Understanding Factors Leading to Participation in Supplemental Instruction Programs in Introductory Accounting Courses

Science.gov (United States)

Goldstein, James; Sauer, Paul; O'Donnell, Joseph

2014-01-01

Although studies have shown that supplemental instruction (SI) programs can have positive effects in introductory accounting courses, these programs experience low participation rates. Thus, our study is the first to examine the factors leading to student participation in SI programs. We do this through a survey instrument based on the Theory of…

The Proposed Model of Collaborative Virtual Learning Environment for Introductory Programming Course

Science.gov (United States)

Othman, Mahfudzah; Othman, Muhaini

2012-01-01

This paper discusses the proposed model of the collaborative virtual learning system for the introductory computer programming course which uses one of the collaborative learning techniques known as the "Think-Pair-Share". The main objective of this study is to design a model for an online learning system that facilitates the…

The Importance of Attendance in an Introductory Textile Science Course

Science.gov (United States)

Marcketti, Sara B.; Wang, Xinxin; Greder, Kate

2013-01-01

At Iowa State University, the introductory textile science course is a required 4-credit class for all undergraduate students enrolled in the Apparel, Merchandising, and Design Program. Frustrated by a perceived gap between students who easily comprehended course material and those who complained and struggled, the instructor implemented an…

The Role of an Actuarial Director in the Development of an Introductory Program

Science.gov (United States)

Staples, Susan G.

2014-01-01

We describe the roles and duties of a director in developing an introductory actuarial program. Degree plan design, specialized exam courses, internship classes, coordination of efforts with Economics and Finance Departments, opportunities for creating a minor in actuarial mathematics, actuarial clubs, career advice, and interaction with actuarial…

Predicting introductory programming performance: A multi-institutional multivariate study

Science.gov (United States)

Bergin, Susan; Reilly, Ronan

2006-12-01

A model for predicting student performance on introductory programming modules is presented. The model uses attributes identified in a study carried out at four third-level institutions in the Republic of Ireland. Four instruments were used to collect the data and over 25 attributes were examined. A data reduction technique was applied and a logistic regression model using 10-fold stratified cross validation was developed. The model used three attributes: Leaving Certificate Mathematics result (final mathematics examination at second level), number of hours playing computer games while taking the module and programming self-esteem. Prediction success was significant with 80% of students correctly classified. The model also works well on a per-institution level. A discussion on the implications of the model is provided and future work is outlined.

Student Performance in Introductory Psychology Following Termination of the Programmed Achievement Contingency at Mid-Semester

Science.gov (United States)

Nation, Jack R.; And Others

1977-01-01

Discusses the Programmed Achievement learning system in an introductory psychology course. This system is based on an instructional system of motivation and reward in which a crucial ingredient is the testing procedure. (Author/JR)

Teaching Introductory Geoscience: A Cutting Edge Workshop Report

Science.gov (United States)

Manduca, C.; Tewksbury, B.; Egger, A.; MacDonald, H.; Kirk, K.

2008-12-01

Introductory undergraduate courses play a pivotal role in the geosciences. They serve as recruiting grounds for majors and future professionals, provide relevant experiences in geoscience for pre-service teachers, and offer opportunities to influence future policy makers, business people, professionals, and citizens. An introductory course is also typically the only course in geoscience that most of our students will ever take. Because the role of introductory courses is pivotal in geoscience education, a workshop on Teaching Introductory Courses in the 21st Century was held in July 2008 as part of the On the Cutting Edge faculty development program. A website was also developed in conjunction with the workshop. One of the central themes of the workshop was the importance of considering the long-term impact a course should have on students. Ideally, courses can be designed with this impact in mind. Approaches include using the local geology to focus the course and illustrate concepts; designing a course for particular audience (such as Geology for Engineers); creating course features that help students understand and interpret geoscience in the news; and developing capstone projects to teach critical thinking and problem solving skills in a geologic context. Workshop participants also explored strategies for designing engaging activities including exploring with Google Earth, using real-world scenarios, connecting with popular media, or making use of campus features on local field trips. In addition, introductory courses can emphasize broad skills such as teaching the process of science, using quantitative reasoning and developing communication skills. Materials from the workshop as well as descriptions of more than 150 introductory courses and 350 introductory-level activities are available on the website: http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/intro/index.html.

A MOOC for Introductory Physics

Science.gov (United States)

Schatz, Michael

2014-03-01

We describe an effort to develop and to implement a college-level introductory physics (mechanics) MOOC that offers bona fide laboratory experiences. We also discuss efforts to use MOOC curricular materials to ``flip'' the classroom in a large lecture introductory physics course offered on-campus at Georgia Tech. Preliminary results of assessments and surveys from both MOOC and on-campus students will be presented.

Fish: A New Computer Program for Friendly Introductory Statistics Help

Science.gov (United States)

Brooks, Gordon P.; Raffle, Holly

2005-01-01

All introductory statistics students must master certain basic descriptive statistics, including means, standard deviations and correlations. Students must also gain insight into such complex concepts as the central limit theorem and standard error. This article introduces and describes the Friendly Introductory Statistics Help (FISH) computer…

An Interdisciplinary Program in Materials Science at James Madison University.

Science.gov (United States)

Hughes, Chris

2008-03-01

Over the past decade a core group of faculty at James Madison University has created an interdisciplinary program in materials science that provides our students with unique courses and research experiences that augment the existing, high-quality majors in physics and astronomy, chemistry and biochemistry, geology and environmental science, mathematics and statistics, and integrated science and technology. The university started this program by creating a Center for Materials Science whose budget is directly allocated by the provost. This source of funds acts as seed money for research, support for students, and a motivating factor for each of the academic units to support the participation of their faculty in the program. Courses were created at the introductory and intermediate level that are cross-listed by the departments to encourage students to enroll in them as electives toward their majors. Furthermore, the students are encouraged to participate in undergraduate research in materials since this is the most fundamental unifying theme across the disciplines. This talk will cover some of the curricular innovations that went into the design of the program to make it successful, examples of faculty and student research and how that feeds back into the classroom, and success stories of the interactions that have developed between departments because of this program. Student outcomes and future plans to improve the program will also be discussed.

Using Rubber-Elastic Material-Ideal Gas Analogies To Teach Introductory Thermodynamics. Part II: The Laws of Thermodynamics.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Brent

2002-01-01

Describes the laws of thermodynamics as a supplement to an introductory thermodynamics undergraduate course. Uses rubber-elastic materials (REM) which have strong analogies to the concept of ideal gas. Provides examples of the analogies between ideal gas and REM and mathematical analogies. (YDS)

Using Rubber-Elastic Material-Ideal Gas Analogies To Teach Introductory Thermodynamics. Part I: Equations of State.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Brent

2002-01-01

Describes equations of state as a supplement to an introductory thermodynamics undergraduate course. Uses rubber-elastic materials (REM) which have strong analogies to the concept of an ideal gas and explains the molar basis of REM. Provides examples of the analogies between ideal gas and REM and mathematical analogies. (Contains 22 references.)…

Introductory speeches

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-01-01

This CD is multimedia presentation of programme safety upgrading of Bohunice V1 NPP. This chapter consist of introductory commentary and 4 introductory speeches (video records): (1) Introductory speech of Vincent Pillar, Board chairman and director general of Slovak electric, Plc. (SE); (2) Introductory speech of Stefan Schmidt, director of SE - Bohunice Nuclear power plants; (3) Introductory speech of Jan Korec, Board chairman and director general of VUJE Trnava, Inc. - Engineering, Design and Research Organisation, Trnava; Introductory speech of Dietrich Kuschel, Senior vice-president of FRAMATOME ANP Project and Engineering

Teaching Electrostatics and Entropy in Introductory Physics

Science.gov (United States)

Reeves, Mark

Entropy changes underlie the physics that dominates biological interactions. Indeed, introductory biology courses often begin with an exploration of the qualities of water that are important to living systems. However, one idea that is not explicitly addressed in most introductory physics or biology courses is important contribution of the entropy in driving fundamental biological processes towards equilibrium. I will present material developed to teach electrostatic screening in solutions and the function of nerve cells where entropic effects act to counterbalance electrostatic attraction. These ideas are taught in an introductory, calculus-based physics course to biomedical engineers using SCALEUP pedagogy. Results of student mastering of complex problems that cross disciplinary boundaries between biology and physics, as well as the challenges that they face in learning this material will be presented.

A Demonstration of Evidence-Based Action Research Using Information Dashboard in Introductory Programming Education

OpenAIRE

Matsuzawa , Yoshiaki; Tanaka , Yoshiki; Kitani , Tomoya; Sakai , Sanshiro

2017-01-01

Part 3: Computer Science Education and Its Future Focus and Development; International audience; In this paper, we demonstrated an evidence-based action research in an introductory programming class with the use of an information dashboard which provides coding metrics to visualize students’ engagement of their assignments. The information dashboard was designed for teachers to improve their classroom teaching using the same coding metrics which was verified in our previous research [9]. The ...

A Three-Year Reflective Writing Program as Part of Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences

Science.gov (United States)

Vaughn, Jessica; Kerr, Kevin; Zielenski, Christopher; Toppel, Brianna; Johnson, Lauren; McCauley, Patrina; Turner, Christopher J.

2013-01-01

Objectives. To implement and evaluate a 3-year reflective writing program incorporated into introductory pharmacy practice experiences (IPPEs) in the first- through third-year of a doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) program. Design. Reflective writing was integrated into 6 IPPE courses to develop students’ lifelong learning skills. In their writing, students were required to self-assess their performance in patient care activities, identify and describe how they would incorporate learning opportunities, and then evaluate their progress. Practitioners, faculty members, and fourth-year PharmD students served as writing preceptors. Assessment. The success of the writing program was assessed by reviewing class performance and surveying writing preceptor’s opinions regarding the student’s achievement of program objectives. Class pass rates averaged greater than 99% over the 8 years of the program and the large majority of the writing preceptors reported that student learning objectives were met. A support pool of 99 writing preceptors was created. Conclusions. A 3-year reflective writing program improved pharmacy students’ reflection and reflective writing skills. PMID:23788811

Does Participation in a Computer-Based Learning Program in Introductory Financial Accounting Course Lead to Choosing Accounting as a Major?

Science.gov (United States)

Owhoso, Vincent; Malgwi, Charles A.; Akpomi, Margaret

2014-01-01

The authors examine whether students who completed a computer-based intervention program, designed to help them develop abilities and skills in introductory accounting, later declared accounting as a major. A sample of 1,341 students participated in the study, of which 74 completed the intervention program (computer-based assisted learning [CBAL])…

Learning Efficacy and Cost-Effectiveness of Print versus e-Book Instructional Material in an Introductory Financial Accounting Course

Science.gov (United States)

Annand, David

2008-01-01

This article describes the concurrent development of paper-based and e-book versions of a textbook and related instructional material used in an introductory-level financial accounting course. Break-even analysis is used to compare costs of the two media. A study conducted with 109 students is also used to evaluate the two media with respect to…

Graphical User Interface Programming in Introductory Computer Science.

Science.gov (United States)

Skolnick, Michael M.; Spooner, David L.

Modern computing systems exploit graphical user interfaces for interaction with users; as a result, introductory computer science courses must begin to teach the principles underlying such interfaces. This paper presents an approach to graphical user interface (GUI) implementation that is simple enough for beginning students to understand, yet…

Chemical Equilibrium, Unit 2: Le Chatelier's Principle. A Computer-Enriched Module for Introductory Chemistry. Student's Guide and Teacher's Guide.

Science.gov (United States)

Jameson, A. Keith

Presented are the teacher's guide and student materials for one of a series of self-instructional, computer-based learning modules for an introductory, undergraduate chemistry course. The student manual for this unit on Le Chatelier's principle includes objectives, prerequisites, pretest, instructions for executing the computer program, and…

A Case Study of Prior Knowledge, Learning Approach and Conceptual Change in an Introductory College Chemistry Tutorial Program.

Science.gov (United States)

Braathen, Per Christian; Hewson, Peter W.

This paper presents a case study involving a small group of students enrolled in a tutorial program learning introductory college chemistry. The underlying theoretical framework of this investigation was a constructivist view of learning, but more specifically it was based on Ausubel's theory of meaningful learning. The findings of this…

Development, Implementation, and Assessment of Climate Curricular Materials for Introductory Undergraduates: Lessons Learned from the InTeGrate Project's Climate of Change Module

Science.gov (United States)

Walker, B.; Fadem, C. M.; Shellito, L. J.

2014-12-01

Designing climate change curricular materials suitable for wide adoption across institutions and academic disciplines (including those outside of the geosciences) requires collaboration among faculty at different types of institutions and consideration of a variety of student populations, learning styles, and course formats. The Interdisciplinary Teaching of Geoscience for a Sustainable Future (InTeGrate) project, an NSF STEP Center program, provides opportunities for faculty to develop 2-3 week teaching modules to engage students in understanding the intersections between geoscience topics and societal issues. From 2012-2014, a team of 3 faculty from a liberal arts college, comprehensive university, and community college developed, implemented, assessed, and revised a 2-3 week module for introductory undergraduates entitled "Climate of change: interactions and feedbacks between water, air, and ice". The module uses authentic atmosphere, ocean, and cryosphere data from several regions to illustrate how climate impacts human societies and that the climate system has interacting components complicated by feedbacks, uncertainties, and human behavioral decisions. Students also consider past and present human adaptations to climate fluctuations. The module was piloted in introductory geology, meteorology, and oceanography courses during the 2012-2013 academic year, during which time formative and summative assessments were administered and used to modify the curricular materials. We will provide an overview of the module's content, instructional strategies involved in implementing the module, and methods of formative and summative assessment. We will also report on lessons learned during the development, piloting, revision, and publishing process, the importance of fostering partnerships between faculty from different institution types, and design approaches that promote widespread adoption of climate curricular materials.

Evolving Roles For Teaching Assistants In Introductory Courses

Science.gov (United States)

Dunbar, R. W.; Egger, A. E.; Schwartz, J. K.

2008-12-01

As we bring new research-based learning approaches, curricular innovations, and student engagement practices into the introductory science classroom, expectations of teaching assistants (TAs) should have, and have, changed. Similarly, the 21st century teaching assistant has different expectations of us. Maintaining relevance in this context means bringing TAs into an integrated teaching team that supports effective learning for students and provides structured professional development opportunities for TAs. A number of support efforts on our campus, with counterparts at many other universities, seek to optimize the instructional impact of faculty and teaching assistants, thus opening the door to enhanced student engagement (e.g. the quality of effort students put forth, their persistence in science and/or engineering courses, and their perception of scientific relevance in everyday life). Among these efforts, School of Earth Sciences course development TAs work 1:1 in advance of the term with introductory course faculty to design exercises and course materials that meet clearly articulated student learning goals or pedagogical challenges. Throughout the process, TAs are mentored by the faculty as well as science pedagogy experts. Initially funded by a major teaching award, the School is now moving to institutionalize this successful program which has broadened the definition of the TA role. Another area of optimization, reflecting Shulman's concept of pedagogical content knowledge, is our campus mandate that TA development take place within a departmental, as well as general, context. Both Chemistry and Physics expect introductory course TAs to lead interactive, guided-inquiry or tutorial-style sections. Integrating these sections with lecture and positively reinforcing course goals requires TA buy-in and a set of pedagogical facilitation skills cultivated through course-specific training and active mentoring while teaching. To better support the mentoring process

Four-Year Turfgrass Management Programs in the United States: II. Organization and Content of Introductory Turfgrass Management Courses.

Science.gov (United States)

Karnok, Keith J.; And Others

1993-01-01

A survey of 32 land-grant institutions was conducted to determine format, topical content, and teaching methods of introductory turfgrass management courses of 4-year turfgrass management programs in the United States. Required courses included a basic soils class and a course in biology or botany, usually transmitted by the lecture method. (MDH)

Mathematization in introductory physics

Science.gov (United States)

Brahmia, Suzanne M.

Mathematization is central to STEM disciplines as a cornerstone of the quantitative reasoning that characterizes these fields. Introductory physics is required for most STEM majors in part so that students develop expert-like mathematization. This dissertation describes coordinated research and curriculum development for strengthening mathematization in introductory physics; it blends scholarship in physics and mathematics education in the form of three papers. The first paper explores mathematization in the context of physics, and makes an original contribution to the measurement of physics students' struggle to mathematize. Instructors naturally assume students have a conceptual mastery of algebra before embarking on a college physics course because these students are enrolled in math courses beyond algebra. This paper provides evidence that refutes the validity of this assumption and categorizes some of the barriers students commonly encounter with quantification and representing ideas symbolically. The second paper develops a model of instruction that can help students progress from their starting points to their instructor's desired endpoints. Instructors recognize that the introductory physics course introduces new ideas at an astonishing rate. More than most physicists realize, however, the way that mathematics is used in the course is foreign to a large portion of class. This paper puts forth an instructional model that can move all students toward better quantitative and physical reasoning, despite the substantial variability of those students' initial states. The third paper describes the design and testing of curricular materials that foster mathematical creativity to prepare students to better understand physics reasoning. Few students enter introductory physics with experience generating equations in response to specific challenges involving unfamiliar quantities and units, yet this generative use of mathematics is typical of the thinking involved in

Towards a Virtual Teaching Assistant to Answer Questions Asked by Students in Introductory Computer Science

Science.gov (United States)

Heiner, Cecily

2009-01-01

Students in introductory programming classes often articulate their questions and information needs incompletely. Consequently, the automatic classification of student questions to provide automated tutorial responses is a challenging problem. This dissertation analyzes 411 questions from an introductory Java programming course by reducing the…

Material Programming

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vallgårda, Anna; Boer, Laurens; Tsaknaki, Vasiliki

2017-01-01

. Consequently we ask what the practice of programming and giving form to such materials would be like? How would we be able to familiarize ourselves with the dynamics of these materials and their different combinations of cause and effect? Which tools would we need and what would they look like? Will we program......, and color, but additionally being capable of sensing, actuating, and computing. Indeed, computers will not be things in and by themselves, but embedded into the materials that make up our surroundings. This also means that the way we interact with computers and the way we program them, will change...... these computational composites through external computers and then transfer the code them, or will the programming happen closer to the materials? In this feature we outline a new research program that floats between imagined futures and the development of a material programming practice....

Introductory Overviews

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jakeman, A.J.; Hamilton, S.H.; Athanasiadis, I.N.; Pierce, S.A.

2015-01-01

Introductory Overview articles are designed to provide introductory level background to key themes and topics that caters to the eclectic readership of EMS. It is envisaged that these articles will help to break down barriers to shared understanding and dialogue within multidisciplinary teams, and

Sensors an introductory course

CERN Document Server

Kalantar-zadeh, Kourosh

2013-01-01

Sensors: An Introductory Course provides an essential reference on the fundamentals of sensors. The book is designed to help readers in developing skills and the understanding required in order to implement a wide range of sensors that are commonly used in our daily lives. This book covers the basic concepts in the sensors field, including definitions and terminologies. The physical sensing effects are described, and devices which utilize these effects are presented. The most frequently used organic and inorganic sensors are introduced and the techniques for implementing them are discussed. This book: Provides a comprehensive representation of the most common sensors and can be used as a reference in relevant fields Presents learning materials in a concise and easy to understand manner Includes examples of how sensors are incorporated in real life measurements Contains detailed figures and schematics to assist in understanding the sensor performance Sensors: An Introductory Course is ideal for university stu...

Starting Point: Linking Methods and Materials for Introductory Geoscience Courses

Science.gov (United States)

Manduca, C. A.; MacDonald, R. H.; Merritts, D.; Savina, M.

2004-12-01

Introductory courses are one of the most challenging teaching environments for geoscience faculty. Courses are often large, students have a wide variety of background and skills, and student motivation can include completing a geoscience major, preparing for a career as teacher, fulfilling a distribution requirement, and general interest. The Starting Point site (http://serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/index.html) provides help for faculty teaching introductory courses by linking together examples of different teaching methods that have been used in entry-level courses with information about how to use the methods and relevant references from the geoscience and education literature. Examples span the content of geoscience courses including the atmosphere, biosphere, climate, Earth surface, energy/material cycles, human dimensions/resources, hydrosphere/cryosphere, ocean, solar system, solid earth and geologic time/earth history. Methods include interactive lecture (e.g think-pair-share, concepTests, and in-class activities and problems), investigative cases, peer review, role playing, Socratic questioning, games, and field labs. A special section of the site devoted to using an Earth System approach provides resources with content information about the various aspects of the Earth system linked to examples of teaching this content. Examples of courses incorporating Earth systems content, and strategies for designing an Earth system course are also included. A similar section on Teaching with an Earth History approach explores geologic history as a vehicle for teaching geoscience concepts and as a framework for course design. The Starting Point site has been authored and reviewed by faculty around the country. Evaluation indicates that faculty find the examples particularly helpful both for direct implementation in their classes and for sparking ideas. The help provided for using different teaching methods makes the examples particularly useful. Examples are chosen from

Introductory Raman spectroscopy

CERN Document Server

Ferraro, John R

2012-01-01

Praise for Introductory Raman Spectroscopy Highlights basic theory, which is treated in an introductory fashion Presents state-of-the-art instrumentation Discusses new applications of Raman spectroscopy in industry and research.

Black Holes and Pulsars in the Introductory Physics Course

Science.gov (United States)

Orear, Jay; Salpeter, E. E.

1973-01-01

Discusses the phenomenon of formation of white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes from dying stars for the purpose of providing college teachers with materials usable in the introductory physics course. (CC)

A Review of New Mathematics Curriculum Materials.

Science.gov (United States)

Vanderlin, Carl J., Jr.

This manual outlines the nature of some of the major curriculum projects in mathematics and lists materials which are available from these projects. An introductory statement concerning the history and philosophy of each program is indicated. The curriculum projects reported on are: (1) Boston College Mathematics Institute, (2) Cambridge…

Advanced Industrial Materials Program

Science.gov (United States)

Stooksbury, F.

1994-06-01

The mission of the Advanced Industrial Materials (AIM) program is to commercialize new/improved materials and materials processing methods that will improve energy efficiency, productivity, and competitiveness. Program investigators in the DOE national laboratories are working with about 100 companies, including 15 partners in CRDA's. Work is being done on intermetallic alloys, ceramic composites, metal composites, polymers, engineered porous materials, and surface modification. The program supports other efforts in the Office of Industrial Technologies to assist the energy-consuming process industries. The aim of the AIM program is to bring materials from basic research to industrial application to strengthen the competitive position of US industry and save energy.

A Case-Based Curriculum for Introductory Geology

Science.gov (United States)

Goldsmith, David W.

2011-01-01

For the past 5 years I have been teaching my introductory geology class using a case-based method that promotes student engagement and inquiry. This article presents an explanation of how a case-based curriculum differs from a more traditional approach to the material. It also presents a statistical analysis of several years' worth of student…

Materials Science Programs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1990-03-01

The Division of Materials Sciences is located within the Department of Energy in the Office of Basic Energy Sciences. The Office of Basic Energy Sciences reports to the Director of the Office of Energy Research. The Director of this office is appointed by the President with Senate consent. The Director advises the Secretary on the physical research program; monitors the Department's R ampersand D programs; advises the Secretary on management of the laboratories under the jurisdiction of the Department, excluding those that constitute part of the nuclear weapon complex; and advises the Secretary on basic and applied research activities of the Department. The research covers a spectrum of scientific and engineering areas of interest to the Department of Energy and is conducted generally by personnel trained in the disciplines of Solid State Physics, Metallurgy, Ceramics, Chemistry, Polymers and Materials Science. The Materials Sciences Division supports basic research on materials properties and phenomena important to all energy systems. The aim is to provide the necessary base of materials knowledge required to advance the nation's energy programs. This report contains a listing of research underway in FY 1989 together with a convenient index to the Division's programs

[Economics] Introductory Lesson (Begin Day One). Lesson Plan.

Science.gov (United States)

Lewin, Roland

This introductory lesson on teaching economics concepts contains sections on the following: purpose; objectives; time; materials needed; and step-by-step classroom procedures. The focus is on the economic problem of scarcity and opportunity costs. Attached is an original skit, "There's no such thing as a free lunch," and a chart that…

Assessing Factors That Influence the Recruitment of Majors from Introductory Geology Classes at Northern Arizona University

Science.gov (United States)

Hoisch, Thomas D.; Bowie, James I.

2010-01-01

In order to guide the formulation of strategies for recruiting undergraduates into the geology program at Northern Arizona University, we surveyed 783 students in introductory geology classes and 23 geology majors in their junior and senior years. Our analysis shows that ~7% of students in the introductory classes are possible candidates for…

The Impact of Student-Directed Projects in Introductory Statistics

Science.gov (United States)

Spence, Dianna J.; Bailey, Brad; Sharp, Julia L.

2017-01-01

A multi-year study investigated the impact of incorporating student-directed discovery projects into introductory statistics courses. Pilot instructors at institutions across the United States taught statistics implementing student-directed projects with the help of a common set of instructional materials designed to facilitate such projects.…

Helping Struggling Students in Introductory Biology: A Peer-Tutoring Approach That Improves Performance, Perception, and Retention

Science.gov (United States)

Batz, Zachary; Olsen, Brian J.; Dumont, Jonathan; Dastoor, Farahad; Smith, Michelle K.

2015-01-01

The high attrition rate among science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors has long been an area of concern for institutions and educational researchers. The transition from introductory to advanced courses has been identified as a particularly “leaky” point along the STEM pipeline, and students who struggle early in an introductory STEM course are predominantly at risk. Peer-tutoring programs offered to all students in a course have been widely found to help STEM students during this critical transition, but hiring a sufficient number of tutors may not be an option for some institutions. As an alternative, this study examines the viability of an optional peer-tutoring program offered to students who are struggling in a large-enrollment, introductory biology course. Struggling students who regularly attended peer tutoring increased exam performance, expert-like perceptions of biology, and course persistence relative to their struggling peers who were not attending the peer-tutoring sessions. The results of this study provide information to instructors who want to design targeted academic assistance for students who are struggling in introductory courses. PMID:25976652

Blended Learning Versus Traditional Lecture in Introductory Nursing Pathophysiology Courses.

Science.gov (United States)

Blissitt, Andrea Marie

2016-04-01

Currently, many undergraduate nursing courses use blended-learning course formats with success; however, little evidence exists that supports the use of blended formats in introductory pathophysiology courses. The purpose of this study was to compare the scores on pre- and posttests and course satisfaction between traditional and blended course formats in an introductory nursing pathophysiology course. This study used a quantitative, quasi-experimental, nonrandomized control group, pretest-posttest design. Analysis of covariance compared pre- and posttest scores, and a t test for independent samples compared students' reported course satisfaction of the traditional and blended course formats. Results indicated that the differences in posttest scores were not statistically significant between groups. Students in the traditional group reported statistically significantly higher satisfaction ratings than students in the blended group. The results of this study support the need for further research of using blended learning in introductory pathophysiology courses in undergraduate baccalaureate nursing programs. Further investigation into how satisfaction is affected by course formats is needed. Copyright 2016, SLACK Incorporated.

Addressing the Problem of Service Teaching Introductory Economics Subjects

Science.gov (United States)

Barrett, Steven

2005-01-01

Enrolments in undergraduate economics programs have been falling constantly since the early 1990s. This trend coincides with the increasing popularity of business and management degrees. Consequently, the major activity of many, if not most economics departments and schools in Australia is service teaching of introductory economics to first year…

Using a Movie as a Capstone Activity for the Introductory Course

Science.gov (United States)

Blessing, Stephen B.; Blessing, Jennifer S.

2015-01-01

A capstone experience serves as a culminating exercise for students to assimilate the information learned in a course and to realize how to use the material and skills in different contexts. Both majors and nonmajors benefit from having the material in the introductory course consolidated in such a way, for later study in the field and to more…

The Impact of the Supplemental Instruction Leader on Student Performance in Introductory Accounting

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Jefferson P.

2013-01-01

This study explores the association between a supplemental instruction (SI) program and student performance in an introductory accounting course. SI is a proactive academic support program that is aimed at improving student learning in traditionally "high-risk" college courses by integrating learning and critical thinking strategies with…

A 21st century perspective as a primer to introductory physics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Curtis, Lorenzo J, E-mail: ljc@physics.utoledo.edu [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606 (United States)

2011-09-15

Much effort over many years has been devoted to the reform of the teaching of physics. This has led to many new and imaginative approaches in the content and delivery of material. Great strides have been made in the delivery, and the content has been continually supplemented. However, attempts to modernize the basic structure of the presentation have faced resistance, and the majority of introductory physics textbooks in wide adoption today have a general structure that has changed little in over 60 years. Thus, in comparison to biology, chemistry, geology, etc, physics is unique in that its introductory course is not a survey of the current status of the field. In an attempt to circumvent this problem in a tractable way, we have developed a qualitative front-end course designed to create a 21st century perspective that can be embedded into the beginning of a standard introductory physics sequence.

A 21st century perspective as a primer to introductory physics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Curtis, Lorenzo J

2011-01-01

Much effort over many years has been devoted to the reform of the teaching of physics. This has led to many new and imaginative approaches in the content and delivery of material. Great strides have been made in the delivery, and the content has been continually supplemented. However, attempts to modernize the basic structure of the presentation have faced resistance, and the majority of introductory physics textbooks in wide adoption today have a general structure that has changed little in over 60 years. Thus, in comparison to biology, chemistry, geology, etc, physics is unique in that its introductory course is not a survey of the current status of the field. In an attempt to circumvent this problem in a tractable way, we have developed a qualitative front-end course designed to create a 21st century perspective that can be embedded into the beginning of a standard introductory physics sequence.

Two-Language, Two-Paradigm Introductory Computing Curriculum Model and its Implementation

OpenAIRE

Zanev, Vladimir; Radenski, Atanas

2011-01-01

This paper analyzes difficulties with the introduction of object-oriented concepts in introductory computing education and then proposes a two-language, two-paradigm curriculum model that alleviates such difficulties. Our two-language, two-paradigm curriculum model begins with teaching imperative programming using Python programming language, continues with teaching object-oriented computing using Java, and concludes with teaching object-oriented data structures with Java.

Readers of the Round Table: The 1998 Joint Kentucky - Arizona Reading Program.

Science.gov (United States)

Kentucky State Dept. for Libraries and Archives, Frankfort.

Intended to encourage children of all ages to read over the summer, this manual presents library-based programs, crafts, displays, and events with a medieval theme. The chapters of the manual are: (1) Introductory Materials; (2) Goals, Objectives and Evaluation; (3) Getting Started; (4) Common Program Structures; (5) Planning Timeline; (6)…

Materials Sciences Programs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1977-01-01

A compilation and index of the ERDA materials sciences program is presented. This compilation is intended for use by administrators, managers, and scientists to help coordinate research and as an aid in selecting new programs

The UKAEA mechanical test programs in air

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wood, D.S.

1977-01-01

The design of CDFR will be based on the mechanical behaviour of materials in air, although at a later date account may need to be taken of sodium effects. The need for this Information is outlined in the introductory paper. The extent of the air programs and preliminary findings are described in this paper

The UKAEA mechanical test programs in air

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wood, D S [UKAEA, RNPDL, Risley (United Kingdom)

1977-07-01

The design of CDFR will be based on the mechanical behaviour of materials in air, although at a later date account may need to be taken of sodium effects. The need for this Information is outlined in the introductory paper. The extent of the air programs and preliminary findings are described in this paper.

Deep-Elaborative Learning of Introductory Management Accounting for Business Students

Science.gov (United States)

Choo, Freddie; Tan, Kim B.

2005-01-01

Research by Choo and Tan (1990; 1995) suggests that accounting students, who engage in deep-elaborative learning, have a better understanding of the course materials. The purposes of this paper are: (1) to describe a deep-elaborative instructional approach (hereafter DEIA) that promotes deep-elaborative learning of introductory management…

Simulator program as a form of implementation of electronic teaching tools for self-study of foreign students at the stage of pre-university training

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andriy O. Savel'ev

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Questions of empowerment the organization of classroom and extracurricular self-study of foreign students at the stage of pre-university training through the implementation of electronic teaching tools as a component of computer training facilities in educational process are considered. Classification of modern electronic teaching tools as a component of computer hardware training, developed on the basis of modern information and communication technologies is offered. Version of program-simulator "Introductory course" is offered. The program is created by means of WEB-programming and uses training material of introductory course. Introductory course is one of the most important elements of teaching of scientific style of speech within the language training for the foreign students at the preparatory faculty.

Mathematical Rigor in Introductory Physics

Science.gov (United States)

Vandyke, Michael; Bassichis, William

2011-10-01

Calculus-based introductory physics courses intended for future engineers and physicists are often designed and taught in the same fashion as those intended for students of other disciplines. A more mathematically rigorous curriculum should be more appropriate and, ultimately, more beneficial for the student in his or her future coursework. This work investigates the effects of mathematical rigor on student understanding of introductory mechanics. Using a series of diagnostic tools in conjunction with individual student course performance, a statistical analysis will be performed to examine student learning of introductory mechanics and its relation to student understanding of the underlying calculus.

Using R for introductory statistics

CERN Document Server

Verzani, John

2014-01-01

The second edition of a bestselling textbook, Using R for Introductory Statistics guides students through the basics of R, helping them overcome the sometimes steep learning curve. The author does this by breaking the material down into small, task-oriented steps. The second edition maintains the features that made the first edition so popular, while updating data, examples, and changes to R in line with the current version.See What's New in the Second Edition:Increased emphasis on more idiomatic R provides a grounding in the functionality of base R.Discussions of the use of RStudio helps new

THE PROPOSED MODEL OF COLLABORATIVE VIRTUAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT FOR INTRODUCTORY PROGRAMMING COURSE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mahfudzah OTHMAN

2012-01-01

Full Text Available This paper discusses the proposed model of the collaborative virtual learning system for the introductory computer programming course which uses one of the collaborative learning techniques known as the “Think-Pair-Share”. The main objective of this study is to design a model for an online learning system that facilitates the collaborative learning activities in a virtual environment such as online communications and pair or small group discussions. In order to model the virtual learning environment, the RUP methodology has been used where it involves the data collection phase and the analysis and design phase. Fifty respondents have been randomly selected to participate in the data collection phase to investigate the students’ interest and learning styles as well as their learning preferences. The results have shown the needs for the development of online small group discussions that can be used as an alternative learning style for programming courses. The proposed design of the virtual learning system named as the Online Collaborative Learning System or OCLS is being depicted using the object-oriented models which are the use-case model and class diagram in order to show the concise processes of virtual “Think-Pair-Share” collaborative activities. The “Think-Pair-Share” collaborative learning technique that is being used in this model has been chosen because of its simplicity and relatively low-risk. This paper also presents the proposed model of the system’s architecture that will become the guidelines for the physical development of OCLS using the web-based applications.

Fusion program research materials inventory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roche, T.K.; Wiffen, F.W.; Davis, J.W.; Lechtenberg, T.A.

1984-01-01

Oak Ridge National Laboratory maintains a central inventory of research materials to provide a common supply of materials for the Fusion Reactor Materials Program. This will minimize unintended material variations and provide for economy in procurement and for centralized record keeping. Initially this inventory is to focus on materials related to first-wall and structural applications and related research, but various special purpose materials may be added in the future. The use of materials from this inventory for research that is coordinated with or otherwise related technically to the Fusion Reactor Materials Program of DOE is encouraged

Introductory statistics and random phenomena uncertainty, complexity and chaotic behavior in engineering and science

CERN Document Server

Denker, Manfred

2017-01-01

Introductory Statistics and Random Phenomena integrates traditional statistical data analysis with new computational experimentation capabilities and concepts of algorithmic complexity and chaotic behavior in nonlinear dynamic systems.  This was the first advanced text/reference to bring together such a comprehensive variety of tools for the study of random phenomena occurring in engineering and the natural, life, and social sciences. The crucial computer experiments are conducted using the readily available computer program Mathematica® Uncertain Virtual Worlds™ software packages which optimize and facilitate the simulation environment.  Brief tutorials are included that explain how to use theMathematica® programs for effective simulation and computer experiments.  Large and original real-life data sets are introduced and analyzed as a model for independent study. This is an excellent classroom tool and self-study guide.  The material is presented in a clear and accessible style providing numerous...

