

Al Dobaikhi, Hend; Woollard, John

2011-01-01

The impacts of emerging ICT into educational curricula Asynchronous discussion forumDiscussion groups via e-learning environmentPosting questions and commentsSelf-efficacy in asynchronous e-learning Web community participationCollaborative learning can be fosteredPositive impacts on objectives of educational curriculum

Hydromania II: Journey of the Oncorhynchus. Summer Science Camp Curriculum 1994.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moura, Joan; Swerin, Rod

1995-01-01

The Hydromania II curriculum was written for the third in a series of summer science camp experiences targeting students in grades 4--6 who generally have difficulty accessing supplementary academic programs. The summer science camp in Portland is a collaborative effort between Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), the US Department of Energy (DOE), and the Portland Parks and Recreation Community Schools Program along with various other cooperating businesses and organizations. The curriculum has also been incorporated into other summer programs and has been used by teachers to supplement classroom activities. Camps are designed to make available, affordable learning experiences that are fun and motivating to students for the study of science and math. Inner-city, under-represented minorities, rural, and low-income families are particularly encouraged to enroll their children in the program.

The summer institute in clinical dental research methods: still going and growing after twenty years.

Science.gov (United States)

Derouen, Timothy A; Wiesenbach, Carol

2012-11-01

The first Summer Institute in Clinical Dental Research Methods, a faculty development program at the University of Washington, was offered in the summer of 1992 for sixteen participants. The primary objective of the program was to give clinical faculty members in dentistry an introduction to and an understanding of the fundamental principles and methods used in good clinical research. In the twentieth offering of the institute in 2011, there were thirty-five participants, and over the twenty institutes, there has been a cumulative total of 463 participants who have come from thirty U.S. states as well as forty-three countries outside the United States. The curriculum has expanded from the initial offering of biostatistics, clinical epidemiology, behavioral research methods, and ethics in clinical research to now include clinical trials, grantsmanship, data analysis, an elective in molecular biology, and a team project that provides participants with hands-on experience in research proposal development as members of an interdisciplinary team. Enrollment has doubled since the first year, yet exit evaluations of the program content have remained consistently high (rated as very good to excellent). One of the indicators of program quality is that at least 50 percent of recent participants indicated that they attended because the program was recommended by colleagues who had attended. There seems to be an ever-increasing pool of dental faculty members who are eager to learn more about clinical research methodology through the institute despite the intensive demands of full-time participation in a six-week program.

High school students' implicit theories of what facilitates science learning

Science.gov (United States)

Carlton Parsons, Eileen; Miles, Rhea; Petersen, Michael

2011-11-01

Background: Research has primarily concentrated on adults' implicit theories about high quality science education for all students. Little work has considered the students' perspective. This study investigated high school students' implicit theories about what helped them learn science. Purpose: This study addressed (1) What characterizes high school students' implicit theories of what facilitates their learning of science?; (2) With respect to students' self-classifications as African American or European American and female or male, do differences exist in the students' implicit theories? Sample, design and methods: Students in an urban high school located in south-eastern United States were surveyed in 2006 about their thoughts on what helps them learn science. To confirm or disconfirm any differences, data from two different samples were analyzed. Responses of 112 African American and 118 European American students and responses from 297 European American students comprised the data for sample one and two, respectively. Results: Seven categories emerged from the deductive and inductive analyses of data: personal responsibility, learning arrangements, interest and knowledge, communication, student mastery, environmental responsiveness, and instructional strategies. Instructional strategies captured 82% and 80% of the data from sample one and two, respectively; consequently, this category was further subjected to Mann-Whitney statistical analysis at p ethnic differences. Significant differences did not exist for ethnicity but differences between females and males in sample one and sample two emerged. Conclusions: African American and European American students' implicit theories about instructional strategies that facilitated their science learning did not significantly differ but female and male students' implicit theories about instructional strategies that helped them learn science significantly differed. Because students attend and respond to what they think

A Pilot Study of a Kindergarten Summer School Reading Program in High-Poverty Urban Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Denton, Carolyn A.; Solari, Emily J.; Ciancio, Dennis J.; Hecht, Steven A.; Swank, Paul R.

2010-01-01

This pilot study examined an implementation of a kindergarten summer school reading program in 4 high-poverty urban schools. The program targeted both basic reading skills and oral language development. Students were randomly assigned to a treatment group (n = 25) or a typical practice comparison group (n = 28) within each school; however,…

System Quality Characteristics for Selecting Mobile Learning Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Sarrab, Mohamed; Al-Shihi, Hafedh; Al-Manthari, Bader

2015-01-01

The majority of M-learning (Mobile learning) applications available today are developed for the formal learning and education environment. These applications are characterized by the improvement in the interaction between learners and instructors to provide high interaction and flexibility to the learning process. M-learning is gaining increased…

Link between western Arabian sea surface temperature and summer monsoon strength and high-latitude abrupt climate events

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Naidu, P.D.

Artificial Neural Networks (ANN's) based on quantitative analyses of planktic foraminifera. High seasonal SST contrast between winter and summer during the last glacial period indicates weak upwelling and strong cold northeasterly winds. Minimum seasonal SST...

‘Archaeology Time with Miss Jessica’ Archaeology education in summer schools and summer camp in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jessica Sutherland

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Archaeology education benefits not only archaeologists, but also teachers and students. It fosters future stewards of our cultural heritage while making any classroom lesson more exciting and engaging for the students. In an effort to realize both of these goals, the author undertook an archaeology education programme in her local area of Upper Peninsula Michigan using a dual approach. She coordinated and implemented archaeology education activities in four local elementary schools during summer school, on a weekly basis, and developed and led an archaeology summer camp for children in conjunction with a local chapter of the 4-H Club. Teaching methods and activities varied between the two approaches; however, object handling was a key component of every lesson. Activities included learning about the instructor through examining objects she had brought from home, the dustbin game and skeleton game, a wastebasket excavation to learn context and stratigraphy, a mock excavation, a pot-mending activity, the creation of a museum exhibit, a “Maya Math” activity using the Maya numbering system, and a human evolution activity using replica hominid crania. Each approach presented its own challenges and rewards, but ultimately the author was able to inculcate over one hundred future stewards of our cultural heritage.

Analysis of Relationship between Three Dimensions of Quality, User Satisfaction, and E-Learning Usage of Binus Online Learning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yosep Yosep

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Information technology has  affected  various sectors including the education sector. In the sector, information technology has brought us long distance  education,  which  relies  heavily  on  the  use   of e-learning management system. In Indonesia, Bina Nusantara University is the first and foremost long distance  education  institution.  The  institution  has  been developing and using an e-learning management system for a number of years. This work intends to evaluate to which extent the system is able to enhance e-learning experiences. We adopted the DeLone and McLean’s Information System success model and empirically measured the relation between the aspects of system quality, information quality, service quality, user satisfaction, and net benefits. From a population of the size 311 students, we have collected 149 responses using questionnaires by randomly selecting the participating students. The responses were used to establish a multi-variate regression model where the relationships were established. The model suggested that information quality, system quality, and service quality had positive impacts on user satisfaction with the p-values of 0.014, 0.014, and 0.000 respectively. In addition, the study also found that user satisfaction was strongly and positively affected by the net  benefits.

Quality of Faculty Life and Lifelong Learning Tendencies of University Students

Science.gov (United States)

Beytekin, Osman Ferda; Kadi, Aysegül

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study is to examine the university students' opinions about quality of faculty life and their lifelong learning tendencies. Research was conducted with 375 university students. According to the findings: the quality of faculty life of students differ according to gender. Male students have lower quality of faculty life than…

Consensus on Quality Indicators of Postgraduate Medical E-Learning: Delphi Study

Science.gov (United States)

Walsh, Kieran; Westerman, Michiel; Scheele, Fedde

2018-01-01

Background The progressive use of e-learning in postgraduate medical education calls for useful quality indicators. Many evaluation tools exist. However, these are diversely used and their empirical foundation is often lacking. Objective We aimed to identify an empirically founded set of quality indicators to set the bar for “good enough” e-learning. Methods We performed a Delphi procedure with a group of 13 international education experts and 10 experienced users of e-learning. The questionnaire started with 57 items. These items were the result of a previous literature review and focus group study performed with experts and users. Consensus was met when a rate of agreement of more than two-thirds was achieved. Results In the first round, the participants accepted 37 items of the 57 as important, reached no consensus on 20, and added 15 new items. In the second round, we added the comments from the first round to the items on which there was no consensus and added the 15 new items. After this round, a total of 72 items were addressed and, of these, 37 items were accepted and 34 were rejected due to lack of consensus. Conclusions This study produced a list of 37 items that can form the basis of an evaluation tool to evaluate postgraduate medical e-learning. This is, to our knowledge, the first time that quality indicators for postgraduate medical e-learning have been defined and validated. The next step is to create and validate an e-learning evaluation tool from these items. PMID:29699970

A possible cause of the AO polarity reversal from winter to summer in 2010 and its relation to hemispheric extreme hot summer

Science.gov (United States)

Tachibana, Yoshihiro; Otomi, Yuriko; Nakamura, Tetsu

2013-04-01

In 2010, the Northern Hemisphere, in particular Russia and Japan, experienced an abnormally hot summer characterized by record-breaking warm temperatures and associated with a strongly positive Arctic Oscillation (AO), that is, low pressure in the Arctic and high pressure in the midlatitudes. In contrast, the AO index the previous winter and spring (2009/2010) was record-breaking negative. The AO polarity reversal that began in summer 2010 can explain the abnormally hot summer. The winter sea surface temperatures (SST) in the North Atlantic Ocean showed a tripolar anomaly pattern—warm SST anomalies over the tropics and high latitudes and cold SST anomalies over the midlatitudes—under the influence of the negative AO. The warm SST anomalies continued into summer 2010 because of the large oceanic heat capacity. A model simulation strongly suggested that the AO-related summertime North Atlantic oceanic warm temperature anomalies remotely caused blocking highs to form over Europe, which amplified the positive summertime AO. Thus, a possible cause of the AO polarity reversal might be the "memory" of the negative winter AO in the North Atlantic Ocean, suggesting an interseasonal linkage of the AO in which the oceanic memory of a wintertime negative AO induces a positive AO in the following summer. Understanding of this interseasonal linkage may aid in the long-term prediction of such abnormal summer events.

A possible cause of the AO polarity reversal from winter to summer in 2010 and its relation to hemispheric extreme summer weather

Science.gov (United States)

Otomi, Yuriko; Tachibana, Yoshihiro; Nakamura, Tetsu

2013-04-01

In 2010, the Northern Hemisphere, in particular Russia and Japan, experienced an abnormally hot summer characterized by record-breaking warm temperatures and associated with a strongly positive Arctic Oscillation (AO), that is, low pressure in the Arctic and high pressure in the midlatitudes. In contrast, the AO index the previous winter and spring (2009/2010) was record-breaking negative. The AO polarity reversal that began in summer 2010 can explain the abnormally hot summer. The winter sea surface temperatures (SST) in the North Atlantic Ocean showed a tripolar anomaly pattern—warm SST anomalies over the tropics and high latitudes and cold SST anomalies over the midlatitudes—under the influence of the negative AO. The warm SST anomalies continued into summer 2010 because of the large oceanic heat capacity. A model simulation strongly suggested that the AO-related summertime North Atlantic oceanic warm temperature anomalies remotely caused blocking highs to form over Europe, which amplified the positive summertime AO. Thus, a possible cause of the AO polarity reversal might be the "memory" of the negative winter AO in the North Atlantic Ocean, suggesting an interseasonal linkage of the AO in which the oceanic memory of a wintertime negative AO induces a positive AO in the following summer. Understanding of this interseasonal linkage may aid in the long-term prediction of such abnormal summer events.

Quality Assurance in Distance Education and E-learning

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

2017-12-13

Dec 13, 2017 ... SAGE India offers special discounts for purchase of books in bulk. We also make available ... Part 4: Assuring Quality of Learning Support and Assessment. 13. Malaysia's .... Customer Relationship Management, SIM University. CSM ... Korea Education and Research Information Service, S. Korea. KRIVET.

Effects of Reduced Summer Precipitation on Productivity and Forage Quality of Floodplain Meadows at the Elbe and the Rhine River

Science.gov (United States)

Ludewig, Kristin; Donath, Tobias W.; Zelle, Bianka; Eckstein, R. Lutz; Mosner, Eva; Otte, Annette; Jensen, Kai

2015-01-01

Background Floodplain meadows along rivers are semi-natural habitats and depend on regular land use. When used non-intensively, they offer suitable habitats for many plant species including rare ones. Floodplains are hydrologically dynamic ecosystems with both periods of flooding and of dry conditions. In German floodplains, dry periods may increase due to reduced summer precipitation as projected by climate change scenarios. Against this background, the question arises, how the forage quantity and quality of these meadows might change in future. Methods We report results of two field trials that investigated effects of experimentally reduced summer precipitation on hay quantity and quality of floodplain meadows at the Rhine River (2011-2012) and at two Elbe tributaries (2009-2011). We measured annual yield, the amount of hay biomass, and contents of crude protein, crude fibre, energy, fructan, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Results The annual yield decreased under precipitation reduction at the Rhine River. This was due to reduced productivity in the second cut hay at the Rhine River in which, interestingly, the contents of nitrogen and crude protein increased. The first cut at the Rhine River was unaffected by the treatments. At the Elbe tributaries, the annual yield and the hay quantity and quality of both cuts were only marginally affected by the treatments. Conclusion We conclude that the yield of floodplain meadows may become less reliable in future since the annual yield decreased under precipitation reduction at the Rhine River. However, the first and agriculturally more important cut was almost unaffected by the precipitation reduction, which is probably due to sufficient soil moisture from winter/spring. As long as future water levels of the rivers will not decrease during spring, at least the use of the hay from the first cut of floodplain meadows appears reliable under climate change. PMID:25950730

Students' Learning Environment and Education Quality in Faculty of Education of University of Tehran

Science.gov (United States)

Keshavarz, Mohsen; Vaziri, Seyed Ali; Jafari, Ahmad; Alizadeh, Hadi

2013-01-01

The main aim of this article is to review between students' learning environment and education quality. A non-experimental, quantitative, SPSS 17.0 research design was used to explore the relationship between background demographic characteristics, transformational, and transactional leadership styles, learning environment, and education quality.…

Assuring the Quality of Agricultural Learning Repositories: Issues for the Learning Object Metadata Creation Process of the CGIAR

Science.gov (United States)

Zschocke, Thomas; Beniest, Jan

The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Re- search (CGIAR) has established a digital repository to share its teaching and learning resources along with descriptive educational information based on the IEEE Learning Object Metadata (LOM) standard. As a critical component of any digital repository, quality metadata are critical not only to enable users to find more easily the resources they require, but also for the operation and interoperability of the repository itself. Studies show that repositories have difficulties in obtaining good quality metadata from their contributors, especially when this process involves many different stakeholders as is the case with the CGIAR as an international organization. To address this issue the CGIAR began investigating the Open ECBCheck as well as the ISO/IEC 19796-1 standard to establish quality protocols for its training. The paper highlights the implications and challenges posed by strengthening the metadata creation workflow for disseminating learning objects of the CGIAR.

Leaf anatomical and photosynthetic acclimation to cool temperature and high light in two winter versus two summer annuals.

Science.gov (United States)

Cohu, Christopher M; Muller, Onno; Adams, William W; Demmig-Adams, Barbara

2014-09-01

Acclimation of foliar features to cool temperature and high light was characterized in winter (Spinacia oleracea L. cv. Giant Nobel; Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynhold Col-0 and ecotypes from Sweden and Italy) versus summer (Helianthus annuus L. cv. Soraya; Cucurbita pepo L. cv. Italian Zucchini Romanesco) annuals. Significant relationships existed among leaf dry mass per area, photosynthesis, leaf thickness and palisade mesophyll thickness. While the acclimatory response of the summer annuals to cool temperature and/or high light levels was limited, the winter annuals increased the number of palisade cell layers, ranging from two layers under moderate light and warm temperature to between four and five layers under cool temperature and high light. A significant relationship was also found between palisade tissue thickness and either cross-sectional area or number of phloem cells (each normalized by vein density) in minor veins among all four species and growth regimes. The two winter annuals, but not the summer annuals, thus exhibited acclimatory adjustments of minor vein phloem to cool temperature and/or high light, with more numerous and larger phloem cells and a higher maximal photosynthesis rate. The upregulation of photosynthesis in winter annuals in response to low growth temperature may thus depend on not only (1) a greater volume of photosynthesizing palisade tissue but also (2) leaf veins containing additional phloem cells and presumably capable of exporting a greater volume of sugars from the leaves to the rest of the plant. © 2014 Scandinavian Plant Physiology Society.