A Modified Approach to the Introductory Economics Course in a School of Business

Science.gov (United States)

Crockett, G. V.

1977-01-01

Describes course format, materials development, and evaluation of an introductory economics course which stressed problem solving techniques and conceptual skills instead of rote memorization of factual content. For journal availability, see SO 506 029. (AV)

Understanding and Affecting Science Teacher Candidates' Scientific Reasoning in Introductory Astrophysics

Science.gov (United States)

Steinberg, Richard; Cormier, Sebastien

2013-01-01

This study reports on a content course for science immersion teacher candidates that emphasized authentic practice of science and thinking scientifically in the context of introductory astrophysics. We explore how 122 science teacher candidates spanning three cohorts did and did not reason scientifically and how this evolved in our program. Our…

Opportunities for the LWR ATF materials development program to contribute to the LBE-cooled ADS materials qualification program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gong, Xing, E-mail: gongxingzfl@hotmail.com [Department of ATF R& D, Nuclear Fuel Research and Development Center, China Nuclear Power Technology Research Institute Co., Ltd., China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN), Shenzhen, 518026 (China); Li, Rui, E-mail: li-rui@cgnpc.com.cn [Department of ATF R& D, Nuclear Fuel Research and Development Center, China Nuclear Power Technology Research Institute Co., Ltd., China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN), Shenzhen, 518026 (China); Sun, Maozhou; Ren, Qisen [Department of ATF R& D, Nuclear Fuel Research and Development Center, China Nuclear Power Technology Research Institute Co., Ltd., China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN), Shenzhen, 518026 (China); Liu, Tong, E-mail: liutong@cgnpc.com.cn [Department of ATF R& D, Nuclear Fuel Research and Development Center, China Nuclear Power Technology Research Institute Co., Ltd., China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN), Shenzhen, 518026 (China); Short, Michael P., E-mail: hereiam@mit.edu [Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA, 02139 (United States)

2016-12-15

Accelerator-driven systems (ADS) are a promising approach for nuclear waste disposal. Nevertheless, the principal candidate materials proposed for ADS construction, such as the ferritic/martensitic steel, T91, and austenitic stainless steels, 316L and 15-15Ti, are not fully compatible with the liquid lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) coolant. Under some operating conditions, liquid metal embrittlement (LME) or liquid metal corrosion (LMC) may occur in these steels when exposed to LBE. These environmentally-induced material degradation effects pose a threat to ADS reactor safety, as failure of the materials could initiate a severe accident, in which fission products are released into the coolant. Meanwhile, parallel efforts to develop accident-tolerant fuels (ATF) in light water reactors (LWRs) could provide both general materials design philosophies and specific material solutions to the ADS program. In this paper, the potential contributions of the ATF materials development program to the ADS materials qualification program are evaluated and discussed in terms of service conditions and materials performance requirements. Several specific areas where coordinated development may benefit both programs, including composite materials and selected coatings, are discussed. - Highlights: • ATF materials developed for LWRs could be candidate materials for the LBE-cooled ADS program. • Similar material design and protection philosophies are utilized in both programs. • Unique challenges of LBE-cooled ADS systems could possibly be addressed by LWR ATF materials. • More coordinated testing should be performed between the ATF and ADS programs.

Active and Collaborative Learning in an Introductory Electrical and Computer Engineering Course

Science.gov (United States)

Kotru, Sushma; Burkett, Susan L.; Jackson, David Jeff

2010-01-01

Active and collaborative learning instruments were introduced into an introductory electrical and computer engineering course. These instruments were designed to assess specific learning objectives and program outcomes. Results show that students developed an understanding comparable to that of more advanced students assessed later in the…

Introductory remarks

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kiefer, Friedemann; Schulte-Merker, Stefan

2014-01-01

This introductory section briefly highlights the subsequent chapters in the context of recent findings and open questions in lymphatic vessel biology. It aims to provide a quick overview and orientation in the contents of this monograph collection.

Operation, analysis, and design of signalized intersections : a module for the introductory course in transportation engineering.

Science.gov (United States)

2014-02-01

This report presents materials that can be used as the basis for a module on signalized intersections in the introductory : course in transportation engineering. The materials were developed based on studies of the work of students who took : this in...

Investigating the use of mastery-style online homework exercises in introductory algebra-based mechanics in a controlled clinical study

Science.gov (United States)

Evans, William R.; Selen, Mats A.

2017-12-01

Homework in introductory physics represents an important part of a student's learning experience; therefore, choosing the manner in which homework is presented merits investigation. We performed three rounds of clinical trials comparing the effects of mastery-style homework vs traditional-style homework with students in both algebra-based and calculus-based introductory mechanics. Results indicate a benefit from mastery-style over traditional-style homework, principally for weaker students who are less familiar with the material being covered and on questions that are nearer transfer to the study materials.

News clippings for introductory astronomy

Science.gov (United States)

Bobrowsky, Matthew

1999-09-01

Most students entering our introductory astronomy course for nonscience majors arrive not merely lacking scientific facts-they also have misconceptions about the nature of science, and many have a handicapping ``science anxiety'' (in addition to math anxiety). So I have added a ``current science'' requirement to our introductory course. Each student must compile a file of five astronomy news articles taken from readily available sources.

Fossil Energy Materials Program conference proceedings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Judkins, R.R. (comp.)

1987-08-01

The US Department of Energy Office of Fossil Energy has recognized the need for materials research and development to assure the adequacy of materials of construction for advanced fossil energy systems. The principal responsibility for identifying needed materials research and for establishing a program to address these needs resides within the Office of Technical Coordination. That office has established the Advanced Research and Technology Development (AR and TD) Fossil Energy Materials Program to fulfill that responsibility. In addition to the AR and TD Materials Program, which is designed to address in a generic way the materials needs of fossil energy systems, specific materials support activities are also sponsored by the various line organizations such as the Office of Coal Gasification. A conference was held at Oak Ridge, Tennessee on May 19-21, 1987, to present and discuss the results of program activities during the past year. The conference program was organized in accordance with the research thrust areas we have established. These research thrust areas include structural ceramics (particularly fiber-reinforced ceramic composites), corrosion and erosion, and alloy development and mechanical properties. Eighty-six people attended the conference. Papers have been entered individually into EDB and ERA. (LTN)

Psychology Ethics in Introductory Psychology Textbooks

Science.gov (United States)

Zucchero, Renee' A.

2011-01-01

Previous research revealed that introductory psychology textbooks included limited information about psychology ethics. This study reviewed 48 current introductory psychology textbooks for research and other APA ethics content. These textbooks included slightly more total ethics content and were more thorough in their review of research ethics…

Materials program for magnetic fusion energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zwilsky, K.M.; Cohen, M.M.; Finfgeld, C.R.; Reuther, T.C.

1978-01-01

The Magnetic Fusion Reactor Materials Program is currently operating at a level of $7.8M. The program is divided into four technical areas which cover both short and long term problems. These are: Alloy Development for Irradiation Performance, Damage Analysis and Fundamental Studies, Plasma-Materials Interaction, and Special Purpose Materials. A description of the program planning process, the continuing management structure, and the resulting documents is presented

Introductory Guide to European Corporate Law

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fomcenco, Alex

Introductory Guide to European Corporate Law presents in an easily comprehensible and accessible way the main features and principles that govern European corporate law.......Introductory Guide to European Corporate Law presents in an easily comprehensible and accessible way the main features and principles that govern European corporate law....

SIGKit: Software for Introductory Geophysics Toolkit

Science.gov (United States)

Kruse, S.; Bank, C. G.; Esmaeili, S.; Jazayeri, S.; Liu, S.; Stoikopoulos, N.

2017-12-01

The Software for Introductory Geophysics Toolkit (SIGKit) affords students the opportunity to create model data and perform simple processing of field data for various geophysical methods. SIGkit provides a graphical user interface built with the MATLAB programming language, but can run even without a MATLAB installation. At this time SIGkit allows students to pick first arrivals and match a two-layer model to seismic refraction data; grid total-field magnetic data, extract a profile, and compare this to a synthetic profile; and perform simple processing steps (subtraction of a mean trace, hyperbola fit) to ground-penetrating radar data. We also have preliminary tools for gravity, resistivity, and EM data representation and analysis. SIGkit is being built by students for students, and the intent of the toolkit is to provide an intuitive interface for simple data analysis and understanding of the methods, and act as an entrance to more sophisticated software. The toolkit has been used in introductory courses as well as field courses. First reactions from students are positive. Think-aloud observations of students using the toolkit have helped identify problems and helped shape it. We are planning to compare the learning outcomes of students who have used the toolkit in a field course to students in a previous course to test its effectiveness.

Use of Multimedia in an Introductory College Biology Course to Improve Comprehension of Complex Material

Science.gov (United States)

Rhodes, Ashley; Rozell, Tim; Shroyer, Gail

2014-01-01

Many students who have the ability to succeed in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) disciplines are often alienated by the traditional instructional methods encountered within introductory courses; as a result, attrition from STEM fields is highest after completion of these courses. This is especially true for females. The present…

The Memorability of Introductory Psychology Revisited

Science.gov (United States)

Landrum, R. Eric; Gurung, Regan A. R.

2013-01-01

Almost 2 million students enroll in introductory psychology each year in the United States, making it the second most popular undergraduate course in the nation. Introductory psychology not only serves as a prerequisite for other courses in the discipline but for some students this course provides their only exposure to psychological science.…

Materials sciences programs, Fiscal year 1997

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-10-01

The Division of Materials Sciences is responsible for basic research and research facilities in materials science topics important to the mission of the Department of Energy. The programmatic divisions under the Office of Basic Energy Sciences are Chemical Sciences, Engineering and Geosciences, and Energy Biosciences. Materials Science is an enabling technology. The performance parameters, economics, environmental acceptability and safety of all energy generation, conversion, transmission and conservation technologies are limited by the properties and behavior of materials. The Materials Sciences programs develop scientific understanding of the synergistic relationship among synthesis, processing, structure, properties, behavior, performance and other characteristics of materials. Emphasis is placed on the development of the capability to discover technologically, economically, and environmentally desirable new materials and processes, and the instruments and national user facilities necessary for achieving such progress. Materials Sciences subfields include: physical metallurgy, ceramics, polymers, solid state and condensed matter physics, materials chemistry, surface science and related disciplines where the emphasis is on the science of materials. This report includes program descriptions for 517 research programs including 255 at 14 DOE National Laboratories, 262 research grants (233 of which are at universities), and 29 Small Business Innovation Research Grants. Five cross-cutting indices located at the rear of this book identify all 517 programs according to principal investigator(s), materials, techniques, phenomena, and environment.

A Model for the Development an Upper-Division Marketing Certificate Program: Professional Sales.

Science.gov (United States)

Grahn, Joyce L.

The sequential components of a model for the development of an upper-division marketing certificate program in professional sales are described in this report as they were implemented at the University of Minnesota's General College during Fall 1980. After introductory material examining the responsibilities of the professional sales…

Assessment of Factors that Influence the Recruitment of Majors from Introductory Geology Classes

Science.gov (United States)

Hoisch, T. D.; Bowie, J. I.

2009-12-01

In order to guide the formulation of strategies for recruiting undergraduates taking introductory geology courses into the geology program at Northern Arizona University, we surveyed 783 students in introductory geology classes and 23 geology majors in their junior and senior years. Our introductory courses (GLG100, Introduction to Geology; GLG101, Physical Geology; and GLG112, Geologic Disasters) typically enroll ~600 students each semester. The majority of students in these classes are non-majors who take them in order to satisfy a university general education requirement (called “Liberal Studies requirements” at NAU). A large proportion of these students are freshmen (51%) and sophomores (30%), and many have not yet decided on a major or are uncertain about the major they have chosen. Our analysis shows that ~7% of students in the introductory classes are possible candidates for recruitment. Although a small percentage, it represents a large number of individuals, in fact more than could be accommodated were they all to decide to major in geology. Influential factors that weigh in favor of majoring in geology include good employability, good salary potential, and opportunities for working outdoors, field work, observing nature, travel, and environmentally friendly employment. In addition, students view a career as a geologist as potentially the most fulfilling of the different science occupations (biologist, chemist, geologist, environmental scientist, physicist) and among the more environmentally friendly. However, students perceive geology to be the least difficult of the sciences, and geology occupations to be low-paying and low in prestige relative to the other sciences. These negative perceptions could be countered by providing data to introductory students showing the starting salaries of geologists in comparison to other science occupations, and by communicating the rigorous nature of the more advanced classes in the geology degree program. A

Sandia Dynamic Materials Program Strategic Plan.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Flicker, Dawn Gustine [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Benage, John F. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Desjarlais, Michael P. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Knudson, Marcus D. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Leifeste, Gordon T. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Lemke, Raymond W. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Mattsson, Thomas [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Wise, Jack L. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2017-05-01

Materials in nuclear and conventional weapons can reach multi-megabar pressures and 1000s of degree temperatures on timescales ranging from microseconds to nanoseconds. Understanding the response of complex materials under these conditions is important for designing and assessing changes to nuclear weapons. In the next few decades, a major concern will be evaluating the behavior of aging materials and remanufactured components. The science to enable the program to underwrite decisions quickly and confidently on use, remanufacturing, and replacement of these materials will be critical to NNSA’s new Stockpile Responsiveness Program. Material response is also important for assessing the risks posed by adversaries or proliferants. Dynamic materials research, which refers to the use of high-speed experiments to produce extreme conditions in matter, is an important part of NNSA’s Stockpile Stewardship Program.

Student Selection of the Textbook for an Introductory Physics Course

Science.gov (United States)

Dake, L. S.

2007-01-01

Several years ago I had to select a new textbook for my calculus-based introductory physics class. I subscribe to Just-in-Time Teaching methods,1 which require students to read the book before the material is covered in class. Thus, the readability of the text by the students is critical. However, I did not feel that I was the best judge of this…

Helping struggling students in introductory biology: a peer-tutoring approach that improves performance, perception, and retention.

Science.gov (United States)

Batz, Zachary; Olsen, Brian J; Dumont, Jonathan; Dastoor, Farahad; Smith, Michelle K

2015-01-01

The high attrition rate among science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors has long been an area of concern for institutions and educational researchers. The transition from introductory to advanced courses has been identified as a particularly "leaky" point along the STEM pipeline, and students who struggle early in an introductory STEM course are predominantly at risk. Peer-tutoring programs offered to all students in a course have been widely found to help STEM students during this critical transition, but hiring a sufficient number of tutors may not be an option for some institutions. As an alternative, this study examines the viability of an optional peer-tutoring program offered to students who are struggling in a large-enrollment, introductory biology course. Struggling students who regularly attended peer tutoring increased exam performance, expert-like perceptions of biology, and course persistence relative to their struggling peers who were not attending the peer-tutoring sessions. The results of this study provide information to instructors who want to design targeted academic assistance for students who are struggling in introductory courses. © 2015 Z. Batz et al. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2015 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

Crossword Puzzles as Learning Tools in Introductory Soil Science

Science.gov (United States)

Barbarick, K. A.

2010-01-01

Students in introductory courses generally respond favorably to novel approaches to learning. To this end, I developed and used three crossword puzzles in spring and fall 2009 semesters in Introductory Soil Science Laboratory at Colorado State University. The first hypothesis was that crossword puzzles would improve introductory soil science…

Evaluation of a Continuing Professional Development program for first year student pharmacists undergoing an Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Toyin Tofade

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Objectives: The purpose of the study was to evaluate a live and online training program for first year pharmacy students in implementing Continuing Professional Development (CPD principles (Reflect, Plan, Act, and Evaluate, writing SMART learning objectives, and documenting learning activities prior to and during a hospital introductory professional practice experience. Design: Cohort Study. Setting: Introductory professional practice experience. Participants: First year (PY1 students at the University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy. Intervention: Live training or online training to introduce the concept of Continuing Professional Development in practice. Main Outcomes: Implementation of CPD principles through 1 completed pre-rotation education action plans with specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound (SMART learning objectives; and 2 completed learning activity worksheets post-rotation indicating stimuli for learning, resources used and accomplished learning. objectives; and 3 documented suggestions and content feedback for future lectures and pharmaceutical care lab experiences. Results:Out of the whole cohort (N=154, 14 (87.5% live (in person trainees and 122 (88% online trainees submitted an education action plan. Objectives were scored using a rubric on a scale of 1-5. A rating of 5 means "satisfactory", 3 means "work in progress" and 1 means "unacceptable". There were significant differences between the mean live trainee scores and the mean online trainee scores for the following respective section comparisons: Specific 4.7 versus 3.29 (p Conclusion: Live trainees performed significantly better than online trainees in writing SMART learning objectives. With focused training, students are more capable of implementing principles of CPD.   Type: Original Research

The analysis of students' characteristics related to the achievement in the introduction course to programming

OpenAIRE

Habjan, Klaudija

2016-01-01

In this Master thesis we look into students' characteristics which impact their success at introductory programming course. We want to define characteristics which are connected to and positively correlate with success at introductory programming course. The majority of novice students studying Computing on the Two-subject teacher program at the Faculty of Education, University of Ljubljana experience programming for the first time in this introductory programming course. Every year, stude...

Introductory quantum mechanics for applied nanotechnology

CERN Document Server

Kim, Dae Mann

2015-01-01

This introductory textbook covers fundamental quantum mechanics from an application perspective, considering optoelectronic devices, biological sensors and molecular imagers as well as solar cells and field effect transistors. The book provides a brief review of classical and statistical mechanics and electromagnetism, and then turns to the quantum treatment of atoms, molecules, and chemical bonds. Aiming at senior undergraduate and graduate students in nanotechnology related areas like physics, materials science, and engineering, the book could be used at schools that offer interdisciplinary but focused training for future workers in the semiconductor industry and for the increasing number of related nanotechnology firms, and even practicing people could use it when they need to learn related concepts. The author is Professor Dae Mann Kim from the Korea Institute for Advanced Study who has been teaching Quantum Mechanics to engineering, material science and physics students for over 25 years in USA and Asia.

Materials sciences programs, fiscal year 1994

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-04-01

The Division of Materials Sciences is located within the DOE in the Office of Basic Energy Sciences. The Division of Materials Sciences is responsible for basic research and research facilities in strategic materials science topics of critical importance to the mission of the Department and its Strategic Plan. Materials Science is an enabling technology. The performance parameters, economics, environmental acceptability and safety of all energy generation, conversion, transmission and conservation technologies are limited by the properties and behavior of materials. The Materials Sciences programs develop scientific understanding of the synergistic relationship amongst the synthesis, processing, structure, properties, behavior, performance and other characteristics of materials. Emphasis is placed on the development of the capability to discover technologically, economically, and environmentally desirable new materials and processes, and the instruments and national user facilities necessary for achieving such progress. Materials Sciences sub-fields include physical metallurgy, ceramics, polymers, solid state and condensed matter physics, materials chemistry, surface science and related disciplines where the emphasis is on the science of materials. This report includes program descriptions for 458 research programs including 216 at 14 DOE National Laboratories, 242 research grants (233 for universities), and 9 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Grants. The report is divided into eight sections. Section A contains all Laboratory projects, Section B has all contract research projects, Section C has projects funded under the SBIR Program, Section D describes the Center of Excellence for the Synthesis and Processing of Advanced Materials and E has information on major user facilities. F contains descriptions of other user facilities; G, a summary of funding levels; and H, indices characterizing research projects

Materials sciences programs: Fiscal year 1994

Science.gov (United States)

1995-04-01

The Division of Materials Sciences is located within the DOE in the Office of Basic Energy Sciences. The Division of Materials Sciences is responsible for basic research and research facilities in strategic materials science topics of critical importance to the mission of the Department and its Strategic Plan. Materials Science is an enabling technology. The performance parameters, economics, environmental acceptability and safety of all energy generation, conversion, transmission and conservation technologies are limited by the properties and behavior of materials. The Materials Sciences programs develop scientific understanding of the synergistic relationship amongst the synthesis, processing, structure, properties, behavior, performance and other characteristics of materials. Emphasis is placed on the development of the capability to discover technologically, economically, and environmentally desirable new materials and processes, and the instruments and national user facilities necessary for achieving such progress. Materials Sciences sub-fields include physical metallurgy, ceramics, polymers, solid state and condensed matter physics, materials chemistry, surface science and related disciplines where the emphasis is on the science of materials. This report includes program descriptions for 458 research programs including 216 at 14 DOE National Laboratories, 242 research grants (233 for universities), and 9 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Grants. The report is divided into eight sections. Section A contains all Laboratory projects, Section B has all contract research projects, Section C has projects funded under the SBIR Program, Section D describes the Center of Excellence for the Synthesis and Processing of Advanced Materials and E has information on major user facilities. F contains descriptions of other user facilities; G, a summary of funding levels; and H, indices characterizing research projects.

Materials sciences programs, fiscal year 1994

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-04-01

The Division of Materials Sciences is located within the DOE in the Office of Basic Energy Sciences. The Division of Materials Sciences is responsible for basic research and research facilities in strategic materials science topics of critical importance to the mission of the Department and its Strategic Plan. Materials Science is an enabling technology. The performance parameters, economics, environmental acceptability and safety of all energy generation, conversion, transmission and conservation technologies are limited by the properties and behavior of materials. The Materials Sciences programs develop scientific understanding of the synergistic relationship amongst the synthesis, processing, structure, properties, behavior, performance and other characteristics of materials. Emphasis is placed on the development of the capability to discover technologically, economically, and environmentally desirable new materials and processes, and the instruments and national user facilities necessary for achieving such progress. Materials Sciences sub-fields include physical metallurgy, ceramics, polymers, solid state and condensed matter physics, materials chemistry, surface science and related disciplines where the emphasis is on the science of materials. This report includes program descriptions for 458 research programs including 216 at 14 DOE National Laboratories, 242 research grants (233 for universities), and 9 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Grants. The report is divided into eight sections. Section A contains all Laboratory projects, Section B has all contract research projects, Section C has projects funded under the SBIR Program, Section D describes the Center of Excellence for the Synthesis and Processing of Advanced Materials and E has information on major user facilities. F contains descriptions of other user facilities; G, a summary of funding levels; and H, indices characterizing research projects.

Computational Materials Program for Alloy Design

Science.gov (United States)

Bozzolo, Guillermo

2005-01-01

The research program sponsored by this grant, "Computational Materials Program for Alloy Design", covers a period of time of enormous change in the emerging field of computational materials science. The computational materials program started with the development of the BFS method for alloys, a quantum approximate method for atomistic analysis of alloys specifically tailored to effectively deal with the current challenges in the area of atomistic modeling and to support modern experimental programs. During the grant period, the program benefited from steady growth which, as detailed below, far exceeds its original set of goals and objectives. Not surprisingly, by the end of this grant, the methodology and the computational materials program became an established force in the materials communitiy, with substantial impact in several areas. Major achievements during the duration of the grant include the completion of a Level 1 Milestone for the HITEMP program at NASA Glenn, consisting of the planning, development and organization of an international conference held at the Ohio Aerospace Institute in August of 2002, finalizing a period of rapid insertion of the methodology in the research community worlwide. The conference, attended by citizens of 17 countries representing various fields of the research community, resulted in a special issue of the leading journal in the area of applied surface science. Another element of the Level 1 Milestone was the presentation of the first version of the Alloy Design Workbench software package, currently known as "adwTools". This software package constitutes the first PC-based piece of software for atomistic simulations for both solid alloys and surfaces in the market.Dissemination of results and insertion in the materials community worldwide was a primary focus during this period. As a result, the P.I. was responsible for presenting 37 contributed talks, 19 invited talks, and publishing 71 articles in peer-reviewed journals, as

Evaluating an Active Learning Approach to Teaching Introductory Statistics: A Classroom Workbook Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Carlson, Kieth A.; Winquist, Jennifer R.

2011-01-01

The study evaluates a semester-long workbook curriculum approach to teaching a college level introductory statistics course. The workbook curriculum required students to read content before and during class and then work in groups to complete problems and answer conceptual questions pertaining to the material they read. Instructors spent class…

Introductory Punjabi.

Science.gov (United States)

Bahri, Ujjal Singh; Walia, Paramjit Singh

This introductory text in Punjabi (also spelled Panjabi) is intended primarily for those whose mother tongue is not Punjabi but are native speakers of other Indian languages. Some familiarity with the Punjabi cultural items is presupposed. The non-Indian may, however, also be able to use this text with profit since the lessons are graded. The…

An Analysis of Economic Learning among Undergraduates in Introductory Economics Courses in Germany

Science.gov (United States)

Happ, Roland; Zlatkin-Troitschanskaia, Olga; Schmidt, Susanne

2016-01-01

In this article, the authors present the findings of a pretest-posttest measurement of the economic knowledge of students in introductory economics courses in undergraduate study programs in Germany. The responses of 403 students to 14 items selected from the "Test of Economic Literacy" (Soper and Walstad 1987) were analyzed to identify…

Using Isomorphic Problems to Learn Introductory Physics

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Shih-Yin; Singh, Chandralekha

2011-01-01

In this study, we examine introductory physics students' ability to perform analogical reasoning between two isomorphic problems which employ the same underlying physics principles but have different surface features. Three hundred sixty-two students from a calculus-based and an algebra-based introductory physics course were given a quiz in the…

A Readability Analysis of Selected Introductory Economics.

Science.gov (United States)

Gallagher, Daniel J.; Thompson, G. Rodney

1981-01-01

To aid secondary school and college level economics teachers as they select textbooks for introductory economics courses, this article recounts how teachers can use the Flesch Reading Ease Test to measure readability. Data are presented on application of the Flesch Reading Ease Test to 15 introductory economics textbooks. (Author/DB)

Implementation of Programs for the Gifted/Talented: A Workbook for Educators and Parents.

Science.gov (United States)

California Association for the Gifted.

Intended for use by educators and parents, the workbook is intended to help in the development or expansion of programs for the gifted and talented as required by the California Education Code's AB 1040, effective from 1980 to 1985. After introductory material, the first section provides a detailed interpretive analysis of AB 1040 noting the…

Mental Models and Programming Aptitude

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Caspersen, Michael Edelgaard; Bennedsen, Jens; Larsen, Kasper Dalgaard

2007-01-01

Predicting the success of students participating in introductory programming courses has been an active research area for more than 25 years. Until recently, no variables or tests have had any significant predictive power. However, Dehnadi and Bornat claim to have found a simple test for programm......Predicting the success of students participating in introductory programming courses has been an active research area for more than 25 years. Until recently, no variables or tests have had any significant predictive power. However, Dehnadi and Bornat claim to have found a simple test...... for programming aptitude to cleanly separate programming sheep from non-programming goats. We briefly present their theory and test instrument. We have repeated their test in our local context in order to verify and perhaps generalise their findings, but we could not show that the test predicts students' success...... in our introductory program-ming course. Based on this failure of the test instrument, we discuss various explanations for our differing results and suggest a research method from which it may be possible to generalise local results in this area. Furthermore, we discuss and criticize Dehnadi and Bornat...

Instructional Practices in Introductory Geoscience Courses: Results of a National Faculty Survey

Science.gov (United States)

MacDonald, R.; Manduca, C. A.; Mogk, D. W.; Tewksbury, B. J.

2004-12-01

The NAGT professional development program "On the Cutting Edge" recently surveyed 7000 geoscience faculty in the United States to develop a snapshot of current instructional practices in undergraduate geoscience courses, faculty strategies for learning new content and new teaching approaches, and faculty involvement in the geoscience education community. Over 2200 faculty responded to the survey which was conducted by the American Institute of Physics. Results for introductory courses (814 responses) indicate that lecture is the most common teaching strategy used in courses of all sizes. Many faculty incorporate some interactive activities in their courses. Most commonly, they use questioning, demonstrations, discussions, and in-class exercises. Less common, but not rare, are small group discussion or think-pair-share and classroom debates or role-playing. Activities involving problem solving, using quantitative skills, working with data and primarily literature, and structured collaboration are incorporated by many faculty in introductory courses, suggesting efforts to teach the process of science. Activities in which students address a problem of national or local interest, analyze their own data, or address problems of their own design are less common but not rare. Field experiences are common but not ubiquitous for students in introductory courses. A wide variety of assessment strategies are used in introductory courses of all sizes, including exams, quizzes, problem sets, papers, oral presentations, and portfolios. While papers are used for assessment more extensively in small classes, a significant number of faculty use papers in large classes (greater than 81 students). A majority of faculty use rubrics in grading. Faculty report that in the past two years, approximately one-third have made changes in the content of their introductory courses while just under half have changed the teaching methods they use. While faculty learn about both new content and

Beginning Introductory Physics with Two-Dimensional Motion

Science.gov (United States)

Huggins, Elisha

2009-01-01

During the session on "Introductory College Physics Textbooks" at the 2007 Summer Meeting of the AAPT, there was a brief discussion about whether introductory physics should begin with one-dimensional motion or two-dimensional motion. Here we present the case that by starting with two-dimensional motion, we are able to introduce a considerable…

Teaching Introductory Psychology: Tips from "ToP"

Science.gov (United States)

Griggs, Richard A., Ed.; Jackson, Sherri L., Ed.

2011-01-01

This book follows in the footsteps of the first three volumes in the "Handbook for Teaching Introductory Psychology" series. In the prefaces to these volumes, the various editors all stressed two major points relevant to the development of this series. These comments also apply to this book. First, introductory psychology is one of the most…

Activity Development for Intersection Operations The National Transportation Curriculum Project : Developing Activity-Based Learning Modules for the Introductory Transportation Engineering Course

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-01

The goal of this work was to develop activity-based learning materials for the introductory transportation engineering course : with the purpose of increasing student understanding and concept retention. These materials were to cover intersection : o...

Material control system simulator program reference manual

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hollstien, R.B.

1978-01-24

A description is presented of a Material Control System Simulator (MCSS) program for determination of material accounting uncertainty and system response to particular adversary action sequences that constitute plausible material diversion attempts. The program is intended for use in situations where randomness, uncertainty, or interaction of adversary actions and material control system components make it difficult to assess safeguards effectiveness against particular material diversion attempts. Although MCSS may be used independently in the design or analysis of material handling and processing systems, it has been tailored toward the determination of material accountability and the response of material control systems to adversary action sequences.

Material control system simulator program reference manual

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hollstien, R.B.

1978-01-01

A description is presented of a Material Control System Simulator (MCSS) program for determination of material accounting uncertainty and system response to particular adversary action sequences that constitute plausible material diversion attempts. The program is intended for use in situations where randomness, uncertainty, or interaction of adversary actions and material control system components make it difficult to assess safeguards effectiveness against particular material diversion attempts. Although MCSS may be used independently in the design or analysis of material handling and processing systems, it has been tailored toward the determination of material accountability and the response of material control systems to adversary action sequences

Introductory photoemission theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arai, Hiroko; Fujikawa, Takashi

2010-01-01

An introductory review is presented on the basis of many-body scattering theory. Some fundamental aspects of photoemission theory are discussed in detail. A few applications are also discussed; photoelectron diffraction, depth distribution function and multi-atom resonant photoemission are also discussed briefly. (author)

Programs of the Materials and Radiation Effects Branch

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dalder, E.N.C.

1976-01-01

This report describes specific efforts devoted to resolving fusion reactor materials needs as they relate to major fusion power program objectives and construction of major fusion facilities. Summaries of ERDA-sponsored research being conducted on the following areas are given: surface program, bulk irradiation program, dosimetry program, materials selection and development program, and neutron source development program

The Client-Centered Approach as a Foundation for Teaching the Introductory Course in Public Relations.

Science.gov (United States)

Najor, Michele A.; Motschall, Melissa

2001-01-01

Describes how the authors use a broad-based, client-centered model to teach an introductory course in public relations, integrating writing assignments for "clients" into course topics, which include history, ethics, theory, research, program planning, publicity, crisis management, and evaluation methods. Discusses course objectives, and notes…

Using RSpec in an introductory bright star spectroscopy lab activity

Science.gov (United States)

Howe, James; Sitar, David J.

2018-01-01

After presenting at the North Carolina Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers during the fall 2016 meeting, we were encouraged to turn our poster into a paper. This article describes the strengthening of a bright star spectroscopy lab activity for introductory astronomy lab students (AST1002) at Appalachian State University. Explanations of the tools and methods used in the activity are included, particularly the preparation of additional materials using RSpec and calibrated instrument response curves.

Promoting Active Learning When Teaching Introductory Statistics and Probability Using a Portfolio Curriculum Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Adair, Desmond; Jaeger, Martin; Price, Owen M.

2018-01-01

The use of a portfolio curriculum approach, when teaching a university introductory statistics and probability course to engineering students, is developed and evaluated. The portfolio curriculum approach, so called, as the students need to keep extensive records both as hard copies and digitally of reading materials, interactions with faculty,…

Learning the Brain in Introductory Psychology: Examining the Generation Effect for Mnemonics and Examples

Science.gov (United States)

McCabe, Jennifer A.

2015-01-01

The goal of this research was to determine whether there is a generation effect for learner-created keyword mnemonics and real-life examples, compared to instructor-provided materials, when learning neurophysiological terms and definitions in introductory psychology. Students participated in an individual (Study 1) or small-group (Study 2)…

Modern introductory physics

CERN Document Server

Holbrow, Charles H; Amato, Joseph C; Galvez, Enrique; Parks, M. Elizabeth

2010-01-01

Modern Introductory Physics, 2nd Edition, by Charles H. Holbrow, James N. Lloyd, Joseph C. Amato, Enrique Galvez, and Beth Parks, is a successful innovative text for teaching introductory college and university physics. It is thematically organized to emphasize the physics that answers the fundamental question: Why do we believe in atoms and their properties?  The book provides a sound introduction to basic physical concepts with particular attention to the nineteenth- and twentieth-century physics underlying our modern ideas of atoms and their structure.  After a review of basic Newtonian mechanics, the book discusses early physical evidence that matter is made of atoms.  With a simple model of the atom Newtonian mechanics can explain the ideal gas laws, temperature, and viscosity.  Basic concepts of electricity and magnetism are introduced along with a more complicated model of the atom to account for the observed electrical properties of atoms. The physics of waves---particularly light and x-rays---an...

U.S.-origin nuclear material removal program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Messick, C.E.; Galan, J.J.

2014-01-01

The United States (U.S.) Department of Energy (DOE) Global Threat Reduction Initiative's (GTRI) U.S.-Origin Nuclear Material Removal program, also known as the Foreign Research Reactor Spent Nuclear Fuel Acceptance Program (FRR SNF AP), was established by the U.S. Department of Energy in May 1996. The program's mission provides a disposition pathway for certain U.S. origin spent nuclear fuel and other weapons-grade nuclear material. The program will continue until May 2016 with an additional three year window for fuel cooldown and transportation. This paper provides an update on recent program accomplishments, current program initiatives and future activities.

Attitudes and Motivation of Students in an Introductory Technical Graphics Course: A Meta-Analysis Study

Science.gov (United States)

Ernst, Jeremy V.; Clark, Aaron C.

2012-01-01

Students in introductory engineering graphics courses at North Carolina State University (NCSU) were asked to complete surveys to help educators and administrators understand their attitudes toward learning and their motivation to learn. Analyses of the completed surveys provided the Graphic Communications Program at NCSU with an understanding of…

Adding Resistances and Capacitances in Introductory Electricity

Science.gov (United States)

Efthimiou, C. J.; Llewellyn, R. A.

2005-09-01

All introductory physics textbooks, with or without calculus, cover the addition of both resistances and capacitances in series and in parallel as discrete summations. However, none includes problems that involve continuous versions of resistors in parallel or capacitors in series. This paper introduces a method for solving the continuous problems that is logical, straightforward, and within the mathematical preparation of students at the introductory level.

Teaching introductory game development with unreal engine: Challenges, strategies, and experiences

Science.gov (United States)

Head, Nicholas A.

From the days of Pong to 100 million dollar projects such as the Grand Theft Auto franchise, video games have evolved significantly over the years. This evolution has also changed the way game development is viewed as a career. Today, video games are one of the most profitable forms of entertainment, and game development courses are appearing at universities around the world. Even with this growth, a degree from a university has yet to be an important factor in finding a job in game development (Owen, 2013). This thesis examines a method of creating and implementing an introductory gaming course and recommends ways to improve the curriculum. The main focus of the course was to introduce game development to the students. Each week, they were given an exercise that covered a different topic. Students also took part in a team project in which they were tasked with creating a complete game. The goal of the team projects was to expand the student's basic knowledge given to them from the exercises. Data was gathered on the students' subjective experiences with the class. This data and the class's overall performance were compared with past iterations of the course. New to the course was the Unreal Engine. Students used the latest version of the engine, Unreal Engine 4, to complete exercises. Not all students chose to use this engine for the team project. Instructor and students experiences with the engine were also recorded. While there were some problems implementing the engine within our lab environment, we were still able to execute the overall lesson plan. Even with the engine issues, the course had overall good performance. CGT 241, Introduction to 3D Animation, was shown to help the students to complete the course while CGT 215, Computer Graphics Programming I, did not provide enough information on game programming. Exercises were found to be helpful but students wanted a better understanding of how these skills can be applied to game development. Team projects

Introductory real analysis

CERN Document Server

Kolmogorov, A N; Silverman, Richard A

1975-01-01

Self-contained and comprehensive, this elementary introduction to real and functional analysis is readily accessible to those with background in advanced calculus. It covers basic concepts and introductory principles in set theory, metric spaces, topological and linear spaces, linear functionals and linear operators, and much more. 350 problems. 1970 edition.

U.S.-origin nuclear material removal program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Messick, C.E.; Galan, J.J. [U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC (United States). U.S.-Origin Nuclear Material Removal Program

2014-12-15

The United States (U.S.) Department of Energy (DOE) Global Threat Reduction Initiative's (GTRI) U.S.-Origin Nuclear Material Removal program, also known as the Foreign Research Reactor Spent Nuclear Fuel Acceptance Program (FRR SNF AP), was established by the U.S. Department of Energy in May 1996. The program's mission provides a disposition pathway for certain U.S. origin spent nuclear fuel and other weapons-grade nuclear material. The program will continue until May 2016 with an additional three year window for fuel cooldown and transportation. This paper provides an update on recent program accomplishments, current program initiatives and future activities.

Assessing expertise in introductory physics using categorization task

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrew Mason

2011-10-01

Full Text Available The ability to categorize problems based upon underlying principles, rather than surface features or contexts, is considered one of several proxy predictors of expertise in problem solving. With inspiration from the classic study by Chi, Feltovich, and Glaser, we assess the distribution of expertise among introductory physics students by asking three introductory physics classes, each with more than a hundred students, to categorize mechanics problems based upon similarity of solution. We compare their categorization with those of physics graduate students and faculty members. To evaluate the effect of problem context on students’ ability to categorize, two sets of problems were developed for categorization. Some problems in one set included those available from the prior study by Chi et al. We find a large overlap between calculus-based introductory students and graduate students with regard to their categorizations that were assessed as “good.” Our findings, which contrast with those of Chi et al., suggest that there is a wide distribution of expertise in mechanics among introductory and graduate students. Although the categorization task is conceptual, introductory students in the calculus-based course performed better than those in the algebra-based course. Qualitative trends in categorization of problems are similar between the non-Chi problems and problems available from the Chi study used in our study although the Chi problems used are more difficult on average.

Synthesis of Ibuprofen in the Introductory Organic Laboratory

Science.gov (United States)

Kjonaas, Richard A.; Williams, Peggy E.; Counce, David A.; Crawley, Lindsey R.

2011-01-01

A method for the synthesis of ibuprofen in introductory organic chemistry laboratory courses is reported. This experiment requires two 3-h lab sessions. All of the reactions and techniques are a standard part of any introductory organic chemistry course. In the first lab session, students reduce p-isobutylacetophenone to an alcohol and then…

Examining issues of underrepresented minority students in introductory physics

Science.gov (United States)

Watkins, Jessica Ellen

In this dissertation we examine several issues related to the retention of under-represented minority students in physics and science. In the first section, we show that in calculus-based introductory physics courses, the gender gap on the FCI is diminished through the use of interactive techniques, but in lower-level introductory courses, the gap persists, similar to reports published at other institutions. We find that under-represented racial minorities perform similar to their peers with comparable academic preparation on conceptual surveys, but their average exam grades and course grades are lower. We also examine student persistence in science majors; finding a significant relationship between pedagogy in an introductory physics course and persistence in science. In the second section, we look at student end-of-semester evaluations and find that female students rate interactive teaching methods a full point lower than their male peers. Looking more deeply at student interview data, we find that female students report more social issues related to the discussions in class and both male and female students cite feeling pressure to obtain the correct answer to clicker questions. Finally, we take a look an often-cited claim for gender differences in STEM participation: cognitive differences explain achievement differences in physics. We examine specifically the role of mental rotations in physics achievement and problem-solving, viewing mental rotations as a tool that students can use on physics problems. We first look at student survey results for lower-level introductory students, finding a low, but significant correlation between performance on a mental rotations test and performance in introductory physics courses. In contrast, we did not find a significant relationship for students in the upper-level introductory course. We also examine student problem-solving interviews to investigate the role of mental rotations on introductory problems.

A Survey of Introductory Statistics Courses at University Faculties of Pharmaceutical Sciences in Japan.

Science.gov (United States)

Matsumura, Mina; Nakayama, Takuto; Sozu, Takashi

2016-01-01

A survey of introductory statistics courses at Japanese medical schools was published as a report in 2014. To obtain a complete understanding of the way in which statistics is taught at the university level in Japan, it is important to extend this survey to related fields, including pharmacy, dentistry, and nursing. The current study investigates the introductory statistics courses offered by faculties of pharmaceutical sciences (six-year programs) at Japanese universities, comparing the features of these courses with those studied in the survey of medical schools. We collected relevant data from the online syllabi of statistics courses published on the websites of 71 universities. The survey items included basic course information (for example, the course names, the targeted student grades, the number of credits, and course classification), textbooks, handouts, the doctoral subject and employment status of each lecturer, and course contents. The period surveyed was July-September 2015. We found that these 71 universities offered a total of 128 statistics courses. There were 67 course names, the most common of which was "biostatistics (iryou toukeigaku)." About half of the courses were designed for first- or second-year students. Students earned fewer than two credits. There were 62 different types of textbooks. The lecturers held doctoral degrees in 18 different subjects, the most common being a doctorate in pharmacy or science. Some course content differed, reflecting the lecturers' academic specialties. The content of introductory statistics courses taught in pharmaceutical science programs also differed slightly from the equivalent content taught in medical schools.

Active Learning Outside the Classroom: Implementation and Outcomes of Peer-Led Team-Learning Workshops in Introductory Biology.

Science.gov (United States)

Kudish, Philip; Shores, Robin; McClung, Alex; Smulyan, Lisa; Vallen, Elizabeth A; Siwicki, Kathleen K

2016-01-01

Study group meetings (SGMs) are voluntary-attendance peer-led team-learning workshops that supplement introductory biology lectures at a selective liberal arts college. While supporting all students' engagement with lecture material, specific aims are to improve the success of underrepresented minority (URM) students and those with weaker backgrounds in biology. Peer leaders with experience in biology courses and training in science pedagogy facilitate work on faculty-generated challenge problems. During the eight semesters assessed in this study, URM students and those with less preparation attended SGMs with equal or greater frequency than their counterparts. Most agreed that SGMs enhanced their comprehension of biology and ability to articulate solutions. The historical grade gap between URM and non-URM students narrowed slightly in Biology 2, but not in other biology and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics courses. Nonetheless, URM students taking introductory biology after program implementation have graduated with biology majors or minors at the same rates as non-URM students, and have enrolled in postcollege degree programs at equal or greater rates. These results suggest that improved performance as measured by science grade point average may not be necessary to improve the persistence of students from underrepresented groups as life sciences majors. © 2016 P. Kudish et al. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2016 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

Impact of Multimedia and Network Services on an Introductory Level Course

Science.gov (United States)

Russ, John C.

1996-01-01

We will demonstrate and describe the impact of our use of multimedia and network connectivity on a sophomore-level introductory course in materials science. This class services all engineering students, resulting in large (more than 150) class sections with no hands-on laboratory. In 1990 we began to develop computer graphics that might substitute for some laboratory or real-world experiences, and demonstrate relationships hard to show with static textbook images or chalkboard drawings. We created a comprehensive series of modules that cover the entire course content. Called VIMS (Visualizations in Materials Science), these are available in the form of a CD-ROM and also via the internet.

Reflections on the Teaching of Programming

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

-line tutorials, object-oriented programming and Java, the BlueJ environment to introduce programming, model-driven programming as opposed to the prevailing language-driven approach, teaching software engineering, testing, extreme programming, frameworks, feedback and assessment, active learning, technology.......  Part II consists of four chapters that specifically address issues related to  introductory courses on object-oriented programming ⎯the currently most prevailing  approach to introductory programming. The primary issues covered are transitioning  to object-oriented programming and Java, the use...... general challenge of  teaching software engineering. The primary issues covered in this part are testing,  extreme programming, and frameworks. These are all issues that are typically covered  in later courses.  Part IV, the last part of the book, consists of two chapters addressing innovative  approaches...

Introductory Education for Mechanical Engineering by Exercise in Mechanical Disassembly

Science.gov (United States)

Matsui, Yoshio; Asakawa, Naoki; Iwamori, Satoru

An introductory program “Exercise for engineers in mechanical disassembly” is an exercise that ten students of every team disassemble a motor scooter to the components and then assemble again to the initial form in 15 weeks. The purpose of this program is to introduce mechanical engineering by touching the real machine and learning how it is composed from various mechanical parts to the students at the early period after the entrance into the university. Additional short lectures by young teachers and a special lecture by a top engineer in the industry encourage the students to combine the actual machine and the mechanical engineering subjects. Furthermore, various educations such as group leader system, hazard prediction training, parts filing are included in this program. As a result, students recognize the importance of the mechanical engineering study and the way of group working.

Introductory course on differential equations

CERN Document Server

Gorain, Ganesh C

2014-01-01

Introductory Course on DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS provides an excellent exposition of the fundamentals of ordinary and partial differential equations and is ideally suited for a first course of undergraduate students of mathematics, physics and engineering. The aim of this book is to present the elementary theories of differential equations in the forms suitable for use of those students whose main interest in the subject are based on simple mathematical ideas. KEY FEATURES: Discusses the subject in a systematic manner without sacrificing mathematical rigour. A variety of exercises drill the students in problem solving in view of the mathematical theories explained in the book. Worked out examples illustrated according to the theories developed in the book with possible alternatives. Exhaustive collection of problems and the simplicity of presentation differentiate this book from several others. Material contained will help teachers as well as aspiring students of different competitive examinations.

Teaching Introductory Business Statistics Using the DCOVA Framework

Science.gov (United States)

Levine, David M.; Stephan, David F.

2011-01-01

Introductory business statistics students often receive little guidance on how to apply the methods they learn to further business objectives they may one day face. And those students may fail to see the continuity among the topics taught in an introductory course if they learn those methods outside a context that provides a unifying framework.…

Notional Machines and Introductory Programming Education

Science.gov (United States)

Sorva, Juha

2013-01-01

This article brings together, summarizes, and comments on several threads of research that have contributed to our understanding of the challenges that novice programmers face when learning about the runtime dynamics of programs and the role of the computer in program execution. More specifically, the review covers the literature on programming…

Curriculum renewal: Alignment of introductory pharmacy practice experiences with didactic course content.

Science.gov (United States)

Nuffer, Wesley; Botts, Sheila; Franson, Kari; Gilliam, Eric; Knutsen, Randy; Nuffer, Monika; O'Brien, Elizabeth; Saseen, Joseph; Thompson, Megan; Vande Griend, Joseph; Willis, Robert

2017-11-01

The University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (SSPPS) used the opportunity of curriculum renewal to integrate knowledge and skills learned from didactic courses into the introductory pharmacy practice experiences (IPPEs) occurring simultaneously. This paper describes and evaluates the meaningful application of course content into IPPEs, and evaluates the success using qualitative feedback. Students entering the renewed curriculum starting in fall 2012 were provided a list of pharmacy skills and activities from didactic course directors that reinforced course content for that semester. The skills and activities were to be completed during the students' IPPE visits in the community or health systems settings, depending on the program year and semester. Students successfully completed course assignments during their IPPE course program. Not all activities could be completed as designed, and many required modification, including simulated experiences. Feedback from faculty and preceptor members of the school's experiential education committee demonstrated that these activities were valuable and improved learning of course material, but were challenging to implement. A renewed curriculum that mapped course assignments for completion in experiential settings was successfully established, after some modifications. The program was modified at regular intervals to improve the ability of preceptors to complete these activities in their individual practice environment. A balance between the school providing guidance on what activities students should perform and allowing unstructured independent learning with the preceptor is needed for an optimal experience. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Excerpts from the introductory statement. IAEA Board of Governors, Vienna, 22 March 1999

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

ElBaradei, M.

1999-01-01

In his Introductory Statement at the IAEA Board of Governors (Vienna, 22 March 1999), the Director General of the IAEA reviewed the main recent activities of the Agency related to: safety aspects of the nuclear power, measures against illicit trafficking and for the physical protection of nuclear material, status of safeguards agreements and additional protocols, and issues concerning the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Iraq

Using a Common Experience to Teach Introductory Managerial Accounting

Science.gov (United States)

King, Gail Hoover; McConnell, Cheryl

2010-01-01

Teaching introductory accounting courses can be both challenging and rewarding. In introductory financial and managerial accounting, students struggle with the unfamiliar terminology and concepts. However, managerial accounting offers distinct challenges in that managerial accounting reports used for decision-making are not publically available,…

Industry-led program recycles used oil materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1997-01-01

The Alberta Used Oil Management Association (AUOMA) is running an industry-led program for recycling used oil filters, containers and used oil. The objective of the program is to help develop an infrastructure that will make recycling simple and convenient for consumers of oil materials. It was estimated that millions of litres of used oil are improperly discarded into the Alberta environment. The program is also aimed at increasing public awareness of the importance of recycling used oil materials, particularly to those consumers who change their own motor oil. By the end of 1997 AUOMA expects to open about 50 recycling centres called EcoCentres. An environmental handling charge (EHC) will be paid to AUOMA by wholesale suppliers on the first sale of oil materials in Alberta. The EHC will be the only funds used to support the program

Tamarisk coalition - native riparian plant materials program

Science.gov (United States)

Stacy Kolegas

2012-01-01

The Tamarisk Coalition (TC), a nonprofit organization dedicated to riparian restoration in the western United States, has created a Native Plant Materials Program to address the identified need for native riparian plant species for use in revegetation efforts on the Colorado Plateau. The specific components of the Native Plant Materials Program include: 1) provide seed...

The "Core Concepts Plus" Paradigm for Creating an Electronic Textbook for Introductory Business and Economic Statistics

Science.gov (United States)

Haley, M. Ryan

2013-01-01

This paper describes a flexible paradigm for creating an electronic "Core Concepts Plus" textbook (CCP-text) for a course in Introductory Business and Economic Statistics (IBES). In general terms, "core concepts" constitute the intersection of IBES course material taught by all IBES professors at the author's university. The…

An Empirical Evaluation of Puzzle-Based Learning as an Interest Approach for Teaching Introductory Computer Science

Science.gov (United States)

Merrick, K. E.

2010-01-01

This correspondence describes an adaptation of puzzle-based learning to teaching an introductory computer programming course. Students from two offerings of the course--with and without the puzzle-based learning--were surveyed over a two-year period. Empirical results show that the synthesis of puzzle-based learning concepts with existing course…

Qualitative Research for Tobacco Control : A How-to Introductory ...

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

Qualitative Research for Tobacco Control : A How-to Introductory Manual for Researchers and Development Practitioners. Couverture du livre Qualitative Research for Tobacco Control : A How-to Introductory Manual for. Auteur(s):. Alison Mathie et Anne Carnozzi. Maison(s) d'édition: CRDI. 15 janvier 2005. ISBN :.

Plutonium-bearing materials feed report for the DOE Fissile Materials Disposition Program alternatives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brough, W.G.; Boerigter, S.T.

1995-01-01

This report has identified all plutonium currently excess to DOE Defense Programs under current planning assumptions. A number of material categories win clearly fan within the scope of the MD (Materials Disposition) program, but the fate of the other categories are unknown at the present time. MD planning requires that estimates be made of those materials likely to be considered for disposition actions so that bounding cases for the PEIS (Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement) can be determined and so that processing which may be required can be identified in considering the various alternatives. A systematic analysis of the various alternatives in reachmg the preferred alternative requires an understanding of the possible range of values which may be taken by the various categories of feed materials. One table identifies the current total inventories excess to Defense Program planning needs and represents the bounding total of Pu which may become part of the MD disposition effort for all materials, except site return weapons. The other categories, principally irradiated fuel, rich scrap, and lean scrap, are discussed. Another table summarizes the ranges and expected quantities of Pu which could become the responsibility of the MD program. These values are to be used for assessing the impact of the various alternatives and for scaling operations to assess PEIS impact. Determination of the actual materials to be included in the disposition program will be done later

Japanese materials program and FFTF

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishino, Shiori

1988-01-01

Japanese materials program has been briefly reviewed and the associated university program, which is still in a provisional stage has been described in some detail. Important elements of the university proposal will be 1) construction of a high energy high fluence neutron irradiation facility, 2) establishing or expanding local research centers including hot laboratories, and 3) promotion of fundamental studies. The FFTF/MOTA Project is a very important constituent of the whole program, the results coming out of which should be well coordinated with other fundamental research programs to extract full essence needed for the advancement of realization of fusion energy. (author)

Unify a hazardous materials/waste program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carson, H.T.

1988-01-01

Efficiently managing a hazardous materials/waste program in a multi-facility, multi-product corporation is a major challenge. This paper describes several methods to help unify a program and gain maximum efficiency of manpower and to minimize risk

Using isomorphic problems to learn introductory physics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shih-Yin Lin

2011-08-01

Full Text Available In this study, we examine introductory physics students’ ability to perform analogical reasoning between two isomorphic problems which employ the same underlying physics principles but have different surface features. Three hundred sixty-two students from a calculus-based and an algebra-based introductory physics course were given a quiz in the recitation in which they had to first learn from a solved problem provided and take advantage of what they learned from it to solve another problem (which we call the quiz problem which was isomorphic. Previous research suggests that the multiple-concept quiz problem is challenging for introductory students. Students in different recitation classes received different interventions in order to help them discern and exploit the underlying similarities of the isomorphic solved and quiz problems. We also conducted think-aloud interviews with four introductory students in order to understand in depth the difficulties they had and explore strategies to provide better scaffolding. We found that most students were able to learn from the solved problem to some extent with the scaffolding provided and invoke the relevant principles in the quiz problem. However, they were not necessarily able to apply the principles correctly. Research suggests that more scaffolding is needed to help students in applying these principles appropriately. We outline a few possible strategies for future investigation.

Using isomorphic problems to learn introductory physics

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Shih-Yin; Singh, Chandralekha

2011-12-01

In this study, we examine introductory physics students’ ability to perform analogical reasoning between two isomorphic problems which employ the same underlying physics principles but have different surface features. Three hundred sixty-two students from a calculus-based and an algebra-based introductory physics course were given a quiz in the recitation in which they had to first learn from a solved problem provided and take advantage of what they learned from it to solve another problem (which we call the quiz problem) which was isomorphic. Previous research suggests that the multiple-concept quiz problem is challenging for introductory students. Students in different recitation classes received different interventions in order to help them discern and exploit the underlying similarities of the isomorphic solved and quiz problems. We also conducted think-aloud interviews with four introductory students in order to understand in depth the difficulties they had and explore strategies to provide better scaffolding. We found that most students were able to learn from the solved problem to some extent with the scaffolding provided and invoke the relevant principles in the quiz problem. However, they were not necessarily able to apply the principles correctly. Research suggests that more scaffolding is needed to help students in applying these principles appropriately. We outline a few possible strategies for future investigation.

Helping Students Test Programs That Have Graphical User Interfaces

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matthew Thornton

2008-08-01

Full Text Available Within computer science education, many educators are incorporating software testing activities into regular programming assignments. Tools like JUnit and its relatives make software testing tasks much easier, bringing them into the realm of even introductory students. At the same time, many introductory programming courses are now including graphical interfaces as part of student assignments to improve student interest and engagement. Unfortunately, writing software tests for programs that have significant graphical user interfaces is beyond the skills of typical students (and many educators. This paper presents initial work at combining educationally oriented and open-source tools to create an infrastructure for writing tests for Java programs that have graphical user interfaces. Critically, these tools are intended to be appropriate for introductory (CS1/CS2 student use, and to dovetail with current teaching approaches that incorporate software testing in programming assignments. We also include in our findings our proposed approach to evaluating our techniques.

Lessons Learned from Teaching Scratch as an Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming in Delphi

Science.gov (United States)

van Zyl, Sukie; Mentz, Elsa; Havenga, Marietjie

2016-01-01

As part of curriculum changes in South Africa, an introductory programming language, Scratch, must first be taught before switching to the well-established teaching of Delphi. The nature of programming in Scratch is considerably different from that in Delphi. It was assumed that the teaching of Scratch as introductory programming language could…

Evaluating Effectiveness of Pair Programming as a Teaching Tool in Programming Courses

Science.gov (United States)

Faja, Silvana

2014-01-01

This study investigates the effectiveness of pair programming on student learning and satisfaction in introductory programming courses. Pair programming, used in the industry as a practice of an agile development method, can be adopted in classroom settings to encourage peer learning, increase students' social skills, and enhance student…

The Greening of Marketing: An Analysis of Introductory Textbooks

Science.gov (United States)

DeMoss, Michelle; Nicholson, Carolyn Y.

2005-01-01

In this study, the authors examined whether introductory marketing textbooks contain the information that is needed to educate future business leaders about the important role of environmentally sustainable practices. We content-analyzed the 21 current introductory marketing textbooks for coverage of these practices. The results showed limited,…

A Diagnostic Assessment for Introductory Molecular and Cell Biology

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Jia; Wood, William B.; Martin, Jennifer M.; Guild, Nancy A.; Vicens, Quentin; Knight, Jennifer K.

2010-01-01

We have developed and validated a tool for assessing understanding of a selection of fundamental concepts and basic knowledge in undergraduate introductory molecular and cell biology, focusing on areas in which students often have misconceptions. This multiple-choice Introductory Molecular and Cell Biology Assessment (IMCA) instrument is designed…

The Development and Evolution of an Introductory Statistics Course for In-Service Middle-Level Mathematics Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Schmind, Kendra K.; Blankenship, Erin E.; Kerby. April T.; Green, Jennifer L.; Smith, Wendy M.

2014-01-01

The statistical preparation of in-service teachers, particularly middle school teachers, has been an area of concern for several years. This paper discusses the creation and delivery of an introductory statistics course as part of a master's degree program for in-service mathematics teachers. The initial course development took place before the…

Introductory Textbooks and Plagiarism in Higher Education: A Case Study from Economics.

Science.gov (United States)

Richardson, Paul

2002-01-01

Textbooks are powerful technologies that are foundational to introductory level courses. In the research site of an introductory economic classroom, the textbook is positioned as having status similar to that of a canonical religious text. This study investigated how student reading and writing can be problematic when introductory level courses…

Active Learning outside the Classroom: Implementation and Outcomes of Peer-Led Team-Learning Workshops in Introductory Biology

Science.gov (United States)

Kudish, Philip; Shores, Robin; McClung, Alex; Smulyan, Lisa; Vallen, Elizabeth A.; Siwicki, Kathleen K.

2016-01-01

Study group meetings (SGMs) are voluntary-attendance peer-led team-learning workshops that supplement introductory biology lectures at a selective liberal arts college. While supporting all students' engagement with lecture material, specific aims are to improve the success of underrepresented minority (URM) students and those with weaker…

Reform-Oriented Teaching of Introductory Statistics in the Health, Social and Behavioral Sciences--Historical Context and Rationale

Science.gov (United States)

Hassad, Rossi A.

2009-01-01

There is widespread emphasis on reform in the teaching of introductory statistics at the college level. Underpinning this reform is a consensus among educators and practitioners that traditional curricular materials and pedagogical strategies have not been effective in promoting statistical literacy, a competency that is becoming increasingly…

Mississippi Curriculum Framework for Welding and Cutting Programs (Program CIP: 48.0508--Welder/Welding Technologist). Postsecondary Programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Mississippi Research and Curriculum Unit for Vocational and Technical Education, State College.

This document, which is intended for use by community and junior colleges throughout Mississippi, contains curriculum frameworks for the course sequences in the welding and cutting programs cluster. Presented in the introductory section are a description of the program and suggested course sequence. Section I lists baseline competencies, and…

Computer Tutorial Programs in Physics.

Science.gov (United States)

Faughn, Jerry; Kuhn, Karl

1979-01-01

Describes a series of computer tutorial programs which are intended to help college students in introductory physics courses. Information about these programs, which are either calculus or algebra-trig based, is presented. (HM)

Advanced Industrial Materials Program. Annual progress report, FY 1993

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stooksbury, F. [comp.

1994-06-01

Mission of the AIM program is to commercialize new/improved materials and materials processing methods that will improve energy efficiency, productivity, and competitiveness. Program investigators in the DOE national laboratories are working with about 100 companies, including 15 partners in CRDAs. Work is being done on intermetallic alloys, ceramic composites, metal composites, polymers, engineered porous materials, and surface modification. The program supports other efforts in the Office of Industrial Technologies to assist the energy-consuming process industries. The aim of the AIM program is to bring materials from basic research to industrial application to strengthen the competitive position of US industry and save energy.

Introductory Programming Subject in European Higher Education

Science.gov (United States)

Aleksic, Veljko; Ivanovic, Mirjana

2016-01-01

Programming is one of the basic subjects in most informatics, computer science mathematics and technical faculties' curricula. Integrated overview of the models for teaching programming, problems in teaching and suggested solutions were presented in this paper. Research covered current state of 1019 programming subjects in 715 study programmes at…

Neutron irradiation experiments for fusion reactor materials through JUPITER program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abe, K.; Namba, C.; Wiffen, F.W.; Jones, R.H.

1998-01-01

A Japan-USA program of irradiation experiments for fusion research, ''JUPITER'', has been established as a 6 year program from 1995 to 2000. The goal is to study ''the dynamic behavior of fusion reactor materials and their response to variable and complex irradiation environment''. This is phase-three of the collaborative program, which follows RTNS-II program (phase-1: 1982-1986) and FFTF/MOTA program (phase-2: 1987-1994). This program is to provide a scientific basis for application of materials performance data, generated by fission reactor experiments, to anticipated fusion environments. Following the systematic study on cumulative irradiation effects, done through FFTF/MOTA program. JUPITER is emphasizing the importance of dynamic irradiation effects on materials performance in fusion systems. The irradiation experiments in this program include low activation structural materials, functional ceramics and other innovative materials. The experimental data are analyzed by theoretical modeling and computer simulation to integrate the above effects. (orig.)

Heavy Vehicle Propulsion Materials Program: Progress and Highlights

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

D. Ray Johnson; Sidney Diamond

2000-01-01

The Heavy Vehicle Propulsion Materials Program was begun in 1997 to support the enabling materials needs of the DOE Office of Heavy Vehicle Technologies (OHVT). The technical agenda for the program grew out of the technology roadmap for the OHVT and includes efforts in materials for: fuel systems, exhaust aftertreatment, valve train, air handling, structural components, electrochemical propulsion, natural gas storage, and thermal management. A five-year program plan was written in early 2000, following a stakeholders workshop. The technical issues and planned and ongoing projects are discussed. Brief summaries of several technical highlights are given

The Impact of Baby Swimming on Introductory and Elementary Swimming Training

OpenAIRE

Břízová, Gabriela

2007-01-01

THESIS ANNOTATION Title: The Impact of Baby Swimming on Introductory and Elementary Swimming Training Aim: To assess the impact of 'baby swimming' on the successfulness in introductory and partly in elementary swimming training, and to find out whether also other circumstances (for example the length of attendance at 'baby swimming') have some influence on introductory swimming training. Methods: We used a questionnaire method for the parents of children who had attended 'baby swimming' and f...

Do Active Learning Approaches in Recitation Sections Improve Student Performance? A Case Study from an Introductory Mechanics Course

Science.gov (United States)

Tobin, R. G.

2018-01-01

Abundant research leaves little question that pedagogical approaches involving active student engagement with the material, and opportunities for student-to-student discussions, lead to much better learning outcomes than traditional instructor-led, expository instructional formats, in physics and in many other fields. In introductory college…

Incorporating hypertensive patient education on salt intake into an introductory pharmacy practice experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Garza, Kimberly B; Westrick, Salisa C; Teeter, Benjamin S; Stevenson, T Lynn

2013-11-12

To evaluate the impact of the Salt Education Program for hypertensive adults on student pharmacists' knowledge, behaviors, and attitudes regarding sodium consumption. As part of the introductory pharmacy practice experience program in community pharmacies, student pharmacists assessed patients' sodium intake knowledge and behaviors, taught them how to read nutrition labels, and obtained information about their hypertensive conditions. Students completed pre-and post-intervention questionnaires in April and August 2012, respectively. One hundred thirty student pharmacists (70% female, 78% white) completed pre- and post-intervention questionnaires. Students demonstrated significant improvements in knowledge scores (pshopping (p<0.001) and purchasing low-salt foods (p=0.004). Changes in students' knowledge, behaviors, and attitudes after participating in the Salt Education program suggested that the program was effective in improving student knowledge, behaviors, and attitudes.

A Web Support System for Submission and Handling of Programming Assignments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nørmark, Kurt

2011-01-01

Individual submission of programming assignments should be considered in all introductory programming courses. We describe a custom web support system for submission and management of programming assignments in an introductory C programming course. Experience from the first time use of the system...... is reported. In addition, we compare the pattern of use with the results of the final exam in order to reveal a possible impact of the programming assignments. We summarize the lessons learned in preparation for improving the system prior to the next round of use in the fall of 2011....

Establishment of nuclear knowledge-information base; development of courseware on introductory nuclear engineering and establishment of digital education platform

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Song, Jong Soon; Na, Mang Yun; Lee, Goung Jin; Yang, Won Sik [Chosun University, Gwangju (Korea)

2002-01-01

In this research, there are two major tasks. The first one is a development of digital course-ware program for introductory nuclear engineering. For this task, a development of lecture note is followed by lecture Slide files in html file format, which is based on web. For this purpose, following activities were performed; collection of related materials. planning of overall courseware, writing of lecture note and exercise plan, and securing the computer programs and codes needed. The second task of this research is to plan and install several hardwares in a multimedia class room as a digital education platform. The platform includes smart board with touch screen functionality, network server and personal computers. The digital education platform was established as a multimedia class room in the 2nd College of Engineering building, room 16210 by using the Server-Client environment and smart board, personal computer, and internet was connected by a TCP/IP way. For the courseware, hypertext was supported to be web-based, and photo, picture, data and related web links including text were developed in a close relation, it is possible for students to study big amounts of information in a systemized way and to maximize the learning efficiency. The whole range of introductory nuclear engineering course was divided into nuclear fuel cycle, reactor theory, heat transport, and reactor control, and digital contents were developed by each experts, but the final format of the courseware was maintained consistently for easy understanding . Also, the reactor experiment courseware developed by Kyunghee University can be utilized on this platform. 5 refs., 36 figs., 4 tabs. (Author)

The US fusion materials program: Status and directions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doran, D.G.

1987-05-01

The general long term objective of the Fusion Materials Program of the Office of Fusion Energy is the development of new or improved materials that will enhance the economic and environmental attractiveness of fusion as an energy source. The US Magnetic Fusion Program Plan, as augmented by the Technical Planning Activity (TPA), calls for information to be developed on critical issues such that a decision can be made by about 2005 on whether to pursue fusion as a viable energy source. Viability will be evaluated in at least four areas: technical, economic, environmental, and safety. The Fusion Materials Program addresses directly only the magnetic confinement option, although some of the information gained is applicable to the alternative approach of inertial confinement. The scope of this paper is limited to programs in which a primary concern is bulk neutron radiation effects, as opposed to those in which the primary concern is interaction of the materials with the plasma. 14 refs

Redesigning a Large Introductory Course to Incorporate the GAISE Guidelines

Science.gov (United States)

Woodard, Roger; McGowan, Herle

2012-01-01

In 2005, the "Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction in Statistics Education" (GAISE) college report described several recommendations for teaching introductory statistics. This paper discusses how a large multi-section introductory course was redesigned in order to implement these recommendations. The experience described discusses…

A Citation Analysis of Who's Who in Introductory Textbooks

Science.gov (United States)

Griggs, Richard A.; Proctor, Derrick L.

2002-01-01

Given the many changes in the introductory psychology textbook market in the past 2 decades and the lack of a recent citation study of introductory texts, we conducted a citation analysis of a stratified random sample of current texts. To provide a more comprehensive picture of current citation emphases, we extended our analysis to the top 60…

Faraday's Principle and Air Travel in the Introductory Labs

Science.gov (United States)

Abdul-Razzaq, Wathiq; Thakur, Saikat Chakraborty

2017-01-01

We all know that we must improve the quality of teaching in science at all levels. Not only physicists but also many students from other areas of study take the introductory physics courses in college. Physics introductory laboratories (labs) can be one of the best tools to help these students understand applications of scientific principles that…

Measurement control program for nuclear material accounting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brouns, R.J.; Roberts, F.P.; Merrill, J.A.; Brown, W.B.

1980-06-01

A measurement control program for nuclear material accounting monitors and controls the quality of the measurments of special nuclear material that are involved in material balances. The quality is monitored by collecting data from which the current precision and accuracy of measurements can be evaluated. The quality is controlled by evaluations, reviews, and other administrative measures for control of selection or design of facilities, equipment and measurement methods and the training and qualification of personnel who perform SNM measurements. This report describes the most important elements of a program by which management can monitor and control measurement quality

Excerpts from the introductory statement. IAEA Board of Governors. Vienna, 20 March 2000

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

ElBaradei, M.

2000-01-01

In his Introductory Statement at the IAEA Board of Governors, Vienna, 20 March 2000, the Director General of the IAEA focused on the following topics: the first Review Meeting of Parties to the Convention on Nuclear Safety, response to General Conference Resolutions, Safeguards Agreements and Additional Protocols, relations with DPRK and Iraq, Trilateral Initiative (IAEA, USA, Russian Federation) concerning the fissile material removed from nuclear weapon programmes, and IAEA's Programme and Budget for 2001

Introductory Biology Textbooks Under-Represent Scientific Process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dara B. Duncan

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Attrition of undergraduates from Biology majors is a long-standing problem. Introductory courses that fail to engage students or spark their curiosity by emphasizing the open-ended and creative nature of biological investigation and discovery could contribute to student detachment from the field. Our hypothesis was that introductory biology books devote relatively few figures to illustration of the design and interpretation of experiments or field studies, thereby de-emphasizing the scientific process.To investigate this possibility, we examined figures in six Introductory Biology textbooks published in 2008. On average, multistep scientific investigations were presented in fewer than 5% of the hundreds of figures in each book. Devoting such a small percentage of figures to the processes by which discoveries are made discourages an emphasis on scientific thinking. We suggest that by increasing significantly the illustration of scientific investigations, textbooks could support undergraduates’ early interest in biology, stimulate the development of design and analytical skills, and inspire some students to participate in investigations of their own.

Computer Programming Education with Miranda

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Joosten, S.M.M.; van den Berg, Klaas

During the past four years, an experiment has been carried out with an introductory course in computer programming, based on functional programming. This article describes the background of this approach, the aim of the computer programming course, the outline and subject matter of the course parts

7 CFR 3406.12 - Program application materials-teaching.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 15 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Program application materials-teaching. 3406.12... GRANTS PROGRAM Preparation of a Teaching Proposal § 3406.12 Program application materials—teaching... program, and the forms needed to prepare and submit teaching grant applications under the program. ...

Cloning, Stem Cells, and the Current National Debate: Incorporating Ethics into a Large Introductory Biology Course

Science.gov (United States)

Fink, Rachel D.