Caring, learning, improving quality and doing research: Different ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The aim of this article is to describe the similarities between the consultation process, the quality improvement (QI) process, action- and problem-based learning and participatory action research (PAR). We feel this understanding adds value to our work in enabling personal development as practitioners, fostering teamwork ...

Decadal Variation of the Relationship between Western Pacific Subtropical High and Summer Heatwaves in East China Modulated by Pacific Decadal Oscillation

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Q.; Fu, C.; Zhou, T.

2017-12-01

This study investigates the relationship between Western Pacific Subtropical High (WPSH) and summer heatwaves over Eastern China in interannual scale during the period of 1959-2016. Based on surface daily maximum temperature of 654 monitoring stations over China and meteorological variables in reanalysis data, we calculate the number of heatwave days (NHD) (one heatwave day was defined as one day with its daily maximum temperature greater than 35 degrees centigrade) as well as WPSH index and then examine their interannual relationship. Although the high-NHD-related 850hPa horizontal wind structure was shared by that of high WPSH and decaying El Niño summer, a decadal oscillation emerges for the correlation between interannual WPSH and NHD after removing their interdecadal variability by Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition (EEMD) method. The correlation coefficient can reach up to as high as 0.69 and as low as 0.17 and assembles the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) pretty well. Compositing analysis demonstrates that unstable WPSH-NHD relationship is mainly attributed to the spatial structure distinction of WPSH and surface warming in the El Niño decaying summer of different PDO phases. In the El Niño decaying summer of positive PDO phases, remarkable enhanced warming over majority of Southeastern China matches well with the noticeable westward extension of WPSH, which seems to be forced by the cyclonic circulation anomaly over Japan. The warmer Pacific-Indian Ocean Warm Pool intensifies the Matsuno-Gill pattern over Maritime Continent, stimulating this cyclonic circulation anomaly via the northward propagation of Rossby wave. In the El Niño decaying summer of negative PDO phases, the cooler East China Sea enhances WPSH in North China and South China Sea, and thereby leads to a local cyclonic circulation anomaly over Eastern China, which would cause a large scope of cooling and out-of-phase WPSH-NHD relationship.

Quality in Preschool

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Næsby, Torben

The Danish Day Care Facilities Act, which provides the curriculum on which day care education is based, does not stipulate very clearly what children should learn and therefore how educational processes should be organized. This means that we must accept that there are large local differences in ...... in a Mixed Methods design. Quality assessment of learning environments: ERS -line (quantitative baseline) Children’s outcome, measured by LearnLab and observations of learning environments identifying high quality and inclusion (qualitative)...... and dialectically influence and are influenced by each other (Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 2006; Sheridan, 2009). The research project takes on a Critical Realistic approach, Building on the bio-ecological model; theory on development (proximal processes); an interactionist perspective on quality and inclusion...... in the quality of the learning environment and the impact on children’s well-being, learning and development. A pedagogical perspective on quality has to originate from research and documented evidence but must also inherit the children’s perspectives (Sommer et al, 2013). It has to be viewed interactively...

Forward-Oriented Designing for Learning as a Means to Achieve Educational Quality

Science.gov (United States)

Ghislandi, Patrizia M. M.; Raffaghelli, Juliana E.

2015-01-01

In this paper, we reflect on how Design for Learning can create the basis for a culture of educational quality. We explore the process of Design for Learning within a blended, undergraduate university course through a teacher-led inquiry approach, aiming at showing the connections between the process of Design for Learning and academic…

Summer Institute in Engineering and Computer Applications: Learning Through Experience

Science.gov (United States)

Langdon, Joan S.

1995-01-01

The document describing the Summer Institute project is made up of the following information: Administrative procedures; Seminars/Special Courses/Tours/College fair; Facilities/ Transportation; Staff and Administration; Collaboration; Participant/Project monitoring and evaluation; Fiscal and developmental activities; Job readiness/Job internship development and placement; and Student Follow-up/Tracking. Appendices include presentations, self-evaluations; abstracts and papers developed by the students during their participation in the program.

Research summer camp in photonics

Science.gov (United States)

Buyanovskaya, Elizaveta; Melnik, Maksim; Egorov, Vladimir; Gleim, Artur; Lukishova, Svetlana; Kozlov, Sergei; Zhang, Xi-Cheng

2017-08-01

ITMO University and the University of Rochester became close partners several years ago. One of the first outcomes of this mutually beneficial partnership was the creation of International Institute of Photonics and Optical Information Technologies led by Prof. Sergei Kozlov and Prof. Xi-Cheng Zhang. Universities have created a double Masters-degree program in optics in 2014, and several ITMO students have been awarded degrees from Rochester. At the same time ITMO University organizes Summer Research camp in Photonics for University of Rochester students. Students spent two weeks in the Northern Capital of Russia learning about the emerging practical applications of femtosecond optics, terahertz biomedicine and quantum information technologies.

Building Quality into Learning Management Systems – An Architecture-Centric Approach

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Avgeriou, P.; Retalis, Simos; Skordalakis, Manolis

2003-01-01

The design and development of contemporary Learning Management Systems (LMS), is largely focused on satisfying functional requirements, rather than quality requirements, thus resulting in inefficient systems of poor software and business quality. In order to remedy this problem there is a research

Assessing Assessment Quality: Criteria for Quality Assurance in Design of (Peer) Assessment for Learning--A Review of Research Studies

Science.gov (United States)

Tillema, Harm; Leenknecht, Martijn; Segers, Mien

2011-01-01

The interest in "assessment for learning" (AfL) has resulted in a search for new modes of assessment that are better aligned to students' learning how to learn. However, with the introduction of new assessment tools, also questions arose with respect to the quality of its measurement. On the one hand, the appropriateness of traditional,…

Consensus on Quality Indicators of Postgraduate Medical E-Learning: Delphi Study.

Science.gov (United States)

de Leeuw, Robert Adrianus; Walsh, Kieran; Westerman, Michiel; Scheele, Fedde

2018-04-26

The progressive use of e-learning in postgraduate medical education calls for useful quality indicators. Many evaluation tools exist. However, these are diversely used and their empirical foundation is often lacking. We aimed to identify an empirically founded set of quality indicators to set the bar for “good enough” e-learning. We performed a Delphi procedure with a group of 13 international education experts and 10 experienced users of e-learning. The questionnaire started with 57 items. These items were the result of a previous literature review and focus group study performed with experts and users. Consensus was met when a rate of agreement of more than two-thirds was achieved. In the first round, the participants accepted 37 items of the 57 as important, reached no consensus on 20, and added 15 new items. In the second round, we added the comments from the first round to the items on which there was no consensus and added the 15 new items. After this round, a total of 72 items were addressed and, of these, 37 items were accepted and 34 were rejected due to lack of consensus. This study produced a list of 37 items that can form the basis of an evaluation tool to evaluate postgraduate medical e-learning. This is, to our knowledge, the first time that quality indicators for postgraduate medical e-learning have been defined and validated. The next step is to create and validate an e-learning evaluation tool from these items. ©Robert Adrianus de Leeuw, Kieran Walsh, Michiel Westerman, Fedde Scheele. Originally published in JMIR Medical Education (http://mededu.jmir.org), 26.04.2018.

Indoor Air Quality Analysis Using Deep Learning with Sensor Data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jaehyun Ahn

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Indoor air quality analysis is of interest to understand the abnormal atmospheric phenomena and external factors that affect air quality. By recording and analyzing quality measurements, we are able to observe patterns in the measurements and predict the air quality of near future. We designed a microchip made out of sensors that is capable of periodically recording measurements, and proposed a model that estimates atmospheric changes using deep learning. In addition, we developed an efficient algorithm to determine the optimal observation period for accurate air quality prediction. Experimental results with real-world data demonstrate the feasibility of our approach.

Summer school in Kabardino-Balkaria by BMSTU SPIE Student Chapter

Science.gov (United States)

Chernomyrdin, Nikita V.; Zaytsev, Kirill I.; Gavdush, Arsenii A.; Fokina, Irina N.; Karasik, Valeriy E.; Yurchenko, Stanislav O.

2014-09-01

This summer BMSTU SPIE Student Chapter have decided to visit Kabardino-Balkaria Republic of Caucasus (Russia) and spent there a week with children in a camp. It was called Summer school. We decided to organize it in order to engage talented and curious children in Optics and to show them how science could be funny. Education and entertainment program included such activities as lectures, optical demonstrations, laser games, hiking in the forest, and others. As a result children had a good time outdoors, learned interesting facts about optics and lasers, and of course found new friends who are keen to know more too. Four Chapter members and about 70 children of age 10-16 took part in this event.

Study on a pattern classification method of soil quality based on simplified learning sample dataset

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jiahua; Liu, S.; Hu, Y.; Tian, Y.

2011-01-01

Based on the massive soil information in current soil quality grade evaluation, this paper constructed an intelligent classification approach of soil quality grade depending on classical sampling techniques and disordered multiclassification Logistic regression model. As a case study to determine the learning sample capacity under certain confidence level and estimation accuracy, and use c-means algorithm to automatically extract the simplified learning sample dataset from the cultivated soil quality grade evaluation database for the study area, Long chuan county in Guangdong province, a disordered Logistic classifier model was then built and the calculation analysis steps of soil quality grade intelligent classification were given. The result indicated that the soil quality grade can be effectively learned and predicted by the extracted simplified dataset through this method, which changed the traditional method for soil quality grade evaluation. ?? 2011 IEEE.

The Role of Interactional Quality in Learning from Touch Screens during Infancy: Context Matters

OpenAIRE

Zack, Elizabeth; Barr, Rachel

2016-01-01

Interactional quality has been shown to enhance learning during book reading and play, but has not been examined during touch screen use. Learning to apply knowledge from a touch screen is complex for infants because it involves transfer of learning between a 2-dimensional (2D) screen and 3-dimensional (3D) object in the physical world. This study uses a touch screen procedure to examine interactional quality measured via maternal structuring, diversity of maternal language, and dyadic emot...

EDUCATION REFORMS TOWARDS 21ST CENTURY SKILLS: TRANSFORMING STUDENTS' LEARNING EXPERIENCES THROUGH EFFECTIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

OpenAIRE

Harriet Wambui Njui

2018-01-01

This paper reviews literature on learning environments with a view to making recommendations on how teachers could create effective and high-quality learning environments that provide learners with transformative learning experiences as they go through the process of education. An effective learning environment is critical because quality education, which is essential to real learning and human development, is influenced by factors both inside and outside the classroom. Learning institutions ...

Effect of e-learning on quality of cervical-length measurements.

Science.gov (United States)

van Os, M A; van der Ven, A J; Bloemendaal, P M; Pajkrt, E; de Groot, C J M; Mol, B W J; Haak, M C

2015-09-01

To assess the effect of implementation of a newly developed e-learning module on the quality of cervical-length measurements. With the introduction of cervical-length (CL) measurement in a research setting, a CL measurement e-learning module (CLEM) was developed with the purpose to enhance the knowledge and skills of experienced ultrasonographers. CLEM was designed specifically for ultrasonographers who perform ultrasound in a general obstetrical practice but who do not regularly perform CL measurements. CLEM consists of five theoretical questions and three caliper-placement tests to learn the CL measurement technique. The quality of the CL measurements of CLEM participants was compared with images of non-participants using a CL measurement image score (CIS), defined as the sum of six items which assess the quality of the image. Each CLEM participant submitted five CL images and the images of non-CLEM participants were selected randomly from an ultrasound database. The CIS of the CLEM participants (n = 61) were significantly higher than those of non-CLEM participants (n = 23) (164.9 vs 155.6, respectively; P = 0.03). Visualization of the internal os and positioning of the calipers on the internal and external ora were found to have significantly higher CIS among the CLEM participants than among the non-CLEM participants (P = 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively). Introducing CLEM may improve the quality of CL measurements obtained by trained and untrained sonographers. Copyright © 2014 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Self–Evaluation of Distance Learning Study Program as a Part of Internal Quality Assurance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Radojka Krneta

2012-02-01

Full Text Available This paper features quality assurance of specific distance learning master study program through self-evaluation. This unique program involving e-learning as the program content, as well as delivery method, is presented in the paper from the aspects of its quality assurance. Student evaluation of this study program as a part of the internal quality assurance is performed at the end of every school year in the aim of its quality assurance. Results and conclusions of self-evaluation conducted in this school year by known SEVAQ+ evaluation tool are presented here.

Quality indicators for learner-centered postgraduate medical e-learning.

Science.gov (United States)

de Leeuw, Robert A; Westerman, Michiel; Scheele, Fedde

2017-04-27

The objectives of this study were to identify the needs and expectations of learners and educational experts in postgraduate medical e-learning, and to contribute to the current literature. We performed four focus-group discussions with e-learning end-users (learners) and didactic experts. The participants were postgraduate learners with varying levels of experience, educational experts from a Dutch e-learning task group, and commercial experts from a Dutch e-learning company. Verbatim transcribed interview recordings were analyzed using King's template analysis. The initial template was created with reference to recent literature on postgraduate medical e-learning quality indicators. The transcripts were coded, after which the emerging differences in template interpretation were discussed until a consensus was reached within the team. The final template consisted of three domains of positive e-learning influencers (motivators, learning enhancers, and real-world translation) and three domains of negatively influential parameters (barriers, learning discouragers, and poor preparation). The interpretation of the final template showed three subjects which form the basis of e-learning, namely, Motivate, Learn and Apply. This study forms a basis for learning in general and could be applied to many educational instruments. Individual characteristics should be adapted to the target audience. Three subjects form the basis of, and six themes cover all items needed for, good (enough) postgraduate e-learning. Further research should be carried out with learners and real-world e-learning to validate this template.

NE-F2: Fluids and Propulsion Design: Summer 2014 Pathways Report

Science.gov (United States)

Holland, Katherine M.

2014-01-01

Describes major and minor projects I worked on over this summer and all I learned in the process. I go into detail with my main project, designing a new purge system for GODU LO2. I also highlight some significant events that I really enjoyed during my internship here at KSC

Learning leadership skills in practice through quality improvement.

Science.gov (United States)

Gamble, James; Vaux, Emma

2014-02-01

The development of leadership skills in doctors in training is essential to support both their professional development and the future supply of clinical leaders the NHS so desperately needs. There is, however, limited opportunity in current training programmes for trainees to learn and develop these skills, and what opportunity there is has often focused on management rather than leadership skills. Involvement in trainee-led supported quality improvement projects can teach these skills. We summarise the current limitations in leadership training and discuss how the College's 'Learning To Make a Difference' programme, and others like it, are helping to teach leadership.

Improving self-regulated learning junior high school students through computer-based learning

Science.gov (United States)

Nurjanah; Dahlan, J. A.

2018-05-01

This study is back grounded by the importance of self-regulated learning as an affective aspect that determines the success of students in learning mathematics. The purpose of this research is to see how the improvement of junior high school students' self-regulated learning through computer based learning is reviewed in whole and school level. This research used a quasi-experimental research method. This is because individual sample subjects are not randomly selected. The research design used is Pretest-and-Posttest Control Group Design. Subjects in this study were students of grade VIII junior high school in Bandung taken from high school (A) and middle school (B). The results of this study showed that the increase of the students' self-regulated learning who obtain learning with computer-based learning is higher than students who obtain conventional learning. School-level factors have a significant effect on increasing of the students' self-regulated learning.

Approaches to quality improvement in nursing homes: Lessons learned from the six-state pilot of CMS's Nursing Home Quality Initiative

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Palmer Laura

2003-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background In November 2002, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS launched a Nursing Home Quality Initiative that included publicly reporting a set of Quality Measures for all nursing homes in the country, and providing quality improvement assistance to nursing homes nationwide. A pilot of this initiative occurred in six states for six months prior to the launch. Methods Review and analysis of the lessons learned from the six Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs that led quality improvement efforts in nursing homes from the six pilot states. Results QIOs in the six pilot states found several key outcomes of the Nursing Home Quality Initiative that help to maximize the potential of public reporting to leverage effective improvement in nursing home quality of care. First, public reporting focuses the attention of all stakeholders in the nursing home industry on achieving good quality outcomes on a defined set of measures, and creates an incentive for partnership formation. Second, publicly reported quality measures motivate nursing home providers to improve in certain key clinical areas, and in particular to seek out new ways of changing processes of care, such as engaging physicians and the medical director more directly. Third, the lessons learned by QIOs in the pilot of this Initiative indicate that certain approaches to providing quality improvement assistance are key to guiding nursing home providers' desire and enthusiasm to improve towards a using a systematic approach to quality improvement. Conclusion The Nursing Home Quality Initiative has already demonstrated the potential of public reporting to foster collaboration and coordination among nursing home stakeholders and to heighten interest of nursing homes in quality improvement techniques. The lessons learned from this pilot project have implications for any organizations or individuals planning quality improvement projects in the nursing home setting.

CRITERIA AND QUALITY INDICATORS OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES OF LEARNING

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Oleg M. Spirin

2013-03-01

Full Text Available In the article the concept of information and communication technology and information and communication technology of learning is specified. It is grounded an external and internal criteria of information and communication technologies of learning quality assessment based on experience of information and communication technology quality assessment of the methodical system of informatics teachers vocational training. There are considered the external indexes – design, structural, organizational, communicative and gnostic criteria, and internal – differentiation, individualization, intensification of teaching process and effectiveness of educational activity. There are presented the approaches to assess the indicators for determination of criteria demonstration degree.

Role of Service Learning in Water Quality Studies

Science.gov (United States)

Richards, Wilfred Sugumar

2009-01-01

Background: Chemistry students often complain that they are unmotivated because they see no applications of chemical principles in "real life." It was thus decided to put into use the knowledge gained during the course on water quality and analysis. Learning the principles of quantitative chemical analysis requires innovative, hands-on…

The American Indian Summer Institute in Earth System Science (AISESS) at UC Irvine: A Two-Week Residential Summer Program for High School Students

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, K. R.; Polequaptewa, N.; Leon, Y.

2012-12-01

Native Americans remain severely underrepresented in the geosciences, despite a clear need for qualified geoscience professionals within Tribal communities to address critical issues such as natural resource and land management, water and air pollution, and climate change. In addition to the need for geoscience professionals within Tribal communities, increased participation of Native Americans in the geosciences would enhance the overall diversity of perspectives represented within the Earth science community and lead to improved Earth science literacy within Native communities. To address this need, the Department of Earth System Science and the American Indian Resource Program at the University California have organized a two-week residential American Indian Summer Institute in Earth System Science (AISESS) for high-school students (grades 9-12) from throughout the nation. The format of the AISESS program is based on the highly-successful framework of a previous NSF Funded American Indian Summer Institute in Computer Science (AISICS) at UC Irvine and involves key senior personnel from the AISICS program. The AISESS program, however, incorporates a week of camping on the La Jolla Band of Luiseño Indians reservation in Northern San Diego County, California. Following the week of camping and field projects, the students spend a week on the campus of UC Irvine participating in Earth System Science lectures, laboratory activities, and tours. The science curriculum is closely woven together with cultural activities, native studies, and communication skills programs The program culminates with a closing ceremony during which students present poster projects on environmental issues relevant to their tribal communities. The inaugural AISESS program took place from July 15th-28th, 2012. We received over 100 applications from Native American high school students from across the nation. We accepted 40 students for the first year, of which 34 attended the program. The

Automated Quality Assessment of Structural Magnetic Resonance Brain Images Based on a Supervised Machine Learning Algorithm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ricardo Andres Pizarro

2016-12-01

Full Text Available High-resolution three-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging (3D-MRI is being increasingly used to delineate morphological changes underlying neuropsychiatric disorders. Unfortunately, artifacts frequently compromise the utility of 3D-MRI yielding irreproducible results, from both type I and type II errors. It is therefore critical to screen 3D-MRIs for artifacts before use. Currently, quality assessment involves slice-wise visual inspection of 3D-MRI volumes, a procedure that is both subjective and time consuming. Automating the quality rating of 3D-MRI could improve the efficiency and reproducibility of the procedure. The present study is one of the first efforts to apply a support vector machine (SVM algorithm in the quality assessment of structural brain images, using global and region of interest (ROI automated image quality features developed in-house. SVM is a supervised machine-learning algorithm that can predict the category of test datasets based on the knowledge acquired from a learning dataset. The performance (accuracy of the automated SVM approach was assessed, by comparing the SVM-predicted quality labels to investigator-determined quality labels. The accuracy for classifying 1457 3D-MRI volumes from our database using the SVM approach is around 80%. These results are promising and illustrate the possibility of using SVM as an automated quality assessment tool for 3D-MRI.

Automated Quality Assessment of Structural Magnetic Resonance Brain Images Based on a Supervised Machine Learning Algorithm.

Science.gov (United States)

Pizarro, Ricardo A; Cheng, Xi; Barnett, Alan; Lemaitre, Herve; Verchinski, Beth A; Goldman, Aaron L; Xiao, Ena; Luo, Qian; Berman, Karen F; Callicott, Joseph H; Weinberger, Daniel R; Mattay, Venkata S

2016-01-01

High-resolution three-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging (3D-MRI) is being increasingly used to delineate morphological changes underlying neuropsychiatric disorders. Unfortunately, artifacts frequently compromise the utility of 3D-MRI yielding irreproducible results, from both type I and type II errors. It is therefore critical to screen 3D-MRIs for artifacts before use. Currently, quality assessment involves slice-wise visual inspection of 3D-MRI volumes, a procedure that is both subjective and time consuming. Automating the quality rating of 3D-MRI could improve the efficiency and reproducibility of the procedure. The present study is one of the first efforts to apply a support vector machine (SVM) algorithm in the quality assessment of structural brain images, using global and region of interest (ROI) automated image quality features developed in-house. SVM is a supervised machine-learning algorithm that can predict the category of test datasets based on the knowledge acquired from a learning dataset. The performance (accuracy) of the automated SVM approach was assessed, by comparing the SVM-predicted quality labels to investigator-determined quality labels. The accuracy for classifying 1457 3D-MRI volumes from our database using the SVM approach is around 80%. These results are promising and illustrate the possibility of using SVM as an automated quality assessment tool for 3D-MRI.

What Is Quality Preschool? Fact Sheet

Science.gov (United States)

Advocates for Children of New Jersey, 2010

2010-01-01

Children need quality early learning programs. This can be a child care center, a preschool or a Head Start program. Not all early learning programs provide the high quality children need. This paper presents questions that should be considered when looking for an early learning program.

Individual Differences in Study Processes and the Quality of Learning Outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Biggs, John

1979-01-01

The relationship between students' study processes and the structural complexity of their learning is examined. Study processes are viewed in terms of three dimensions and are assessed by a questionnaire. Learning quality is expressed in levels of a taxonomy. A study that relates taxonomic levels and retention to study processes is reported.…

Summer Bridge Programs. What Works Clearinghouse Intervention Report

Science.gov (United States)

What Works Clearinghouse, 2016

2016-01-01

"Summer bridge programs" are designed to ease the transition to college and support postsecondary success by providing students with the academic skills and social resources needed to succeed in a college environment. These programs occur in the summer "bridge" period between high school and college. Although the content of…

Educational Information Quantization for Improving Content Quality in Learning Management Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Rybanov, Alexander Aleksandrovich

2014-01-01

The article offers the educational information quantization method for improving content quality in Learning Management Systems. The paper considers questions concerning analysis of quality of quantized presentation of educational information, based on quantitative text parameters: average frequencies of parts of speech, used in the text; formal…

INDUSTRY PARTNERSHIPS LEARNING MODELS FOR SURVEYING AND MAPPING OF VOCATIONAL HIGH SCHOOLS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sunar Rochmadi

2016-09-01

Full Text Available This study aims to identify a learning involving the world of work, to formulate the learning model, and to evaluate the learning model. This study used a qualitative approach for design and development research, consisting of the development and validation steps. The study concludes as follows. (1 the learning through partnerships having been conducted in all vocational high schools were industrial practice and vocational practice examination. (2 the constraints of learning through partnerships were mainly the far distance and the industry schedules that did not always match with the school’s. (3 the model development could be done by improving the learning quality by industrial practices in the private companies and with adding the learning model by industry visits, guest teaching, and up-to-date technology training. (4 the implementation of the developed model showed the feasibility and the effectiveness to prepare the students with the competencies required by the world of work. (5 the learning models through partnerships that could be practiced were guest teaching, orientation for industrial practice, industrial practices, students’ industry visits, up-to-date technology training, and vocational practice examination.

Student Engagement in the Scottish Quality Enhancement Framework

Science.gov (United States)

Gvaramadze, Irakli

2011-01-01

The research addressed the interplay of student engagement and quality enhancement mechanisms in the Scottish higher education system. The paper demonstrates increasing focus on student learning, learning experience and high-quality learning in the current quality enhancement approaches. The student-university coproduction model is used to…

CERN openlab Summer Student Programme

CERN Multimedia

2012-01-01

CERN openlab is currently taking applications for its summer student programme. The closing date for applications is 30 March 2012.   The openlab Summer Student Programme is open for applications from bachelor, master and PhD students in computer science and physics. Successful applicants will spend 8 weeks at CERN, during the period June to September 2012, to work with some of the latest hardware and software technologies. The programme is more than just a summer at CERN: it can lead to follow-on projects at the home institute and may even inspire the students to become entrepreneurs in cutting-edge computing technologies. A series of lectures will be given by experts in various domains of CERN related high-throughput computing. Study tours to external companies and universities as well as to CERN facilities are also part of the programme. Please visit www.cern.ch/openlab-students for more information.

CERN openlab summer student programme

CERN Multimedia

2013-01-01

CERN openlab is currently taking applications for its summer student programme. The closing date for applications is 31 March 2013.   The openlab summer student programme is open for applications from bachelor, master and PhD students in computer science and physics. Successful applicants will spend 9 weeks at CERN, during the period from June to September 2013, working with some of the latest hardware and software technologies. The programme is more than just a summer at CERN: it can lead to follow-on projects at the home institute and may even inspire students to become entrepreneurs in cutting-edge computing technologies. A series of lectures will be given by experts in various domains of CERN-related high-throughput computing. Study tours of external companies and universities as well as of CERN facilities are also part of the programme. Please visit the CERN openlab website for more information.

Technology enhanced peer learning and peer assessment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Henriksen, Christian Bugge; Bregnhøj, Henrik; Rosthøj, Susanne

2016-01-01

This paper explores the application of learning designs featuring formalised and structured technology enhanced peer learning. These include student produced learning elements, peer review discussions and peer assessment in the BSc/MSc level summer course Restoration of European Ecosystems and Fr...... be a huge benefit from developing learning design patterns that facilitate informal peer learning and reinforce knowledge sharing practices.......This paper explores the application of learning designs featuring formalised and structured technology enhanced peer learning. These include student produced learning elements, peer review discussions and peer assessment in the BSc/MSc level summer course Restoration of European Ecosystems...... and Freshwaters (REEF), the Master thesis preparation seminars for the Master of Public Health (MPH) and the MOOC course Global Environmental Management (GEM). The application of student produced learning elements and peer review discussions is investigated by analyzing quotes from course evaluations...

THE EFFECT OF COOPERATIVE LEARNING ASSISTED WITH MODULE AND STUDENTS LEARNING MOTIVATION TOWARD THE STUDY RESULT ON STUDENTS SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hotman Sitanggang

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The aim of this research is to improve learning quality of high school students in grade ten (X to the study material is about the vector. This research is a quasiexperimental study. Samples selection is random, using the control class from the adjacent class to avoid the large bias. The results of samples selection are the students of class X-H as the control class and the students of class X-I as the experimental class. The motivation variable was distinguished from the observations of student activities at the pre-study and at current research. Highly motivated students are the students who actively ask the questions and give answers to problems. While the low-motivated students are the students whose learning activities are the less. This research was designed using 2x2 factorial ANOVA, namely the effects of cooperative learning between learning without module and module-assisted learning on students’ learning results; and the effects of students’ learning motivation between highly motivated students and low motivated students. After given the treatment, those are: the same pre-test, cooperative learning without modules in control class, module-assisted cooperative learning in experimental class, the same post-test, questionnaires distribution, collection and tabulation of the data. The data were analyzed using qualitative-descriptive technique and percentage. The data analysis results using SPSS 17.0 conclude that: (1 There is a significant difference of study results in cooperative learning without module against module-assisted cooperative learning. (2 There is a significant difference of study results between highly motivated students and low motivated students. (3 There is a significant difference of study results between the group of cooperative learning and the group of student motivation at the significance value of = 0.05.

Assessment of the quality in e-learning processes: a proposal with new dimensions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

João Paulo Vagarinho

2013-08-01

Full Text Available 0 0 1 74 413 USAL 3 1 486 14.0 Normal 0 21 false false false ES JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Tabla normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-ansi-language:ES; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;} The globalization in education increased competitiveness among institutions of learning especially in higher education. The method for the differentiation of institutions is the quality factor. In e-learning quality we can find interesting discussions about the complexity of adopting a methodology. This article show the state of art quality oriented processes in e-learning and a proposal for new dimensions to be considered in assessing the quality of e-learning-oriented processes.

Air quality high resolution simulations of Italian urban areas with WRF-CHIMERE

Science.gov (United States)

Falasca, Serena; Curci, Gabriele

2017-04-01

The new European Directive on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe (2008/50/EC) encourages the use of modeling techniques to support the observations in the assessment and forecasting of air quality. The modelling system based on the combination of the WRF meteorological model and the CHIMERE chemistry-transport model is used to perform simulations at high resolution over the main Italian cities (e.g. Milan, Rome). Three domains covering Europe, Italy and the urban areas are nested with a decreasing grid size up to 1 km. Numerical results are produced for a winter month and a summer month of the year 2010 and are validated using ground-based observations (e.g. from the European air quality database AirBase). A sensitivity study is performed using different physics options, domain resolution and grid ratio; different urban parameterization schemes are tested using also characteristic morphology parameters for the cities considered. A spatial reallocation of anthropogenic emissions derived from international (e.g. EMEP, TNO, HTAP) and national (e.g. CTN-ACE) emissions inventories and based on the land cover datasets (Global Land Cover Facility and GlobCover) and the OpenStreetMap tool is also included. Preliminary results indicate that the introduction of the spatial redistribution at high-resolution allows a more realistic reproduction of the distribution of the emission flows and thus the concentrations of the pollutants, with significant advantages especially for the urban environments.

Development of the GEM-MACH-FireWork System: An Air Quality Model with On-line Wildfire Emissions within the Canadian Operational Air Quality Forecast System

Science.gov (United States)

Pavlovic, Radenko; Chen, Jack; Beaulieu, Paul-Andre; Anselmp, David; Gravel, Sylvie; Moran, Mike; Menard, Sylvain; Davignon, Didier

2014-05-01

A wildfire emissions processing system has been developed to incorporate near-real-time emissions from wildfires and large prescribed burns into Environment Canada's real-time GEM-MACH air quality (AQ) forecast system. Since the GEM-MACH forecast domain covers Canada and most of the U.S.A., including Alaska, fire location information is needed for both of these large countries. During AQ model runs, emissions from individual fire sources are injected into elevated model layers based on plume-rise calculations and then transport and chemistry calculations are performed. This "on the fly" approach to the insertion of the fire emissions provides flexibility and efficiency since on-line meteorology is used and computational overhead in emissions pre-processing is reduced. GEM-MACH-FireWork, an experimental wildfire version of GEM-MACH, was run in real-time mode for the summers of 2012 and 2013 in parallel with the normal operational version. 48-hour forecasts were generated every 12 hours (at 00 and 12 UTC). Noticeable improvements in the AQ forecasts for PM2.5 were seen in numerous regions where fire activity was high. Case studies evaluating model performance for specific regions and computed objective scores will be included in this presentation. Using the lessons learned from the last two summers, Environment Canada will continue to work towards the goal of incorporating near-real-time intermittent wildfire emissions into the operational air quality forecast system.