2002-01-01

Discussing the ethical issues involved in topics such as cloning and stem cell research in a large introductory biology course is often difficult. Teachers may be wary of presenting material biased by personal beliefs, and students often feel inhibited speaking about moral issues in a large group. Yet, to ignore what is happening "out there"…

Class modality, student characteristics, and performance in a community college introductory STEM course

Science.gov (United States)

Fogle, Thomas Ty

Research on introductory STEM course performance has indicated that student characteristics (age, ethnicity and gender) and Grade Point Average (G.P.A.) can be predictive of student performance, and by implication, a correlation among these factors can help determine course design interventions to help certain types of students perform well in introductory STEM courses. The basis of this study was a community college Visual Basic programming course taught in both online and hybrid format. Beginning students in this course represented a diverse population residing in a large, mid-western, city and surrounding communities. Many of these students were defined as "at-Risk" or "non-traditional, which generally means any combination of socio-economic, cultural, family and employment factors that indicate a student is non-traditional. Research has shown these students struggle academically in technologically dense STEM courses, and may require student services and support to achieve their individual performance goals. The overall number in the study range was 392 distance students and 287 blended course students. The main question of this research was to determine to what extent student characteristics in a community college context, and previous success, as measured in overall G.P.A., were related to course performance in an introductory Visual Basic programming (STEM) course; and, whether or not a combination of these factors and course modality was predictive of success. The study employed a quantitative, quasi-experimental design to assess whether students' course performance was linked to course modality, student characteristics and overall G.P.A. The results indicated that the only predictor of student performance was overall G.P.A. Despite the research analyzed in Chapter 2, there was no statistically significant relationship to modality, age, ethnicity, or gender to performance in the course. Cognitive load is significant in a computer programming course and it

Recent advances in membrane materials: introductory remarks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ayral, A.

2007-01-01

A lot of separation operations are currently performed using membranes both for production processes and for environmental applications. The main part of the used membranes are organic membranes but for specific conditions of utilization inorganic or organic-inorganic membranes have been also developed. Among the applications for gas separation, some examples are the removal of hydrogen from ammonia synthesis gas, the removal of carbon dioxide from natural gas and air separation. Environmental considerations like massive scale air and water pollution and also the gradual rarefaction of fossil energy resources gave rise to the concept of sustainable growth and to related strategies like process intensification, the reuse of water and solvents at their point of use, hydrogen as energy vector (requiring H 2 production...)..Membranes will have a key part to play in the new technologies associated with these strategies. Intensive efforts of research and development are now engaged everywhere in the world to develop high performance membranes for those emerging applications. Membrane science is a multidisciplinary scientific and technological domain covering mainly materials science, physical chemistry, chemical engineering, modeling. This issue (Annales de chimie - Science des materiaux, 2007 Vol.32 N.2) provides a wide review of recent advances in membrane materials. It is based on the contributions of experts in different fields of membrane materials (organic, organic-inorganic hybrid, composite, carbon, metallic, ceramic; dense, porous, surface modified materials). (O.M.)

Introductory Statistics in the Garden

Science.gov (United States)

Wagaman, John C.

2017-01-01

This article describes four semesters of introductory statistics courses that incorporate service learning and gardening into the curriculum with applications of the binomial distribution, least squares regression and hypothesis testing. The activities span multiple semesters and are iterative in nature.

Using Biomedically Relevant Multimedia Content in an Introductory Physics Course for Life Science and Pre-Health Students

Science.gov (United States)

Mylott, Elliot; Kutschera, Ellynne; Dunlap, Justin C.; Christensen, Warren; Widenhorn, Ralf

2016-01-01

We will describe a one-quarter pilot algebra-based introductory physics course for pre-health and life science majors. The course features videos with biomedical experts and cogent biomedically inspired physics content. The materials were used in a flipped classroom as well as an all-online environment where students interacted with multimedia…

Coverage of the Stanford Prison Experiment in Introductory Psychology Courses

Science.gov (United States)

Bartels, Jared M.; Milovich, Marilyn M.; Moussier, Sabrina

2016-01-01

The present study examined the coverage of Stanford prison experiment (SPE), including criticisms of the study, in introductory psychology courses through an online survey of introductory psychology instructors (N = 117). Results largely paralleled those of the recently published textbook analyses with ethical issues garnering the most coverage,…

Materials sciences programs: Fiscal year 1995

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-05-01

The purpose of this report is to provide a convenient compilation and index of the DOE Materials Science Division programs. This compilation is primarily intended for use by administrators, managers, and scientists to help coordinate research. The report is divided into eight sections. Section A contains all Laboratory projects, Section B has all contract research projects, Section C has projects funded under the Small Business Innovation Research Program, Section D describes the Center of Excellence for the Synthesis and Processing of Advanced Materials and E has information on major user facilities. F describes other user facilities, G as a summary of funding levels and H has indices characterizing research projects.

Materials sciences programs fiscal year 1996

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1997-06-01

The purpose of this report is to provide a convenient compilation and index of the DOE Materials Sciences Division programs. This compilation is primarily intended for use by administrators, managers, and scientists to help coordinate research. The report is divided into eight sections. Section A contains all Laboratory projects, Section B has all contract research projects, Section C has projects funded under the Small Business Innovation Research Program, Section D describes the Center of Excellence for the Synthesis and Processing of Advanced Materials and E has information on major user facilities. F describes other user facilities, G as a summary of funding levels and H has indices characterizing research projects.

Spontaneous diffusion of an effective skin cancer prevention program through Web-based access to program materials.

Science.gov (United States)

Hall, Dawn M; Escoffery, Cam; Nehl, Eric; Glanz, Karen

2010-11-01

Little information exists about the diffusion of evidence-based interventions, a process that can occur naturally in organized networks with established communication channels. This article describes the diffusion of an effective skin cancer prevention program called Pool Cool through available Web-based program materials. We used self-administered surveys to collect information from program users about access to and use of Web-based program materials. We analyzed the content of e-mails sent to the official Pool Cool Web site to obtain qualitative information about spontaneous diffusion. Program users were dispersed throughout the United States, most often learning about the program through a Web site (32%), publication (26%), or colleague (19%). Most respondents (86%) reported that their pool provided educational activities at swimming lessons. The Leader's Guide (59%) and lesson cards (50%) were the most commonly downloaded materials, and most respondents reported using these core items sometimes, often, or always. Aluminum sun-safety signs were the least frequently used materials. A limited budget was the most commonly noted obstacle to sun-safety efforts at the pool (85%). Factors supporting sun safety at the pool centered around risk management (85%) and health of the pool staff (78%). Diffusion promotes the use of evidence-based health programs and can occur with and without systematic efforts. Strategies such as providing well-packaged, user-friendly program materials at low or no cost and strategic advertisement of the availability of program materials may increase program use and exposure. Furthermore, highlighting the benefits of the program can motivate potential program users.

Plasma medicine: an introductory review

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kong, M.G.; Kroesen, G.M.W.; Morfill, G.; Nosenko, T.; Shimizu, T.; Dijk, van J.; Zimmermann, J.L.

2009-01-01

This introductory review on plasma health care is intended to provide the interested reader with a summary of the current status of this emerging field, its scope, and its broad interdisciplinary approach, ranging from plasma physics, chemistry and technology, to microbiology, biochemistry,

Microcomputers in the Introductory Laboratory.

Science.gov (United States)

Bare, John K.

1982-01-01

A microcomputer was used successfully to replicate Sternberg's 1966 study of retrieval from short-term memory and Sperling's 1960 study on sensory or iconic memory. Computers with a capacity for measuring reaction time are useful in the laboratory for introductory psychology courses. (SR)

Student Misconceptions in Introductory Biology.

Science.gov (United States)

Fisher, Kathleen M.; Lipson, Joseph I.

Defining a "misconception" as an error of translation (transformation, correspondence, interpolation, interpretation) between two different kinds of information which causes students to have incorrect expectations, a Taxonomy of Errors has been developed to examine student misconceptions in an introductory biology course for science…

CAS Introductory Course in Italy

CERN Multimedia

2008-01-01

The CERN Accelerator School’s introductory course is a great success. This year the CERN Accelerator School held its "Introduction to Accelerator Physics" course in Frascati, Italy, from 2-14 November in collaboration with the University of Rome "La Sapienza" and the INFN Frascati National Laboratory. The Introductory level course is particularly important since, for the majority of participants, it is the first opportunity to discover the various aspects of accelerator physics. For this school the programme had been significantly revised in order to take into account the new trends currently being developed in the field, thus putting more emphasis on linacs, synchrotron light sources and free-electron lasers. The school was a resounding success with 115 participants of more than 23 nationalities. Feedback from the students praised the expertise of the lecturers, the high standard of the lectures as well as the excellent organizati...

Topical Coverage in Introductory Textbooks from the 1980s through the 2000s

Science.gov (United States)

Griggs, Richard A.

2014-01-01

To determine how topical coverage in introductory textbooks may have changed from the 1980s to the present, the author examined topic coverage in full-length and brief introductory textbooks from this time period. Because 98% of the teachers use textbooks for the introductory course and the majority do not assign reading beyond the textbook, the…

Engaging Students In Modeling Instruction for Introductory Physics

Science.gov (United States)

Brewe, Eric

2016-05-01

Teaching introductory physics is arguably one of the most important things that a physics department does. It is the primary way that students from other science disciplines engage with physics and it is the introduction to physics for majors. Modeling instruction is an active learning strategy for introductory physics built on the premise that science proceeds through the iterative process of model construction, development, deployment, and revision. We describe the role that participating in authentic modeling has in learning and then explore how students engage in this process in the classroom. In this presentation, we provide a theoretical background on models and modeling and describe how these theoretical elements are enacted in the introductory university physics classroom. We provide both quantitative and video data to link the development of a conceptual model to the design of the learning environment and to student outcomes. This work is supported in part by DUE #1140706.

Who's Who in Introductory Psychology Textbooks: A Citation Analysis Redux

Science.gov (United States)

Griggs, Richard A.; Christopher, Andrew N.

2016-01-01

It is important to assess periodically how introductory textbooks portray our discipline because introductory psychology is the most popular psychology course, almost all teachers use textbooks for it, and textbooks play a major role in defining the course for students. To do so, past studies have used textbook citation analyses. We analyzed…

Learning Programming Patterns Using Games

Science.gov (United States)

de Aquino Leal, Alexis Vinícius; Ferreira, Deller James

2016-01-01

There is still no pedagogy to teach programming that stands out significantly from others and no consensus on what is the best way for learning programming. There is still a need to develop new teaching methods for learning in introductory programming courses. This paper presents a pedagogic approach in support of creativity in programming and the…

Computer problem-solving coaches for introductory physics: Design and usability studies

Science.gov (United States)

Ryan, Qing X.; Frodermann, Evan; Heller, Kenneth; Hsu, Leonardo; Mason, Andrew

2016-06-01

The combination of modern computing power, the interactivity of web applications, and the flexibility of object-oriented programming may finally be sufficient to create computer coaches that can help students develop metacognitive problem-solving skills, an important competence in our rapidly changing technological society. However, no matter how effective such coaches might be, they will only be useful if they are attractive to students. We describe the design and testing of a set of web-based computer programs that act as personal coaches to students while they practice solving problems from introductory physics. The coaches are designed to supplement regular human instruction, giving students access to effective forms of practice outside class. We present results from large-scale usability tests of the computer coaches and discuss their implications for future versions of the coaches.

Concept Maps in Introductory Statistics

Science.gov (United States)

Witmer, Jeffrey A.

2016-01-01

Concept maps are tools for organizing thoughts on the main ideas in a course. I present an example of a concept map that was created through the work of students in an introductory class and discuss major topics in statistics and relationships among them.

Introductory analysis a deeper view of calculus

CERN Document Server

Bagby, Richard J

2000-01-01

Introductory Analysis addresses the needs of students taking a course in analysis after completing a semester or two of calculus, and offers an alternative to texts that assume that math majors are their only audience. By using a conversational style that does not compromise mathematical precision, the author explains the material in terms that help the reader gain a firmer grasp of calculus concepts.* Written in an engaging, conversational tone and readable style while softening the rigor and theory* Takes a realistic approach to the necessary and accessible level of abstraction for the secondary education students* A thorough concentration of basic topics of calculus* Features a student-friendly introduction to delta-epsilon arguments * Includes a limited use of abstract generalizations for easy use* Covers natural logarithms and exponential functions* Provides the computational techniques often encountered in basic calculus

Geology in the Movies: Using Hollywood Films as a Teaching Tool in Introductory Geosciences Courses

Science.gov (United States)

Lawrence, K. T.; Malinconico, L. L.

2008-12-01

A common challenge in introductory Geoscience courses is engaging students who often do not have a long- standing interest in science. In recent years Hollywood has produced a number of geoscience-themed films (Dante's Peak, Deep Impact, Day After Tomorrow, Inconvenient Truth), most of which contain kernels of scientific truth as well as gross misrepresentations of scientific reality. In our introductory courses (Geological Disasters: Agents of Chaos and Earth's Climate: Past Present and Future) we have had great success using these films as a way of both engaging students and accomplishing many of our course goals. Even though most of the students in these courses will not become geoscience majors, it is important for them to realize that they can make informed judgments about concepts portrayed in the popular media. We have incorporated short written movie critiques into our suite of introductory course laboratory exercises. Through these movie-critique labs, students have an opportunity to apply their new geoscience expertise to examining the validity of the scientific concepts presented in the film. Along the way, students start to see the relevance of course materials to their everyday lives, think more critically about how science is portrayed by non-scientists, synthesize what they have learned by applying their knowledge to a new problem, and improve their ability to communicate what they have learned. Despite the fact that these movie-critique labs require significantly more out-of-lab effort that our other introductory lab assignments, in our course evaluations many students rate the movie critiques as not only one of the most interesting lab exercises of the semester, but also the lab exercise containing the most educational value.

Sandia National Laboratories, California Hazardous Materials Management Program annual report.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brynildson, Mark E.

2011-02-01

The annual program report provides detailed information about all aspects of the Sandia National Laboratories, California (SNL/CA) Hazardous Materials Management Program. It functions as supporting documentation to the SNL/CA Environmental Management System Program Manual. This program annual report describes the activities undertaken during the calender past year, and activities planned in future years to implement the Hazardous Materials Management Program, one of six programs that supports environmental management at SNL/CA.

Examining the Gender Gap in Introductory Physics

Science.gov (United States)

Kost, Lauren; Pollock, Steven; Finkelstein, Noah

2009-05-01

Our previous research[1] showed that despite the use of interactive engagement techniques in the introductory physics course, the gap in performance between males and females on a mechanics conceptual learning survey persisted from pre- to post-test, at our institution. Such findings were counter to previously published work[2]. Follow-up studies[3] identified correlations between student performance on the conceptual learning survey and students' prior physics and math knowledge and their incoming attitudes and beliefs about physics and learning physics. The results indicate that the gender gap at our institution is predominantly associated with differences in males' and females' previous physics and math knowledge, and attitudes and beliefs. Our current work extends these results in two ways: 1) we look at the gender gap in the second semester of the introductory sequence and find results similar to those in the first semester course and 2) we identify ways in which males and females differentially experience several aspects of the introductory course. [1] Pollock, et al, Phys Rev: ST: PER 3, 010107. [2] Lorenzo, et al, Am J Phys 74, 118. [3] Kost, et al, PERC Proceedings 2008.

Optimal Quadratic Programming Algorithms

CERN Document Server

Dostal, Zdenek

2009-01-01

Quadratic programming (QP) is one technique that allows for the optimization of a quadratic function in several variables in the presence of linear constraints. This title presents various algorithms for solving large QP problems. It is suitable as an introductory text on quadratic programming for graduate students and researchers

Introductory Linear Regression Programs in Undergraduate Chemistry.

Science.gov (United States)

Gale, Robert J.

1982-01-01

Presented are simple programs in BASIC and FORTRAN to apply the method of least squares. They calculate gradients and intercepts and express errors as standard deviations. An introduction of undergraduate students to such programs in a chemistry class is reviewed, and issues instructors should be aware of are noted. (MP)

Introductory Comments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jolanta Sujecka

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Introductory Comments The sixth issue (not just in the Thematic Section is devoted to the borders of civilization in our memory, in culture, in art, in literature, in the arrangement of political objectives. Both their demarcation and their crossing is a matter of the objectives we can and want to set ourselves in the context of the order that exists and into which we try to fit, transforming it or levelling. The value of this survey of  “images of borders” is its setting in such varied material, owing to which the theoretical speculations gain a representative illustration and, at the same time, a guarantee of being rooted, even if it is only a “contact zone”.   Wprowadzenie Szósty numer (nie tylko sekcja tematyczna jest poświęcony kwestii granic cywilizacji w naszej pamięci, kulturze, sztuce, literaturze, w definiowaniu celów politycznych. Zarówno ich wyznaczanie, jak i przekraczanie, jest kwestią celów, jakie możemy i chcemy postawić sobie w kontekście istniejącego ładu, w który staramy się wpisać, przekształcając go lub dostosowując się do niego. Wartością niniejszego przeglądu "obrazów granic" jest przedstawienie ich poprzez tak zróżnicowany materiał, dzięki czemu rozważania teoretyczne zyskują reprezentatywną ilustrację, a zarazem gwarancję zakorzenienia, nawet jeśli będzie to tylko "sfera kontaktu".

IT0: Discrete Math and Programming Logic Topics as a Hybrid Alternative to CS0

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Nancy L.

2015-01-01

This paper describes the development of a hybrid introductory course for students in their first or second year of an information systems technologies degree program at a large Midwestern university. The course combines topics from discrete mathematics and programming logic and design, a unique twist on most introductory courses. The objective of…

An Exciting Experiment for Pre-Engineering and Introductory Physics Students: Creating a DC Motor Using the Lorentz Force

Science.gov (United States)

Abdul-Razzaq, Wathiq N.; Boehm, Manfred H.; Bushey, Ryan K.

2008-01-01

Introductory physics laboratories have been demonstrated in some instances to be difficult or uninteresting to students at the collegiate level. We have developed a laboratory that introduces the concept of the Lorentz force and allows students to build a non-traditional DC motor out of easily acquired materials. Basic electricity and magnetism…

A Review of Generic Program Visualization Systems for Introductory Programming Education

Science.gov (United States)

Sorva, Juha; Karavirta, Ville; Malmi, Lauri

2013-01-01

This article is a survey of program visualization systems intended for teaching beginners about the runtime behavior of computer programs. Our focus is on generic systems that are capable of illustrating many kinds of programs and behaviors. We inclusively describe such systems from the last three decades and review findings from their empirical…

Toward Publicly Responsive Sociology Curricula: The Role of Introductory Sociology

Science.gov (United States)

Greenwood, Nancy A.

2013-01-01

Introductory sociology casts a wide net with regard to its audience and plays an important role in capturing the public eye as well as helping students to make more informed choices in their lives and communities. I ask six questions that help us as sociologists to think about how introductory sociology can better serve our discipline, our…

Student Selection of the Textbook for an Introductory Physics Course

Science.gov (United States)

Dake, L. S.

2007-10-01

Several years ago I had to select a new textbook for my calculus-based introductory physics class. I subscribe to Just-in-Time Teaching methods, which require students to read the book before the material is covered in class. Thus, the readability of the text by the students is critical. However, I did not feel that I was the best judge of this factor, so I turned the textbook selection into a class project. The students unanimously chose one textbook, which I have now successfully used for three years. The project was decidedly worthwhile, and I gained considerable insight into what students prefer in a textbook.

Introductory statistical inference

CERN Document Server

Mukhopadhyay, Nitis

2014-01-01

This gracefully organized text reveals the rigorous theory of probability and statistical inference in the style of a tutorial, using worked examples, exercises, figures, tables, and computer simulations to develop and illustrate concepts. Drills and boxed summaries emphasize and reinforce important ideas and special techniques.Beginning with a review of the basic concepts and methods in probability theory, moments, and moment generating functions, the author moves to more intricate topics. Introductory Statistical Inference studies multivariate random variables, exponential families of dist

Introductory graph theory

CERN Document Server

Chartrand, Gary

1984-01-01

Graph theory is used today in the physical sciences, social sciences, computer science, and other areas. Introductory Graph Theory presents a nontechnical introduction to this exciting field in a clear, lively, and informative style. Author Gary Chartrand covers the important elementary topics of graph theory and its applications. In addition, he presents a large variety of proofs designed to strengthen mathematical techniques and offers challenging opportunities to have fun with mathematics. Ten major topics - profusely illustrated - include: Mathematical Models, Elementary Concepts of Grap

An exciting experiment for pre-engineering and introductory physics students: creating a DC motor using the Lorentz force

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdul-Razzaq, Wathiq N; Boehm, Manfred H; Bushey, Ryan K

2008-01-01

Introductory physics laboratories have been demonstrated in some instances to be difficult or uninteresting to students at the collegiate level. We have developed a laboratory that introduces the concept of the Lorentz force and allows students to build a non-traditional DC motor out of easily acquired materials. Basic electricity and magnetism concepts are joined together in a simple and enjoyable experiment that allows the students to demonstrate physics at first hand and without the use of complex materials

Students' conceptions of evidence during a university introductory forensic science course

Science.gov (United States)

Yeshion, Theodore Elliot

Students' Conceptions of Science, Scientific Evidence, and Forensic Evidence during a University Introductory Forensic Science Course This study was designed to examine and understand what conceptions undergraduate students taking an introductory forensic science course had about scientific evidence. Because the relationships between the nature of science, the nature of evidence, and the nature of forensic evidence are not well understood in the science education literature, this study sought to understand how these concepts interact and affect students' understanding of scientific evidence. Four participants were purposefully selected for this study from among 89 students enrolled in two sections of an introductory forensic science course taught during the fall 2005 semester. Of the 89 students, 84 were criminal justice majors with minimal science background and five were chemistry majors with academic backgrounds in the natural and physical sciences. All 89 students completed a biographical data sheet and a pre-instruction Likert scale survey consisting of twenty questions relating to the nature of scientific evidence. An evaluation of these two documents resulted in a purposeful selection of four varied student participants, each of whom was interviewed three times throughout the semester about the nature of science, the nature of evidence, and the nature of forensic evidence. The same survey was administered to the participants again at the end of the semester-long course. This study examined students' assumptions, prior knowledge, their understanding of scientific inference, scientific theory, and methodology. Examination of the data found few differences with regard to how the criminal justice majors and the chemistry majors responded to interview questions about forensic evidence. There were qualitative differences, however, when the same participants answered interview questions relating to traditional scientific evidence. Furthermore, suggestions are

Strengthening introductory psychology: A new model for teaching the introductory course.

Science.gov (United States)

Gurung, Regan A R; Hackathorn, Jana; Enns, Carolyn; Frantz, Susan; Cacioppo, John T; Loop, Trudy; Freeman, James E

2016-01-01

Introductory psychology (Intro Psych) is one of the most popular and frequently taught courses on college campuses, yet educators in psychology have limited knowledge about what is covered in classes around the nation or the extent to which class content reflects the current scope of the discipline. There is no explicit model to guide course content selection for the intro course, which poses substantial challenges for instructors. This article proposes a new model for teaching the intro course that integrates (a) scientific foundations, (b) 5 major domains or pillars of knowledge (biological, cognitive, developmental, social and personality, and mental and physical health), and (c) cross-cutting themes relevant to all domains (cultural and social diversity, ethics, variations in human functioning, and applications; American Psychological Association, 2014). We advocate for national assessment of the course, a similar introductory course for majors and nonmajors, the inclusion of experiential or laboratory components, and additional training resources for instructors of the intro course. Given the exponential growth of psychological knowledge and applications during the past decades, we caution against attempting to provide exhaustive coverage of all topic areas of psychology in a one-semester course. We conclude by discussing the challenges that lie ahead for the discipline of psychology as it launches this new model for Intro Psych. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Teaching abstraction in introductory courses

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Koppelman, Herman; van Dijk, Betsy

Abstraction is viewed as a key concept in computer science. It is not only an important concept but also one that is difficult to master. This paper focuses on the problems that novices experience when they first encounter this concept. Three assignments from introductory courses are analyzed, to

Future of the Introductory Psychology Textbook: A Survey of College Publishers.

Science.gov (United States)

Buskit, William; Cush, David T.

1997-01-01

Examines aspects of the introductory psychology textbook market through a publishing house survey. Aspects covered are the current and future number of introductory texts, fewer textbook publishers, custom publishing, changing content, and computer technologies. Discusses the results of the publishers' responses and provides statistical tables of…

Advanced Industrial Materials (AIM) Program: Annual progress report FY 1995

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-04-01

In many ways, the Advanced Industrial Materials (AIM) Program underwent a major transformation in Fiscal Year 1995 and these changes have continued to the present. When the Program was established in 1990 as the Advanced Industrial Concepts (AIC) Materials Program, the mission was to conduct applied research and development to bring materials and processing technologies from the knowledge derived from basic research to the maturity required for the end use sectors for commercialization. In 1995, the Office of Industrial Technologies (OIT) made radical changes in structure and procedures. All technology development was directed toward the seven ``Vision Industries`` that use about 80% of industrial energy and generated about 90% of industrial wastes. The mission of AIM has, therefore, changed to ``Support development and commercialization of new or improved materials to improve productivity, product quality, and energy efficiency in the major process industries.`` Though AIM remains essentially a National Laboratory Program, it is essential that each project have industrial partners, including suppliers to, and customers of, the seven industries. Now, well into FY 1996, the transition is nearly complete and the AIM Program remains reasonably healthy and productive, thanks to the superb investigators and Laboratory Program Managers. This Annual Report for FY 1995 contains the technical details of some very remarkable work by the best materials scientists and engineers in the world. Areas covered here are: advanced metals and composites; advanced ceramics and composites; polymers and biobased materials; and new materials and processes.

Excerpts from the introductory statement by IAEA Director General. IAEA Board of Governors, Vienna, 14 September 1998

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

ElBaradei, M.

1998-01-01

The document contains excerpts from the Introductory Statement made by the Director General of the IAEA at the IAEA Board of Governors on 14 September 1998. The following aspects from the Agency's activity are presented: nuclear safety, technical co-operation programme, safeguards and verification, fissile material treaty, nuclear material released from the military sector, Agency's involvement in safeguards verification in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Agency's inspections in Iraq in relation to its clandestine nuclear programme, and Agency's safeguards in the Middle East region

Semantics in Teaching Introductory Physics.

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, H. Thomas

1999-01-01

Contends that the large vocabulary used for precise purposes in physics contains many words that have related but potentially confusing meanings in everyday usage. Analyzes the treatment of Newton's Laws of Motion in several well-known introductory textbooks for evidence of inconsistent language use. Makes teaching suggestions. (Contains 11…

Navy Shipboard Hazardous Material Minimization Program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bieberich, M.J. [Naval Surface Warfare Center, Annapolis, MD (United States). Carderock Div.; Robinson, P. [Life Cycle Engineering, Inc., Charleston, SC (United States); Chastain, B.

1994-12-31

The use of hazardous (and potentially hazardous) materials in shipboard cleaning applications has proliferated as new systems and equipments have entered the fleet to reside alongside existing equipments. With the growing environmental awareness (and additional, more restrictive regulations) at all levels/echelon commands of the DoD, the Navy has initiated a proactive program to undertake the minimization/elimination of these hazardous materials in order to eliminate HMs at the source. This paper will focus on the current Shipboard Hazardous Materials Minimization Program initiatives including the identification of authorized HM currently used onboard, identification of potential substitute materials for HM replacement, identification of new cleaning technologies and processes/procedures, and identification of technical documents which will require revision to eliminate the procurement of HMs into the federal supply system. Also discussed will be the anticipated path required to implement the changes into the fleet and automated decision processes (substitution algorithm) currently employed. The paper will also present the most recent technologies identified for approval or additional testing and analysis including: supercritical CO{sub 2} cleaning, high pressure blasting (H{sub 2}O + baking soda), aqueous and semi-aqueous cleaning materials and processes, solvent replacements and dedicated parts washing systems with internal filtering capabilities, automated software for solvent/cleaning process substitute selection. Along with these technological advances, data availability (from on-line databases and CDROM Database libraries) will be identified and discussed.

Electronic Materials Science

Science.gov (United States)

Irene, Eugene A.

2005-02-01

A thorough introduction to fundamental principles and applications From its beginnings in metallurgy and ceramics, materials science now encompasses such high- tech fields as microelectronics, polymers, biomaterials, and nanotechnology. Electronic Materials Science presents the fundamentals of the subject in a detailed fashion for a multidisciplinary audience. Offering a higher-level treatment than an undergraduate textbook provides, this text benefits students and practitioners not only in electronics and optical materials science, but also in additional cutting-edge fields like polymers and biomaterials. Readers with a basic understanding of physical chemistry or physics will appreciate the text's sophisticated presentation of today's materials science. Instructive derivations of important formulae, usually omitted in an introductory text, are included here. This feature offers a useful glimpse into the foundations of how the discipline understands such topics as defects, phase equilibria, and mechanical properties. Additionally, concepts such as reciprocal space, electron energy band theory, and thermodynamics enter the discussion earlier and in a more robust fashion than in other texts. Electronic Materials Science also features: An orientation towards industry and academia drawn from the author's experience in both arenas Information on applications in semiconductors, optoelectronics, photocells, and nanoelectronics Problem sets and important references throughout Flexibility for various pedagogical needs Treating the subject with more depth than any other introductory text, Electronic Materials Science prepares graduate and upper-level undergraduate students for advanced topics in the discipline and gives scientists in associated disciplines a clear review of the field and its leading technologies.

Materials Sciences programs, Fiscal Year 1984

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1984-09-01

This report provides a convenient compilation and index of the DOE Materials Sciences Division programs. The report is divided into six sections. Section A contains all Laboratory projects, Section B has all contract research projects, Section C has projects funded under the Small Business Innovation Research program, Section D has information on DOE collaborative research centers, Section E gives distributions of funding, and Section F has various indexes

Japanese program of materials research for fusion reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hasiguti, R.R.

1982-01-01

The Japanese program of materials research for fusion reactors is described based on the report to the Nuclear Fusion Council, the project research program of the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, and other official documents. The alloy development for the first wall and its radiation damage are the main topics discussed in this paper. Materials viewpoints for the Japanese Tokamak facilities and the problems of irradiation facilities are also discussed. (orig.)

Organic Chemistry in Action! Developing an Intervention Program for Introductory Organic Chemistry to Improve Learners' Understanding, Interest, and Attitudes

Science.gov (United States)

O'Dwyer, Anne; Childs, Peter

2014-01-01

The main areas of difficulty experienced by those teaching and learning organic chemistry at high school and introductory university level in Ireland have been identified, and the findings support previous studies in Ireland and globally. Using these findings and insights from chemistry education research (CER), the Organic Chemistry in Action!…

Computational Inquiry in Introductory Statistics

Science.gov (United States)

Toews, Carl

2017-01-01

Inquiry-based pedagogies have a strong presence in proof-based undergraduate mathematics courses, but can be difficult to implement in courses that are large, procedural, or highly computational. An introductory course in statistics would thus seem an unlikely candidate for an inquiry-based approach, as these courses typically steer well clear of…

MRI Experiments for Introductory Physics

Science.gov (United States)

Taghizadeh, Sanaz; Lincoln, James

2018-01-01

The introductory physics classroom has long educated students about the properties of the atom and the nucleus. But absent from these lessons has been an informed discussion of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and its parent science nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Physics teachers should not miss the opportunity to instruct upon this highly…

Biotechnology by Design: An Introductory Level, Project-Based, Synthetic Biology Laboratory Program for Undergraduate Students.

Science.gov (United States)

Beach, Dale L; Alvarez, Consuelo J

2015-12-01

Synthetic biology offers an ideal opportunity to promote undergraduate laboratory courses with research-style projects, immersing students in an inquiry-based program that enhances the experience of the scientific process. We designed a semester-long, project-based laboratory curriculum using synthetic biology principles to develop a novel sensory device. Students develop subject matter knowledge of molecular genetics and practical skills relevant to molecular biology, recombinant DNA techniques, and information literacy. During the spring semesters of 2014 and 2015, the Synthetic Biology Laboratory Project was delivered to sophomore genetics courses. Using a cloning strategy based on standardized BioBrick genetic "parts," students construct a "reporter plasmid" expressing a reporter gene (GFP) controlled by a hybrid promoter regulated by the lac-repressor protein (lacI). In combination with a "sensor plasmid," the production of the reporter phenotype is inhibited in the presence of a target environmental agent, arabinose. When arabinose is absent, constitutive GFP expression makes cells glow green. But the presence of arabinose activates a second promoter (pBAD) to produce a lac-repressor protein that will inhibit GFP production. Student learning was assessed relative to five learning objectives, using a student survey administered at the beginning (pre-survey) and end (post-survey) of the course, and an additional 15 open-ended questions from five graded Progress Report assignments collected throughout the course. Students demonstrated significant learning gains (p Biology Laboratory Project enhanced their understanding of molecular genetics. The laboratory project is highly adaptable for both introductory and advanced courses.

Materials Sciences programs, fiscal year 1986

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1986-09-01

Purpose of this report is to provide a convenient compilation and index of the DOE Materials Sciences Division programs. The report is divided into six sections. Section A contains all Laboratory projects, Section B has all contract research projects, Section C has projects funded under the Small Business Innovation Research Program, Sections D and E have information on DOE collaborative research centers, Section F gives distribution of funding, and Section G has various indexes

78 FR 19468 - Applications for New Awards; Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program

Science.gov (United States)

2013-04-01

... the introductory years of science and engineering programs. We invite applications for projects that... research courses into the introductory STEM curricula. Expand the use of scientific research and... strong statistical controls for selection bias and for discerning the influence of internal factors...

Materials surveillance program for C-E NSSS reactor vessels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koziol, J.J.

1977-01-01

Irradiation surveillance programs for light water NSSS reactor vessels provide the means by which the utility can assess the extent of neutron-induced changes in the reactor vessel materials. These programs are conducted to verify, by direct measurement, the conservatism in the predicted radiation-induced changes and hence the operational parameters (i.e., heat-up, cooldown, and pressurization rates). In addition, such programs provide assurance that the scheduled adjustments in the operational parameters are made with ample margin for safe operation of the plant. During the past 3 years, several documents have been promulgated establishing the criteria for determining both the initial properties of the reactor vessel materials as well as measurement of changes in these initial properties as a result of irradiation. These documents, ASTM E-185-73, ''Recommended Practice for Surveillance Tests for Nuclear Reactor Vessels,'' and Appendix H to 10 CFR 50, ''Reactor Vessel Material Surveillance Program Requirements,'' are complementary to each other. They are the result of a change in the basic philosophy regarding the design and analysis of reactor vessels. In effect, the empirical ''transition temperature approach,'' which was used for design, was replaced by the ''analytical fracture mechanics approach.'' The implementation of this technique was described in Welding Research Council Bulletin 1975 and Appendix G to ASME Code Section III. Further definition of requirements appears in Appendix G to 10 CFR 50 published in July 1973. It is the intent of this paper to describe (1) a typical materials surveillance program for the reactor vessel of a Combustion Engineering NSSS, and (2) how the results of such programs, as well as experimental programs provide feed-back for improvement of materials to enhance their radiation resistance and thereby further improve the safety and reliability of future plants. (author)

BUILDING MATERIALS RECLAMATION PROGRAM

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

David C. Weggel; Shen-En Chen; Helene Hilger; Fabien Besnard; Tara Cavalline; Brett Tempest; Adam Alvey; Madeleine Grimmer; Rebecca Turner

2010-08-31

This report describes work conducted on the Building Materials Reclamation Program for the period of September 2008 to August 2010. The goals of the project included selecting materials from the local construction and demolition (C&D) waste stream and developing economically viable reprocessing, reuse or recycling schemes to divert them from landfill storage. Educational resources as well as conceptual designs and engineering feasibility demonstrations were provided for various aspects of the work. The project was divided into two distinct phases: Research and Engineering Feasibility and Dissemination. In the Research Phase, a literature review was initiated and data collection commenced, an advisory panel was organized, and research was conducted to evaluate high volume C&D materials for nontraditional use; five materials were selected for more detailed investigations. In the Engineering Feasibility and Dissemination Phase, a conceptual study for a regional (Mecklenburg and surrounding counties) collection and sorting facility was performed, an engineering feasibility project to demonstrate the viability of recycling or reuse schemes was created, the literature review was extended and completed, and pedagogical materials were developed. Over the two-year duration of the project, all of the tasks and subtasks outlined in the original project proposal have been completed. The Final Progress Report, which briefly describes actual project accomplishments versus the tasks/subtasks of the original project proposal, is included in Appendix A of this report. This report describes the scientific/technical aspects (hypotheses, research/testing, and findings) of six subprojects that investigated five common C&D materials. Table 1 summarizes the six subprojects, including the C&D material studied and the graduate student and the faculty advisor on each subproject.