STUDENT SATISFACTION PROCESS IN VIRTUAL LEARNING SYSTEM:Considerations Based In Information And Service Quality from Brazil’s Experience

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fábio Nazareno MACHADO-DA-SILVA

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Distance learning has undergone great changes, especially since the advent of the Internet and communication and information technology. Questions have been asked following the growth of this mode of instructional activity. Researchers have investigated methods to assess the benefits of e-learning from a number of perspectives. This survey assesses the associations among the system quality, information quality, and service quality on student satisfaction and use of systems in virtual learning environments using the e-learning success model adapted by Holsapple and Lee-Post from the Delone and McLean (1992, 2003 model as a theoretical basis. The survey was carried out by means of an online program offered to 291 students from public and private institutions from several regions of Brazil. Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Structural Equation Modeling were used for data analysis in order to understand the student satisfaction process in virtual learning system. Findings show that variations in system quality, information quality, and service quality influence the use of the system, and the User Satisfaction construct had 89% of variance explained by Information Quality and Service Quality. Many of the benefits of distance learning programs are related to students’ satisfaction and the intensity with which they make use of the learning system. With awareness of the indicators that are antecedents of these variables, education executives can plan investments that meet the most significant demands and use the information to deal with one of the major problems in distance learning: the dropout rate. Future researches should study this subject longitudinally.

Assessing the Learning Path Specification: a Pragmatic Quality Approach

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Janssen, José; Berlanga, Adriana; Heyenrath, Stef; Martens, Harrie; Vogten, Hubert; Finders, Anton; Herder, Eelco; Hermans, Henry; Melero, Javier; Schaeps, Leon; Koper, Rob

2010-01-01

Janssen, J., Berlanga, A. J., Heyenrath, S., Martens, H., Vogten, H., Finders, A., Herder, E., Hermans, H., Melero Gallardo, J., Schaeps, L., & Koper, R. (2010). Assessing the Learning Path Specification: a Pragmatic Quality Approach. Journal of Universal Computer Science, 16(21), 3191-3209.

Robustness and prediction accuracy of machine learning for objective visual quality assessment

OpenAIRE

HINES, ANDREW

2014-01-01

PUBLISHED Lisbon, Portugal Machine Learning (ML) is a powerful tool to support the development of objective visual quality assessment metrics, serving as a substitute model for the perceptual mechanisms acting in visual quality appreciation. Nevertheless, the reli- ability of ML-based techniques within objective quality as- sessment metrics is often questioned. In this study, the ro- bustness of ML in supporting objective quality assessment is investigated, specific...

TF.Learn: TensorFlow's High-level Module for Distributed Machine Learning

OpenAIRE

Tang, Yuan

2016-01-01

TF.Learn is a high-level Python module for distributed machine learning inside TensorFlow. It provides an easy-to-use Scikit-learn style interface to simplify the process of creating, configuring, training, evaluating, and experimenting a machine learning model. TF.Learn integrates a wide range of state-of-art machine learning algorithms built on top of TensorFlow's low level APIs for small to large-scale supervised and unsupervised problems. This module focuses on bringing machine learning t...

Upward Bound: An Untapped Fountain Of Youth Wanting To Learn About Math And Science

Science.gov (United States)

Gillis-Davis, J. J.; Sherman, S. B.; Gillis-Davis, L. C.; Svelling, K. L.

2009-12-01

We developed a two-phased curricula aimed at high school students in Hawaii’s Upward Bound (UB) programs. The course, called “Tour Through the Solar System”, was tested in the summer 2008-2009 programs of two of the four Hawaii UB programs. Authorized by Congress in 1965, UB is a federal program funded by the U.S. Department of Education to serve students underrepresented in higher education. Students enrolled in UB are predominantly low income, or from families in which neither parent holds a bachelor’s degree. UB programs make a measurable improvement in retaining high school students in the education pipeline in part by using innovative educational and outreach programs to spark students’ interest in learning while building academic self-confidence. Curricula developed for UB are sustainable because there are 964 programs in the United States, and U territories. Education and outreach products can be presented at regional and national meetings, which directors of the UB programs attend. Broad regulations and varied instruction formats allow curriculum developers a flexible and creative framework for developing classes. For instance, regulations stipulate that programs must provide participants with academic instruction in mathematics, laboratory sciences, composition, literature, and foreign languages in preparation for college entrance. UB meets these guidelines through school-year academic activities and a six-week summer school program. In designing our curricula the primary goals were to help students learn how to learn and encourage them to develop an interest in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math using NASA planetary data sets in a Problem-Based Learning (PBL) environment. Our focus on planetary science stems from our familiarity with the data sets, our view that NASA data sets are a naturally inspirational tool to engage high school students, and its cross-disciplinary character: encompassing geology, chemistry, astronomy

The effect of errorless learning on quality of life in patients with Korsakoff’s syndrome

Science.gov (United States)

Rensen, Yvonne CM; Egger, Jos IM; Westhoff, Josette; Walvoort, Serge JW; Kessels, Roy PC

2017-01-01

Background Errorless learning (EL) is a promising rehabilitation principle for (re)learning instrumental activities in patients with amnesia, including patients with Korsakoff’s syndrome (KS). Successfully (re)learning tasks might improve the sense of competence and independence, and subsequently the quality of life. Quality of life in patients with KS has received limited attention, and no studies have been conducted to experimentally examine the effect of EL on quality of life in patients in this patient group. Materials and methods The QUALIDEM, an observation scale for quality of life, was completed by professional nurses before and after EL training in a group of fifty-one patients with KS. This scale was also completed for a group of thirty-one control patients receiving care as usual but no EL training. Results Quality of life was significantly increased on eight of the nine subscales in the Korsakoff group who participated in an EL training. There was a trend toward a significant increase in “positive affect” (ie, the ninth subscale). In contrast, no changes over time were found on any of the subscales in the control group that did not participate in any EL training. Conclusion Despite severe memory impairments, patients with KS still have the potential to (partially) (re)learn tasks using EL. This potential should be exploited, as the successes of (re)-learning might improve the quality of life of Korsakoff patients in nursing homes. PMID:29225465

Teaching and learning in the international classroom: quality principles and lessons learned from the IntlUni project

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lauridsen, Karen M.; Cozart, Stacey Marie

2015-01-01

, and expectations about the teaching and learning processes and outcomes. Certainly, many teachers in these settings are meeting the challenges of this diversity, and some are leveraging it to improve student learning and intercultural competence. Nevertheless, the work of IntlUni, an Erasmus Academic Network (2012......As higher education in Europe becomes increasingly internationalized, many higher education institutions are facing new diversity issues as well as opportunities arising from educational settings where students and teachers often have different first languages, cultural backgrounds...... of principles for quality teaching and learning in the international classroom, developed by the network, as well as a number of the important lessons learned...

The High Scope Approach To Early Learning

OpenAIRE

French, Geraldine

2012-01-01

Learning Objectives: After studying this chapter the reader should be able to: • Describe the historical origins, the longitudinal research, and the theoretical underpinnings of the HighScope approach. • Identify the teaching strategies adopted by HighScope educators. • Appreciate the curriculum content. • Understand the HighScope approach to the assessment of children’s learning. • Consider some criticisms of the HighScope research and approach to early learning. This ...

The effect of e-learning on the quality of orthodontic appliances.

Science.gov (United States)

Schorn-Borgmann, Stephanie; Lippold, Carsten; Wiechmann, Dirk; Stamm, Thomas

2015-01-01

The effect of e-learning on practical skills in medicine has not yet been thoroughly investigated. Today's multimedia learning environment and access to e-books provide students with more knowledge than ever before. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of online demonstrations concerning the quality of orthodontic appliances manufactured by undergraduate dental students. The study design was a parallel-group randomized clinical trial. Fifty-four participants were randomly assigned to one of the three groups: 1) conventional lectures, 2) conventional lectures plus written online material, and 3) access to resources of groups one and two plus access to online video material. Three orthodontic appliances (Schwarz Plate, U-Bow Activator, and Fränkel Regulator) were manufactured during the course and scored by two independent raters blinded to the participants. A 15-point scale index was used to evaluate the outcome quality of the appliances. In general, no significant differences were found between the groups. Concerning the appliances, the Schwarz Plate obtained the highest scores, whereas the Fränkel Regulator had the lowest scores; however, these results were independent of the groups. Females showed better outcome scores than males in groups two and three, but the difference was insignificant. Age of the participants also had no significant effect. The offer that students could use additional time and course-independent e-learning resources did not increase the outcome quality of the orthodontic appliances. The advantages of e-learning observed in the theoretical fields of medicine were not achieved in the educational procedures for manual skills. Factors other than e-learning may have a higher impact on manual skills, and this should be investigated in further studies.

Learning Evaluation: blending quality improvement and implementation research methods to study healthcare innovations.

Science.gov (United States)

Balasubramanian, Bijal A; Cohen, Deborah J; Davis, Melinda M; Gunn, Rose; Dickinson, L Miriam; Miller, William L; Crabtree, Benjamin F; Stange, Kurt C

2015-03-10

In healthcare change interventions, on-the-ground learning about the implementation process is often lost because of a primary focus on outcome improvements. This paper describes the Learning Evaluation, a methodological approach that blends quality improvement and implementation research methods to study healthcare innovations. Learning Evaluation is an approach to multi-organization assessment. Qualitative and quantitative data are collected to conduct real-time assessment of implementation processes while also assessing changes in context, facilitating quality improvement using run charts and audit and feedback, and generating transportable lessons. Five principles are the foundation of this approach: (1) gather data to describe changes made by healthcare organizations and how changes are implemented; (2) collect process and outcome data relevant to healthcare organizations and to the research team; (3) assess multi-level contextual factors that affect implementation, process, outcome, and transportability; (4) assist healthcare organizations in using data for continuous quality improvement; and (5) operationalize common measurement strategies to generate transportable results. Learning Evaluation principles are applied across organizations by the following: (1) establishing a detailed understanding of the baseline implementation plan; (2) identifying target populations and tracking relevant process measures; (3) collecting and analyzing real-time quantitative and qualitative data on important contextual factors; (4) synthesizing data and emerging findings and sharing with stakeholders on an ongoing basis; and (5) harmonizing and fostering learning from process and outcome data. Application to a multi-site program focused on primary care and behavioral health integration shows the feasibility and utility of Learning Evaluation for generating real-time insights into evolving implementation processes. Learning Evaluation generates systematic and rigorous cross

Quality of the Home Learning Environment during Preschool Age--Domains and Contextual Conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Kluczniok, Katharina; Lehrl, Simone; Kuger, Susanne; Rossbach, Hans-Guenther

2013-01-01

The quality of the home learning environment has been proven to be of major importance for child development, but little is known about the role of domain specificity in promoting early childhood learning at home and its dependence on family background. This article presents a framework of the home learning environment in early childhood that…

Relationships between the quality of blended learning experience, self-regulated learning, and academic achievement of medical students: a path analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Kassab, Salah Eldin; Al-Shafei, Ahmad I; Salem, Abdel Halim; Otoom, Sameer

2015-01-01

This study examined the relationships between the different aspects of students' course experience, self-regulated learning, and academic achievement of medical students in a blended learning curriculum. Perceptions of medical students (n=171) from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Medical University of Bahrain (RCSI Bahrain), on the blended learning experience were measured using the Student Course Experience Questionnaire (SCEQ), with an added e-Learning scale. In addition, self-regulated learning was measured using the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ). Academic achievement was measured by the scores of the students at the end of the course. A path analysis was created to test the relationships between the different study variables. Path analysis indicated that the perceived quality of the face-to-face component of the blended experience directly affected the motivation of students. The SCEQ scale "quality of teaching" directly affected two aspects of motivation: control of learning and intrinsic goal orientation. Furthermore, appropriate course workload directly affected the self-efficacy of students. Moreover, the e-Learning scale directly affected students' peer learning and critical thinking but indirectly affected metacognitive regulation. The resource management regulation strategies, time and study environment, and effort regulation directly affected students' examination scores (17% of the variance explained). However, there were no significant direct relationships between the SCEQ scales and cognitive learning strategies or examination scores. The results of this study will have important implications for designing blended learning courses in medical schools.

Implementing a Perioperative Nursing Student Summer Internship.

Science.gov (United States)

Nash, Janice; Kamel, Teya C; Sherer, Joanne; Nauer, Kathleen

2018-01-01

Using qualitative research and a collaborative academic service partnership, we created an innovative 120-hour perioperative nursing summer internship for eight undergraduate nursing students in 2016. Recognizing that perioperative exposure is limited in the traditional baccalaureate program, this unpaid internship served to clarify student perceptions of perioperative nursing care and encourage graduates to meet perioperative workforce demands. We based the theoretical and practical student learning experiences on the AORN Periop 101 learning modules and included faculty-led discussions, student journaling, and onsite precepted clinical activities. Evaluation data revealed that students achieved an enhanced awareness of perioperative nursing, and a majority of the participants expressed a desire to enter the perioperative field after graduation. We suggest that stakeholders continue to strategize ways to maximize educational preparation to address the evolving health care market supply and demand. © AORN, Inc, 2018.

Organizational learning and continuous quality improvement: examining the impact on nursing home performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Rondeau, Kent V; Wagar, Terry H

2002-01-01

Interest is growing in learning more about the ability of total quality management and continuous quality improvement (TQM/CQI) initiatives to contribute to the performance of healthcare organizations. A major factor in the successful implementation of TQM/CQI is the seminal contribution of an organization's culture. Many implementation efforts have not succeeded because of a corporate culture that failed to stress broader organizational learning. This may help to explain why some TQM/CQI programs have been unsuccessful in improving healthcare organization performance. Organizational performance variables and organizational learning orientation were assessed in a sample of 181 Canadian long-term care organizations that had implemented a formal TQM/CQI program. Categorical regression analysis shows that, in the absence of a strong corporAte culture that stresses organizational learning and employee development, few performance enhancements are reported. The results of the assessment suggest that a TQM/CQI program without the backing of a strong organizational learning culture may be insufficient to achieve augmented organizational performance.

QUALITY ASSURANCE IN RWANDAN HIGHER LEARNING EDUCATION: IS THE SYSTEM ADAPTIVE OR COMPLEX?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nathan Kanuma Taremwa

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Developing knowledge infrastructure by massive investments in education and training are taken as a benchmark in facilitating the acceleration and possible increases in skills, capacities and competences of Rwandan people has become apriority issue in the recent years. This notion is relevant to vision 2020 where human resource development and building of a knowledge based economy are fundamental pillars. In the past years, several policy reforms have taken place in education sector. However, the overarching question is if such reforms are becoming adaptive or complex and if such reforms will not compromise the quality of education in higher learning education in Rwanda? The main objective of the study was to investigate the impact of changes in Higher Learning Institutions on the quality of education in Rwanda. This research had three hypotheses, namely; there is an impact of changes in Higher Learning Institutions on quality of education in Rwanda; the current complexity in Rwandan education system is affecting the quality of education in HLIs; Tailoring education system to the regional reforms and implementation strategies is affecting the quality of education in Rwanda. This study was carried out in 10 higher learning institutions (5 public, 5 private and 2 Ministry of Education directorates (HEC and REB. Key informants were the senior management/head of institutions, experienced academic staff, and students. The parameters considered included; the learning methods, assessment styles, workloads, language of instruction, merging of public HLIs, curriculum, and the transformation of some private higher learning institutions into company forms. Main research instruments were questionnaires and interview guides. Both qualitative and quantitative research was collected. Analyses were done using SPSS and excel packages. Major findings indicate that the system is still in transition with indicative gaps. Ample time would therefore be necessary for

Learning High-Order Filters for Efficient Blind Deconvolution of Document Photographs

KAUST Repository

Xiao, Lei

2016-09-16

Photographs of text documents taken by hand-held cameras can be easily degraded by camera motion during exposure. In this paper, we propose a new method for blind deconvolution of document images. Observing that document images are usually dominated by small-scale high-order structures, we propose to learn a multi-scale, interleaved cascade of shrinkage fields model, which contains a series of high-order filters to facilitate joint recovery of blur kernel and latent image. With extensive experiments, we show that our method produces high quality results and is highly efficient at the same time, making it a practical choice for deblurring high resolution text images captured by modern mobile devices. © Springer International Publishing AG 2016.