Building Materials Reclamation Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weggel, David C.; Chen, Shen-En; Hilger, Helene; Besnard, Fabien; Cavalline, Tara; Tempest, Brett; Alvey, Adam; Grimmer, Madeleine; Turner, Rebecca

2011-01-01

This report describes work conducted on the Building Materials Reclamation Program for the period of September 2008 to August 2010. The goals of the project included selecting materials from the local construction and demolition (C and D) waste stream and developing economically viable reprocessing, reuse or recycling schemes to divert them from landfill storage. Educational resources as well as conceptual designs and engineering feasibility demonstrations were provided for various aspects of the work. The project was divided into two distinct phases: Research and Engineering Feasibility and Dissemination. In the Research Phase, a literature review was initiated and data collection commenced, an advisory panel was organized, and research was conducted to evaluate high volume C and D materials for nontraditional use; five materials were selected for more detailed investigations. In the Engineering Feasibility and Dissemination Phase, a conceptual study for a regional (Mecklenburg and surrounding counties) collection and sorting facility was performed, an engineering feasibility project to demonstrate the viability of recycling or reuse schemes was created, the literature review was extended and completed, and pedagogical materials were developed. Over the two-year duration of the project, all of the tasks and subtasks outlined in the original project proposal have been completed. The Final Progress Report, which briefly describes actual project accomplishments versus the tasks/subtasks of the original project proposal, is included in Appendix A of this report. This report describes the scientific/technical aspects (hypotheses, research/testing, and findings) of six subprojects that investigated five common C and D materials. Table 1 summarizes the six subprojects, including the C and D material studied and the graduate student and the faculty advisor on each subproject.

Teaching Programming to Liberal Arts Students

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Peter Bøgh; Bennedsen, Jens; Brandorff, Steffen

2003-01-01

In this paper we present a new learning environment to be used in an introductory programming course for studentsthat are non-majors in computer science, more precisely formultimedia students with a liberal arts background. Media-oriented programming adds new requirements to thecraft of programmi...

29 CFR 1977.1 - Introductory statement.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... AND HEALTH ACT OF 1970 General § 1977.1 Introductory statement. (a) The Occupational Safety and Health... Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR... general application designed to regulate employment conditions relating to occupational safety and health...

Factors associated with the success of first-time African American freshmen taking introductory science lecture courses at a private HBCU

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Kendra Leigh

This study had four purposes: (1) to investigate the relationship between performance in introductory biology or introductory chemistry lecture courses and their accompanying laboratory courses, (2) to investigate the relationship between performance in introductory biology or introductory chemistry lecture courses and a student's gender, (3) to investigate the relationship between performance in introductory biology or introductory chemistry lecture courses and a student's major, and (4) to investigate the relationship between performance in introductory biology or introductory chemistry lecture courses and a student's ACT scores. The sample consisted of 195 first--time freshmen who enrolled in and completed an introductory biology or an introductory chemistry lecture and laboratory courses during the fall semesters of 2007-2012. Of the 195 students, 61 were enrolled in introductory chemistry and 134 were enrolled in introductory biology courses. Logistic regression, via the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), was utilized to analyze several variables as they related to success in the lecture courses. Data were extracted from the university's student information system (BANNER), and analyses were conducted on biology and chemistry separately. The dependent variable for this study was a dichotomous variable for success and nonsuccess in introductory biology or introductory chemistry lecture course. The independent variables analyzed were student's gender, major, final grade in an accompanying biology or chemistry laboratory course, and ACT test scores (composite, mathematics, and science). Results indicate that concurrent enrollment in a biology laboratory course increased the likelihood of success by 15.64 times in the lecture course. Gender was found to not be a significant predictor of success for either introductory biology or introductory chemistry lecture courses. STEM majors were 9.6 times more likely to be successful than non-STEM majors in

Bibliography of Ethnic Heritage Studies Program Materials.

Science.gov (United States)

Kotler, Greta; And Others

The Ethnic Heritage Studies Program was designed to teach students about the nature of their heritage and to study the contributions of the cultural heritage of other ethnic groups. This is a bibliography of materials developed by projects which received Federal Ethnic Heritage Studies Program grants during fiscal year 1974-75 and 1975-76.…

Advanced Industrial Materials (AIM) Program. Annual progress report, FY 1994

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sorrell, C.A.

1995-05-01

The Advanced Industrial Materials Program is a part of the Office of Industrial Technologies (OIT), Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy in the Department of Energy. The mission of the AIM Program is to conduct applied research, development, and applications engineering work, in partnership with industry, to commercialize new or improved materials and materials processing methods that will improve energy efficiency, productivity, and competitiveness. AIM is responsible for identifying, supporting, and coordinating multidisciplinary projects to solve identified industrial needs and transferring the technology to the industrial sector. Program investigators in the DOE National Laboratories are working closely with approximately 100 companies, including 15 partners in Cooperative Research and Development Agreements. Work is being done in a wide variety of materials technologies, including intermetallic alloys, ceramic composites, metal composites, polymers, engineered porous materials, and surface modification. The Program supports other efforts in the Office of Industrial Technologies to assist the energy consuming process industries, including forest products, glass, steel, aluminum, foundries, chemicals, and refineries. To support OITs {open_quotes}Industries of the Future{close_quotes} initiatives and to improve the relevance of materials research, assessments of materials needs and opportunities in the process industries are being made. These assessments are being used for program planning and priority setting; support of work to satisfy those needs is being provided. Many new materials that have come into the marketplace in recent years, or that will be available for commercial use within a few more years, offer substantial benefits to society. This document contains 28 reports on advanced materials research. Individual reports have been processed separately for entry onto the Department of Energy databases.

Developing and validating a conceptual survey to assess introductory physics students’ understanding of magnetism

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Jing; Singh, Chandralekha

2017-03-01

Development of validated physics surveys on various topics is important for investigating the extent to which students master those concepts after traditional instruction and for assessing innovative curricula and pedagogies that can improve student understanding significantly. Here, we discuss the development and validation of a conceptual multiple-choice survey related to magnetism suitable for introductory physics courses. The survey was developed taking into account common students’ difficulties with magnetism concepts covered in introductory physics courses found in our investigation and the incorrect choices to the multiple-choice questions were designed based upon those common student difficulties. After the development and validation of the survey, it was administered to introductory physics students in various classes in paper-pencil format before and after traditional lecture-based instruction in relevant concepts. We compared the performance of students on the survey in the algebra-based and calculus-based introductory physics courses before and after traditional lecture-based instruction in relevant magnetism concepts. We discuss the common difficulties of introductory physics students with magnetism concepts we found via the survey. We also administered the survey to upper-level undergraduates majoring in physics and PhD students to benchmark the survey and compared their performance with those of traditionally taught introductory physics students for whom the survey is intended. A comparison with the base line data on the validated magnetism survey from traditionally taught introductory physics courses and upper-level undergraduate and PhD students discussed in this paper can help instructors assess the effectiveness of curricula and pedagogies which is especially designed to help students integrate conceptual and quantitative understanding and develop a good grasp of the concepts. In particular, if introductory physics students’ average

Developing and validating a conceptual survey to assess introductory physics students’ understanding of magnetism

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Jing; Singh, Chandralekha

2017-01-01

Development of validated physics surveys on various topics is important for investigating the extent to which students master those concepts after traditional instruction and for assessing innovative curricula and pedagogies that can improve student understanding significantly. Here, we discuss the development and validation of a conceptual multiple-choice survey related to magnetism suitable for introductory physics courses. The survey was developed taking into account common students’ difficulties with magnetism concepts covered in introductory physics courses found in our investigation and the incorrect choices to the multiple-choice questions were designed based upon those common student difficulties. After the development and validation of the survey, it was administered to introductory physics students in various classes in paper–pencil format before and after traditional lecture-based instruction in relevant concepts. We compared the performance of students on the survey in the algebra-based and calculus-based introductory physics courses before and after traditional lecture-based instruction in relevant magnetism concepts. We discuss the common difficulties of introductory physics students with magnetism concepts we found via the survey. We also administered the survey to upper-level undergraduates majoring in physics and PhD students to benchmark the survey and compared their performance with those of traditionally taught introductory physics students for whom the survey is intended. A comparison with the base line data on the validated magnetism survey from traditionally taught introductory physics courses and upper-level undergraduate and PhD students discussed in this paper can help instructors assess the effectiveness of curricula and pedagogies which is especially designed to help students integrate conceptual and quantitative understanding and develop a good grasp of the concepts. In particular, if introductory physics students’ average

Does Living near Classmates Help Introductory Economics Students Get Better Grades?

Science.gov (United States)

Parker, Jeffrey

2012-01-01

This article examines whether first-year students in introductory economics courses get better grades if they have other students in their on-campus residential unit who either are taking the same course or have taken the course in the past. The study uses nine years of data for the introductory economics course at Reed College. The author finds…

Rethinking Materiality, Memory and Identity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tracy Ireland

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This introductory article  considers and questions exactly how materials and people constitute social worlds and relationships which sustain identity and memory and, in turn, the social and political structures or norms that these attachments invest in, stabilise and maintain.

Segmented fuel irradiation program: investigation on advanced materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uchida, H.; Goto, K.; Sabate, R.; Abeta, S.; Baba, T.; Matias, E. de; Alonso, J.

1999-01-01

The Segmented Fuel Irradiation Program, started in 1991, is a collaboration between the Japanese organisations Nuclear Power Engineering Corporation (NUPEC), the Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc. (KEPCO) representing other Japanese utilities, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI); and the Spanish Organisations Empresa Nacional de Electricidad, S.A. (ENDESA) representing A.N. Vandellos 2, and Empresa Nacional Uranio, S.A. (ENUSA); with the collaboration of Westinghouse. The objective of the Program is to make substantial contribution to the development of advanced cladding and fuel materials for better performance at high burn-up and under operational power transients. For this Program, segmented fuel rods were selected as the most appropriate vehicle to accomplish the aforementioned objective. Thus, a large number of fuel and cladding combinations are provided while minimising the total amount of new material, at the same time, facilitating an eventual irradiation extension in a test reactor. The Program consists of three major phases: phase I: design, licensing, fabrication and characterisation of the assemblies carrying the segmented rods (1991 - 1994); phase II: base irradiation of the assemblies at Vandellos 2 NPP, and on-site examination at the end of four cycles (1994-1999). Phase III: ramp testing at the Studsvik facilities and hot cell PIE (1996-2001). The main fuel design features whose effects on fuel behaviour are being analysed are: alloy composition (MDA and ZIRLO vs. Zircaloy-4); tubing texture; pellet grain size. The Program is progressing satisfactorily as planned. The base irradiation is completed in the first quarter of 1999, and so far, tests and inspections already carried out are providing useful information on the behaviour of the new materials. Also, the Program is delivering a well characterized fuel material, irradiated in a commercial reactor, which can be further used in other fuel behaviour experiments. The paper presents the main

Materials Sciences programs, Fiscal Year 1992

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-02-01

The Materials Sciences Division supports basic research on materials properties and phenomena important to all energy systems. This report contains a listing of research underway in FY 1992 together with an index to the Division's programs. Recent publications from Division-sponsored panel meetings and workshops are listed. The body of the report is arranged under the following section headings: laboratories, grant and contract research, small business innovation research, major user facilities, other user facilities, funding levels, and index

Introductory quantum mechanics for semiconductor nanotechnology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Dae Mann

2010-01-01

The result of the nano education project run by the Korean Nano Technology Initiative, this has been recommended for use as official textbook by the Korean Nanotechnology Research Society. The author is highly experienced in teaching both physics and engineering in academia and industry, and naturally adopts an interdisciplinary approach here. He is short on formulations but long on applications, allowing students to understand the essential workings of quantum mechanics without spending too much time covering the wide realms of physics. He takes care to provide sufficient technical background and motivation for students to pursue further studies of advanced quantum mechanics and stresses the importance of translating quantum insights into useful and tangible innovations and inventions. As such, this is the only work to cover semiconductor nanotechnology from the perspective of introductory quantum mechanics, with applications including mainstream semiconductor technologies as well as (nano)devices, ranging from photodetectors, laser diodes, and solar cells to transistors and Schottky contacts. Problems are also provided to test the reader's understanding and supplementary material available includes working presentation files, solutions and instructors manuals. (orig.)

16 CFR 502.101 - Introductory offers.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... Commercial Practices FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION RULES, REGULATIONS, STATEMENT OF GENERAL POLICY OR... FAIR PACKAGING AND LABELING ACT Retail Sale Price Representations § 502.101 Introductory offers. (a... retail sale at a price lower than the anticipated ordinary and customary retail sale price. (b) The...

Report of the Material Control and Material Accounting Task Force: the role of material control and material accounting in the safeguards program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1978-03-01

Results are presented of NRC Task Force investigations to identify the functions of a safeguards program in relation to the NRC safeguards objective, define the role and objectives of material control and material accounting systems within that program, develop goals for material control and material accounting based on those roles and objectives, assess current material control and material accounting requirements and performance levels in the light of the goals, and recommend future actions needed to attain the proposed goals. It was found that the major contribution of material accounting to the safeguards program is in support of the assurance function. It also can make secondary contributions to the prevention and response functions. In the important area of loss detection, a response measure, it is felt that limitations inherent in material accounting for some fuel cycle operations limit its ability to operate as a primary detection system to detect a five formula kilogram loss with high assurance (defined by the Task Force as a probability of detection of 90 percent or more) and that, in those cases, material accounting can act only in a backup role. Physical security and material control must make the primary contributions to the prevention and detection of theft, so that safeguards do not rely primarily for detection capabilities on material accounting. There are several areas of accounting that require more emphasis than is offered by the current regulatory base. These areas include: timely shipper-receiver difference analysis and reconciliation; a demand physical inventory capability; improved loss localization;discard measurement verification; timely recovery of scrap; improved measurement and record systems; and limits on cumulative inventory differences and shipper-receiver differences. An increased NRC capability for monitoring and analyzing licensee accounting data and more timely and detailed submittals of data to NRC by licensees are recommended

Materials Sciences programs, Fiscal Year 1983

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1983-09-01

The Materials Sciences Division constitutes one portion of a wide range of research supported by the DOE Office of Basic Energy Sciences. This report contains a listing of research underway in FY 1983 together with a convenient index to the program

[Approach to Evidence-based Medicine Exercises Using Flipped Teaching: Introductory Education for Clinical Practice for 4th-Year Pharmacy Students].

Science.gov (United States)

Onda, Mitsuko; Takagaki, Nobumasa

2018-01-01

　Osaka University of Pharmaceutical Sciences has included an evidence-based medicine (EBM) exercise in the introductory education for clinical practice for 4th-year pharmacy students since 2015. The purpose of this exercise is to learn the process of practice and basic concepts of EBM, especially to cultivate the practical ability to solve patients' problems and answer their questions. Additionally, in 2016, we have attempted flipped teaching. The students are instructed to review the basic knowledge necessary for active learning in this exercise by watching video teaching materials and to bring reports summarizing the contents on the flipped teaching days. The program includes short lectures [overview of EBM, document retrieval, randomized controlled trials (RCTs), and systematic review], exercises [patient, intervention, comparison, outcome (PICO) structuring, critical appraisal of papers in small groups with tutors], and presentations. The program includes: step 1, PICO structuring based on scenarios; step 2, critical appraisal of English-language papers on RCTs using evaluation worksheets; and step 3, reviewing the results of the PICO exercise with patients. The results of the review are shared among groups through general discussion. In this symposium, I discuss students' attitudes, the effectiveness of small group discussions using flipped teaching, and future challenges to be addressed in this program.

Collaborative Workshops and Student Academic Performance in Introductory College Mathematics Courses: A Study of a Treisman Model Math Excel Program.

Science.gov (United States)

Duncan, Hollis; Dick, Thomas

2000-01-01

Describes the Treisman model which involves supplemental workshops in which college students solve problems in collaborative learning groups. Reports on the effectiveness of Math Excel, an implementation of the Treisman model for introductory mathematics courses at Oregon State University over five academic terms. Reveals a significant effect on…

Exploring Poetry through Interactive Computer Programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Nimchinsky, Howard; Camp, Jocelyn

The goal of a project was to design, test, and evaluate several computer programs that allow students in introductory literature and poetry courses to explore a poem in detail and, through a dialogue with the program, to develop their own interpretation of it. Computer programs were completed on poems by Robert Frost and W.H. Auden. Both programs…

Program in change: shipment of hazardous materials at the INEL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reed, L.L.

1984-01-01

Positive measures such as education, control, and auditing ability should be incorporated into each hazardous material shipping program to assure compliance with regulations and the safe movement of hazardous materials. This paper discusses these and other pertinent components of a shipping program. 3 references

Liquid Metal Fast Breeder Reactor Program: Argonne facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stephens, S.V.

1976-09-01

The objective of the document is to present in one volume an overview of the Argonne National Laboratory test facilities involved in the conduct of the national LMFBR research and development program. Existing facilities and those under construction or authorized as of September 1976 are described. Each profile presents brief descriptions of the overall facility and its test area and data relating to its experimental and testing capability. The volume is divided into two sections: Argonne-East and Argonne-West. Introductory material for each section includes site and facility maps. The profiles are arranged alphabetically by title according to their respective locations at Argonne-East or Argonne-West. A glossary of acronyms and letter designations in common usage to describe organizations, reactor and test facilities, components, etc., involved in the LMFBR program is appended

Nondestructive materials characterization with applications to aerospace materials

CERN Document Server

Nagy, Peter; Rokhlin, Stanislav

2004-01-01

With an emphasis on aircraft materials, this book describes techniques for the material characterization to detect and quantify degradation processes such as corrosion and fatigue. It introduces readers to these techniques based on x-ray, ultrasonic, optical and thermal principles and demonstrates the potential of the techniques for a wide variety of applications concerning aircraft materials, especially aluminum and titanium alloys. The advantages and disadvantages of various techniques are evaluated. An introductory chapter describes the typical degradation mechanisms that must be considered and the microstructure features that have to be detected by NDE methods. Finally, some approaches for making lifetime predictions are discussed. It is suitable as a textbook in special training courses in advanced NDE and aircraft materials characterization.

Advanced quantum mechanics materials and photons

CERN Document Server

Dick, Rainer

2012-01-01

Advanced Quantum Mechanics: Materials and Photons is a textbook which emphasizes the importance of advanced quantum mechanics for materials science and all experimental techniques which employ photon absorption, emission, or scattering. Important aspects of introductory quantum mechanics are covered in the first seven chapters to make the subject self-contained and accessible for a wide audience. The textbook can therefore be used for advanced undergraduate courses and introductory graduate courses which are targeted towards students with diverse academic backgrounds from the Natural Sciences or Engineering. To enhance this inclusive aspect of making the subject as accessible as possible, Appendices A and B also provide introductions to Lagrangian mechanics and the covariant formulation of electrodynamics. Other special features include an introduction to Lagrangian field theory and an integrated discussion of transition amplitudes with discrete or continuous initial or final states. Once students have acquir...

An Analysis of Learning Objectives and Content Coverage in Introductory Psychology Syllabi

Science.gov (United States)

Homa, Natalie; Hackathorn, Jana; Brown, Carrie M.; Garczynski, Amy; Solomon, Erin D.; Tennial, Rachel; Sanborn, Ursula A.; Gurung, Regan A. R.

2013-01-01

Introductory psychology is one of the most popular undergraduate courses and often serves as the gateway to choosing psychology as an academic major. However, little research has examined the typical structure of introductory psychology courses. The current study examined student learning objectives (SLOs) and course content in introductory…

Agricultural In-Service Needs of Introductory Level Career and Technical Education Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Christensen, Jolene; Warnick, Brian K.; Spielmaker, Debra; Tarpley, Rudy S.; Straquadine, Gary S.

2009-01-01

This study identified and prioritized the agricultural in-service needs of introductory level career and technical education teachers in Utah. The Utah State Board of Education requires that all seventh grade students complete an introductory career and technical education course as their first formal career exploration experience. One component…

Emotion Instruction in Journalism Courses: An Analysis of Introductory News Writing Textbooks

Science.gov (United States)

Hopper, K. Megan; Huxford, John

2017-01-01

This study explores how introductory news writing textbooks address issues surrounding emotional labor and its consequences, both for journalists and for those they interview. Eighteen of the highest-selling introductory news-writing textbooks were selected for qualitative analysis. Results showed the term and concept of emotional labor--the…

Research and Teaching: Reenvisioning the Introductory Science Course as a Cognitive Apprenticeship

Science.gov (United States)

Thompson, Meredith M.; Pastorino, Lucia; Lee, Star; Lipton, Paul

2016-01-01

Introductory science courses play a critical role in the recruitment and retention of undergraduate science majors. In particular, first-year courses are opportunities to engage students in scientific practices and motivate them to consider scientific careers. We developed an introductory course using a semester-long series of established…

New Approach to Analyzing Physics Problems: A Taxonomy of Introductory Physics Problems

Science.gov (United States)

Teodorescu, Raluca E.; Bennhold, Cornelius; Feldman, Gerald; Medsker, Larry

2013-01-01

This paper describes research on a classification of physics problems in the context of introductory physics courses. This classification, called the Taxonomy of Introductory Physics Problems (TIPP), relates physics problems to the cognitive processes required to solve them. TIPP was created in order to design educational objectives, to develop…

Formal training program for nuclear material custodians at Hanford Engineering Development Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scott, D.D.

1979-01-01

Hanford Engineering Development Laboratory (HEDL) has established a formal training program for nuclear material (NM) custodians. The program, designed to familiarize the custodian with the fundamental concepts of proper nuclear materials control and accountability, is conducted on a semiannual basis. The program is prepared and presented by the Safeguards and Materials Management Section of HEDL and covers 14 subjects on accountability, documentation, transportation, custodian responsibilities, and the safeguarding of nuclear material

Introductory Comments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jolanta Sujecka

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Introductory Comments The fifth yearly volume of the Colloquia Humanistica comprises a thematic section on Nation, Natsiya, Ethnie. The subject it discusses has thus far received little attention as a research problem in the Slavia Orthodoxa, the Slavia Romana, the Balkans but also in Central and Eastern Europe.   Uwagi wstępne Piąty numer rocznika "Colloquia Humanistica" przedstawia dział tematyczny, poświęcony kategoriom narodu, nacji i etni. Temat ten, w takiej perspektywie, którą proponujemy, nie spotkał się dotąd z należytym namysłem badawczym w sferze Slavia Otrhodoxa, Slavia Romana i na Bałkanach, jak też w Europie Środkowo-Wschodniej.

The Effect of Problem-Solving Instruction on the Programming Self-efficacy and Achievement of Introductory Computer Science Students

Science.gov (United States)

Maddrey, Elizabeth

Research in academia and industry continues to identify a decline in enrollment in computer science. One major component of this decline in enrollment is a shortage of female students. The primary reasons for the gender gap presented in the research include lack of computer experience prior to their first year in college, misconceptions about the field, negative cultural stereotypes, lack of female mentors and role models, subtle discriminations in the classroom, and lack of self-confidence (Pollock, McCoy, Carberry, Hundigopal, & You, 2004). Male students are also leaving the field due to misconceptions about the field, negative cultural stereotypes, and a lack of self-confidence. Analysis of first year attrition revealed that one of the major challenges faced by students of both genders is a lack of problem-solving skills (Beaubouef, Lucas & Howatt, 2001; Olsen, 2005; Paxton & Mumey, 2001). The purpose of this study was to investigate whether specific, non-mathematical problem-solving instruction as part of introductory programming courses significantly increased computer programming self-efficacy and achievement of students. The results of this study showed that students in the experimental group had significantly higher achievement than students in the control group. While this shows statistical significance, due to the effect size and disordinal nature of the data between groups, care has to be taken in its interpretation. The study did not show significantly higher programming self-efficacy among the experimental students. There was not enough data collected to statistically analyze the effect of the treatment on self-efficacy and achievement by gender. However, differences in means were observed between the gender groups, with females in the experimental group demonstrating a higher than average degree of self-efficacy when compared with males in the experimental group and both genders in the control group. These results suggest that the treatment from this

Gender differences in introductory university physics performance: The influence of high school physics preparation and affect

Science.gov (United States)

Hazari, Zahra Sana

The attrition of females studying physics after high school is a concern to the science education community. Most undergraduate science programs require introductory physics coursework. Thus, success in introductory physics is necessary for students to progress to higher levels of science study. Success also influences attitudes; if females are well-prepared, feel confident, and do well in introductory physics, they may be inclined to study physics further. This quantitative study using multilevel modeling focused on determining factors from high school physics preparation (content, pedagogy, and assessment) and the affective domain that influenced female and male performance in introductory university physics. The study controlled for some university/course level characteristics as well as student demographic and academic background characteristics. The data consisted of 1973 surveys from 54 introductory physics courses within 35 universities across the US. The results highlight high school physics and affective experiences that differentially influenced female and male performance. These experiences include: learning requirements, computer graphing/analysis, long written problems, everyday world examples, community projects, cumulative tests/quizzes, father's encouragement, family's belief that science leads to a better career, and the length of time students believed that high school physics would help in university physics. There were also experiences that had a similar influence on female and male performance. Positively related to performance were: covering fewer topics for longer periods of time, the history of physics as a recurring topic, physics-related videos, and test/quiz questions that involved calculations and/or were drawn from standardized tests. Negatively related to performance were: student-designed projects, reading/discussing labs the day before performing them, microcomputer based laboratories, discussion after demonstrations, and family

Nuclear materials control and accountability internal audit program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barham, M.A.; Abbott, R.R.

1991-01-01

This paper reports that the Department of Energy Order (DOE) 5633.3, Control and Accountability for Nuclear Materials, includes several requirements for development and implementation of an internal audit program. Martin Marietta Energy System, Inc., manages five sites in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Ohio for the DOE Field Office, Oak Ridge and has a Central Nuclear Materials Control and Accountability (NMC and A) Manager with matrixed responsibility for the NMC and A program at the five sites. The Energy Systems Central NMC and A Manager has developed an NMC and A Internal Audit Handbook which defines the functional responsibilities, performance criteria, and reporting and documentation requirements for the Energy Systems NMC and A Internal Audit Program. The initial work to develop and implement these standards was tested at the K-25 Site when the site hired an internal auditor to meet the DOE requirements for an NMC and A Internal Audit program

Introductory Astronomy Course at the University of Cape Town: Probing Student Perspectives

Science.gov (United States)

Rajpaul, Vinesh; Allie, Saalih; Blyth, Sarah-Louise

2014-01-01

We report on research carried out to improve teaching and student engagement in the introductory astronomy course at the University of Cape Town. This course is taken by a diverse range of students, including many from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds. We describe the development of an instrument, the Introductory Astronomy Questionnaire…

Revealing the programming process

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bennedsen, Jens; Caspersen, Michael Edelgaard

2005-01-01

One of the most important goals of an introductory programming course is that the students learn a systematic approach to the development of computer programs. Revealing the programming process is an important part of this; however, textbooks do not address the issue -- probably because...... the textbook medium is static and therefore ill-suited to expose the process of programming. We have found that process recordings in the form of captured narrated programming sessions are a simple, cheap, and efficient way of providing the revelation.We identify seven different elements of the programming...

Introduction to Special Edition (of the Journal of Nuclear Materials Management) on Reducing the Threat from Radioactive Materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mladineo, Stephen V.

2007-01-01

Introductory article for special edition of the JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS MANAGEMENT outlining the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management Nonproliferation and Arms Control Technical Division. In particular the International Nuclear and Radiological Security Standing Committee and its initial focus covering four topical areas--Radiological Threat Reduction, Nuclear Smuggling and Illicit Trafficking, Countering Nuclear Terrorism, and Radiological Terrorism Consequence Management

Mississippi Curriculum Framework for Veterinary Technology (Program CIP: 51.0808--Veterinarian Asst./Animal Health). Postsecondary Programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Mississippi Research and Curriculum Unit for Vocational and Technical Education, State College.

This document, which is intended for use by community and junior colleges throughout Mississippi, contains curriculum frameworks for the course sequences in the veterinary technology program. Presented in the introductory section are a of the program and suggested course sequence. Section I lists baseline competencies, and section II consists of…

Materials Sciences programs. Fiscal year 1982

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1982-09-01

The purpose of this report is to provide a convenient compilation and index of the DOE Materials Sciences Division programs. This compilation is intended for use by administrators, managers, and scientists to help coordinate research and as an aid in selecting new programs. The report is divided into five sections. Section A contains all laboratory projects, Section B has all contract research projects, Section C has information on DOE collaborative research centers, Section D shows distribution of funding, and Section E has various indices

Excerpts from the introductory statement by IAEA Director General. IAEA Board of Governors, Vienna, 9 December 1999

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

ElBaradei, M.

1999-01-01

The document contains excerpts from the Introductory Statement made by the Director General of the IAEA at the IAEA Board of Governors on 9 December 1999. The following aspects from the Agency's activity are briefly presented: IAEA's safeguards, physical protection of nuclear material, the status of Agency's involvement in safeguards verification in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), and Agency's actions in connection with Y2K possible problems

Active Learning Outside the Classroom: Implementation and Outcomes of Peer-Led Team-Learning Workshops in Introductory Biology

OpenAIRE

Kudish, Philip; Shores, Robin; McClung, Alex; Smulyan, Lisa; Vallen, Elizabeth A.; Siwicki, Kathleen K.

2016-01-01

Study group meetings (SGMs) are voluntary-attendance peer-led team-learning workshops that supplement introductory biology lectures at a selective liberal arts college. While supporting all students? engagement with lecture material, specific aims are to improve the success of underrepresented minority (URM) students and those with weaker backgrounds in biology. Peer leaders with experience in biology courses and training in science pedagogy facilitate work on faculty-generated challenge prob...

Item Analysis in Introductory Economics Testing.

Science.gov (United States)

Tinari, Frank D.

1979-01-01

Computerized analysis of multiple choice test items is explained. Examples of item analysis applications in the introductory economics course are discussed with respect to three objectives: to evaluate learning; to improve test items; and to help improve classroom instruction. Problems, costs and benefits of the procedures are identified. (JMD)

The Nature of Introductory Economics Courses

Science.gov (United States)

Koscielniak, James

1975-01-01

A questionnaire was developed to determine the content, mode of instruction, approach, and textbook selection of instructors of introductory economics courses. The survey was distributed in 1974 to 143 economics instructors at two- and four-year colleges in Illinois. Results are presented here, and recommendations are made. (Author/NHM)

Programming in Context

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bennedsen, J.; Caspersen, M.E.

2004-01-01

The recommendations of the Joint Task Force on Computing Curricula 2001 encompass suggestions for an object-first introductory programming course. We have identified conceptual modeling as a lacking perspective in the suggestions for CS1. Conceptual modeling is the defining characteristic of object...... approach to programming; both of these are a big help to newcomers. The approach has a very positive impact on the number of students passing the course....

Next Generation Nuclear Plant Materials Research and Development Program Plan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

G.O. Hayner; R.L. Bratton; R.N. Wright

2005-09-01

The U.S Department of Energy (DOE) has selected the Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR) design for the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) Project. The NGNP will demonstrate the use of nuclear power for electricity and hydrogen production without greenhouse gas emissions. The reactor design will be a graphite moderated, helium-cooled, prismatic or pebble-bed, thermal neutron spectrum reactor that will produce electricity and hydrogen in a state-of-the-art thermodynamically efficient manner. The NGNP will use very high burn-up, low-enriched uranium, TRISO-coated fuel and have a projected plant design service life of 60 years. The VHTR concept is considered to be the nearest-term reactor design that has the capability to efficiently produce hydrogen. The plant size, reactor thermal power, and core configuration will ensure passive decay heat removal without fuel damage or radioactive material releases during accidents. The NGNP Project is envisioned to demonstrate the following: (1) A full-scale prototype VHTR by about 2021; (2) High-temperature Brayton Cycle electric power production at full scale with a focus on economic performance; (3) Nuclear-assisted production of hydrogen (with about 10% of the heat) with a focus on economic performance; and (4) By test, the exceptional safety capabilities of the advanced gas-cooled reactors. Further, the NGNP program will: (1) Obtain a Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) License to construct and operate the NGNP, this process will provide a basis for future performance based, risk-informed licensing; and (2) Support the development, testing, and prototyping of hydrogen infrastructures. The NGNP Materials Research and Development (R&D) Program is responsible for performing R&D on likely NGNP materials in support of the NGNP design, licensing, and construction activities. The NGNP Materials R&D Program includes the following elements: (1) Developing a specific approach, program plan and other project management tools for

Quantifying the Level of Inquiry in a Reformed Introductory Geology Lab Course

Science.gov (United States)

Moss, Elizabeth; Cervato, Cinzia

2016-01-01

As part of a campus-wide effort to transform introductory science courses to be more engaging and more accurately convey the excitement of discovery in science, the curriculum of an introductory physical geology lab course was redesigned. What had been a series of ''cookbook'' lab activities was transformed into a sequence of activities based on…

Materials Sciences Programs. Fiscal Year 1985

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1985-09-01

The purpose of this report is to provide a convenient compilation and index of the DOE Materials Sciences Division programs. This compilation is primarily intended for use by administrators, managers, and scientists to help coordinate research. The report is divided into six sections. Section A contains all Laboratory projects, Section B has all contract research projects, Section C has projects funded under the Small Business Innovation Research Program, Sections D and E have information on DOE collaborative research centers, Section F gives distribution of funding, and Section G has various indexes

An Introductory Calculus-Based Mechanics Investigation

Science.gov (United States)

Allen, Bradley

2017-01-01

One challenge for the introductory physics teacher is incorporating calculus techniques into the laboratory setting. It can be difficult to strike a balance between presenting an experimental task for which calculus is essential and making the mathematics accessible to learners who may be apprehensive about applying it. One-dimensional kinematics…

Macromod: Computer Simulation For Introductory Economics

Science.gov (United States)

Ross, Thomas

1977-01-01

The Macroeconomic model (Macromod) is a computer assisted instruction simulation model designed for introductory economics courses. An evaluation of its utilization at a community college indicates that it yielded a 10 percent to 13 percent greater economic comprehension than lecture classes and that it met with high student approval. (DC)

29 CFR 782.0 - Introductory statement.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... one place general interpretations of the Administrator which will provide “a practical guide to... CERTAIN EMPLOYEES OF MOTOR CARRIERS § 782.0 Introductory statement. (a) Since the enactment of the Fair... seek to apply it.” (Skidmore v. Swift & Co., 323 U.S. 134) (b) The interpretations contained in this...

29 CFR 531.25 - Introductory statement.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... such interpretations of this Act “provide a practical guide to employers and employees as to how the... PAYMENTS UNDER THE FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT OF 1938 Interpretations § 531.25 Introductory statement. (a... responsibilities of administration and enforcement (Skidmore v. Swift, 323 U.S. 134). In order that these positions...

FWP executive summaries, Basic Energy Sciences Materials Sciences Programs (SNL/NM)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Samara, G.A.