ROBUSTNESS AND PREDICTION ACCURACY OF MACHINE LEARNING FOR OBJECTIVE VISUAL QUALITY ASSESSMENT

OpenAIRE

Hines, Andrew; Kendrick, Paul; Barri, Adriaan; Narwaria, Manish; Redi, Judith A.

2014-01-01

Machine Learning (ML) is a powerful tool to support the development of objective visual quality assessment metrics, serving as a substitute model for the perceptual mechanisms acting in visual quality appreciation. Nevertheless, the reliability of ML-based techniques within objective quality assessment metrics is often questioned. In this study, the robustness of ML in supporting objective quality assessment is investigated, specifically when the feature set adopted for prediction is suboptim...

High quality voice synthesis middle ware; Kohinshitsu onsei gosei middle war

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2000-03-01

Toshiba Corp. newly developed a natural voice synthesis system, TOS Drive TTS (TOtally speaker Driven Text-To-Speech) system, in which natural high-quality read-aloud is greatly improved, and also developed as its application a voice synthesis middle ware. In the newly developed system, using as a model a narrator's voice recorded preliminarily, a metrical control dictionary is automatically learned that reproduces the characteristics of metrical patters such as intonation or rhythm of a human voice, as is a voice bases dictionary that reproduces the characteristics of a voice quality, enabling natural voice synthesis to be realized that picks up human voice characteristics. The system is high quality and also very compact, while the voice synthesis middle ware utilizing this technology is adaptable to various platforms such as MPU or OS. The system is very suitable for audio response in the ITS field having car navigation systems as the core; besides, expanded application is expected to an audio response system that used to employ a sound recording and reproducing system. (translated by NEDO)

High-Quality Learning Environments for Engineering Design: Using Tablet PCs and Guidelines from Research on How People Learn

OpenAIRE

Enrique Palou; Lourdes Gazca; Juan Antonio Díaz García; José Andrés Rojas Lobato; Luis Geraldo Guerrero Ojeda; José Francisco Tamborero Arnal; María Teresa Jiménez Munguía; Aurelio López-Malo; Juan Manuel Garibay

2012-01-01

A team of several faculty members and graduate students at Universidad de las Amricas Puebla is improving engineering design teaching and learning by creating richer learning environments that promote an interactive classroom while integrating formative assessment into classroom practices by means of Tablet PCs and associated technologies. Learning environments that are knowledge-, learner-, community-, and assessment-centered as highlighted by the How People Learn framework, have been devel...

Early-Holocene decoupled summer temperature and monsoon precipitation in southwest China

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, D.; Chen, F.; Chen, X.; Lv, F.; Zhou, A.; Chen, J.; Abbott, M. B.; Yu, J.

2017-12-01

Proxy based reconstructions of Holocene temperature have shown that both the timing and magnitude of the thermal maximum vary substantially between different regions; the simulations results from climate models also show that summers were substantially cooler over regions directly influenced by the presence of the Laurentide ice sheet during the early Holocene, whereas other regions of the Northern Hemisphere were dominated by orbital forcing. However, for lack of summer temperature reconstruction in the low latitude regions like southwestern China dominated by the Indian summer monsoon, the Holocene summer temperature variations and it underlying forcing mechanism are ambiguous. Here we present a well-dated record of pollen-based quantitative summer temperature (mean July; MJT) over the last 14000 years from Xingyun Lake, Yunnan Province, southwest China. It was found that MJT decreased during the YD event, then increased slowly until 7400 yr BP, and decreased thereafter. The MJT shows a pattern with middle Holocene maximum of MJT, indicating a different changing pattern with the carbonate oxygen isotope record (d18O) from the same core during the early Holocene (11500-7400 yr BP), which has the similar variation with speleothem d18O record from Dongge cave, both indicate the variation of monsoon precipitation with the highest precipitation occurred during the early Holocene. Therefore, we propose that the variation of summer temperature and precipitation in southwest China was decoupled during the early Holocene. However, both MJT and monsoon precipitation decreased after the middle Holocene following the boreal summer insolation. We suggest that the high precipitation with strong summer monsoon and hence higher cloud cover may depress the temperature increasing forced by increasing summer insolation during the early Holocene; while melting ice-sheet in the high latitude regions had strongly influenced the summer temperature increase during the deglacial period

Building Quality into Learning Management Systems – An Architecture-Centric Approach

OpenAIRE

Avgeriou, P.; Retalis, Simos; Skordalakis, Manolis

2003-01-01

The design and development of contemporary Learning Management Systems (LMS), is largely focused on satisfying functional requirements, rather than quality requirements, thus resulting in inefficient systems of poor software and business quality. In order to remedy this problem there is a research trend into specifying and evaluating software architectures for LMS, since quality at-tributes in a system depend profoundly on its architecture. This paper presents a case study of appraising the s...

Evaluating the Quality of Competency Assessment in Pharmacy: A Framework for Workplace Learning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shailly Shah

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Demonstration of achieved competencies is critical in the pharmacy workplace. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the quality of the competency assessment program for pharmacy residents at an academic medical center. The competency assessment program (CAP survey is a validated, 48-item instrument that evaluates the quality of an assessment program based on 12 criteria, each measured by four questions on a scale of 0 to 100. The CAP was completed by residents (n = 23 and preceptors (n = 28 from the pharmacy residency program between 2010 and 2013. Results were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Cronbach’s alpha, and non-parametric tests. Educational Consequences was the only quality criteria falling below the standard for “good quality.” Participants that completed residency training elsewhere rated the Comparability (0.04 and Meaningfulness (0.01 of the assessment program higher than those that completed residency at the academic medical center. There were no significant differences between resident and preceptor scores. Overall, the quality of the assessment program was rated highly by residents and preceptors. The process described here provides a useful framework for understanding the quality of workplace learning assessments in pharmacy practice.

Pre-registration nursing student's quality of practice learning: Clinical learning environment inventory (actual) questionnaire.

Science.gov (United States)

Shivers, Eleanor; Hasson, Felicity; Slater, Paul

2017-08-01

Clinical learning is a vital component of nurse education and assessing student's experiences can provide useful insights for development. Whilst most research in this area has focused on the acute setting little attention has been given to all pre-registration nurses' experience across the clinical placements arenas. To examine of pre-registration nursing students (first, second and third year) assessment of their actual experiences of their most recent clinical learning clinical learning experience. A cross sectional survey involving a descriptive online anonymous questionnaire based on the clinical learning environment inventory tool. One higher education institution in the United Kingdom. Nursing students (n=147) enrolled in an undergraduate nursing degree. This questionnaire included demographic questions and the Clinical Learning Environment Inventory (CLEI) a 42 item tool measuring student's satisfaction with clinical placement. SPPS version 22 was employed to analyse data with descriptive and inferential statistics. Overall students were satisfied with their clinical learning experience across all placement areas. This was linked to the 6 constructs of the clinical learning environment inventory; personalization, innovation, individualization, task orientation, involvement, satisfaction. Significant differences in student experience were noted between age groups and student year but there was no difference noted between placement type, age and gender. Nursing students had a positive perception of their clinical learning experience, although there remains room for improvement. Enabling a greater understanding of students' perspective on the quality of clinical education is important for nursing education and future research. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

An Exploratory Study of 4th, 5th, and 6th Grade Summer Camp Participants’ Attitudes and Intentions Towards Physical Activity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Melissa Cater

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Physical inactivity is a growing problem among children, particularly school-aged youth. Research suggests children are especially prone to inactivity in the summer months when access to structured school-time and extra-curricular activities is reduced. Community programs like residential summer camps offer an excellent environment for engaging children in enjoyable physical activities while also helping them learn to be more physically active when they return home. Pre-existing attitudes often influence how much change a program inspires in an individual. The purpose of this study was to explore 4th, 5th, and 6th grade summer camp participants’ attitudes towards physical activity. Results of this study indicate that youth have a fairly neutral, though positive, attitude towards physical activity and that parental support of physical activity is still extremely important, even at this age. Campers also indicated relatively high intentions to remain physically active in the two weeks after the camp ended

Clinical quality needs complex adaptive systems and machine learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Marsland, Stephen; Buchan, Iain

2004-01-01

The vast increase in clinical data has the potential to bring about large improvements in clinical quality and other aspects of healthcare delivery. However, such benefits do not come without cost. The analysis of such large datasets, particularly where the data may have to be merged from several sources and may be noisy and incomplete, is a challenging task. Furthermore, the introduction of clinical changes is a cyclical task, meaning that the processes under examination operate in an environment that is not static. We suggest that traditional methods of analysis are unsuitable for the task, and identify complexity theory and machine learning as areas that have the potential to facilitate the examination of clinical quality. By its nature the field of complex adaptive systems deals with environments that change because of the interactions that have occurred in the past. We draw parallels between health informatics and bioinformatics, which has already started to successfully use machine learning methods.

Improved Extreme Learning Machine and Its Application in Image Quality Assessment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Li Mao

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Extreme learning machine (ELM is a new class of single-hidden layer feedforward neural network (SLFN, which is simple in theory and fast in implementation. Zong et al. propose a weighted extreme learning machine for learning data with imbalanced class distribution, which maintains the advantages from original ELM. However, the current reported ELM and its improved version are only based on the empirical risk minimization principle, which may suffer from overfitting. To solve the overfitting troubles, in this paper, we incorporate the structural risk minimization principle into the (weighted ELM, and propose a modified (weighted extreme learning machine (M-ELM and M-WELM. Experimental results show that our proposed M-WELM outperforms the current reported extreme learning machine algorithm in image quality assessment.

A formative evaluation of a high school blended learning biology course

Science.gov (United States)

Nellman, Stephen William

As growing student populations continue to tax the resources of public high schools, administrators are constantly looking for ways to address the needs of all students. One option for increasing the number of students in a classroom without sacrificing quality of instruction is to use "blended learning". Blended learning is defined by Marsh et al. (2003, p.2) as a situation where "face-to-face and distance education delivery methods and resources are merged". In such a course, students receive the benefits of classroom-based instruction, while also benefiting from several aspects of distance learning. This is especially true for science courses that rely heavily on both hands-on labs and various multimedia. The purpose of this study was a formative evaluation of a high school blended learning biology course, focusing on a genetics unit. The research question addressed by the study was "Will participants increase their domain knowledge and problem-solving skills after instruction in a high school level blended distance learning biology course? Also investigated was if higher levels of self-regulation skills were correlated to higher levels of content-understanding and problem-solving. The study was composed of a pilot study and a main study. Participants were students in an urban Southern California public high school biology course. Classroom instruction was from a single instructor, and online content was managed using the "Moodle" course management system. Participants were assessed for their gains in genetics content-understanding, genetics problem-solving skills (Punnett squares), and self-regulation. Additionally, participant reactions to the blended instruction model were surveyed. Results indicated that significant increases (pself-regulation skills were not shown to be significantly correlated to increased content-understanding, or problem-solving skills. Participants reacted positively to the blended model, suggesting that it be used more often in their

A Phenomenographic Study of Students' Conceptions of Quality in Learning in Higher Education in Rwanda

Science.gov (United States)

Mbabazi Bamwesiga, Penelope; Fejes, Andreas; Dahlgren, Lars-Owe

2013-01-01

The aim of this study is to understand the different ways that university students conceptualise quality in learning by drawing on a phenomenographic approach. A total of 20 students in higher education in Rwanda were interviewed and analysis of the interviews generated an outcome space of conceptions of quality in learning as transformation,…

Leading the Quality Management of Online Learning Environments in Australian Higher Education

Science.gov (United States)

Holt, Dale; Palmer, Stuart; Munro, Judy; Solomonides, Ian; Gosper, Maree; Hicks, Margaret; Sankey, Michael; Allan, Garry; Hollenbeck, Robert

2013-01-01

The paper presents the findings of the first year of a nationally funded Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC) project on the quality management of online learning environments by and through distributed leadership. The project is being undertaken by five Australian universities with major commitments to online and distance education.…

The Summer Student Webfest is back at CERN!

CERN Multimedia

Sharada Mohanty

2014-01-01

The CERN Summer Student Webfest is an annual hackathon at CERN, in which a group of bright and creative minds meet over a weekend to build cool science projects using Open Web technologies. It’s happening soon. Be there!   At the previous two Webfests, participants built applications ranging from 3D games about particle physics to cheap mobile-phone-enabled cosmic ray detectors. And yes, they built them, or at least working prototypes, over just one weekend! Participants in the Webfest work in small teams, each on specific ideas, to design neat Web applications that encourage the public to learn more about science and in particular about CERN, the LHC and physics. This year, we’re also encouraging summer students to explore humanitarian projects that involve Web-based solutions, together with CERN’s partner UNOSAT. If you have a great idea for a project, or you want to team up with other students and use or further develop your Web skills, this is your opportunity t...

Leading High School Transformation for College and Career Success: A Guide for Developing a System of Linked Learning Pathways

Science.gov (United States)

Stearns, Roman

2014-01-01

This ConnectEd Guide for Developing a System of Linked Learning Pathways will introduce school district leaders and their community partners to Linked Learning and a system of quality pathways that can transform high schools, instructional practice, and the student experience. Not intended to be prescriptive, this document can and should be…

Civic Education and Deeper Learning. Deeper Learning Research Series

Science.gov (United States)

Levine, Peter; Kawashima-Ginsberg, Kei

2015-01-01

This report proposes that the turn toward deeper learning in education reform should go hand in hand with a renewed emphasis on high-quality civics education. Not only does deeper learning have great potential to promote civic outcomes and strengthen our democracy but, at the same time, civic education exemplifies deeper learning, in that it…

The effect of e-learning on the quality of orthodontic appliances

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Schorn-Borgmann S

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Stephanie Schorn-Borgmann,1 Carsten Lippold,2 Dirk Wiechmann,3 Thomas Stamm2 1Private Practice, Nordkirchen, Germany; 2Department of Orthodontics, University of Münster, Münster, Germany; 3Department of Orthodontics, University of Hannover, Hannover, Germany Purpose: The effect of e-learning on practical skills in medicine has not yet been thoroughly investigated. Today’s multimedia learning environment and access to e-books provide students with more knowledge than ever before. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of online demonstrations concerning the quality of orthodontic appliances manufactured by undergraduate dental students. Materials and methods: The study design was a parallel-group randomized clinical trial. Fifty-four participants were randomly assigned to one of the three groups: 1 conventional lectures, 2 conventional lectures plus written online material, and 3 access to resources of groups one and two plus access to online video material. Three orthodontic appliances (Schwarz Plate, U-Bow Activator, and Fränkel Regulator were manufactured during the course and scored by two independent raters blinded to the participants. A 15-point scale index was used to evaluate the outcome quality of the appliances. Results: In general, no significant differences were found between the groups. Concerning the appliances, the Schwarz Plate obtained the highest scores, whereas the Fränkel Regulator had the lowest scores; however, these results were independent of the groups. Females showed better outcome scores than males in groups two and three, but the difference was insignificant. Age of the participants also had no significant effect. Conclusion: The offer that students could use additional time and course-independent e-learning resources did not increase the outcome quality of the orthodontic appliances. The advantages of e-learning observed in the theoretical fields of medicine were not achieved in the educational

Summer Farms in Switzerland: Profitability and Public Financial Support

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tobias Schulz

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Summer farms are seasonal enterprises in high-elevation mountain regions, established for and highly specialized in grazing ruminants. This article synthesizes studies by the Swiss AlpFUTUR research program on the profitability of and public financial support for summer farms. It highlights current challenges of Swiss pastoralism and makes recommendations for future reforms. Profitability hinges on the size of the summer farms as well as on their ability to create value added. Particularly for smaller summer farms, key value-added strategies appear to be innovative cheese production and effective direct marketing. Public financial support is substantial, and the underlying agri-environmental scheme is relatively sophisticated. Eligibility for public support is based on both action-oriented and results-oriented criteria. Direct payments consider not only the number of livestock but also the duration of their presence on the summer pastures. For each summer farm, a stocking target is defined based on the pasture's carrying capacity. However, this target does not take into account the wide variation in forage needs between different meat and milk production systems. During the last decade, there has been a decline in the number of cattle sent to summer farms. Understocking is widespread, and the abandonment of marginal pastures has increased, resulting in scrub encroachment. The remaining cattle tend to be concentrated on more productive surfaces to reduce management costs; this causes overgrazing. More attention should therefore be given to the accurate enforcement of agri-environmental standards and to regional-level agreement on which surfaces should be abandoned. Supporting traditional pastoral practices remains an explicit objective of Swiss agricultural policy. Recently introduced agri-environmental payment schemes promoting biodiversity conservation can complement the summer farm subsidies. However, implementation costs are likely to

Promoting creativity in the summer holiday care funded by Municipality of Ljubljana

OpenAIRE

Grm, Urša

2017-01-01

Encouraging creativity through art is of key importance when creating new and different ideas, expressing imagination, spending quality time, and improving the quality of life (Knoll, 2011). It activates the child's intellectual, emotional, and motivational processes (Kroflič in Gobec, 1995). Municipality of Ljubljana contributes to spending quality time of summer holidays, with co-financing free time and preventive programs for children from the first to the fifth grade of the primary school...