1997-05-01

The BES Materials Sciences Program has the central theme of Scientifically Tailored Materials. The major objective of this program is to combine Sandia`s expertise and capabilities in the areas of solid state sciences, advanced atomic-level diagnostics and materials synthesis and processing science to produce new classes of tailored materials as well as to enhance the properties of existing materials for US energy applications and for critical defense needs. Current core research in this program includes the physics and chemistry of ceramics synthesis and processing, the use of energetic particles for the synthesis and study of materials, tailored surfaces and interfaces for materials applications, chemical vapor deposition sciences, artificially-structured semiconductor materials science, advanced growth techniques for improved semiconductor structures, transport in unconventional solids, atomic-level science of interfacial adhesion, high-temperature superconductors, and the synthesis and processing of nano-size clusters for energy applications. In addition, the program includes the following three smaller efforts initiated in the past two years: (1) Wetting and Flow of Liquid Metals and Amorphous Ceramics at Solid Interfaces, (2) Field-Structured Anisotropic Composites, and (3) Composition-Modulated Semiconductor Structures for Photovoltaic and Optical Technologies. The latter is a joint effort with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Separate summaries are given of individual research areas.

The Development of a Set of Core Communication Competencies for Introductory Communication Courses

Science.gov (United States)

Engleberg, Isa N.; Ward, Susan M.; Disbrow, Lynn M.; Katt, James A.; Myers, Scott A.; O'Keefe, Patricia

2017-01-01

In most academic disciplines, there is "one" introductory course that presents an overview of the discipline and introduces fundamental, discipline-specific principles and competencies. However, in Communication Studies, the discipline recognizes and offers multiple course options that may serve as the introductory course. This project…

Advanced quantum mechanics materials and photons

CERN Document Server

Dick, Rainer

2016-01-01

In this updated and expanded second edition of a well-received and invaluable textbook, Prof. Dick emphasizes the importance of advanced quantum mechanics for materials science and all experimental techniques which employ photon absorption, emission, or scattering. Important aspects of introductory quantum mechanics are covered in the first seven chapters to make the subject self-contained and accessible for a wide audience. Advanced Quantum Mechanics, Materials and Photons can therefore be used for advanced undergraduate courses and introductory graduate courses which are targeted towards students with diverse academic backgrounds from the Natural Sciences or Engineering. To enhance this inclusive aspect of making the subject as accessible as possible Appendices A and B also provide introductions to Lagrangian mechanics and the covariant formulation of electrodynamics. This second edition includes an additional 62 new problems as well as expanded sections on relativistic quantum fields and applications of�...

Excerpts from the introductory statement. IAEA Board of Governors. Vienna, 19 March 2001

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

ElBaradei, M.

2000-01-01

In his introductory statement to the IAEA Board of Governors, the IAEA Director General gave an overview of the Agency's activities regarding technological issues in nuclear power and non-power applications; safety issues related to nuclear power plants and research reactors; decommissioning of nuclear facilities; safety of radiation sources; and marine transport of radioactive materials. Further in the document he gives a brief description of the Agency's activities in the field of nuclear verification; Agency's participation in a field mission to Kosovo on environmental assessment of the consequences of the use of depleted uranium in ammunition; safety standards discussions with ICAO

Ukrainian Program for Material Science in Microgravity

Science.gov (United States)

Fedorov, Oleg

Ukrainian Program for Material Sciences in Microgravity O.P. Fedorov, Space Research Insti-tute of NASU -NSAU, Kyiv, The aim of the report is to present previous and current approach of Ukrainian research society to the prospect of material sciences in microgravity. This approach is based on analysis of Ukrainian program of research in microgravity, preparation of Russian -Ukrainian experiments on Russian segment of ISS and development of new Ukrainian strategy of space activity for the years 2010-2030. Two parts of issues are discussed: (i) the evolution of our views on the priorities in microgravity research (ii) current experiments under preparation and important ground-based results. item1 The concept of "space industrialization" and relevant efforts in Soviet and post -Soviet Ukrainian research institutions are reviewed. The main topics are: melt supercooling, crystal growing, testing of materials, electric welding and study of near-Earth environment. The anticipated and current results are compared. item 2. The main experiments in the framework of Ukrainian-Russian Research Program for Russian Segment of ISS are reviewed. Flight installations under development and ground-based results of the experiments on directional solidification, heat pipes, tribological testing, biocorrosion study is presented. Ground-based experiments and theoretical study of directional solidification of transparent alloys are reviewed as well as preparation of MORPHOS installation for study of succinonitrile -acetone in microgravity.

An Analysis of Introductory Programming Courses at UK Universities

OpenAIRE

Murphy, Ellen; Crick, Tom; Davenport, James H.

2016-01-01

Context: In the context of exploring the art, science and engineering of programming, the question of which programming languages should be taught first has been fiercely debated since computer science teaching started in universities. Failure to grasp programming readily almost certainly implies failure to progress in computer science. Inquiry: What first programming languages are being taught? There have been regular national-scale surveys in Australia and New Zealand, with the only US surv...

Inference and the Introductory Statistics Course

Science.gov (United States)

Pfannkuch, Maxine; Regan, Matt; Wild, Chris; Budgett, Stephanie; Forbes, Sharleen; Harraway, John; Parsonage, Ross

2011-01-01

This article sets out some of the rationale and arguments for making major changes to the teaching and learning of statistical inference in introductory courses at our universities by changing from a norm-based, mathematical approach to more conceptually accessible computer-based approaches. The core problem of the inferential argument with its…

"World Religions" in Introductory Sociology Textbooks

Science.gov (United States)

Carroll, Michael P.

2017-01-01

A section on "world religions" (WRs) is now routinely included in the religion chapters of introductory sociology textbooks. Looking carefully at these WR sections, however, two things seem puzzling. The first is that the criteria for defining a WR varies considerably from textbook to textbook; the second is that these WRs sections…

Making Introductory Quantum Physics Understandable and Interesting

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Home; Journals; Resonance – Journal of Science Education; Volume 10; Issue 1. Making Introductory Quantum Physics Understandable and Interesting. Ranjana Y Abhang. Classroom Volume 10 Issue 1 January 2005 pp 63-73. Fulltext. Click here to view fulltext PDF. Permanent link:

A Tale of Two Sections: An Experiment to Compare the Effectiveness of a Hybrid versus a Traditional Lecture Format in Introductory Microbiology

Science.gov (United States)

Adams, Alison E. M.; Randall, Shelby; Traustadóttir, Tinna

2015-01-01

Two sections of an introductory microbiology course were taught by one instructor. One was taught through a hybrid format and the other through a traditional format. Students were randomly assigned to the two sections. Both sections were provided with identical lecture materials, in-class worksheets, in-class assessments, and extra credit…

Sandia National Laboratories, California Hazardous Materials Management Program annual report : February 2009.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brynildson, Mark E.

2009-02-01

The annual program report provides detailed information about all aspects of the Sandia National Laboratories, California (SNL/CA) Hazardous Materials Management Program. It functions as supporting documentation to the SNL/CA Environmental anagement ystem Program Manual. This program annual report describes the activities undertaken during the past year, and activities planned in future years to implement the Hazardous Materials Management Program, one of six programs that supports environmental management at SNL/CA.

Analysis of the Impact of Introductory Physics on Engineering Students at Texas A&M University

Science.gov (United States)

Perry, Jonathan; Bassichis, William

Introductory physics forms a major part of the foundational knowledge of engineering majors, independent of discipline and institution. While the content of introductory physics courses is consistent from institution to institution, the manner in which it is taught can vary greatly due to professor, textbook, instructional method, and overall course design. This work attempts to examine variations in student success, as measured by overall academic performance in an engineering major, and matriculation rates, based on the type of introductory physics a student took while enrolled in an engineering degree at Texas A&M University. Specific options for introductory physics at Texas A&M University include two calculus based physics courses, one traditional (UP), and one more mathematically rigorous (DP), transfer credit, and high school (AP or dual) credit. In order to examine the impact of introductory physics on a student's degree progression, data mining analyses are performed on a data set of relatively comprehensive academic records for all students enrolled as an engineering major for a minimum of one academic term. Student data has been collected for years of entering freshman beginning in 1990 and ending in 2010. Correlations will be examined between freshman level courses, including introductory physics, and follow on engineering courses, matriculation rates, and time to graduation.

Transversality of Electromagnetic Waves in the Calculus--Based Introductory Physics Course

Science.gov (United States)

Burko, Lior M.

2009-05-01

Introductory calculus--based physics textbooks state that electromagnetic waves are transverse and list many of their properties, but most such textbooks do not bring forth arguments why this is so. Both physical and theoretical arguments are at a level appropriate for students of courses based on such books, and could be readily used by instructors of such courses. Here, we discuss two physical arguments (based on polarization experiments and on lack of monopole electromagnetic radiation), and the full argument for the transversality of (plane) electromagnetic waves based on the integral Maxwell equations. We also show, at a level appropriate for the introductory course, why the electric and magnetic fields in a wave are in phase and the relation of their magnitudes. We have successfully integrated this approach in the calculus--based introductory physics course at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.

Implementation of InTeGrate Modules into Introductory Courses in the El Paso Higher Education Community

Science.gov (United States)

Doser, D. I.; Villalobos, J. I.; Henry, I. E.

2014-12-01

InTeGrate (Interdisciplinary Teaching about Earth for a Sustainable Future) has developed teaching modules that focus on Earth sustainability and Earth-centered societal issues. We have begun to implement modules on climate change, earth materials and freshwater into introductory geology and environmental science courses taught at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), El Paso Community College (EPCC) and local early college high schools (ECHS) for classes of 20 to 220 students. Our eventual goal is to insure students taking introductory classes at any institution will be exposed to comparable content and be similarly prepared for advanced courses. Our initial results suggest that the modules' use of case studies and analysis of authentic data sets are very appealing to our student body (over 70% Hispanic). Since many students do not speak English at home, they were challenged by vocabulary presented in some modules. Modules containing glossaries and extensive background material (such as concept maps and annotated figures) proved very helpful to these students. The use of pre-activity quizzes insured that the students had mastered basic concepts needed for in-class activities. Modifications required to teach these modules in larger classes included condensing materials and reducing the amount of color figures to save paper and printer costs, streamlining dissemination/collection of in-class group assignments, and adapting assignments such as jigsaws and gallery walks to the confines of a large lecture hall with fixed seating. Student reflections indicated students were able to make connections to societal issues and retain these ideas through the end of the courses.

Next Generation Nuclear Plant Materials Research and Development Program Plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

G.O. Hayner; R.L. Bratton; R.N. Wright

2005-01-01

The U.S Department of Energy (DOE) has selected the Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR) design for the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) Project. The NGNP will demonstrate the use of nuclear power for electricity and hydrogen production without greenhouse gas emissions. The reactor design will be a graphite moderated, helium-cooled, prismatic or pebble-bed, thermal neutron spectrum reactor that will produce electricity and hydrogen in a state-of-the-art thermodynamically efficient manner. The NGNP will use very high burn-up, low-enriched uranium, TRISO-coated fuel and have a projected plant design service life of 60 years. The VHTR concept is considered to be the nearest-term reactor design that has the capability to efficiently produce hydrogen. The plant size, reactor thermal power, and core configuration will ensure passive decay heat removal without fuel damage or radioactive material releases during accidents. The NGNP Project is envisioned to demonstrate the following: (1) A full-scale prototype VHTR by about 2021; (2) High-temperature Brayton Cycle electric power production at full scale with a focus on economic performance; (3) Nuclear-assisted production of hydrogen (with about 10% of the heat) with a focus on economic performance; and (4) By test, the exceptional safety capabilities of the advanced gas-cooled reactors. Further, the NGNP program will: (1) Obtain a Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) License to construct and operate the NGNP, this process will provide a basis for future performance based, risk-informed licensing; and (2) Support the development, testing, and prototyping of hydrogen infrastructures. The NGNP Materials Research and Development (R and D) Program is responsible for performing R and D on likely NGNP materials in support of the NGNP design, licensing, and construction activities. The NGNP Materials R and D Program includes the following elements: (1) Developing a specific approach, program plan and other project management

Enhancing the Teaching of Introductory Economics with a Team-Based, Multi-Section Competition

Science.gov (United States)

Beaudin, Laura; Berdiev, Aziz N.; Kaminaga, Allison Shwachman; Mirmirani, Sam; Tebaldi, Edinaldo

2017-01-01

The authors describe a unique approach to enhancing student learning at the introductory economics level that utilizes a multi-section, team-based competition. The competition is structured to supplement learning throughout the entire introductory course. Student teams are presented with current economic issues, trends, or events, and use economic…

Introducing Object-Oriented Programming

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Caspersen, Michael Edelgaard

2008-01-01

The practice of teaching programming at universities, colleges and high schools went through a major change roughly in the mid 1990s: The teaching of objectorientation in introductory courses slowly became mainstream. Fairly soon, the Object First or Objects Early school of thought was formulated...

Enhancing materials management programs in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hassaballa, M.M.; Malak, S.M.

1992-01-01

Materials management programs for the nuclear utilities in the United States are continually being affected, concurrent with the gradual disappearance of qualified component and replacement parts vendors by regulatory concerns about procurement and materials management. In addition, current economic and competitive pressures are forcing utilities to seek avenues for reducing procurement costs for safety-related items. In response to these concerns, initiatives have been undertaken and engineering guidelines have been developed by the nuclear power industry-sponsored organizations, such as the Electric Power Research Institute and the Nuclear Management Resources Council. It is our experience that successful materials management programs require a multitude of engineering disciplines and experience and are composed of three major elements: strategic procurement plan, parts classification and procurement data base, and enhancement tools. This paper provides a brief description of each of the three elements

Exploring Urban America: An Introductory Reader.

Science.gov (United States)

Caves, Roger W.

This introductory text presents a collection of articles from urban-studies journals to introduce undergraduate students to the interdisciplinary field of urban studies. The book is divided into 9 parts as follows: Part 1: Cities and Urbanism; part 2: Urban History; part 3: Urban Policy; part 4: Economic Development; part 5: Community Services and…

Using Short Videos in an Introductory Programming Course

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nørmark, Kurt

2014-01-01

Video resources are gradually being introduced in a first year programming course. The course is about imperative programming in C. After each of the first two years with video lectures the students have been asked about their assessments and opinions. The main parts of the paper are based on evi...... experience we also carry out a discussion of future plans for using video resources in the course....

Teaching Quantum Mechanics on an Introductory Level.

Science.gov (United States)

Muller, Rainer; Wiesner, Hartmut

2002-01-01

Presents a new research-based course on quantum mechanics in which the conceptual issues of quantum mechanics are taught at an introductory level. Involves students in the discovery of how quantum phenomena deviate from classical everyday experiences. (Contains 31 references.) (Author/YDS)

Mississippi Curriculum Framework for Fashion Marketing Technology (Program CIP: 08.0101--Apparel and Accessories Mkt. Op., Gen.). Postsecondary Programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Mississippi Research and Curriculum Unit for Vocational and Technical Education, State College.

This document, which is intended for use by community and junior colleges throughout Mississippi, contains curriculum frameworks for the course sequences in the fashion marketing technology programs cluster. Presented in the introductory section are a description of the program and suggested course sequence. Section I lists baseline competencies,…

Multiyear Program Plan for the High Temperature Materials Laboratory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arvid E. Pasto

2000-03-17

Recently, the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Heavy Vehicle Technologies (OHVT) prepared a Technology Roadmap describing the challenges facing development of higher fuel efficiency, less polluting sport utility vehicles, vans, and commercial trucks. Based on this roadmap, a multiyear program plan (MYPP) was also developed, in which approaches to solving the numerous challenges are enumerated. Additional planning has been performed by DOE and national laboratory staff, on approaches to solving the numerous challenges faced by heavy vehicle system improvements. Workshops and planning documents have been developed concerning advanced aerodynamics, frictional and other parasitic losses, and thermal management. Similarly, the Heavy Vehicle Propulsion Materials Program has developed its own multiyear program plan. The High Temperature Materials Laboratory, a major user facility sponsored by OHVT, has now developed its program plan, described herein. Information was gathered via participation in the development of OHVT's overall Technology Roadmap and MYPP, through personal contacts within the materials-user community, and from attendance at conferences and expositions. Major materials issues for the heavy vehicle industry currently center on trying to increase efficiency of (diesel) engines while at the same time reducing emissions (particularly NO{sub x} and particulates). These requirements dictate the use of increasingly stronger, higher-temperature capable and more corrosion-resistant materials of construction, as well as advanced catalysts, particulate traps, and other pollution-control devices. Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) is a technique which will certainly be applied to diesel engines in the near future, and its use represents a formidable challenge, as will be described later. Energy-efficient, low cost materials processing methods and surface treatments to improve wear, fracture, and corrosion resistance are also required.

Peer Learning as a Tool to Strengthen Math Skills in Introductory Chemistry Laboratories

Science.gov (United States)

Srougi, Melissa C.; Miller, Heather B.

2018-01-01

Math skills vary greatly among students enrolled in introductory chemistry courses. Students with weak math skills (algebra and below) tend to perform poorly in introductory chemistry courses, which is correlated with increased attrition rates. Previous research has shown that retention of main ideas in a peer learning environment is greater when…

Radiation damage calculations for the APT materials test program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Corzine, R.K.; Wechsler, M.S.; Dudziak, D.J.; Ferguson, P.D.; James, M.R.

1999-01-01

A materials irradiation was performed at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) in the fall of 1996 and spring of 1997 in support of the Accelerator Production of Tritium (APT) program. Testing of the irradiated materials is underway. In the proposed APT design, materials in the target and blanket are to be exposed to protons and neutrons over a wide range of energies. The irradiation and testing program was undertaken to enlarge the very limited direct knowledge presently available of the effects of medium-energy protons (∼1 GeV) on the properties of engineering materials. APT candidate materials were placed in or near the LANSCE accelerator 800-MeV, 1-mA proton beam and received roughly the same proton current density in the center of the beam as would be the case for the APT facility. As a result, the proton fluences achieved in the irradiation were expected to approach the APT prototypic full-power-year values. To predict accurately the performance of materials in APT, radiation damage parameters for the materials experiment must be determined. By modeling the experiment, calculations for atomic displacement, helium and hydrogen cross sections and for proton and neutron fluences were done for representative samples in the 17A, 18A, and 18C areas. The LAHET code system (LCS) was used to model the irradiation program, LAHET 2.82 within LCS transports protons > 1 MeV, and neutrons >20 MeV. A modified version of MCNP for use in LCS, HMCNP 4A, was employed to tally neutrons of energies <20 MeV

Practical C programming

CERN Document Server

Oualline, Steve

1997-01-01

There are lots of introductory C books, but this is the first one that has the no-nonsense, practical approach that has made Nutshell Handbooks® famous. C programming is more than just getting the syntax right. Style and debugging also play a tremendous part in creating programs that run well and are easy to maintain. This book teaches you not only the mechanics of programming, but also describes how to create programs that are easy to read, debug, and update. Practical rules are stressed. For example, there are fifteen precedence rules in C (&& comes before || comes before ?:). The practi

U.S. fast reactor materials and structures program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harms, W.O.; Purdy, C.M.

1984-01-01

The U.S. DOE has sponsored a vigorous breeder reactor materials and structures program for 15 years. Important contributions have resulted from this effort in the areas of design (inelastic rules, verified methods, seismic criteria, mechanical properties data); resolution of licensing issues (technical witnessing, confirmatory testing); construction (fabrication/welding procedures, nondestructive testing techniques); and operation (sodium purification, instrumentation and chemical analysis, radioactivity control, and in-service inspection. The national LMFBR program currently is being restructured. The Materials and Structures Program will focus its efforts in the following areas: (1) removal of anticipated licensing impediments through confirmation of the adequacy of structural design methods and criteria for components containing welds and geometric discontinuities, the generation of mechanical properties for stainless steel castings and weldments, and the evaluation of irradiation effects; (2) qualification of modified 9 Cr-1 Mo steel and tribological coatings for design flexibility; (3) development of improved inelastic design guidelines and procedures; (4) reform of design codes and standards and engineering practices, leading to simpler, less conservative rules and to simplified design analysis methods; and (5) incorporation of information from foreign program

U.S. Advanced Materials Development Program for steam generators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Patriarca, P.; Harkness, S.D.; Duke, J.M.

1975-01-01

The selection of construction materials for LMFBR steam generators is reviewed, presenting the advantages and limitations of 2 1 / 2 Cr-1 Mo steel selected for the Clinch River Breeder Reactor Plant. These limitations indicate that further development of high-strength ferritic steels containing 9 to 12 percent Cr and the high-nickel Alloy 800 could lead to superior materials, and programs to develop these materials have been started. Combustion Engineering has surveyed the experience with the high-strength ferritic steels and prepared ingots of 26 selected compositions. Charpy V-notch tests and metallography have been used to characterize these alloys, and optimum welding rod compositions for these alloys are under development. Westinghouse-Tampa is undertaking a program to gain code acceptance of Alloy 800. A program has been set up to provide the information required for design, justification, and fabrication of reliable components. Progress has been made on characterization, the role of tertiary creep in failure, and the development of welding processes. (U.S.)

Development of in-plant real-time materials control: the DYMAC program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Augustson, R.H.

1976-01-01

LASL is in the process of developing a dynamic materials control program, called DYMAC, to provide the technology for stringent real-time nuclear materials control. The DYMAC program combines hardware and software into four component subsystems: nondestructive assay (NDA), instrumentation, data acquisition, data base management, and real-time accountability. To demonstrate the feasibility of DYMAC, a working real-time materials control system will be installed at the new plutonium facility presently under construction at LASL. Program emphasis is on developing practical solutions to generic problems and communicating those solutions to other installations for use throughout the nuclear fuel cycle

Multimedia programming with pure data

CERN Document Server

Chung, Bryan

2013-01-01

A quick and comprehensive tutorial book for media designers to jump-start interactive multimedia production with computer graphics, digital audio, digital video, and interactivity, using the Pure Data graphical programming environment.An introductory book on multimedia programming for media artists/designers who like to work on interactivity in their projects, digital art/design students who like to learn the first multimedia programming technique, and audio-visual performers who like to customize their performance sets

Behaviorism, latent learning, and cognitive maps: needed revisions in introductory psychology textbooks.

Science.gov (United States)

Jensen, Robert

2006-01-01

This paper critically assesses the scholarship in introductory psychology textbooks in relation to the topic of latent learning. A review of the treatment of latent learning in 48 introductory psychology textbooks published between 1948 and 2004, with 21 of these texts published since 1999, reveals that the scholarship on the topic of latent learning demonstrated in introductory textbooks warrants improvement. Errors that persist in textbooks include the assertion that the latent learning experiments demonstrate unequivocally that reinforcement was not necessary for learning to occur, that behavioral theories could not account for the results of the latent learning experiments, that B. F. Skinner was an S-R association behaviorist who argued that reinforcement is necessary for learning to occur, and that because behavioral theories (including that of B. F. Skinner) were unable explain the results of the latent learning experiments the cognitive map invoked by Edward Tolman is the only explanation for latent learning. Finally, the validity of the cognitive map is typically accepted without question. Implications of the presence of these errors for students and the discipline are considered. Lastly, remedies are offered to improve the scholarship found in introductory psychology textbooks.

Mechanical properties test program on structural materials in a sodium environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Natesan, K.; Chopra, O.K.; Kassner, T.F.

1979-10-01

This document describes in detail the ongoing and planned US Test program on the mechanical properties of sodium-exposed Type 316 austenitic stainless and Fe-2 1/4 Cr-1 Mo ferritic steels. The test program is based on the Development Requirement Specifications (DRS) established by the DOE/Clinch River Breeder Reactor Project (CRBRP) Program Office, the general need for the development of LMFBR structural-design criteria established by the Nuclear Systems Materials Handbook, and the need for a fundamental understanding of materials behavior in a sodium environment, which is generic to LMFBR systems. The planned test program is an extension of work based on current knowledge of sodium chemistry and the influence of sodium purity on the mechanical properties of structural materials

Improving student understanding in web programming material through multimedia adventure games

Science.gov (United States)

Fitriasari, N. S.; Ashiddiqi, M. F.; Nurdin, E. A.

2018-05-01

This study aims to make multimedia adventure games and find out the improvement of learners’ understanding after being given treatment of using multimedia adventure game in learning Web Programming. Participants of this study are students of class X (ten) in one of the Vocational Schools (SMK) in Indonesia. The material of web programming is a material that difficult enough to be understood by the participant therefore needed tools to facilitate the participants to understand the material. Solutions offered in this study is by using multimedia adventures game. Multimedia has been created using Construct2 and measured understood with method Non-equivalent Control Group Design. Pre-test and post-test has given to learners who received treatment using the multimedia adventure showed increase in understanding web programming material.

Materials Sciences programs, Fiscal year 1993

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1994-02-01

This report provides a compilation and index of the DOE Materials Sciences Division programs; the compilation is to assist administrators, managers, and scientists to help coordinate research. The report is divided into 7 sections: laboratory projects, contract research projects, small business innovation research, major user facilities, other user facilities, funding level distributions, and indexes.

A Tale of Two Sections: An Experiment to Compare the Effectiveness of a Hybrid versus a Traditional Lecture Format in Introductory Microbiology

OpenAIRE

Adams, Alison E. M.; Randall, Shelby; Traustad?ttir, Tinna

2015-01-01

Two sections of an introductory microbiology course were taught by one instructor. One was taught through a hybrid format and the other through a traditional format. Students were randomly assigned to the two sections. Both sections were provided with identical lecture materials, in-class worksheets, in-class assessments, and extra credit opportunities; the main difference was in the way the lecture material was delivered?online for the hybrid section and in person for the traditional section...

78 FR 67025 - Domestic Requests for Broadcasting Board of Governors Program Materials

Science.gov (United States)

2013-11-08

... copyrighted materials. List of Subjects in 22 CFR Part 502 Broadcasting, Foreign relations, News media, Public... Agency program materials should be directed to: (a) The Voice of America Office of Public Relations for... from members of the public, organizations, and media, for program materials disseminated by BBG abroad...

Systematic Literature Review Protocol: Teaching Novices Programming Using Robots

Science.gov (United States)

Major, Louis

2010-01-01

Teaching computer programming to novices is a difficult task due to the complex nature of the subject, as negative stereotypes are associated with programming and because introductory programming courses often fail to encourage student understanding. This Protocol outlines the plan that is to be followed in order to investigate the effectiveness…

Integrated Circuits in the Introductory Electronics Laboratory

Science.gov (United States)

English, Thomas C.; Lind, David A.

1973-01-01

Discusses the use of an integrated circuit operational amplifier in an introductory electronics laboratory course for undergraduate science majors. The advantages of this approach and the implications for scientific instrumentation are identified. Describes a number of experiments suitable for the undergraduate laboratory. (Author/DF)

Barriers to Teaching Introductory Physical Geography Online

Science.gov (United States)

Ritter, Michael E.

2012-01-01

Learning geography online is becoming an option for more students but not without controversy. Issues of faculty resources, logistics, professional recognition, and pedagogical concerns are cited as barriers to teaching online. Offering introductory physical geography online presents special challenges. As a general education course, an…

Notes on radiation effects on materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anno, J.N.

1984-01-01

The effects of radiation from nuclear reactions on various classes of materials are examined in an introductory textbook for students of nuclear engineering. Topics discussed include the units and general scale of radiation damage, fundamental interactions of neutrons and gamma rays with materials, transient radiation effects on electrical components, radiation effects on organic materials and on steels, nuclear fission effects, surface effects of nuclear radiations, radiation effects on biological material, and neutron and gamma-ray dosimetry. Graphs, diagrams, tables of numerical data, and problems for each chapter are provided. 122 references

Just the Facts? Introductory Undergraduate Biology Courses Focus on Low-Level Cognitive Skills

Science.gov (United States)

Momsen, Jennifer L.; Long, Tammy M.; Wyse, Sara A.; Ebert-May, Diane

2010-01-01

Introductory biology courses are widely criticized for overemphasizing details and rote memorization of facts. Data to support such claims, however, are surprisingly scarce. We sought to determine whether this claim was evidence-based. To do so we quantified the cognitive level of learning targeted by faculty in introductory-level biology courses.…

Stimulating Situational Interest and Student Questioning through Three Types of Historical Introductory Texts

Science.gov (United States)

Logtenberg, Albert; van Boxtel, Carla; van Hout-Wolters, Bernadette

2011-01-01

This study investigates questions students ask related to an introductory text about a new topic in the history classroom. The effects of a narrative, problematizing, and expository introductory text on the situational interest of students and the number and type of student-generated questions, are compared. Participants are 174 students in higher…

Direct alcohol fuel cells materials, performance, durability and applications

CERN Document Server

Corti, Horacio R; Antolini, Ermete

2014-01-01

After an introductory overview of this emerging form of clean, portable energy, experts from industry and academia discuss the challenges in materials development, performance, and commercialization standing between DAFCs and widespread public use.

MAPLIB, Thermodynamics Materials Property Generator for FORTRAN Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schumann, U.; Zimmerer, W. and others

1978-01-01

1 - Nature of physical problem solved: MAPLIB is a program system which is able to incorporate the values of the properties of any material in a form suitable for use in other computer programs. The data are implemented in FORTRAN functions. A utility program is provided to assist in library management. 2 - Method of solution: MAPLIB consists of the following parts: 1) Conventions for the data format. 2) Some integrated data. 3) A data access system (FORTRAN subroutine). 4) An utility program for updating and documentation of the actual library content. The central part is a set of FORTRAN functions, e.g. WL H2O v(t,p) (heat conduction of water vapor as a function of temperature and pressure), which compute the required data and which can be called by the user program. The data content of MAPLIB has been delivered by many persons. There was no systematic evaluation of the material. It is the responsibility of every user to check the data for physical accuracy. MAPLIB only serves as a library system for manipulation and storing of such data. 3 - Restrictions on the complexity of the problem: a) See responsibility as explained above. b) Up to 1000 data functions could be implemented. c) If too many data functions are included in MAPLIB, the storage requirements become excessive for application in users programs

FWP executive summaries: Basic energy sciences materials sciences programs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Samara, G.A.

1996-02-01

This report provides an Executive Summary of the various elements of the Materials Sciences Program which is funded by the Division of Materials Sciences, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, U.S. Department of Energy at Sandia National Laboratories, New Mexico.

Russian-U.S. joint program on the safe management of nuclear materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Witmer, F.E.; Krumpe, P.F.; Carlson, D.D.

1997-12-01

The Russian-US joint program on the safety of nuclear materials was initiated in response to the 1993 Tomsk-7 accident. The bases for this program are the common technical issues confronting the US and Russia in the safe management of excess weapons grade nuclear materials. The US and Russian weapons dismantlement process is producing hundreds of tons of excess Pu and HEU fissile materials. The US is on a two path approach for disposition of excess Pu: (1) use Pu in existing reactors and/or (2) immobilize Pu in glass or ceramics followed by geologic disposal. Russian plans are to fuel reactors with excess Pu. US and Russia are both converting and blending HEU into LEU for use in existing reactors. Fissile nuclear materials storage, handling, processing, and transportation will be occurring in both countries for tens of years. A table provides a history of the major events comprising the Russian-US joint program on the safety of nuclear materials. A paper delineating program efforts was delivered at the SPECTRUM '96 conference. This paper provides an update on program activities since then

Borehole Plugging-Materials Development Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gulick, C.W. Jr.

1978-06-01

This report discusses the background and first year's results of the grouting materials development program for plugging boreholes associated with the Nuclear Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. The grouts are to be pumpable, impermeable, and durable for many thousands of years. The work was done at the Concrete Laboratory of the U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station (WES), Vicksburg, Mississippi. The workability, strength, porosity, bonding, expansion, and permeability data are summarized and discussed. The work is continuing at WES

Friction material composites copper-metal-free material design perspective

CERN Document Server

Sundarkrishnaa, K L

2015-01-01

This book examines material composites used in connection with brake friction, their design and safety. To aid in understanding, the essentials of friction are explained. This second edition was extended to include friction material composites without copper, as they offer an environmentally friendlier option. The second edition is intended to support beginners by offering insights into the essentials of friction material composites, helping them to develop a broader understanding of brake friction materials. Friction materials find wide-ranging applications in household and industrial appliances, brake pads for automotive applications, rail brake friction pads and composition brake blocks. This second edition is an introductory volume to a set of related books, and is based on the author’s experience and expertise with various material manufacturers, brake manufacturers, vehicle manufacturers, researchers and testing labs around the world with which the author has been associated for the past 28 years.

Optimizing Introductory Physics for the Life Sciences: Placing Physics in Biological Context

Science.gov (United States)

Crouch, Catherine

2014-03-01

Physics is a critical foundation for today's life sciences and medicine. However, the physics content and ways of thinking identified by life scientists as most important for their fields are often not taught, or underemphasized, in traditional introductory physics courses. Furthermore, such courses rarely give students practice using physics to understand living systems in a substantial way. Consequently, students are unlikely to recognize the value of physics to their chosen fields, or to develop facility in applying physics to biological systems. At Swarthmore, as at several other institutions engaged in reforming this course, we have reorganized the introductory course for life science students around touchstone biological examples, in which fundamental physics contributes significantly to understanding biological phenomena or research techniques, in order to make explicit the value of physics to the life sciences. We have also focused on the physics topics and approaches most relevant to biology while seeking to develop rigorous qualitative reasoning and quantitative problem solving skills, using established pedagogical best practices. Each unit is motivated by and culminates with students analyzing one or more touchstone examples. For example, in the second semester we emphasize electric potential and potential difference more than electric field, and start from students' typically superficial understanding of the cell membrane potential and of electrical interactions in biochemistry to help them develop a more sophisticated understanding of electric forces, field, and potential, including in the salt water environment of life. Other second semester touchstones include optics of vision and microscopes, circuit models for neural signaling, and magnetotactic bacteria. When possible, we have adapted existing research-based curricular materials to support these examples. This talk will describe the design and development process for this course, give examples of

Nuclear Materials Stewardship Within the DOE Environmental Management Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bilyeu, J. D.; Kiess, T. E.; Gates, M. L.

2002-01-01

The Department of Energy (DOE) Environmental Management (EM) Program has made significant progress in planning disposition of its excess nuclear materials and has recently completed several noteworthy studies. Since establishment in 1997, the EM Nuclear Material Stewardship Program has developed disposition plans for excess nuclear materials to support facility deactivation. All nuclear materials have been removed from the Miamisburg Environmental Management Project (Mound), and disposition planning is nearing completion for the Fernald Environmental Management Project and the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site. Only a few issues remain for materials at the Hanford and Idaho sites. Recent trade studies include the Savannah River Site Canyons Nuclear Materials Identification Study, a Cesium/Strontium Management Alternatives Trade Study, a Liquid Technical Standards Trade Study, an Irradiated Beryllium Reflectors with Tritium study, a Special Performance Assessment Required Trade Study, a Neutron Source Trade Study, and development of discard criteria for uranium. A Small Sites Workshop was also held. Potential and planned future activities include updating the Plutonium-239 storage study, developing additional packaging standards, developing a Nuclear Material Disposition Handbook, determining how to recover or dispose of Pu-244 and U-233, and working with additional sites to define disposition plans for their nuclear materials

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) Oxide Material Representation in the Material Identification and Surveillance (MIS) Program, Revision 2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Riley, D C; Dodson, K

2004-06-30

The Materials Identification and Surveillance (MIS) program was established within the 94-1 R&D Program to confirm the suitability of plutonium-bearing materials for stabilization, packaging, and long-term storage under DOE-STD-3013-2000. Oxide materials from different sites were chemically and physically characterized. The adequacy of the stabilization process parameters of temperature and duration at temperature (950 C and 2 hours) for eliminating chemical reactivity and reducing the moisture content to less than 0.5 weight percent were validated. Studies also include surveillance monitoring to determine the behavior of the oxides and packaging materials under storage conditions. Materials selected for this program were assumed to be representative of the overall inventory for DOE sites. The Quality Assurance section of the DOE-STD-3013-2000 required that each site be responsible for assuring that oxides packaged according to this standard are represented by items in the MIS characterization program. The purpose of this document is to define the path for determining if an individual item is ''represented'' in the MIS Program and to show that oxides being packaged at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) are considered represented in the MIS program. The methodology outlined in the MIS Representation Document (LA-14016-MS) for demonstrating representation requires concurrence of the MIS working Group (MIS-WG). The signature page on this document provides for the MIS-WG concurrence.

Transmission electron microscopy and diffractometry of materials

CERN Document Server

Fultz, Brent

2001-01-01

This book teaches graduate students the concepts of trans- mission electron microscopy (TEM) and x-ray diffractometry (XRD) that are important for the characterization of materi- als. It emphasizes themes common to both techniques, such as scattering from atoms and the formation and analysis of dif- fraction patterns. It also describes unique aspects of each technique, especially imaging and spectroscopy in the TEM. The textbook thoroughly develops both introductory and ad- vanced-level material, using over 400 accompanying illustra- tions. Problems are provided at the end of each chapter to reinforce key concepts. Simple citatioins of rules are avoi- ded as much as possible, and both practical and theoretical issues are explained in detail. The book can be used as both an introductory and advanced-level graduate text since sec- tions/chapters are sorted according to difficulty and grou- ped for use in quarter and semester courses on TEM and XRD.

Evaluating OO example programs for CS1

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Börstler, Jürgen; Christensen, Henrik Bærbak; Bennedsen, Jens

2008-01-01

Example programs play an important role in learning to program. They work as templates, guidelines, and inspiration for learners when developing their own programs. It is therefore important to provide learners with high quality examples. In this paper, we discuss properties of example programs...... that might affect the teaching and learning of object-oriented programming. Furthermore, we present an evaluation instrument for example programs and report on initial experiences of its application to a selection of examples from popular introductory programming textbooks....

Paperwork Plus: Literacy Materials for the Service Industry. Hotel Edition.

Science.gov (United States)

Bond, Judith; McGill, Teresa

The instructional materials are intended for use in teaching vocational English and English literacy to limited-English-speaking personnel in the hotel industry. They are designed for learners at three instructional levels, and address job-specific literacy tasks. An introductory section describes the materials and offers suggestions for…

An Introductory Interprofessional Exercise for Healthcare Students

Science.gov (United States)

Rege, Saumitra V.; Misto, Kara; Dollase, Richard; George, Paul

2012-01-01

Objective. To evaluate healthcare students’ perceptions of an introductory interprofessional exercise and their team dynamics. Design. A workshop was developed, combining second-year medical students, fourth-year nursing students, and third-year pharmacy students to work as an interdisciplinary team. The teams alternated between working together on patient cases focusing on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma, and on the evaluation of standardized pneumonia patients. Teams were given the patients' health information and no other instructions. A faculty member and the standardized patient evaluated the students using a teamwork global rating scale. Assessment. Student survey results showed a positive response to interprofessional teamwork. The faculty members and standardized patients reported that the students worked as a cohesive unit and demonstrated good team communication. Conclusions. This introductory interprofessional experience had a positive impact on the students’ understanding of collaboration and teamwork. This type of experience will help students foster future collaborations as healthcare providers. PMID:23129853

U. S. programs on reference and advanced cladding/duct materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bennett, J.W.; Holmes, J.J.; Laidler, J.J.

1977-05-01

Two coordinated national programs are presently in place in the United States for development of reference and advanced cladding and duct alloys for near-term and long-term LMFBR applications. A number of government, industrial and university laboratories are active participants in these two ERDA-sponsored programs. The programs are administered by ERDA through a task group organization, with each task group representing a particular technical activity and the membership of the task group drawn from among the laboratories with active involvement in that activity. Technical coordination of the two programs is provided by the Hanford Engineering Development Laboratory. The National Reference Cladding and Duct Program is charged with the responsibility for development of the required technology to permit full utilization of the reference material, 20 percent cold-worked Type 316 stainless steel, in early LMFBR core applications. The current schedule calls for full evaluation of FFTF-related design base data prior to full-power operation of FFTF in early 1980, followed by a confirmation in early 1983 of reference material performance capabilities for initial-core CRBRP applications. Comprehensive evaluation of reference material performance to commercial plant goal fluence levels will be complete by 1985. The National Advanced Alloy Development Program was instituted in 1974 with the objective to develop, by 1986, advanced cladding and duct materials compatible with advanced fuel systems having peak burnup capabilities up to 150 MWD/kg and doubling times of 15 years or less. Screening of a large number of potential alloys was completed in mid-1975, and there are presently 16 candidate alloys under active investigation

Advanced Industrial Materials (AIM) program. Annual progress report. FY 1996

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1997-04-01

The Advanced Industrial Materials (AIM) Program underwent a major transformation in Fiscal Year 1995 and these changes have continued to the present. When the Program was established in 1990 as the Advanced Industrial Concepts (AIC) Materials Program, the mission was to conduct applied research and development to bring materials and processing technologies from the knowledge derived from basic research to the maturity required for the end use sectors for commercialization. In 1995, the Office of Industrial Technologies (OIT) made radical changes in structure and procedures. All technology development was directed toward the seven `Vision Industries` that use about 80% of industrial energy and generated about 90% of industrial wastes. These are: aluminium; chemical; forest products; glass; metal casting; refineries; and steel. OIT is working with these industries, through appropriate organizations, to develop Visions of the desired condition of each industry some 20 or 25 years in the future and then to prepare Road Maps and Implementation Plans to enable them to reach their goals. The mission of AIM has, therefore, changed to `Support development and commercialization of new or improved materials to improve productivity, product quality, and energy efficiency in the major process industries.` Though AIM remains essentially a National Laboratory Program, it is necessary that each project have industrial partners, including suppliers to, and customers of, the seven industries. Now, well into FY 1996, the transition is nearly complete and the AIM Program remains healthy and productive, thanks to the superb investigators and Laboratory Program Managers. Separate abstracts have been indexed into the energy database for articles from this report.

Teaching Health Care in Introductory Economics

Science.gov (United States)

Cutler, David M.

2017-01-01

Health care is one of the economy's biggest industries, so it is natural that the health care industry should play some role in the teaching of introductory economics. There are many ways that health care can appear in such a context: in the teaching of microeconomics, as a macroeconomic issue, to learn about social welfare, and even to learn how…

Personality types and student performance in an introductory physics course

Science.gov (United States)

Harlow, Jason J. B.; Harrison, David M.; Justason, Michael; Meyertholen, Andrew; Wilson, Brian

2017-12-01

We measured the personality type of the students in a large introductory physics course of mostly life science students using the True Colors instrument. We found large correlations of personality type with performance on the precourse Force Concept Inventory (FCI), both term tests, the postcourse FCI, and the final examination. We also saw correlations with the normalized gain on the FCI. The personality profile of the students in this course is very different from the profile of the physics faculty and graduate students, and also very different from the profile of students taking the introductory physics course intended for physics majors and specialists.

Improving Introductory Astronomy Education in American Colleges and Universities: A Review of Recent Progress

Science.gov (United States)

Waller, William H.; Slater, Timothy F.

2011-01-01

Over the past 15 years, professional astronomers, their societies, and associated funding agencies have collaborated to improve astronomy teaching and learning at the introductory undergraduate level. Many nonscience majors and preservice teachers enroll in these introductory astronomy courses, thus meriting the focused attention. In this review…

The Lasting Effects of Introductory Economics Courses.

Science.gov (United States)

Sanders, Philip

1980-01-01

Reports research which tests the Stigler Hypothesis. The hypothesis suggests that students who have taken introductory economics courses and those who have not show little difference in test performance five years after completing college. Results of the author's research illustrate that economics students do retain some knowledge of economics…

Beat the Instructor: An Introductory Forecasting Game

Science.gov (United States)

Snider, Brent R.; Eliasson, Janice B.

2013-01-01

This teaching brief describes a 30-minute game where student groups compete in-class in an introductory time-series forecasting exercise. The students are challenged to "beat the instructor" who competes using forecasting techniques that will be subsequently taught. All forecasts are graphed prior to revealing the randomly generated…

Holography and Introductory Science at Hampshire College.

Science.gov (United States)

Wirth, Frederick H.

1991-01-01

An introductory Natural Science course with a focus on the laboratory is described. The main function of the course is getting students prepared for required individual projects in science. A copy of the syllabus, a description of laboratory experiments, and the context of the course are included. (KR)

Teaching assistants’ performance at identifying common introductory student difficulties in mechanics revealed by the Force Concept Inventory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexandru Maries

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The Force Concept Inventory (FCI has been widely used to assess student understanding of introductory mechanics concepts by a variety of educators and physics education researchers. One reason for this extensive use is that many of the items on the FCI have strong distractor choices which correspond to students’ alternate conceptions in mechanics. Instruction is unlikely to be effective if instructors do not know the common alternate conceptions of introductory physics students and explicitly take into account students’ initial knowledge states in their instructional design. Here, we discuss research involving the FCI to evaluate one aspect of the pedagogical content knowledge of teaching assistants (TAs: knowledge of introductory student alternate conceptions in mechanics as revealed by the FCI. For each item on the FCI, the TAs were asked to identify the most common incorrect answer choice of introductory physics students. This exercise was followed by a class discussion with the TAs related to this task, including the importance of knowing student difficulties in teaching and learning. Then, we used FCI pretest and post-test data from a large population (∼900 of introductory physics students to assess the extent to which TAs were able to identify alternate conceptions of introductory students related to force and motion. In addition, we carried out think-aloud interviews with graduate students who had more than two semesters of teaching experience in recitations to examine how they reason about the task. We find that while the TAs, on average, performed better than random guessing at identifying introductory students’ difficulties with FCI content, they did not identify many common difficulties that introductory physics students have after traditional instruction. We discuss specific alternate conceptions, the extent to which TAs are able to identify them, and results from the think-aloud interviews that provided valuable information

Annotated Bibliography of Materials for Elementary Foreign Language Programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Dobb, Fred

An annotated bibliography contains about 70 citations of instructional materials and materials concerning curriculum development for elementary school foreign language programs. Citations are included for Arabic, classical languages, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish. Items on exploratory language courses and general works on…

Comparing Student Success and Understanding in Introductory Statistics under Consensus and Simulation-Based Curricula

Science.gov (United States)

Hldreth, Laura A.; Robison-Cox, Jim; Schmidt, Jade

2018-01-01

This study examines the transferability of results from previous studies of simulation-based curriculum in introductory statistics using data from 3,500 students enrolled in an introductory statistics course at Montana State University from fall 2013 through spring 2016. During this time, four different curricula, a traditional curriculum and…

Generating a Gender Balance: making introductory information systems courses a positive experience

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rosemary Stockdale

2007-12-01

Full Text Available There is a growing shortfall of graduates entering the IT profession. The situation is exacerbated by the continuing decline in the number of women undertaking IT related degrees. However, there are an increasing number of students taking business degrees that have a small information systems component, although few students choose to major in IS. Using a qualitative reflective approach we identify the perceptions and experiences of female undergraduates taking introductory IS courses in two universities, one in Australia and one in New Zealand. We discuss ways of improving the delivery of introductory IS courses in order to make information systems more interesting to women undergraduates, thus enhancing their learning experiences and encouraging further uptake of IS majors. The paper concludes with some reflections on other influences that impact on the ability of IS departments to deliver appropriate introductory courses.

Fossil Energy Advanced Research and Technology Development Materials Program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cole, N.C.; Judkins, R.R. (comps.)

1992-12-01

Objective of this materials program is to conduct R and D on materials for fossil energy applications with focus on longer-term and generic needs of the various fossil fuel technologies. The projects are organized according to materials research areas: (1) ceramics, (2) new alloys: iron aluminides, advanced austenitics and chromium niobium alloys, and (3) technology development and transfer. Separate abstracts have been prepared.

Material Ecocriticism: Materiality, Agency, and Models of Narrativity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Serenella Iovino

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The proliferation of studies bearing on the intellectual movement known as the "new materialisms" evinces that a material turn is becoming an important paradigm in environmental humanities. Ranging from social and science studies, feminism, to anthropology, geography, environmental philosophies and animal studies, this approach is bringing innovative ways of considering matter and material relations that, coupled with reflections on agency, text, and narrativity, are going to impact ecocriticism in an unprecedented way.In consideration of the relevance of this debate, we would like to draw for Ecozon@'s readers an introductory map of the new paradigm and introduce what can be called "material ecocriticism." We will illustrate what we consider to be its main features, situating them in the conceptual horizons of the new materialisms. From this genealogical sketch, we will examine the re-definitions of concepts like matter, agency, discursivity, and intentionality, with regard to their effects on ecocriticism and in terms of their ethical perspectives.

Multiyear Program Plan for the High Temperature Materials Laboratory; FINAL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arvid E. Pasto

2000-01-01

Recently, the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Heavy Vehicle Technologies (OHVT) prepared a Technology Roadmap describing the challenges facing development of higher fuel efficiency, less polluting sport utility vehicles, vans, and commercial trucks. Based on this roadmap, a multiyear program plan (MYPP) was also developed, in which approaches to solving the numerous challenges are enumerated. Additional planning has been performed by DOE and national laboratory staff, on approaches to solving the numerous challenges faced by heavy vehicle system improvements. Workshops and planning documents have been developed concerning advanced aerodynamics, frictional and other parasitic losses, and thermal management. Similarly, the Heavy Vehicle Propulsion Materials Program has developed its own multiyear program plan. The High Temperature Materials Laboratory, a major user facility sponsored by OHVT, has now developed its program plan, described herein. Information was gathered via participation in the development of OHVT's overall Technology Roadmap and MYPP, through personal contacts within the materials-user community, and from attendance at conferences and expositions. Major materials issues for the heavy vehicle industry currently center on trying to increase efficiency of (diesel) engines while at the same time reducing emissions (particularly NO(sub x) and particulates). These requirements dictate the use of increasingly stronger, higher-temperature capable and more corrosion-resistant materials of construction, as well as advanced catalysts, particulate traps, and other pollution-control devices. Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) is a technique which will certainly be applied to diesel engines in the near future, and its use represents a formidable challenge, as will be described later. Energy-efficient, low cost materials processing methods and surface treatments to improve wear, fracture, and corrosion resistance are also required

Development and analysis of spectroscopic learning tools and the light and spectroscopy concept inventory for introductory college astronomy

Science.gov (United States)

Bardar, Erin M.

Electromagnetic radiation is the fundamental carrier of astronomical information. Spectral features serve as the fingerprints of the universe, revealing many important properties of objects in the cosmos such as temperature, elemental compositions, and relative motion. Because of its importance to astronomical research, the nature of light and the electromagnetic spectrum is by far the most universally covered topic in astronomy education. Yet, to the surprise and disappointment of instructors, many students struggle to understand underlying fundamental concepts related to light and spectroscopic phenomena. This dissertation describes research into introductory college astronomy students' understanding of light and spectroscopy concepts, through the development and analysis of both instructional materials and an assessment instrument. The purpose of this research was two-fold: (1) to develop a novel suite of spectroscopic learning tools that enhance student understanding of light and spectroscopy and (2) to design and validate a Light and Spectroscopy Concept Inventory (LSCI) with the sensitivity to distinguish the relative effectiveness of various teaching interventions within the context of introductory college astronomy. Through a systematic investigation that included multiple rounds of clinical interviews, open-ended written surveys, and multiple-choice testing, introductory college astronomy students' commonly held misconceptions and reasoning difficulties were explored for concepts relating to: (1) The nature of the electromagnetic spectrum, including the interrelationships of wavelength, frequency, energy, and speed; (2) interpretation of Doppler shift; (3) properties of blackbody radiation; and (4) the connection between spectral features and underlying physical processes. These difficulties guided the development of instructional materials including six unique "homelab" exercises, a binocular spectrometer, a spectral analysis software tool, and the 26

The Case for Infusing Quantitative Literacy into Introductory Geoscience Courses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jennifer M. Wenner

2009-01-01

Full Text Available We present the case for introductory geoscience courses as model venues for increasing the quantitative literacy (QL of large numbers of the college-educated population. The geosciences provide meaningful context for a number of fundamental mathematical concepts that are revisited several times in a single course. Using some best practices from the mathematics education community surrounding problem solving, calculus reform, pre-college mathematics and five geoscience/math workshops, geoscience and mathematics faculty have identified five pedagogical ideas to increase the QL of the students who populate introductory geoscience courses. These five ideas include techniques such as: place mathematical concepts in context, use multiple representations, use technology appropriately, work in groups, and do multiple-day, in-depth problems that place quantitative skills in multiple contexts. We discuss the pedagogical underpinnings of these five ideas and illustrate some ways that the geosciences represent ideal places to use these techniques. However, the inclusion of QL in introductory courses is often met with resistance at all levels. Faculty who wish to include quantitative content must use creative means to break down barriers of public perception of geoscience as qualitative, administrative worry that enrollments will drop and faculty resistance to change. Novel ways to infuse QL into geoscience classrooms include use of web-based resources, shadow courses, setting clear expectations, and promoting quantitative geoscience to the general public. In order to help faculty increase the QL of geoscience students, a community-built faculty-centered web resource (Teaching Quantitative Skills in the Geosciences houses multiple examples that implement the five best practices of QL throughout the geoscience curriculum. We direct faculty to three portions of the web resource: Teaching Quantitative Literacy, QL activities, and the 2006 workshop website

Salt repository sealing materials development program: 5-year work plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Myers, L.B.

1986-06-01

This plan covers 5 years (fiscal years 1986 through 1990) of work in the repository sealing materials program to support design decisions and licensing activities for a salt repository. The plan covers a development activity, not a research activity. There are firm deliverables as the end points of each part of the work. The major deliverables are: development plans for code development and materials testing; seal system components models; seal system performance specifications; seal materials specifications; and seal materials properties ''handbook.'' The work described in this plan is divided into three general tasks as follows: mathematical modeling; materials studies (salt, cementitious materials, and earthen materials); and large-scale testing. Each of the sections presents an overview, status, planned activities, and summary of program milestones. This plan will be the starting point for preparing the development plans described above, but is subject to change if preparation of the work plan indicates that a different approach or sequence is preferable to achieve the ultimate goal, i.e., support of design and licensing

The Introductory College Business Course: A New Dimension

Science.gov (United States)

Podell, Joel; And Others

1977-01-01

Describes various methodologies used at the Queensboro Community College, New York, to enrich some of the topics traditionally included in the introductory course such as union management relations, social responsibility and business ethics, internal organization structure, and small business management. (TA)

Teaching Introductory Programming to IS Students: Java Problems and Pitfalls

Science.gov (United States)

Pendergast, Mark O.

2006-01-01

This paper examines the impact the use of the Java programming language has had on the way our students learn to program and the success they achieve. The importance of a properly constructed first course in programming cannot be overstated. A course well experienced will leave students with good programming habits, the ability to learn on their…

Pre-Service Physics Teachers' Opinions about the Difficulties in Understanding Introductory Quantum Physics Topics

Science.gov (United States)

Kizilcik, Hasan Sahin; Yavas, Pervin Ünlü

2017-01-01

The aim of this study is to identify the opinions of pre-service physics teachers about the difficulties in introductory quantum physics topics. In this study conducted with twenty-five pre-service physics teachers, the case study method was used. The participants were interviewed about introductory quantum physics topics. The interviews were…

Materials balance area Custodian Performance Evaluation Program at PNL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dickman, D.A.

1991-07-01

The material balance area (MBA) custodian has primary responsibility for control and accountability of nuclear material within an MBA. In this role, the custodian operates as an extension of the facility material control and accountability (MC ampersand A) organization. To effectively meet administrative requirements and protection needs, the custodian must be fully trained in all aspects of MC ampersand A related to the MBA, and custodian performance must be periodically evaluated. DOE Policy requires that each facility provide for a program which assures that each facility provide for a program which assures that personnel performing MC ampersand A functions are (1) trained and/or qualified to perform their duties and responsibilities and (2) knowledgeable of requirements and procedures related to their functions. The MBA Custodian Performance Evaluation Program at PNL uses a variety of assessment techniques to meet this goal, including internal and independent MBA audits, periodic custodian testing, conduct of limited scope performance tests, daily monitoring of MC ampersand A documentation, and reviewing custodian performance during physical inventories. The data collected from these sources is analyzed and incorporated into an annual custodian performance evaluation document, given to each custodian and line management. Development of this program has resulted in significantly improved custodian performance and a marked decrease in finding and observations identified during MBA audits

Preparations for the start-up of a research program in nuclear safeguards at Chalmers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Avdic, Senada; Pazsit, Imre

2004-03-01

The Department of Reactor Physics at Chalmers University of Technology plans to start-up a research program in nuclear safeguards and nuclear material management. The program is aimed at utilizing the experimental facilities as well as the experience in reactor physics, criticality safety, signal processing and unfolding, and experimental nuclear techniques, in tackling problems in non-destructive assay (NDA) of nuclear materials. For the introductory part of this program, support has been received from the Swedish Nuclear Power Inspectorate to host Dr. Senada Avdic, University of Tuzla, Bosnia, as a post-doc for three months to participate in the preparatory program. The preparations were focussed on a survey of existing active non-destructive assay methods and preparations of their application in the experimental and theoretical/calculational research of our Department. The methods surveyed comprise - the use of a 252 Cf source in active NDA measurements; - planning of an experiment with the existing equipments of the Department; - time correlation measurements with a 252 Cf source and/or a 252 Cf detector; - Monte Carlo simulations of the time correlations between gammas and neutrons from a measurement with a 252 Cf detector: the MCNP-PoliMi code; - Identification of fissile material (enrichment/mass) with 252 Cf measurements; the use of various unfolding techniques (artificial neural networks) for identifying nuclear parameters; use of neutron activation analysis with a neutron generator for determination of distribution of material in an unknown sample; - determination of fissile material content by measurements of delayed neutrons

Cultural Diversity in Introductory Psychology Textbook Selection: The Case for Historically Black Colleges/Universities (HBCUs)

Science.gov (United States)

Whaley, Arthur L.; Clay, William A. L.; Broussard, Dominique

2017-01-01

The present study describes a culturally relevant approach to introductory psychology textbook selection for students attending a historically Black college/university (HBCU). The following multistage procedure was used: (1) a survey of HBCU psychology departments was conducted to ascertain how they selected their introductory psychology…

Effects of Team Teaching on Students Performance in Introductory ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

FIRST LADY

Students taught. Introductory Technology through team teaching approach performed ... Vocational education differs in both concept and status in different nations of ... completion of the course, can carry out simple daily maintenance of motor.

Rural and Urban Youth Programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Backman, Kenneth; And Others

This publication provides a variety of information on prevention and intervention programs for rural and urban children and adolescents. Drawing from a rural sociological perspective, the introductory paper defines "rural," discusses rural-urban economic and social differences, and lists indicators of risk for rural youth. It discusses the extent…

The Effect of "Clickers" on Attendance in an Introductory Statistics Course: An Action Research Study

Science.gov (United States)

Amstelveen, Raoul H.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to design and implement a Classroom Response System, also known as a "clicker," to increase attendance in introductory statistics courses at an undergraduate university. Since 2010, non-attendance had been prevalent in introductory statistics courses. Moreover, non-attendance created undesirable classrooms…

Active Learning by Design: An Undergraduate Introductory Public Health Course

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karin eYeatts

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Principles of active learning were used to design and implement an introductory public health course. Students were introduced to the breadth and practice of public health through team and individual-based activities. Team assignments covered topics in epidemiology, biostatistics, health behavior, nutrition, maternal and child health, environment, and health policy. Students developed an appreciation of the population perspective through an experience trip and related intervention project in a public health area of their choice. Students experienced several key critical component elements of a public health undergraduate major; they cover key public health domains, experience public health practice, and integrated concepts with their assignments. In this paper, course assignments, lessons learned, and student successes are described. Given the increased growth in the undergraduate public health major, these active learning assignments may be of interest to undergraduate public health programs at both liberal arts colleges and research universities.

Russia-U.S. joint program on the safe management of nuclear materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Witmer, F.E.; Krumpe, P.F.; Carlson, D.D.

1998-06-01

The Russia-US joint program on the safe management of nuclear materials was initiated to address common technical issues confronting the US and Russia in the management of excess weapons grade nuclear materials. The program was initiated after the 1993 Tomsk-7 accident. This paper provides an update on program activities since 1996. The Fourth US Russia Nuclear Materials Safety Management Workshop was conducted in March 1997. In addition, a number of contracts with Russian Institutes have been placed by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL). These contracts support research related to the safe disposition of excess plutonium (Pu) and highly enriched uranium (HEU). Topics investigated by Russian scientists under contracts with SNL and LLNL include accident consequence studies, the safety of anion exchange processes, underground isolation of nuclear materials, and the development of materials for the immobilization of excess weapons Pu

An Infiltration Exercise for Introductory Soil Science

Science.gov (United States)

Barbarick, K. A.; Ippolito, J. A.; Butters, G.; Sorge, G. M.

2005-01-01

One of the largest challenges in teaching introductory soil science is explaining the dynamics of soil infiltration. To aid students in understanding the concept and to further engage them in active learning in the soils laboratory course, we developed an exercise using Decagon Mini-Disk Infiltrometers with a tension head (h[subscript o]) of 2 cm.…

Contrasting Grading Approaches in Introductory Physics and Quantum Mechanics: The Case of Graduate Teaching Assistants

Science.gov (United States)

Marshman, Emily; Sayer, Ryan; Henderson, Charles; Singh, Chandralekha

2017-01-01

At large research universities, physics graduate teaching assistants (TAs) are often responsible for grading in courses at all levels. However, few studies have focused on TAs' grading practices in introductory and advanced physics courses. This study was designed to investigate whether physics graduate TAs grade students in introductory physics…

Research and Teaching: From Gatekeeper to Gateway: Improving Student Success in an Introductory Biology Course

Science.gov (United States)

Scott, Amy N.; McNair, Delores E.; Lucas, Jonathan C.; Land, Kirkwood M.

2017-01-01

Introductory science, math, and engineering courses often have problems related to student engagement, achievement, and course completion. To begin examining these issues in greater depth, this pilot study compared student engagement, achievement, and course completion in a small and large section of an introductory biology class. Results based on…

Introductory Life Science Mathematics and Quantitative Neuroscience Courses

Science.gov (United States)

Duffus, Dwight; Olifer, Andrei

2010-01-01

We describe two sets of courses designed to enhance the mathematical, statistical, and computational training of life science undergraduates at Emory College. The first course is an introductory sequence in differential and integral calculus, modeling with differential equations, probability, and inferential statistics. The second is an…

Does the Choice of Introductory Microeconomics Textbook Matter?

Science.gov (United States)

Pyne, Derek

2007-01-01

The author examines the effects of different introductory microeconomics textbooks on student performance in subsequent economics courses (specifically, Intermediate Microeconomics I and Money and Banking). In some cases, the effects are significant and sizeable. There is also evidence of other variables affecting student performance in later…

Introductory Statistics Education and the National Science Foundation

Science.gov (United States)

Hall, Megan R.; Rowell, Ginger Holmes

2008-01-01

This paper describes 27 National Science Foundation supported grant projects that have innovations designed to improve teaching and learning in introductory statistics courses. The characteristics of these projects are compared with the six recommendations given in the "Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction in Statistics Education (GAISE)…

Materials and corrosion programs sponsored by the Gas Research Institute

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Flowers, A.

1980-01-01

The paper deals briefly with the Gas Research Institute and its research in materials and corrosion. As a not-for-profit organization, the Gas Research Institute plans, finances, and manages applied and basic research and technological development programs associated with gaseous fuels. These programs are in the general areas of production, transportation, storage, utilization and conservation of natural and manufactured gases and related products. Research results, whether experimental or analytical, are evaluated and publicly disseminated. Materials and corrosion research is concentrated in the SNG from Coal and Non-fossil Hydrogen subprograms

Overview of NASA's Microgravity Materials Science Program

Science.gov (United States)

Downey, James Patton

2012-01-01

The microgravity materials program was nearly eliminated in the middle of the aughts due to budget constraints. Hardware developments were eliminated. Some investigators with experiments that could be performed using ISS partner hardware received continued funding. Partnerships were established between US investigators and ESA science teams for several investigations. ESA conducted peer reviews on the proposals of various science teams as part of an ESA AO process. Assuming he or she was part of a science team that was selected by the ESA process, a US investigator would submit a proposal to NASA for grant funding to support their part of the science team effort. In a similar manner, a US materials investigator (Dr. Rohit Trivedi) is working as a part of a CNES selected science team. As funding began to increase another seven materials investigators were selected in 2010 through an NRA mechanism to perform research related to development of Materials Science Research Rack investigations. One of these has since been converted to a Glovebox investigation.

Integrating quantitative thinking into an introductory biology course improves students' mathematical reasoning in biological contexts.

Science.gov (United States)

Hester, Susan; Buxner, Sanlyn; Elfring, Lisa; Nagy, Lisa

2014-01-01

Recent calls for improving undergraduate biology education have emphasized the importance of students learning to apply quantitative skills to biological problems. Motivated by students' apparent inability to transfer their existing quantitative skills to biological contexts, we designed and taught an introductory molecular and cell biology course in which we integrated application of prerequisite mathematical skills with biology content and reasoning throughout all aspects of the course. In this paper, we describe the principles of our course design and present illustrative examples of course materials integrating mathematics and biology. We also designed an outcome assessment made up of items testing students' understanding of biology concepts and their ability to apply mathematical skills in biological contexts and administered it as a pre/postcourse test to students in the experimental section and other sections of the same course. Precourse results confirmed students' inability to spontaneously transfer their prerequisite mathematics skills to biological problems. Pre/postcourse outcome assessment comparisons showed that, compared with students in other sections, students in the experimental section made greater gains on integrated math/biology items. They also made comparable gains on biology items, indicating that integrating quantitative skills into an introductory biology course does not have a deleterious effect on students' biology learning.

Integrating Quantitative Thinking into an Introductory Biology Course Improves Students’ Mathematical Reasoning in Biological Contexts

Science.gov (United States)

Hester, Susan; Buxner, Sanlyn; Elfring, Lisa; Nagy, Lisa

2014-01-01

Recent calls for improving undergraduate biology education have emphasized the importance of students learning to apply quantitative skills to biological problems. Motivated by students’ apparent inability to transfer their existing quantitative skills to biological contexts, we designed and taught an introductory molecular and cell biology course in which we integrated application of prerequisite mathematical skills with biology content and reasoning throughout all aspects of the course. In this paper, we describe the principles of our course design and present illustrative examples of course materials integrating mathematics and biology. We also designed an outcome assessment made up of items testing students’ understanding of biology concepts and their ability to apply mathematical skills in biological contexts and administered it as a pre/postcourse test to students in the experimental section and other sections of the same course. Precourse results confirmed students’ inability to spontaneously transfer their prerequisite mathematics skills to biological problems. Pre/postcourse outcome assessment comparisons showed that, compared with students in other sections, students in the experimental section made greater gains on integrated math/biology items. They also made comparable gains on biology items, indicating that integrating quantitative skills into an introductory biology course does not have a deleterious effect on students’ biology learning. PMID:24591504

Verbal Final Exam in Introductory Biology Yields Gains in Student Content Knowledge and Longitudinal Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Luckie, Douglas B.; Rivkin, Aaron M.; Aubry, Jacob R.; Marengo, Benjamin J.; Creech, Leah R.; Sweeder, Ryan D.

2013-01-01

We studied gains in student learning over eight semesters in which an introductory biology course curriculum was changed to include optional verbal final exams (VFs). Students could opt to demonstrate their mastery of course material via structured oral exams with the professor. In a quantitative assessment of cell biology content knowledge, students who passed the VF outscored their peers on the medical assessment test (MAT), an exam built with 40 Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) questions (66.4% [n = 160] and 62% [n = 285], respectively; p students performed better on MCAT questions in all topic categories tested; the greatest gain occurred on the topic of cellular respiration. Because the VF focused on a conceptually parallel topic, photosynthesis, there may have been authentic knowledge transfer. In longitudinal tracking studies, passing the VF also correlated with higher performance in a range of upper-level science courses, with greatest significance in physiology, biochemistry, and organic chemistry. Participation had a wide range but not equal representation in academic standing, gender, and ethnicity. Yet students nearly unanimously (92%) valued the option. Our findings suggest oral exams at the introductory level may allow instructors to assess and aid students striving to achieve higher-level learning. PMID:24006399

Fusion reactor materials program plan. Section III. Plasma material interaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1978-07-01

A discussion of materials-related problems and an analysis of such problems is given for each major topical area. The strategy that will be used to solve the materials problems is described. As part of this program strategy, a series of major milestones is identified that extends over the next 20 years. Detailed task descriptions for the next five years leading to the achievement of the major milestones are given. Each task is described on a separate page (or task sheet) which includes the task number, task title, objective, scope, and the major milestones addressed by the task. Secondary milestones within a given task or subtask are defined, together with a priority assignment and an estimate of man-years to accomplish the work. Each Plan is organized along major topics which parallel the Subtask organization of the Task Group responsible for the Plan

Tribology of ceramics and composites materials science perspective

CERN Document Server

Basu, Bikramjit

2011-01-01

This book helps students and practicing scientists alike understand that a comprehensive knowledge about the friction and wear properties of advanced materials is essential to further design and development of new materials. With important introductory chapters on the fundamentals, processing, and applications of tribology, the book then examines in detail the nature and properties of materials, the friction and wear of structural ceramics, bioceramics, biocomposites, and nanoceramics, as well as lightweight composites and the friction and wear of ceramics in a cryogenic environment.

Evaluation of a flipped classroom approach to learning introductory epidemiology.

Science.gov (United States)

Shiau, Stephanie; Kahn, Linda G; Platt, Jonathan; Li, Chihua; Guzman, Jason T; Kornhauser, Zachary G; Keyes, Katherine M; Martins, Silvia S

2018-04-02

Although the flipped classroom model has been widely adopted in medical education, reports on its use in graduate-level public health programs are limited. This study describes the design, implementation, and evaluation of a flipped classroom redesign of an introductory epidemiology course and compares it to a traditional model. One hundred fifty Masters-level students enrolled in an introductory epidemiology course with a traditional format (in-person lecture and discussion section, at-home assignment; 2015, N = 72) and a flipped classroom format (at-home lecture, in-person discussion section and assignment; 2016, N = 78). Using mixed methods, we compared student characteristics, examination scores, and end-of-course evaluations of the 2016 flipped classroom format and the 2015 traditional format. Data on the flipped classroom format, including pre- and post-course surveys, open-ended questions, self-reports of section leader teaching practices, and classroom observations, were evaluated. There were no statistically significant differences in examination scores or students' assessment of the course between 2015 (traditional) and 2016 (flipped). In 2016, 57.1% (36) of respondents to the end-of-course evaluation found watching video lectures at home to have a positive impact on their time management. Open-ended survey responses indicated a number of strengths of the flipped classroom approach, including the freedom to watch pre-recorded lectures at any time and the ability of section leaders to clarify targeted concepts. Suggestions for improvement focused on ways to increase regular interaction with lecturers. There was no significant difference in students' performance on quantitative assessments comparing the traditional format to the flipped classroom format. The flipped format did allow for greater flexibility and applied learning opportunities at home and during discussion sections.

From Procedural to Object-Oriented Programming (OOP- Performance in OOP: An empirical study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Irene Govender

2011-02-01

Full Text Available This exploratory study of introductory pre- and in-service teachers’ performance in object-oriented programming (OOP assessments reveals important issues with regard to learning and teaching OOP, using java. The study is set against the backdrop of the country’s transition of its national IT curriculum from a procedural to an object-oriented programming language. The effect of prior programming experience and performances in different types of questions are examined. A combination of quantitative and qualitative methods is used to analyse the data. The effect of prior programming experience of a procedural kind and the type of assessments given is shown to have a marked influence on the performance in programming assessments and teaching of OOP. Many introductory OOP courses are in effect taught procedurally as courses in the small. Therefore educating teachers how to teach programming is a significant educational challenge. Some implications for teaching are therefore suggested

Incentive Matters!--The Benefit of Reminding Students about Their Academic Standing in Introductory Economics Courses

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Qihui; Okediji, Tade O.

2014-01-01

In this article, the authors illustrate how incentives can improve student performance in introductory economics courses. They implemented a policy experiment in a large introductory economics class in which they reminded students who scored below an announced cutoff score on the midterm exam about the risk of failing the course. The authors…

Student Understanding of Gravity in Introductory College Astronomy

Science.gov (United States)

Williamson, Kathryn E.; Willoughby, Shannon

2012-01-01

Twenty-four free-response questions were developed to explore introductory college astronomy students' understanding of gravity in a variety of contexts, including in and around Earth, throughout the solar system, and in hypothetical situations. Questions were separated into three questionnaires, each of which was given to a section of…

The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO): Introductory Remarks

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vervaele, J.A.E.