Analysis of chemistry textbook content and national science education standards in terms of air quality-related learning goals

Science.gov (United States)

Naughton, Wendy

In this study's Phase One, representatives of nine municipal agencies involved in air quality education were interviewed and interview transcripts were analyzed for themes related to what citizens need to know or be able to do regarding air quality concerns. Based on these themes, eight air quality Learning Goal Sets were generated and validated via peer and member checks. In Phase Two, six college-level, liberal-arts chemistry textbooks and the National Science Education Standards (NSES) were analyzed for congruence with Phase One learning goals. Major categories of desired citizen understandings highlighted in agency interviews concerned air pollution sources, impact, detection, and transport. Identified cognitive skills focused on information-gathering and -evaluating skills, enabling informed decision-making. A content match was found between textbooks and air quality learning goals, but most textbooks fail to address learning goals that remediate citizen misconceptions and inabilities---particularly those with a "personal experience" focus. A partial match between NSES and air quality learning goals was attributed to differing foci: Researcher-derived learning goals deal specifically with air quality, while NSES focus is on "fundamental science concepts," not "many science topics." Analysis of findings within a situated cognition framework suggests implications for instruction and NSES revision.

Controls on summer low flow

Science.gov (United States)

Graham, C. B.; McNamara, J. P.

2012-12-01

Summer low flow has significant impacts on aquatic flora and fauna, municipal water use, and power generation. However, the controls on the minimum annual summer discharge are complex, including a combination of snowmelt dynamics, summer evapotranspiration demand, and spring, summer precipitation patterns and surface - groundwater interactions. This is especially true in the Rocky Mountain West of the United States, where snowpack provides the majority of water available for spring runoff and groundwater replenishment. In this study, we look at summer low flow conditions at four snow dominated catchments (26 km2 - 2200 km2) in South-central Idaho currently feeling the effects of climate change. Measures of snowmelt dynamics, summer evapotranspiration demand and spring and summer precipitation are used to determine the dominant controls on late summer low flow magnitude, timing and duration. These analyses show that the controls vary between watersheds, with significant implications for the impacts of climate change in snow dominated areas of the Rocky Mountain West.

Quality assurance of the Teaching – Learning Process in the Financial Economic Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R.F. Creţu

2013-06-01

Full Text Available In the current context of economic development, human resources capable of long-life training and adaptable to economic change are essential elements of a model of growth based on competitiveness, efficiency and quality. In this paper we propose to identify strategies to improve the quality of the teaching learning process of Financial Economic Analysis in the Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies to the students in the first cycle of education - graduates cycle, the final year of study. Classroom observation is the qualitative method used to monitor the quality of the teaching learning process. As a complex process of instruments, classroom observation may take different forms and can play several roles.

MCTP Summer Research Internship Program. Research Presentation Day: Experience Mathematics and Science in the Real World

Science.gov (United States)

1996-01-01

This paper presents the summaries of the MCTP Summer Research Internship Program. Technological areas discussed include: Mathematical curriculum development for real world problems; Rain effects on air-water gas exchange; multi-ring impact basins on mars; developing an interactive multimedia educational cd-rom on remote sensing; a pilot of an activity for for the globe program; fossils in maryland; developing children's programming for the american horticultural society at river farm; children's learning, educational programs of the national park service; a study of climate and student satisfaction in two summer programs for disadvantaged students interested in careers in mathematics and science; the maryland governor's academy, integrating technology into the classroom; stream sampling with the maryland biological stream survey (MBSS); the imaging system inspection software technology, the preparation and detection of nominal and faulted steel ingots; event-based science, the development of real-world science units; correlation between anxiety and past experiences; environmental education through summer nature camp; enhancing learning opportunities at the Salisbury zoo; plant growth experiment, a module for the middle school classroom; the effects of proxisome proliferators in Japanese medaka embryos; development of a chapter on birth control and contraceptive methodologies as part of an interactive computer-based education module on hiv and aids; excretion of gentamicin in toadfish and goldfish; the renaissance summer program; and Are field trips important to the regional math science center?

Memory formation in reversal learning of the honeybee

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ravit Hadar

2010-12-01

Full Text Available In reversal learning animals are first trained with a differential learning protocol, where they learn to respond to a reinforced odor (CS+ and not to respond to a nonreinforced odor (CS-. Once they respond correctly to this rule, the contingencies of the conditioned stimuli are reversed, and animals learn to adjust their response to the new rule. This study investigated the effect of a protein synthesis inhibitor (emetine on the memory formed after reversal learning in the honeybee Apis mellifera. Two groups of bees were studied: summer bees and winter bees, each yielded different results. Blocking protein synthesis in summer bees inhibits consolidation of the excitatory learning following reversal learning whereas it blocked the consolidation of the inhibitory learning in winter bees. These findings suggest that excitatory and inhibitory learning may involve different molecular processes in bees, which are seasonally dependent.

Case study on perspicacity of collaborative learning experiences

Science.gov (United States)

Abdullah, Fadzidah; Majid, Noor Hanita Abdul; Numen, Ibrahim; Kesuma Azmin, Aida; Abd. Rahim, Zaiton; Denan, Zuraini; Emin Sisman, Muhammet

2017-12-01

In the attempt to relate to the architectural practice, architectural education today has augmented the development of collaborative learning environment in the campus scenario. Presently, collaborative work among students from the same program and university is considered common. Hence, attempts of collaboration is extended into having learning and teaching collaboration by means of inter-universities. The School of Architecture, at the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) has explored into having collaboration across the continent with Fatih Sultan Mehmet Waqf University (FSMWU), among faculty members and students of the two (2) universities This paper explicates the empirical study on students’ perspicacity of their collaborative learning experiences; in term of effectiveness, generative behaviour, and teamwork. Survey with three (3) open-ended questions are distributed to students to express their opinions on learning collaboration that they have had during the execution of the Joint Summer School Program (JSSP). Feedback on their perspicacity is obtained and organised into numerical and understandable data display, using qualitative data processing software. Albeit the relevancy of collaborative learning, students gave both positive and negative feedbacks on their experiences. Suggestions are given to enhance the quality of collaborative learning experience for future development

Online Interaction Quality among Adult Learners: The Role of Sense of Belonging and Perceived Learning Benefits

Science.gov (United States)

Diep, Nguyet A.; Cocquyt, Celine; Zhu, Chang; Vanwing, Tom

2017-01-01

The present study employs social cognitive theory (SCT) and social capital as the guiding frameworks to explain online interaction quality among learners in a blended learning program (N = 179). Capturing performance expectancy by perceived learning benefits and online interaction quality with nuanced cognitive measures, the study aims to validate…

Hunting and Gathering: New Imperatives in Mapping and Collecting Student Learning Data to Assure Quality Outcomes

Science.gov (United States)

Lawson, Romy; Taylor, Tracy; French, Erica; Fallshaw, Eveline; Hall, Cathy; Kinash, Shelley; Summers, Jane

2015-01-01

Assurance of learning (AOL) is a quality enhancement and quality assurance process used in higher education. It involves a process of determining programme learning outcomes and standards, and systematically gathering evidence to measure students' performance on these. The systematic assessment of whole-of-programme outcomes provides a basis for…

Group Concept Mapping on Learning Analytics

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Stoyanov, Slavi; Drachsler, Hendrik

2013-01-01

Stoyanov, S., & Drachsler, H. (2013, 5 July). Group Concept Mapping on Learning Analytics. Presentation given at Learning Analytics Summer School Institute (LASI) to kickoff the national GCM study on LA, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Developing an Evaluation Framework of Quality Indicators for Learning Analytics

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Scheffel, Maren; Drachsler, Hendrik; Specht, Marcus

2017-01-01

This paper presents results from the continuous process of developing an evaluation framework of quality indicators for learning analytics (LA). Building on a previous study, a group concept mapping approach that uses multidimensional scaling and hierarchical clustering, the study presented here

The Method of High School English Word Learning

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

吴博涵

2016-01-01

Most Chinese students are not interested in English learning, especially English words. In this paper, I focus on English vocabulary learning, for example, the study of high school students English word learning method, and also introduce several ways to make vocabulary memory becomes more effective. The purpose is to make high school students grasp more English word learning skills.

Formation of well-mixed warm water column in central Bohai Sea during summer: Role of high-frequency atmospheric forcing

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Weiwei; Wan, Xiuquan; Wang, Zhankun; Liu, Yulong; Wan, Kai

2017-12-01

The influence of high-frequency atmospheric forcing on the formation of a well-mixed summer warm water column in the central Bohai Sea is investigated comparing model simulations driven by daily surface forcing and those using monthly forcing data. In the absence of high-frequency atmospheric forcing, numerical simulations have repeatedly failed to reproduce this vertically uniform column of warm water measured over the past 35 years. However, high-frequency surface forcing is found to strongly influence the structure and distribution of the well-mixed warm water column, and simulations are in good agreement with observations. Results show that high frequency forcing enhances vertical mixing over the central bank, intensifies downward heat transport, and homogenizes the water column to form the Bohai central warm column. Evidence presented shows that high frequency forcing plays a dominant role in the formation of the well-mixed warm water column in summer, even without the effects of tidal and surface wave mixing. The present study thus provides a practical and rational way of further improving the performance of oceanic simulations in the Bohai Sea and can be used to adjust parameterization schemes of ocean models.

Zerodur polishing process for high surface quality and high efficiency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tesar, A.; Fuchs, B.

1992-08-01

Zerodur is a glass-ceramic composite importance in applications where temperature instabilities influence optical and mechanical performance, such as in earthbound and spaceborne telescope mirror substrates. Polished Zerodur surfaces of high quality have been required for laser gyro mirrors. Polished surface quality of substrates affects performance of high reflection coatings. Thus, the interest in improving Zerodur polished surface quality has become more general. Beyond eliminating subsurface damage, high quality surfaces are produced by reducing the amount of hydrated material redeposited on the surface during polishing. With the proper control of polishing parameters, such surfaces exhibit roughnesses of < l Angstrom rms. Zerodur polishing was studied to recommend a high surface quality polishing process which could be easily adapted to standard planetary continuous polishing machines and spindles. This summary contains information on a polishing process developed at LLNL which reproducibly provides high quality polished Zerodur surfaces at very high polishing efficiencies

Evaluating the Quality of Veterinary Students' Experiences of Learning in Clinics.

Science.gov (United States)

Matthew, Susan M; Ellis, Robert A; Taylor, Rosanne M

Educators seeking to evaluate the quality of students' experiences of clinic-based learning (CBL) face a challenging task. CBL programs provide multiple opportunities for learning and aim to develop a wide range of skills, knowledge, and capacities. While direct observation of learners provides important information about students' proficiency in performing various clinical tasks, more comprehensive measures are required to unpack and identify factors relating to practice readiness as a whole. This study identified variables that have a logical and statistically significant association with learning outcomes across the broad range of attributes expected of new graduate veterinarians. The research revealed that the extent of final-year veterinary students' practice readiness, as assessed by placement supervisors against criteria relevant to new graduate practice, is related to the quality of their conceptions of and approaches to CBL. Students' conceptions of and approaches to CBL were evaluated using quantitative survey instruments, with a 93% response rate (N=100) obtained for the two questionnaires. Descriptive and exploratory statistics were used to link qualitative differences in students' conceptions of and approaches to CBL with performance against criteria relevant to new graduate practice. Students who reported poorer-quality conceptions of and approaches to CBL (n=38) attained lower levels of achievement than students who reported better-quality conceptions of and approaches to CBL (n=55). Evaluation of students' conceptions of and approaches to CBL can be used by educators seeking to evaluate and improve the extent to which CBL programs are achieving their desired goals.

Multi-model assessment of the impact of soil moisture initialization on mid-latitude summer predictability

Science.gov (United States)

Ardilouze, Constantin; Batté, L.; Bunzel, F.; Decremer, D.; Déqué, M.; Doblas-Reyes, F. J.; Douville, H.; Fereday, D.; Guemas, V.; MacLachlan, C.; Müller, W.; Prodhomme, C.

2017-12-01

Land surface initial conditions have been recognized as a potential source of predictability in sub-seasonal to seasonal forecast systems, at least for near-surface air temperature prediction over the mid-latitude continents. Yet, few studies have systematically explored such an influence over a sufficient hindcast period and in a multi-model framework to produce a robust quantitative assessment. Here, a dedicated set of twin experiments has been carried out with boreal summer retrospective forecasts over the 1992-2010 period performed by five different global coupled ocean-atmosphere models. The impact of a realistic versus climatological soil moisture initialization is assessed in two regions with high potential previously identified as hotspots of land-atmosphere coupling, namely the North American Great Plains and South-Eastern Europe. Over the latter region, temperature predictions show a significant improvement, especially over the Balkans. Forecast systems better simulate the warmest summers if they follow pronounced dry initial anomalies. It is hypothesized that models manage to capture a positive feedback between high temperature and low soil moisture content prone to dominate over other processes during the warmest summers in this region. Over the Great Plains, however, improving the soil moisture initialization does not lead to any robust gain of forecast quality for near-surface temperature. It is suggested that models biases prevent the forecast systems from making the most of the improved initial conditions.

[Quality management is associated with high quality services in health care].

Science.gov (United States)

Nielsen, Tenna Hassert; Riis, Allan; Mainz, Jan; Jensen, Anne-Louise Degn

2013-12-09

In these years, quality management has been the focus in order to meet high quality services for the patients in Danish health care. This article provides information on quality management and quality improvement and it evaluates its effectiveness in achieving better organizational structures, processes and results in Danish health-care organizations. Our findings generally support that quality management is associated with high quality services in health care.

Teaching the Romanian Neighbors Hungarian: Language Ideologies and the Debrecen Summer School

Science.gov (United States)

Kiss, Attila Gyula

2016-01-01

This article is a contribution to the hitherto scant literature on learning a historical minority language and on language ideologies in the context of a study abroad program in Hungary, Debrecen. I analyse the language ideologies of the decision makers in Hungary and in the Debrecen Summer School in relation to the teaching of Hungarian to the…

NEWS: AAPT Summer Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

Mellema, Steve

2000-11-01

.andrew.cmu.edu/projects/visual. David Sokoloff (University of Oregon) and Priscilla Laws (Dickinson College) led a discussion session on the Interactive Lecture Demonstrations that they have been developing to promote active learning in the classroom. Loren Winters of the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics showed some very fine work done with digital video cameras, both in producing motion videos for frame-by-frame analysis and in producing still images of high-speed phenomena. Finally, Patrick Tam of Humboldt State University in California talked about the Multimedia Resource for Learning and Online Teaching (MERLOT), a project to organize and review the proliferation of internet-based teaching materials that are rapidly becoming available. Their purpose is to make it easier for teachers like us to sift through the plethora of new innovations, to locate those that are potentially useful in our teaching, and finally to implement them effectively. You can check out the project on the web at www.merlot.org. As is evident from the number of sessions of contributed papers and the tandem conference, the quality and quantity of physics education research into new curricula and teaching methods continue to increase. A number of interesting areas were discussed including interactive lecture techniques, studio-classroom approaches combining lectures and labs, assessment techniques, and identifying and correcting student misconceptions. In addition to the plenary talks on current research topics in physics mentioned above, there were sessions on Space Physics and Hot Topics in Physics. There were sessions on professional and career concerns including Preparing Future Physics Faculty, New Faculty Experiences and Concerns, Balancing Career and Family, How Physics Topics Support the Job Market and Recruiting and Retaining Women in Physics. Whether one was a high school teacher or a university professor, this was an enjoyable and educational meeting. We all look forward to the Winter 2001 meeting from

Professional Learning as a Predictor for Instructional Quality: A Secondary Analysis of TALIS

Science.gov (United States)

Dogan, Selçuk; Yurtseven, Nihal

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of teachers' professional learning opportunities on instructional quality, which represents a combined approach of behaviorist, cognitivist, and constructivist principles in teaching. We incorporated professional learning communities (PLCs), professional development (PD) days, as well as 3 PD…

Instruments evaluating the quality of the clinical learning environment in nursing education: A systematic review of psychometric properties.

Science.gov (United States)

Mansutti, Irene; Saiani, Luisa; Grassetti, Luca; Palese, Alvisa

2017-03-01

The clinical learning environment is fundamental to nursing education paths, capable of affecting learning processes and outcomes. Several instruments have been developed in nursing education, aimed at evaluating the quality of the clinical learning environments; however, no systematic review of the psychometric properties and methodological quality of these studies has been performed to date. The aims of the study were: 1) to identify validated instruments evaluating the clinical learning environments in nursing education; 2) to evaluate critically the methodological quality of the psychometric property estimation used; and 3) to compare psychometric properties across the instruments available. A systematic review of the literature (using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines) and an evaluation of the methodological quality of psychometric properties (using the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments guidelines). The Medline and CINAHL databases were searched. Eligible studies were those that satisfied the following criteria: a) validation studies of instruments evaluating the quality of clinical learning environments; b) in nursing education; c) published in English or Italian; d) before April 2016. The included studies were evaluated for the methodological quality of the psychometric properties measured and then compared in terms of both the psychometric properties and the methodological quality of the processes used. The search strategy yielded a total of 26 studies and eight clinical learning environment evaluation instruments. A variety of psychometric properties have been estimated for each instrument, with differing qualities in the methodology used. Concept and construct validity were poorly assessed in terms of their significance and rarely judged by the target population (nursing students). Some properties were rarely considered (e.g., reliability, measurement error

Motivational Gaps and Perceptual Bias of Initial Motivation Additional Indicators of Quality for e-Learning Courses

Science.gov (United States)

Cação, Rosário

2017-01-01

We describe a study on the motivation of trainees in e-learning-based professional training and on the effect of their motivation upon the perceptions they build about the quality of the courses. We propose the concepts of "perceived motivational gap" and "real motivational gap" as indicators of e-learning quality, which…

Approaches to quality improvement in nursing homes: Lessons learned from the six-state pilot of CMS's Nursing Home Quality Initiative

OpenAIRE

Kissam, Stephanie; Gifford, David; Parks, Peggy; Patry, Gail; Palmer, Laura; Wilkes, Linda; Fitzgerald, Matthew; Petrulis, Alice Stollenwerk; Barnette, Leslie

2003-01-01

Abstract Background In November 2002, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) launched a Nursing Home Quality Initiative that included publicly reporting a set of Quality Measures for all nursing homes in the country, and providing quality improvement assistance to nursing homes nationwide. A pilot of this initiative occurred in six states for six months prior to the launch. Methods Review and analysis of the lessons learned from the six Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs) tha...

An evaluation of the student and tutor experience of a residential summer school event (OPTIMAX)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Higgins, Robert; Robinson, Leslie; Hogg, Peter

2014-01-01

Aim: To explore the experiences of students and tutors who participated in a residential multi-cultural and multi-professional 3 week summer school event (OPTIMAX). Method: A grounded theory approach was adopted. Two semi-structured focus group interviews (student and tutor) were conducted to explore participant experiences. Both focus groups were audio recorded and then transcribed and coded to identify the main themes and draw conclusions. Results: Inductive coding defined categories and sub-categories to explore the relationships within and between the two sets of focus group data. Discussion: OPTIMAX was seen a positive experience by both students and tutors and provided an opportunity to undertake team learning with peers from different countries or professional backgrounds. However, consideration needs to be given to team size and tutor leadership. Summary: By participating with international collaborative projects such as this, there is an opportunity to develop learning and explore current practices within radiography. - Highlights: • We explored the experiences of students and tutors during a summer school event. • This was a multi-cultural and multi-professional event. • It was found to be a valuable learning experience by both students and tutors. • Key to this was collaborative team learning by students. • However, consideration needs to be given to team size and tutor leadership

Quality through E-Learning and Quality for E-Learning

OpenAIRE

Vatuiu Teodora; Udrica Mioara; Negrutiu Magdalena

2013-01-01

E-learning is a term frequently debated in the lasts years, especially in the academic environment. Computer technology has profoundly transformed society, research and education. It provides support for the development of an educational system continuously adapted to society’s demands and advances in knowledge acquisition. Students can learn, evaluate and communicate their own results in formal or informal settings, universities and other public institutions take part in the development of i...

Alignment of an interprofessional student learning experience with a hospital quality improvement initiative.

Science.gov (United States)

Fowler, Terri O; Wise, Holly H; Mauldin, Mary P; Ragucci, Kelly R; Scheurer, Danielle B; Su, Zemin; Mauldin, Patrick D; Bailey, Jennifer R; Borckardt, Jeffrey J

2018-04-11

Assessment of interprofessional education (IPE) frequently focuses on students' learning outcomes including changes in knowledge, skills, and/or attitudes. While a foundational education in the values and information of their chosen profession is critical, interprofessional learning follows a continuum from formal education to practice. The continuum increases in significance and complexity as learning becomes more relationship based and dependent upon the ability to navigate complex interactions with patients, families, communities, co-workers, and others. Integrating IPE into collaborative practice is critical to enhancing students' experiential learning, developing teamwork competencies, and understanding the complexity of teams. This article describes a project that linked students with a hospital-based quality-improvement effort to focus on the acquisition and practice of teamwork skills and to determine the impact of teamwork on patient and quality outcome measures. A hospital unit was identified with an opportunity for improvement related to quality care, patient satisfaction, employee engagement, and team behaviours. One hundred and thirty-seven students from six health profession colleges at the Medical University of South Carolina underwent TeamSTEPPS® training and demonstrated proficiency of their teamwork-rating skills with the TeamSTEPPS® Team Performance Observation Tool (T-TPO). Students observed real-time team behaviours of unit staff before and after staff attended formal TeamSTEPPS® training. The students collected a total of 778 observations using the T-TPO. Teamwork performance on the unit improved significantly across all T-TPO domains (team structure, communication, leadership, situation monitoring, and mutual support). Significant improvement in each domain continued post-intervention and at 15-month follow-up, improvement remained significant compared to baseline. Student engagement in TeamSTEPPS® training and demonstration of their

Final Technical Report 2000 HU CFRT Summer High School Fusion Workshop Grant No. DE-FG02-00ER54586. Final Report, June 1, 2000 - May 31, 2001

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ali, Halima

2002-01-01

The 2000 summer fusion science high school workshop was held for eight weeks. Four rising senior/junior high school students participated in the workshop. Students were mentored by Drs. Ali and Punjabi. Based on their summer research projects, students presented contributed papers at the 2000 APS DPP meeting in Quebec City, Canada. Student posters were well-received by the fusion community

Learning to Appraise the Quality of Qualitative Research Articles: A Contextualized Learning Object for Constructing Knowledge

Science.gov (United States)

Chenail, Ronald J.

2011-01-01

Helping beginning qualitative researchers critically appraise qualitative research articles is a common learning objective for introductory methodology courses. To aid students in achieving competency in appraising the quality of qualitative research articles, a multi-part activity incorporating the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme's (CASP)…

Machine Learning and Deep Learning Models to Predict Runoff Water Quantity and Quality

Science.gov (United States)

Bradford, S. A.; Liang, J.; Li, W.; Murata, T.; Simunek, J.

2017-12-01

Contaminants can be rapidly transported at the soil surface by runoff to surface water bodies. Physically-based models, which are based on the mathematical description of main hydrological processes, are key tools for predicting surface water impairment. Along with physically-based models, data-driven models are becoming increasingly popular for describing the behavior of hydrological and water resources systems since these models can be used to complement or even replace physically based-models. In this presentation we propose a new data-driven model as an alternative to a physically-based overland flow and transport model. First, we have developed a physically-based numerical model to simulate overland flow and contaminant transport (the HYDRUS-1D overland flow module). A large number of numerical simulations were carried out to develop a database containing information about the impact of various input parameters (weather patterns, surface topography, vegetation, soil conditions, contaminants, and best management practices) on runoff water quantity and quality outputs. This database was used to train data-driven models. Three different methods (Neural Networks, Support Vector Machines, and Recurrence Neural Networks) were explored to prepare input- output functional relations. Results demonstrate the ability and limitations of machine learning and deep learning models to predict runoff water quantity and quality.

Considering High School Students' Experience in Asynchronous and Synchronous Distance Learning Environments: QoE Prediction Model

Science.gov (United States)

Malinovski, Toni; Vasileva, Marina; Vasileva-Stojanovska, Tatjana; Trajkovik, Vladimir

2014-01-01

Early identification of relevant factors that influence students' experiences is vitally important to the educational process since they play an important role in learning outcomes. The purpose of this study is to determine underlying constructs that predict high school students' subjective experience and quality expectations during asynchronous…

Academic Progress Depending on the Skills and Qualities of Learning in Students of a Business School

Science.gov (United States)

de Jesús, Araiza Vázquez María; Claudia, Dörfer; Rosalinda, Castillo Corpus

2015-01-01

This research was to establish the relationship between qualities of learning; learning skills and academic performance in undergraduate students. 310 undergraduates participated in this research of which 72% are female and 28% male. All responded Scale Learning Strategies of Roman and Gallego (1994) and Questionnaire Learning Styles of…

Medical Record Keeping in the Summer Camp Setting.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaufman, Laura; Holland, Jaycelyn; Weinberg, Stuart; Rosenbloom, S Trent

2016-12-14

Approximately one fifth of school-aged children spend a significant portion of their year at residential summer camp, and a growing number have chronic medical conditions. Camp health records are essential for safe, efficient care and for transitions between camp and home providers, yet little research exists regarding these systems. To survey residential summer camps for children to determine how camps create, store, and use camper health records. To raise awareness in the informatics community of the issues experienced by health providers working in a special pediatric care setting. We designed a web-based electronic survey concerning medical recordkeeping and healthcare practices at summer camps. 953 camps accredited by the American Camp Association received the survey. Responses were consolidated and evaluated for trends and conclusions. Of 953 camps contacted, 298 (31%) responded to the survey. Among respondents, 49.3% stated that there was no computer available at the health center, and 14.8% of camps stated that there was not any computer available to health staff at all. 41.1% of camps stated that internet access was not available. The most common complaints concerning recordkeeping practices were time burden, adequate completion, and consistency. Summer camps in the United States make efforts to appropriately document healthcare given to campers, but inconsistency and inefficiency may be barriers to staff productivity, staff satisfaction, and quality of care. Survey responses suggest that the current methods used by camps to document healthcare cause limitations in consistency, efficiency, and communications between providers, camp staff, and parents. As of 2012, survey respondents articulated need for a standard software to document summer camp healthcare practices that accounts for camp-specific needs. Improvement may be achieved if documentation software offers the networking capability, simplicity, pediatrics-specific features, and avoidance of

Reshimming of Tevatron dipoles: A Process-quality and lessons-learned perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blowers, J.N.; Carson, J.A.; Hanft, R.W.; Harding, D.J.; Robotham, R.W.

2005-01-01

Over the last two years corrections have been made for the skew quadrupole moment in 530 of the 774 installed dipoles in the Tevatron. This process of modifying the magnets in situ has inherent risk of degrading the performance of the superconducting accelerator. In order to manage the risk, as well as to ensure the corrections were done consistently, formal quality tools were used to plan and verify the work. The quality tools used to define the process and for quality control are discussed, along with highlights of lessons learned

Reshimming of Tevatron Dipoles; A Process-Quality and Lessons-Learned Perspective

CERN Document Server

Blowers, James N; Harding, David J; John, Carson; Robotham, William

2005-01-01

Over the last two years corrections have been made for the skew quadrupole moment in 530 of the 774 installed dipoles in the Tevatron. This process of modifying the magnets in situ has inherent risk of degrading the performance of the superconducting accelerator. In order to manage the risk, as well as to ensure the corrections were done consistently, formal quality tools were used to plan and verify the work. The quality tools used to define the process and for quality control are discussed, along with highlights of lessons learned.

Statistical learning in high energy and astrophysics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zimmermann, J.

2005-01-01

This thesis studies the performance of statistical learning methods in high energy and astrophysics where they have become a standard tool in physics analysis. They are used to perform complex classification or regression by intelligent pattern recognition. This kind of artificial intelligence is achieved by the principle ''learning from examples'': The examples describe the relationship between detector events and their classification. The application of statistical learning methods is either motivated by the lack of knowledge about this relationship or by tight time restrictions. In the first case learning from examples is the only possibility since no theory is available which would allow to build an algorithm in the classical way. In the second case a classical algorithm exists but is too slow to cope with the time restrictions. It is therefore replaced by a pattern recognition machine which implements a fast statistical learning method. But even in applications where some kind of classical algorithm had done a good job, statistical learning methods convinced by their remarkable performance. This thesis gives an introduction to statistical learning methods and how they are applied correctly in physics analysis. Their flexibility and high performance will be discussed by showing intriguing results from high energy and astrophysics. These include the development of highly efficient triggers, powerful purification of event samples and exact reconstruction of hidden event parameters. The presented studies also show typical problems in the application of statistical learning methods. They should be only second choice in all cases where an algorithm based on prior knowledge exists. Some examples in physics analyses are found where these methods are not used in the right way leading either to wrong predictions or bad performance. Physicists also often hesitate to profit from these methods because they fear that statistical learning methods cannot be controlled in a

Statistical learning in high energy and astrophysics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zimmermann, J.

2005-06-16

This thesis studies the performance of statistical learning methods in high energy and astrophysics where they have become a standard tool in physics analysis. They are used to perform complex classification or regression by intelligent pattern recognition. This kind of artificial intelligence is achieved by the principle ''learning from examples'': The examples describe the relationship between detector events and their classification. The application of statistical learning methods is either motivated by the lack of knowledge about this relationship or by tight time restrictions. In the first case learning from examples is the only possibility since no theory is available which would allow to build an algorithm in the classical way. In the second case a classical algorithm exists but is too slow to cope with the time restrictions. It is therefore replaced by a pattern recognition machine which implements a fast statistical learning method. But even in applications where some kind of classical algorithm had done a good job, statistical learning methods convinced by their remarkable performance. This thesis gives an introduction to statistical learning methods and how they are applied correctly in physics analysis. Their flexibility and high performance will be discussed by showing intriguing results from high energy and astrophysics. These include the development of highly efficient triggers, powerful purification of event samples and exact reconstruction of hidden event parameters. The presented studies also show typical problems in the application of statistical learning methods. They should be only second choice in all cases where an algorithm based on prior knowledge exists. Some examples in physics analyses are found where these methods are not used in the right way leading either to wrong predictions or bad performance. Physicists also often hesitate to profit from these methods because they fear that statistical learning methods cannot

Co-Creating Quality in Health Care Through Learning and Dissemination.

Science.gov (United States)

Holmboe, Eric S; Foster, Tina C; Ogrinc, Greg

2016-01-01

For most of the 20th century the predominant focus of medical education across the professional continuum was the dissemination and acquisition of medical knowledge and procedural skills. Today it is now clear that new areas of focus, such as interprofessional teamwork, care coordination, quality improvement, system science, health information technology, patient safety, assessment of clinical practice, and effective use of clinical decision supports are essential to 21st century medical practice. These areas of need helped to spawn an intense interest in competency-based models of professional education at the turn of this century. However, many of today's practicing health professionals were never educated in these newer competencies during their own training. Co-production and co-creation of learning among interprofessional health care professionals across the continuum can help close the gap in acquiring needed competencies for health care today and tomorrow. Co-learning may be a particularly effective strategy to help organizations achieve the triple aim of better population health, better health care, and lower costs. Structured frameworks, such as the Standards for Quality Improvement Reporting Excellence (SQUIRE) guidelines, provide guidance in the design, planning, and dissemination of interventions designed to improve care through co-production and co-learning strategies.

Manifold learning to interpret JET high-dimensional operational space

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cannas, B; Fanni, A; Pau, A; Sias, G; Murari, A

2013-01-01

In this paper, the problem of visualization and exploration of JET high-dimensional operational space is considered. The data come from plasma discharges selected from JET campaigns from C15 (year 2005) up to C27 (year 2009). The aim is to learn the possible manifold structure embedded in the data and to create some representations of the plasma parameters on low-dimensional maps, which are understandable and which preserve the essential properties owned by the original data. A crucial issue for the design of such mappings is the quality of the dataset. This paper reports the details of the criteria used to properly select suitable signals downloaded from JET databases in order to obtain a dataset of reliable observations. Moreover, a statistical analysis is performed to recognize the presence of outliers. Finally data reduction, based on clustering methods, is performed to select a limited and representative number of samples for the operational space mapping. The high-dimensional operational space of JET is mapped using a widely used manifold learning method, the self-organizing maps. The results are compared with other data visualization methods. The obtained maps can be used to identify characteristic regions of the plasma scenario, allowing to discriminate between regions with high risk of disruption and those with low risk of disruption. (paper)

Pedagogical Content Knowledge of Argumentation: Using Classroom Contexts to Assess High-Quality PCK Rather than Pseudoargumentation

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McNeill, Katherine L.; González-Howard, María; Katsh-Singer, Rebecca; Loper, Suzanna

2016-01-01

Despite the recent emphasis on science practices, little work has focused on teachers' knowledge of these key learning goals. The development of high quality assessments for teachers' pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) of science practices, such as argumentation, is important to better assess the needs of teachers and to develop supportive…

Interactional Resources for Quality Improvement: Learning From Participants Through a Qualitative Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Brooks, Joanna Veazey; Gorbenko, Ksenia; Bosk, Charles

Implementing quality improvement in hospitals requires a multifaceted commitment from leaders, including financial, material, and personnel resources. However, little is known about the interactional resources needed for project implementation. The aim of this analysis was to identify the types of interactional support hospital teams sought in a surgical quality improvement project. Hospital site visits were conducted using a combination of observations, interviews, and focus groups to explore the implementation of a surgical quality improvement project. Twenty-six site visits were conducted between October 2012 and August 2014 at a total of 16 hospitals that agreed to participate. All interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded for themes using inductive analysis. We interviewed 321 respondents and conducted an additional 28 focus groups. Respondents reported needing the following types of interactional support during implementation of quality improvement interventions: (1) a critical outside perspective on their implementation progress; (2) opportunities to learn from peers, especially around clinical innovations; and (3) external validation to help establish visibility for and commitment to the project. Quality improvement in hospitals is both a clinical endeavor and a social endeavor. Our findings show that teams often desire interactional resources as they implement quality improvement initiatives. In-person site visits can provide these resources while also activating emotional energy for teams, which builds momentum and sustainability for quality improvement work. Policymakers and quality improvement leaders will benefit from developing strategies to maximize interactional learning and feedback for quality improvement teams. Further research should investigate the most effective methods for meeting these needs.

Deep supervised dictionary learning for no-reference image quality assessment

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Huang, Yuge; Liu, Xuesong; Tian, Xiang; Zhou, Fan; Chen, Yaowu; Jiang, Rongxin

2018-03-01

We propose a deep convolutional neural network (CNN) for general no-reference image quality assessment (NR-IQA), i.e., accurate prediction of image quality without a reference image. The proposed model consists of three components such as a local feature extractor that is a fully CNN, an encoding module with an inherent dictionary that aggregates local features to output a fixed-length global quality-aware image representation, and a regression module that maps the representation to an image quality score. Our model can be trained in an end-to-end manner, and all of the parameters, including the weights of the convolutional layers, the dictionary, and the regression weights, are simultaneously learned from the loss function. In addition, the model can predict quality scores for input images of arbitrary sizes in a single step. We tested our method on commonly used image quality databases and showed that its performance is comparable with that of state-of-the-art general-purpose NR-IQA algorithms.

APPROACHES AND TOOLS FOR QUALITY EXAMINATION OF E-LEARNING TOOLS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Galina P. Lavrentieva

2011-02-01

Full Text Available The article highlights the scientific and methodological approaches to quality examination of e-learning tools for general education. There are considered terms of the research, described the essence of the main components and stages of the examination. A methodology for quality estimation tools elaboration is described that should be based on identifying criteria and parameters of evaluation. Complex of psycho-pedagogical and ergonomic requirements that should be used in organizing expertise is justified and the most expedient ways of their implementation are examined.

An investigation of home advantage in the Summer Paralympic Games.

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Wilson, Darryl; Ramchandani, Girish

2017-01-01

There is a paucity of home advantage research set in the context of para-sport events. It is this gap in the knowledge that this paper addresses by investigating the prevalence and size of home advantage in the Summer Paralympic Games. Using a standardised measure of success, we compared the performances of nations when competing at home with their own performances away from home in the competition between 1960 and 2016. Both country-level and individual sport-level analyses were conducted for this time frame. A Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to determine whether there was a genuine difference in nations' performance under host and non-host conditions. Spearman's rank-order correlation was run to assess the relationship between nation quality and home advantage. Strong evidence of a home advantage effect in the Summer Paralympic Games was found at country level ( p   0.10). While our results confirm that home advantage is prevalent in the Summer Paralympic Games at an overall country level and within specific sports, they do not explain fully why such an effect does exist. Future studies should investigate the causes of home advantage in the competition and also draw comparisons with the Summer Olympic Games to explore any differences between para-sport events and able-bodied events.

The Physics of Quidditch Summer Camp: An Interdisciplinary Approach

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Hammer, Donna; Uher, Tim

The University of Maryland Physics Department has developed an innovative summer camp program that takes an interdisciplinary approach to engaging and teaching physics. The Physics of Quidditch Camp uniquely sits at the intersection of physics, sports, and literature, utilizing the real-life sport of quidditch adapted from the Harry Potter novels to stimulate critical thinking about real laws of physics and leaps of imagination, while actively engaging students in learning the sport and discussing the literature. Throughout the camp, middle school participants become immersed in fun physics experiments and exciting physical activities, which aim to build and enhance skills in problem-solving, analytical thinking, and teamwork. This camp has pioneered new ways of teaching physics to pre-college students, successfully engaged middle school students in learning physics, and grown a large demand for such activities.

Improvement of Learning Process and Learning Outcomes in Physics Learning by Using Collaborative Learning Model of Group Investigation at High School (Grade X, SMAN 14 Jakarta)

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Astra, I. Made; Wahyuni, Citra; Nasbey, Hadi

2015-01-01

The aim of this research is to improve the quality of physics learning through application of collaborative learning of group investigation at grade X MIPA 2 SMAN 14 Jakarta. The method used in this research is classroom action research. This research consisted of three cycles was conducted from April to May in 2014. Each cycle consists of…

Publication of the proceedings of the 1996 DPB/DPF summer study on new directions for high-energy physics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gennari, L.T.

1997-10-01

Production of the Proceedings of the 1996 DPB/DPF Summer Study in High-Energy Physics built on the methods, lessons, and technology of the production process used for the Proceedings of the 1995 Particle Accelerator Conference (PAC95). The Snowmass proceedings project started with a much smaller budget and a shorter production schedule, resulting in a much more ambitious plan. The goal was, as for PAC95, to produce both a paper and a CD version of the proceedings. This time, the goal was to complete the project in only 6 months, using half of a staff person from the SLAC Technical Publications Department (responsible for technical design and implementation as well as project management), along with 6 months of a full-time temporary employee to answer the phone and coordinate author support. The conference editors and the author decided on a strategy using the World Wide Web for submission and quality assurance testing. The resulting procedure allowed authors to check the quality of their own PDF files, prevented random browsing of papers before publication of the proceedings, and required minimal human intervention (though they easily could have used a few more bodies manning the help lines). To this end, they set up a Power Macintosh running FileMaker Pro 3.0 (a relational database application), WebSTAR (Macintosh Web server software), WEB/FM (CGI package for FileMaker Pro/WebSTAR interface), and NetPresenz (Macintosh ftp server) and created a gatewayed mailing list and newsgroup for authors needing technical support

When high achievers and low achievers work in the same group: the roles of group heterogeneity and processes in project-based learning.

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Cheng, Rebecca Wing-yi; Lam, Shui-fong; Chan, Joanne Chung-yan

2008-06-01

There has been an ongoing debate about the inconsistent effects of heterogeneous ability grouping on students in small group work such as project-based learning. The present research investigated the roles of group heterogeneity and processes in project-based learning. At the student level, we examined the interaction effect between students' within-group achievement and group processes on their self- and collective efficacy. At the group level, we examined how group heterogeneity was associated with the average self- and collective efficacy reported by the groups. The participants were 1,921 Hong Kong secondary students in 367 project-based learning groups. Student achievement was determined by school examination marks. Group processes, self-efficacy and collective efficacy were measured by a student-report questionnaire. Hierarchical linear modelling was used to analyse the nested data. When individual students in each group were taken as the unit of analysis, results indicated an interaction effect of group processes and students' within-group achievement on the discrepancy between collective- and self-efficacy. When compared with low achievers, high achievers reported lower collective efficacy than self-efficacy when group processes were of low quality. However, both low and high achievers reported higher collective efficacy than self-efficacy when group processes were of high quality. With 367 groups taken as the unit of analysis, the results showed that group heterogeneity, group gender composition and group size were not related to the discrepancy between collective- and self-efficacy reported by the students. Group heterogeneity was not a determinant factor in students' learning efficacy. Instead, the quality of group processes played a pivotal role because both high and low achievers were able to benefit when group processes were of high quality.

Influence of Pre- and Postharvest Summer Pruning on the Growth, Yield, Fruit Quality, and Carbohydrate Content of Early Season Peach Cultivars

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Ikinci, Ali

2014-01-01

Winter and summer pruning are widely applied processes in all fruit trees, including in peach orchard management. This study was conducted to determine the effects of summer prunings (SP), as compared to winter pruning (WP), on shoot length, shoot diameter, trunk cross sectional area (TCSA) increment, fruit yield, fruit quality, and carbohydrate content of two early ripening peach cultivars (“Early Red” and “Maycrest”) of six years of age, grown in semiarid climate conditions, in 2008 to 2010. The trees were grafted on GF 677 rootstocks, trained with a central leader system, and spaced 5 × 5 m apart. The SP carried out after harvesting in July and August decreased the shoot length significantly; however, it increased its diameter. Compared to 2009, this effect was more marked in year 2010. In general, control and winter pruned trees of both cultivars had the highest TCSA increment and yield efficiency. The SP increased the average fruit weight and soluble solids contents (SSC) more than both control and WP. The titratable acidity showed no consistent response to pruning time. The carbohydrate accumulation in shoot was higher in WP and in control than in SP trees. SP significantly affected carbohydrate accumulation; postharvest pruning showed higher carbohydrate content than preharvest pruning. PMID:24737954

Online Support Service Quality, Online Learning Acceptance, and Student Satisfaction

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Jung-Wan

2010-01-01

This paper examines potential differences between Korean and American students in terms of their perception levels regarding online education support service quality, online learning acceptance, and satisfaction. Eight hundred and seventy-two samples, which were collected from students in online classes in the United States and Korea, were…

Students' Perception on the Quality of Open and Distance Learning ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This study aimed at assessing the quality of open and distance learning programmes from students‟ point of view. The sample was drawn from the Open University of Tanzania‟s students in nine University regional centres from Tanzania mainland and it constituted 305 students. Both qualitative and quantitative methods ...

Combining drought survival via summer dormancy and annual biomass productivity in Dactylis glomerata L.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rajae eKallida

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Under Mediterranean climates, the best strategy to produce rain-fed fodder crops is to develop perennial drought resistant varieties. Summer dormancy present in native germplasm has been shown to confer a high level of survival under severe drought. Nevertheless it has also been shown to be negatively correlated with annual biomass productivity. The aim of this study was to analyse the correlations between summer dormancy and annual biomass productivity related traits and to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL for these traits in a progeny of a summer dormant cocksfoot parent (Kasbah and a summer active parent (Medly. A total of 283 offspring and the parents were phenotyped for summer dormancy, plant growth rate and heading date in Morocco and for maximum leaf elongation rate (LERm in France. The individuals were genotyped with a total of 325 markers including 59 AFLP, 64 SSR and 202 DArT markers. The offspring exhibited a large quantitative variation for all measured traits. Summer dormancy showed a negative correlation with both plant growth rate (-0.34 p<0.005 and LERm (-0.27 p<0.005. However, genotypes with both a high level of summer dormancy and a high level of plant growth rate were detected in the progeny. One genetic map per parent was built with a total length of 377 and 423 cM for Kasbah and Medly, respectively. Both different and co-localised QTL for summer dormancy and plant growth rate were identified. These results demonstrate that it should be possible to create summer dormant cocksfoot varieties with a high annual biomass productivity.

Review on mechanisms of dairy summer infertility and implications for hormonal intervention

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

B.U. Wakayo

2015-02-01

Full Text Available In dairy cows and buffaloes, summer heat stress (HS reduces milk yield and delays return to pregnancy leading to financial loss. Clues for effective interventions against summer infertility (SI lie in understanding the underlying mechanisms. This article reviews current knowledge on the mechanisms of bovine SI and their implication for hormonal management. Under HS dairy animals encounter anestrous, silent cycles and repeat breeding which extend their open period. These effects are attributed mainly to HS induced disturbances in luteinizing hormone (LH secretion, follicular dominance and estrogen secretion, ovulation and oocyte competence, luteal development and progesterone secretion, utero-placental function and embryo-fetal development. Hormonal timed artificial insemination protocols and LH support around estrous improved summer pregnancy rates by avoiding need for estrus detection, assisting follicular development and ovulation, enhancing quality oocytes and stimulating luteal function. Progesterone supplementation to enhance embryonic development did not produce significant improvement in summer pregnancy rates. There is need for evaluating integrated approaches combining hormones, metabolic modifier and cyto-protective agents.

The Effects of the Elevate Math Summer Program on Math Achievement and Algebra Readiness

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Snipes, Jason; Huang, Chun-Wei; Jaquet, Karina; Finkelstein, Neal

2016-01-01

To raise math success rates in middle school, many schools and districts have implemented summer math programs designed to improve student preparation for algebra content in grade 8. However, little is known about the effectiveness of these programs. While students who participate typically experience learning gains, there is little rigorous…

Summer and school-term youth employment: ecological and longitudinal analyses.

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Hardesty, P H; Hirsch, B J

1992-10-01

The effects of summer versus school-year employment on self-esteem, peer relationships, and family social climate were investigated in a sample of 135 adolescents. Students were assessed the summer before entrance into high school and during the second semester of high school, using a longitudinal design. Cross-sectional findings indicated that, during the summer, 52 workers possessed higher self-esteem than 79 nonworkers. Longitudinal analysis indicated that 10 girls who worked only during the school term reported increases in both stress and activity with peers. At our final assessment, the families of 49 students who did not work at either time had become more conflicted and less cohesive than families of all other students. The developmental implications of these results are discussed.