2018-01-01

These introductory remarks deal with the reasons why the EPPO is perceived by some as a controversial body. These reasons are mirrored with the problem identification and the causes thereof. The size of EU fraud and related corruption and money laundering, both at the income and expenditure side, is

Introductory Level Problems Illustrating Concepts in Pharmaceutical Engineering

Science.gov (United States)

McIver, Keith; Whitaker, Kathryn; De Delva, Vladimir; Farrell, Stephanie; Savelski, Mariano J.; Slater, C. Stewart

2012-01-01

Textbook style problems including detailed solutions introducing pharmaceutical topics at the level of an introductory chemical engineering course have been created. The problems illustrate and teach subjects which students would learn if they were to pursue a career in pharmaceutical engineering, including the unique terminology of the field,…

Implementation and Results of a Learning Assistant Program

Science.gov (United States)

Bogue, Thomas B.; Seeley, L.; Vokos, S.

2006-12-01

The Physics Department at Seattle Pacific University has recently completed a three-year CCLI grant to integrate Tutorials in Introductory Physics , Activity Based Physics , and Real Time Physics into our one-year introductory curriculum. One of the difficulties encountered in doing this at a small undergraduate university was the need for additional instructors. This need is met through the use of undergraduate learning assistants. The development of recruitment and implementation methods will be discussed, along with the advantages to physics education, and the challenges encountered. We will also discuss several strategies we have identified as critical to a successful learning assistant program.

48 CFR 252.225-7044 - Balance of Payments Program-Construction Material.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... Program-Construction Material. 252.225-7044 Section 252.225-7044 Federal Acquisition Regulations System...—Construction Material. As prescribed in 225.7503(a), use the following clause: Balance of Payments Program—Construction Material (JAN 2009) (a) Definitions. As used in this clause— Commercially available off-the-shelf...

First order error corrections in common introductory physics experiments

Science.gov (United States)

Beckey, Jacob; Baker, Andrew; Aravind, Vasudeva; Clarion Team

As a part of introductory physics courses, students perform different standard lab experiments. Almost all of these experiments are prone to errors owing to factors like friction, misalignment of equipment, air drag, etc. Usually these types of errors are ignored by students and not much thought is paid to the source of these errors. However, paying attention to these factors that give rise to errors help students make better physics models and understand physical phenomena behind experiments in more detail. In this work, we explore common causes of errors in introductory physics experiment and suggest changes that will mitigate the errors, or suggest models that take the sources of these errors into consideration. This work helps students build better and refined physical models and understand physics concepts in greater detail. We thank Clarion University undergraduate student grant for financial support involving this project.

Evolution of Student Knowledge in a Traditional Introductory Classroom

Science.gov (United States)

Sayre, Eleanor C.; Heckler, Andrew F.

2008-10-01

In the physics education research community, a common format for evaluation is pre- and post-tests. In this study, we collect student test data many times throughout a course, allowing for the measurement of the changes of student knowledge with a time resolution on the order of a few days. The data cover the first two quarters (mechanics, E&M) of a calculus-based introductory sequence populated primarily by first- and second-year engineering majors. To avoid the possibility of test-retest effects, separate and quasi-random subpopulations of students are evaluated every week of the quarter on a variety of tasks. Unsurprisingly for a traditional introductory course, there is little change on many conceptual questions. However, the data suggest that some student ideas peak and decay rapidly during a quarter, a pattern consistent with memory research yet unmeasurable by pre-/post-testing.

Toward equity through participation in Modeling Instruction in introductory university physics

Science.gov (United States)

Brewe, Eric; Sawtelle, Vashti; Kramer, Laird H.; O'Brien, George E.; Rodriguez, Idaykis; Pamelá, Priscilla

2010-06-01

We report the results of a five year evaluation of the reform of introductory calculus-based physics by implementation of Modeling Instruction (MI) at Florida International University (FIU), a Hispanic-serving institution. MI is described in the context of FIU’s overall effort to enhance student participation in physics and science broadly. Our analysis of MI from a “participationist” perspective on learning identifies aspects of MI including conceptually based instruction, culturally sensitive instruction, and cooperative group learning, which are consistent with research on supporting equitable learning and participation by students historically under-represented in physics (i.e., Black, Hispanic, women). This study uses markers of conceptual understanding as measured by the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) and odds of success as measured by the ratio of students completing introductory physics and earning a passing grade (i.e., C- or better) by students historically under-represented in physics to reflect equity and participation in introductory physics. FCI pre and post scores for students in MI are compared with lecture-format taught students. Modeling Instruction students outperform students taught in lecture-format classes on post instruction FCI (61.9% vs 47.9%, p<0.001 ), where these benefits are seen across both ethnic and gender comparisons. In addition, we report that the odds of success in MI are 6.73 times greater than in lecture instruction. Both odds of success and FCI scores within Modeling Instruction are further disaggregated by ethnicity and by gender to address the question of equity within the treatment. The results of this disaggregation indicate that although ethnically under-represented students enter with lower overall conceptual understanding scores, the gap is not widened during introductory physics but instead is maintained, and the odds of success for under-represented students is not different from majority students. Women

Toward equity through participation in Modeling Instruction in introductory university physics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eric Brewe

2010-05-01

Full Text Available We report the results of a five year evaluation of the reform of introductory calculus-based physics by implementation of Modeling Instruction (MI at Florida International University (FIU, a Hispanic-serving institution. MI is described in the context of FIU’s overall effort to enhance student participation in physics and science broadly. Our analysis of MI from a “participationist” perspective on learning identifies aspects of MI including conceptually based instruction, culturally sensitive instruction, and cooperative group learning, which are consistent with research on supporting equitable learning and participation by students historically under-represented in physics (i.e., Black, Hispanic, women. This study uses markers of conceptual understanding as measured by the Force Concept Inventory (FCI and odds of success as measured by the ratio of students completing introductory physics and earning a passing grade (i.e., C− or better by students historically under-represented in physics to reflect equity and participation in introductory physics. FCI pre and post scores for students in MI are compared with lecture-format taught students. Modeling Instruction students outperform students taught in lecture-format classes on post instruction FCI (61.9% vs 47.9%, p<0.001, where these benefits are seen across both ethnic and gender comparisons. In addition, we report that the odds of success in MI are 6.73 times greater than in lecture instruction. Both odds of success and FCI scores within Modeling Instruction are further disaggregated by ethnicity and by gender to address the question of equity within the treatment. The results of this disaggregation indicate that although ethnically under-represented students enter with lower overall conceptual understanding scores, the gap is not widened during introductory physics but instead is maintained, and the odds of success for under-represented students is not different from majority students

Coordination Between the HEU Transparency Program and the Material Protection, Control and Accountability Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Glaser, J.; Hernandez, J.; Dougherty, D.; Bieniawski, A.; Cahalane, P.; Mastal, E.

2000-01-01

DOE sponsored programs such as Material Protection Control and Accountability (MPC and A) and implementation of the Highly-Enriched Uranium (HEU) Transparency Program send US personnel into Russian nuclear facilities and receive Russian representatives from these programs. While there is overlap in the Russian nuclear facilities visited by these two programs, there had not been any formal mechanism to share information between them. Recently, an MPC and A/HEU Working Group was developed to facilitate the sharing of appropriate information and to address concerns expressed by Minatom and Russian facility personnel such as US visit scheduling conflicts. This paper discusses the goals of the Working Group and ways it has helped to allow the programs to work more efficiently with the Russian facilities

European Fusion Materials Research Program - Recent Results and Future Strategy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Diegele, E.; Andreani, R.; Laesser, R.; Schaaf, B. van der

2005-01-01

The paper reviews the objectives and the status of the current EU long-term materials program. It highlights recent results, discusses some of the key issues and major existing problems to be resolved and presents an outlook on the R and D planned for the next few years. The main objectives of the Materials Development program are the development and qualification of reduced activation structural materials for the Test Blanket Modules (TBMs) in ITER and of low activation structural materials resistant to high fluence neutron irradiation for in-vessel components such as breeding blanket, divertor and first wall in DEMO. The EU strategy assumes: (i) ITER operation starting in 2015 with DEMO relevant Test Blanket Modules to be installed from day one of operation, (ii) IFMIF operation in 2017 and (iii) DEMO final design activities in 2022 to 2025. The EU candidate structural material EUROFER for TBMs has to be fully code qualified for licensing well before 2015. In parallel, research on materials for operation at higher temperatures is conducted following a logical sequence, by supplementing EUROFER with the oxide dispersion strengthened ferritic steels and, thereafter, with fibre-reinforced Silicon Carbide (SiC f /SiC). Complementary, tungsten alloys are developed as structural material for high temperature applications such as gas-cooled divertors

Advanced Materials in Support of EERE Needs to Advance Clean Energy Technologies Program Implementation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liby, Alan L [ORNL; Rogers, Hiram [ORNL

2013-10-01

The goal of this activity was to carry out program implementation and technical projects in support of the ARRA-funded Advanced Materials in Support of EERE Needs to Advance Clean Energy Technologies Program of the DOE Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) (formerly the Industrial Technologies Program (ITP)). The work was organized into eight projects in four materials areas: strategic materials, structural materials, energy storage and production materials, and advanced/field/transient processing. Strategic materials included work on titanium, magnesium and carbon fiber. Structural materials included work on alumina forming austentic (AFA) and CF8C-Plus steels. The advanced batteries and production materials projects included work on advanced batteries and photovoltaic devices. Advanced/field/transient processing included work on magnetic field processing. Details of the work in the eight projects are available in the project final reports which have been previously submitted.

Mediating relationship of differential products in understanding integration in introductory physics

Science.gov (United States)

Amos, Nathaniel; Heckler, Andrew F.

2018-01-01

In the context of introductory physics, we study student conceptual understanding of differentials, differential products, and integrals and possible pathways to understanding these quantities. We developed a multiple choice conceptual assessment employing a variety of physical contexts probing physical understanding of these three quantities and administered the instrument to over 1000 students in first and second semester introductory physics courses. Using a regression-based mediation analysis with conceptual understanding of integration as the dependent variable, we found evidence consistent with a simple mediation model: the relationship between differentials scores and integral scores may be mediated by the understanding of differential products. The indirect effect (a quantifiable metric of mediation) was estimated as a b =0.29 , 95% CI [0.25, 0.33] for N =1102 Physics 1 students, and a b =0.27 , 95% CI [0.14, 0.48] for N =65 Physics 2 students. We also find evidence that the physical context of the questions can be an important factor. These results imply that for introductory physics courses, instructional emphasis first on differentials then on differential products in a variety of contexts may in turn promote better integral understanding.

Measuring the impact of an instructional laboratory on the learning of introductory physics

OpenAIRE

Wieman, Carl; Holmes, N. G.

2015-01-01

We have analyzed the impact of taking an associated lab course on the scores on final exam questions in two large introductory physics courses. Approximately a third of the students who completed each course also took an accompanying instructional lab course. The lab courses were fairly conventional, although they focused on supporting the mastery of a subset of the introductory physics topics covered in the associated course. Performance between students who did and did not take the lab cour...

Excerpts from the introductory statement. IAEA Board of Governors. Vienna, 18 March 2002

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

ElBaradei, M.

2002-01-01

Excerpts are given from the Introductory Statement to the Board of Governors by the IAEA Director General Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei. Major topics covered in his introductory remarks include: protection against terrorism, nuclear technology, water resource management, application of sterile insect technique, human health, nuclear power, radioactive waste management, management of nuclear knowledge, nuclear safety, safety of radioactive sources, safeguards agreements and additional protocols, conceptual framework for integrated safeguards, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and Iraq

Just the facts? Introductory undergraduate biology courses focus on low-level cognitive skills.

Science.gov (United States)

Momsen, Jennifer L; Long, Tammy M; Wyse, Sara A; Ebert-May, Diane

2010-01-01

Introductory biology courses are widely criticized for overemphasizing details and rote memorization of facts. Data to support such claims, however, are surprisingly scarce. We sought to determine whether this claim was evidence-based. To do so we quantified the cognitive level of learning targeted by faculty in introductory-level biology courses. We used Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives to assign cognitive learning levels to course goals as articulated on syllabi and individual items on high-stakes assessments (i.e., exams and quizzes). Our investigation revealed the following: 1) assessment items overwhelmingly targeted lower cognitive levels, 2) the cognitive level of articulated course goals was not predictive of the cognitive level of assessment items, and 3) there was no influence of course size or institution type on the cognitive levels of assessments. These results support the claim that introductory biology courses emphasize facts more than higher-order thinking.

The role of applied physics in American introductory physics courses

Science.gov (United States)

Poduska, Ervin L.; Lunetta, Vincent N.

1984-09-01

To what extent should technology and applied physics be included in introductory physics courses? What is the proper balance between pure and applied physics? Should physics teachers devote precious time to socially relevant issues like nuclear power and alternative sources of energy? How much time should be spent, if any, on applications that are more relevant to the student's world like cars, music, television and refrigeration? Does including applications reduce or enhance student understanding of important classical topics? A response to these questions must be based on goals for physics teaching, on knowledge of how students learn and on the nature of the physics discipline. Since there is not enough time to teach everything in an introductory course, priorities must be determined.

Teaching Introductory Weather and Climate Using Popular Movies

Science.gov (United States)

Yow, Donald M.

2014-01-01

Addressing the need for an introductory atmospheric science course for nonscience majors, a course was developed that provides a general understanding of atmospheric processes by examining how meteorological events are portrayed in movies. The course also uses films to study the causes of, impacts associated with, and potential adaptations to…

Rhetorical Analysis as Introductory Speech: Jumpstarting Student Engagement

Science.gov (United States)

Malone, Marc P.

2012-01-01

When students enter the basic public speaking classroom,When students enter the basic public speaking classroom, they are asked to develop an introductory speech. This assignment typically focuses on a speech of self-introduction for which there are several pedagogical underpinnings: it provides an immediate and relatively stress-free speaking…

The Effect of Vocabulary on Introductory Microbiology Instruction

Science.gov (United States)

Richter, Emily

2011-01-01

This study examines the effect of the translation of traditional scientific vocabulary into plain English, a process referred to as Anglicization, on student learning in the context of introductory microbiology instruction. Data from Anglicized and Classical-vocabulary lab sections were collected. Data included exam scores as well as pre and…

Assessing Expertise in Introductory Physics Using Categorization Task

Science.gov (United States)

Mason, Andrew; Singh, Chandralekha

2011-01-01

The ability to categorize problems based upon underlying principles, rather than surface features or contexts, is considered one of several proxy predictors of expertise in problem solving. With inspiration from the classic study by Chi, Feltovich, and Glaser, we assess the distribution of expertise among introductory physics students by asking…

Learning Styles and Student Performance in Introductory Economics

Science.gov (United States)

Brunton, Bruce

2015-01-01

Data from nine introductory microeconomics classes was used to test the effect of student learning style on academic performance. The Kolb Learning Style Inventory was used to assess individual student learning styles. The results indicate that student learning style has no significant effect on performance, undermining the claims of those who…

Computer Self-Efficacy: A Practical Indicator of Student Computer Competency in Introductory IS Courses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rex Karsten

1998-01-01

Full Text Available Students often receive their first college-level computer training in introductory information systems courses. Students and faculty frequently expect this training to develop a level of student computer competence that will support computer use in future courses. In this study, we applied measures of computer self-efficacy to students in a typical introductory IS course. The measures provided useful evidence that student perceptions of their ability to use computers effectively in the future significantly improved as a result of their training experience. The computer self-efficacy measures also provided enhanced insight into course-related factors of practical concern to IS educators. Study results also suggest computer self-efficacy measures may be a practical and informative means of assessing computer-training outcomes in the introductory IS course context

Computer-Tailored Student Support in Introductory Physics

Science.gov (United States)

Huberth, Madeline; Chen, Patricia; Tritz, Jared; McKay, Timothy A.

2015-01-01

Large introductory courses are at a disadvantage in providing personalized guidance and advice for students during the semester. We introduce E2Coach (an Expert Electronic Coaching system), which allows instructors to personalize their communication with thousands of students. We describe the E2Coach system, the nature of the personalized support it provides, and the features of the students who did (and did not) opt-in to using it during the first three terms of its use in four introductory physics courses at the University of Michigan. Defining a ‘better-than-expected’ measure of performance, we compare outcomes for students who used E2Coach to those who did not. We found that moderate and high E2Coach usage was associated with improved performance. This performance boost was prominent among high users, who improved by 0.18 letter grades on average when compared to nonusers with similar incoming GPAs. This improvement in performance was comparable across both genders. E2Coach represents one way to use technology to personalize education at scale, contributing to the move towards individualized learning that is becoming more attainable in the 21st century. PMID:26352403

Computer-Tailored Student Support in Introductory Physics.

Science.gov (United States)

Huberth, Madeline; Chen, Patricia; Tritz, Jared; McKay, Timothy A

2015-01-01

Large introductory courses are at a disadvantage in providing personalized guidance and advice for students during the semester. We introduce E2Coach (an Expert Electronic Coaching system), which allows instructors to personalize their communication with thousands of students. We describe the E2Coach system, the nature of the personalized support it provides, and the features of the students who did (and did not) opt-in to using it during the first three terms of its use in four introductory physics courses at the University of Michigan. Defining a 'better-than-expected' measure of performance, we compare outcomes for students who used E2Coach to those who did not. We found that moderate and high E2Coach usage was associated with improved performance. This performance boost was prominent among high users, who improved by 0.18 letter grades on average when compared to nonusers with similar incoming GPAs. This improvement in performance was comparable across both genders. E2Coach represents one way to use technology to personalize education at scale, contributing to the move towards individualized learning that is becoming more attainable in the 21st century.

Lecturers' Perspectives on How Introductory Economic Courses Address Sustainability

Science.gov (United States)

Green, Tom L.

2015-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to explore sustainability commitments' potential implications for the curriculum of introductory economics courses. Universities have signed the Talloires Declaration, committing themselves to promoting students' environmental literacy and ecological citizenship, thereby creating pressure to integrate…

Safeguard and security issues for the U.S. Fissile Materials Disposition Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jaeger, C.D.; Moya, R.W.; Duggan, R.A.

1995-01-01

The Department of Energy's Office of Materials Disposition (MD) is analyzing long-term storage and disposition options for fissile materials, preparing a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS), preparing for a Record of Decision (ROD) regarding this material, and conducting other related activities. A primary objective of this program is to support U.S. nonproliferation policy by reducing major security risks. Particular areas of concern are the acquisition of this material by unauthorized persons and preventing the reintroduction of the material for use in weapons. This paper presents some of the issues, definitions, and assumptions addressed by the Safeguards and Security Project Team in support of the Fissile Materials Disposition Program (FMDP). The discussion also includes some preliminary ideas regarding safeguards and security criteria that are applicable to the screening of disposition options

Safeguards and security issues for the U.S. Fissile Materials Disposition Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jaeger, C.D.; Moya, R.W.; Duggan, R.A.

1995-01-01

The Department of Energy's Office of Materials Disposition (MD) is analyzing long-term storage and disposition options for fissile materials, preparing a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS), preparing for a Record of Decision (ROD) regarding this material, and conducting other related activities. A primary objective of this program is to support US nonproliferation policy by reducing major security risks. Particular areas of concern are the acquisition of this material by unauthorized persons and preventing the reintroduction of the material for use in weapons. This paper presents some of the issues, definitions, and assumptions addressed by the Safeguards and Security Project Team in support of the Fissile Materials Disposition Program (FMDP). The discussion also includes some preliminary ideas regarding safeguards and security criteria that are applicable to the screening of disposition options

Impact of a visual programming experience on the attitude toward programming of introductory undergraduate students

Science.gov (United States)

Godbole, Saurabh

Traditionally, textual tools have been utilized to teach basic programming languages and paradigms. Research has shown that students tend to be visual learners. Using flowcharts, students can quickly understand the logic of their programs and visualize the flow of commands in the algorithm. Moreover, applying programming to physical systems through the use of a microcontroller to facilitate this type of learning can spark an interest in students to advance their programming knowledge to create novel applications. This study examined if freshmen college students' attitudes towards programming changed after completing a graphical programming lesson. Various attributes about students' attitudes were examined including confidence, interest, stereotypes, and their belief in the usefulness of acquiring programming skills. The study found that there were no statistically significant differences in attitudes either immediately following the session or after a period of four weeks.

Peer Tutoring in Programming: Lessons Learned

Science.gov (United States)

Gerhardt, Jill; Olan, Michael

2010-01-01

This article describes our experience with peer tutoring in introductory programming courses. This tutoring concept was one of the integral support services out of five student services, which were part of a National Science Foundation Grant, designed to improve education, increase retention, improve professional development and employability, and…

Magnetic fusion energy materials technology program annual progress report for period ending June 30, 1977

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scott, J.L.

1977-09-01

The objectives of the Magnetic Fusion Energy (MFE) Materials Technology Program, which is described in this report, are to continue to solve the materials problems of the Fusion Energy Division of ORNL and to meet needs of the national MFE program, directed by the ERDA Division of Magnetic Fusion Energy (DMFE). This work is a continuation of the program described in previous annual progress reports. The principal areas of work include radiation effects, compatibility studies, materials studies related to the plasma-materials interaction, materials engineering, radiation behavior of superconducting magnet insulation, and mechanical properties of superconducting composites. The level of effort and schedules are consistent with Logic II of the DMFE Program Plan

Development and demonstration program for dynamic nuclear materials control

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Augustson, R.H.; Baron, N.; Ford, R.F.; Ford, W.; Hagen, J.; Li, T.K.; Marshall, R.S.; Reams, V.S.; Severe, W.R.; Shirk, D.G.

1978-01-01

A significant portion of the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory Safeguards Program is directed toward the development and demonstration of dynamic nuclear materials control. The building chosen for the demonstration system is the new Plutonium Processing Facility in Los Alamos, which houses such operations as metal-to-oxide conversion, fuel pellet fabrication, and scrap recovery. A DYnamic MAterials Control (DYMAC) system is currently being installed in the facility as an integral part of the processing operation. DYMAC is structured around interlocking unit-process accounting areas. It relies heavily on nondestructive assay measurements made in the process line to draw dynamic material balances in near real time. In conjunction with the nondestructive assay instrumentation, process operators use interactive terminals to transmit additional accounting and process information to a dedicated computer. The computer verifies and organizes the incoming data, immediately updates the inventory records, monitors material in transit using elapsed time, and alerts the Nuclear Materials Officer in the event that material balances exceed the predetermined action limits. DYMAC is part of the United States safeguards system under control of the facility operator. Because of its advanced features, the system will present a new set of inspection conditions to the IAEA, whose response is the subject of a study being sponsored by the US-IAEA Technical Assistance Program. The central issue is how the IAEA can use the increased capabilities of such a system and still maintain independent verification

Mapping training needs for dissemination and implementation research: lessons from a synthesis of existing D&I research training programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Chambers, David A; Proctor, Enola K; Brownson, Ross C; Straus, Sharon E

2017-09-01

With recent growth in the field of dissemination and implementation (D&I) research, multiple training programs have been developed to build capacity, including summer training institutes, graduate courses, degree programs, workshops, and conferences. While opportunities for D&I research training have expanded, course organizers acknowledge that available slots are insufficient to meet demand within the scientific and practitioner community. In addition, individual programs have struggled to best fit various needs of trainees, sometimes splitting coursework between specific D&I content and more introductory grant writing material. This article, stemming from a 2013 NIH workshop, reviews experiences across multiple training programs to align training needs, career stage and role, and availability of programs. We briefly review D&I needs and opportunities by career stage and role, discuss variations among existing training programs in format, mentoring relationships, and other characteristics, identify challenges of mapping needs of trainees to programs, and present recommendations for future D&I research training.

Preparations for the start-up of a research program in nuclear safeguards at Chalmers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Avdic, Senada; Pazsit, Imre

2004-03-01

The Department of Reactor Physics at Chalmers University of Technology plans to start-up a research program in nuclear safeguards and nuclear material management. The program is aimed at utilizing the experimental facilities as well as the experience in reactor physics, criticality safety, signal processing and unfolding, and experimental nuclear techniques, in tackling problems in non-destructive assay (NDA) of nuclear materials. For the introductory part of this program, support has been received from the Swedish Nuclear Power Inspectorate to host Dr. Senada Avdic, University of Tuzla, Bosnia, as a post-doc for three months to participate in the preparatory program. The preparations were focussed on a survey of existing active non-destructive assay methods and preparations of their application in the experimental and theoretical/calculational research of our Department. The methods surveyed comprise - the use of a {sup 252}Cf source in active NDA measurements; - planning of an experiment with the existing equipments of the Department; - time correlation measurements with a {sup 252}Cf source and/or a {sup 252}Cf detector; - Monte Carlo simulations of the time correlations between gammas and neutrons from a measurement with a {sup 252}Cf detector: the MCNP-PoliMi code; - Identification of fissile material (enrichment/mass) with {sup 252}Cf measurements; the use of various unfolding techniques (artificial neural networks) for identifying nuclear parameters; use of neutron activation analysis with a neutron generator for determination of distribution of material in an unknown sample; - determination of fissile material content by measurements of delayed neutrons.

Advanced Industrial Materials (AIM) Program: Compilation of project summaries and significant accomplishments, FY 1995

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-04-01

In many ways, the Advanced Industrial Materials (AIM) Program underwent a major transformation in Fiscal Year 1995 and these changes have continued to the present. When the Program was established in 1990 as the Advanced Industrial Concepts (AIC) Materials Program, the mission was to conduct applied research and development to bring materials and processing technologies from the knowledge derived from basic research to the maturity required for the end use sectors for commercialization. In 1995, the Office of Industrial Technologies (OIT) made radical changes in structure and procedures. All technology development was directed toward the seven ``Vision Industries`` that use about 80% of industrial energy and generated about 90% of industrial wastes. The mission of AIM has, therefore, changed to ``Support development and commercialization of new or improved materials to improve productivity, product quality, and energy efficiency in the major process industries.`` Though AIM remains essentially a National Laboratory Program, it is essential that each project have industrial partners, including suppliers to, and customers of, the seven industries. Now, well into FY 1996, the transition is nearly complete and the AIM Program remains reasonably healthy and productive, thanks to the superb investigators and Laboratory Program Managers. This report contains the technical details of some very remarkable work by the best materials scientists and engineers in the world. Subject areas covered are: advanced metals and composites; advanced ceramics and composites; polymers and biobased materials; and new materials and processes.

The Development of Curricular Guidelines for Introductory Microbiology that Focus on Understanding

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Susan Merkel

2012-02-01

Full Text Available The number of students who leave majors in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM due to a perception that courses are poorly taught is evidence that education reform in STEM is overdue. Despite decades of research that argues for student-centered teaching approaches, most introductory STEM courses are still taught in the large lecture format, focusing on rote memorization. While individual efforts in STEM educational reform are important, solutions will most certainly need to include institutional and cultural change. In biology, numerous national reports have called for educational reform to better prepare future scientists. We describe here a new, concept-based curriculum for Introductory Microbiology courses, designed to promote deep understanding of core concepts. Supported by the American Society for Microbiology (ASM and based on the overarching concepts and competencies presented in the AAAS/NSF report Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education: A Call to Action, we hope it will empower instructors to adapt student-centered approaches so that students in Introductory Microbiology courses can leave the course with a core set of enduring understandings of microbiology.

The Development of Curricular Guidelines for Introductory Microbiology that Focus on Understanding.

Science.gov (United States)

Merkel, Susan

2012-01-01

The number of students who leave majors in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) due to a perception that courses are poorly taught is evidence that education reform in STEM is overdue. Despite decades of research that argues for student-centered teaching approaches, most introductory STEM courses are still taught in the large lecture format, focusing on rote memorization. While individual efforts in STEM educational reform are important, solutions will most certainly need to include institutional and cultural change. In biology, numerous national reports have called for educational reform to better prepare future scientists. We describe here a new, concept-based curriculum for Introductory Microbiology courses, designed to promote deep understanding of core concepts. Supported by the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) and based on the overarching concepts and competencies presented in the AAAS/NSF report Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education: A Call to Action, we hope it will empower instructors to adapt student-centered approaches so that students in Introductory Microbiology courses can leave the course with a core set of enduring understandings of microbiology.

Fundamentals of Aerospace Engineering: An introductory course to aeronautical engineering

OpenAIRE

Soler, Manuel

2014-01-01

Fundamentals of Aerospace Engineering is a text book that provides an introductory, thorough overview of aeronautical engineering, and it is aimed at serving as reference for an undergraduate course on aerospace engineering.

Report on the joint meeting of the Division of Development and Technology Plasma Wall Interaction and High Heat Flux Materials and Components task groups

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nygren, R.E.

1992-04-01

The Plasma/Wall Interaction and High Heat Flux Materials and Components Task Groups typically hold a joint meeting each year to provide a forum for discussion of technical issues of current interest as well as an opportunity for program reviews by the Department of Energy (DOE). At the meeting in September 1990, reported here, research programs in support of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) were highlighted. The first part of the meeting was devoted to research and development (R ampersand D) for ITER on plasma facing components plus introductory presentations on some current projects and design studies. The balance of the meeting was devoted to program reviews, which included presentations by most of the participants in the Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Programs with activities related to plasma wall interactions. The Task Groups on Plasma/Wall Interaction and on High Heat Flux Materials and Components were chartered as continuing working groups by the Division of Development and Technology in DOE's Magnetic Fusion Program. This report is an addition to the series of ''blue cover'' reports on the Joint Meetings of the Plasma/Wall Interaction and High Heat Flux Materials and Components Task Groups. Among several preceding meetings were those in October 1989 and January 1988

Introductory Psychology Textbooks: An Objective Analysis and Update.

Science.gov (United States)

Griggs, Richard A.; Jackson, Sherri L.; Christopher, Andrew N.; Marek, Pam

1999-01-01

Explores changes in the introductory psychology textbook market through an analysis of edition, author, length, and content coverage of the volumes that comprise the current market. Finds a higher edition average, a decrease in the number of authors, an increase in text pages, and a focus on developmental psychology and sensation/perception. (CMK)

Introducing the Cloud in an Introductory IT Course

Science.gov (United States)

Woods, David M.

2018-01-01

Cloud computing is a rapidly emerging topic, but should it be included in an introductory IT course? The magnitude of cloud computing use, especially cloud infrastructure, along with students' limited knowledge of the topic support adding cloud content to the IT curriculum. There are several arguments that support including cloud computing in an…

X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy for the elemental analysis of plutonium-bearing materials for the materials disposition program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Voit, S.L.; Boerigter, S.T.; Rising, T.L.

1997-01-01

The US Fissile Materials Disposition (MD) program will disposition about 50 MT of plutonium in the next century. Both of the alternative technologies for disposition, MOX Fuel and Immobilization require knowledge of the incoming composition to 1--5 wt%. Wavelength Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence (WDXRF) systems, a common elemental analysis technology with a variety of industrial applications and commercial vendors, can readily achieve this level of characterization. Since much of the excess plutonium will be packaged in a long-term storage container as part of the DOE Environmental Management (DOE-EM) program to stabilize plutonium-bearing materials, the characterization system must be implemented during the packaging process. The authors describe a preliminary design for the integration of the WDXRF system into the packaging system to be used at the Rocky Flats site. The Plutonium Stabilization and Packaging System (PuSPS), coupled with the WDXRF characterization system will provide MD with stabilized plutonium-bearing excess material that can be more readily fed to an immobilization facility. The overall added expense to the MD program of obtaining analytical information after materials have been packaged in long-term storage containers could far exceed the expense of implementing XRF analysis during the packaging process

Whatever Happened to Richard Reid's List of First Programming Languages?

Science.gov (United States)

Siegfried, Robert M.; Greco, Daniel M.; Miceli, Nicholas G.; Siegfried, Jason P.

2012-01-01

Throughout the 1990s, Richard Reid of Michigan State University maintained a list showing the first programming language used in introductory programming courses taken by computer science and information systems majors; it was updated for several years afterwards by Frances Van Scoy of West Virginia University. However, it has been 5 years since…

Advanced Industrial Materials (AIM) Program annual progress report, FY 1997

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-05-01

The Advanced Industrial Materials (AIM) Program is a part of the Office of Industrial Technologies (OIT), Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, US Department of Energy (DOE). The mission of AIM is to support development and commercialization of new or improved materials to improve energy efficiency, productivity, product quality, and reduced waste in the major process industries. OIT has embarked on a fundamentally new way of working with industries--the Industries of the Future (IOF) strategy--concentrating on the major process industries that consume about 90% of the energy and generate about 90% of the waste in the industrial sector. These are the aluminum, chemical, forest products, glass, metalcasting, and steel industries. OIT has encouraged and assisted these industries in developing visions of what they will be like 20 or 30 years into the future, defining the drivers, technology needs, and barriers to realization of their visions. These visions provide a framework for development of technology roadmaps and implementation plans, some of which have been completed. The AIM Program supports IOF by conducting research and development on materials to solve problems identified in the roadmaps. This is done by National Laboratory/industry/university teams with the facilities and expertise needed to develop new and improved materials. Each project in the AIM Program has active industrial participation and support.

Introductory Physics Gender Gaps: Pre- and Post-Studio Transition

Science.gov (United States)

Kohl, Patrick B.; Kuo, H. Vincent

2009-11-01

Prior work has characterized the gender gaps present in college-level introductory physics courses. Such work has also shown that research-based interactive engagement techniques can reduce or eliminate these gender gaps. In this paper, we study the gender gaps (and lack thereof) in the introductory calculus-based electricity and magnetism course at the Colorado School of Mines. We present eight semesters' worth of data, totaling 2577 students, with four semesters preceding a transition to Studio physics, and four following. We examine gender gaps in course grades, DFW (D grade, fail, or withdrawal) rates, and normalized gains on the Conceptual Survey of Electricity and Magnetism (CSEM), and consider factors such as student ACT scores and grades in prior math classes. We find little or no gap in male/female course grades and DFW rates, but substantial gaps in CSEM gains that are reduced somewhat by the transition to Studio physics.

A Program to Stabilize Nuclear Materials as Managed by the Plutonium Focus Area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kenley, B.; Scott, B.; Seidel, B.; Knecht, D.; Southworth, F.; Osborne, K.; Chipman, N.; Creque, T.

1999-01-01

This paper describes the program to stabilize nuclear materials, consistent with the Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (EM) plan, Accelerating Cleanup: Paths to Closure. The program is managed by the Plutonium Stabilization and Disposition Focus Area, which defines and manages technology development programs to stabilize nuclear materials and assure their subsequent safe storage and final disposition. The scope of the Plutonium Stabilization and Disposition Focus Area (PFA) activities includes non-weapons plutonium materials, special isotopes, and other fissile materials. The PFA provides solutions to site-specific and complex wide technology issues associated with plutonium remediation, stabilization, and preparation for disposition. Our paper describes an important programmatic function of the Department of Energy nuclear materials stabilization program, including the tie-in of policy to research needs and funding for the nuclear materials disposition area. The PFA uses a rigorous systems engineering determination of technology needs and gaps, under the guidance of a Technical Advisory Panel, consisting of complex-wide experts. The Research and Development planning provides an example for other waste areas and should be of interest to Research and Development managers. The materials disposition maps developed by the PFA and described in this paper provide an evaluation of research needs, data gaps and subsequent guidance for the development of technologies for nuclear materials disposition. This paper also addresses the PFA prioritization methodology and its ability to forecast actual time to implementation

Overview of the U.S. programs on properties of primary circuit materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brinkman, C.R.; Sikka, V.K.; Booker, M.K.

1977-01-01

The objective of U.S. Breeder Reactor Programs associated with primary circuit structural materials is to develop the design data base and associated design technology on existing commercially available materials as well as new alloys. This will permit economic operation of components at acceptable levels of plant availability and at up to 40-year lifetimes for inaccessible components. Long-term component reliability, elevated-temperature service within the creep range, and resistance to sodium attack and irradiation damage, along with design in compliance with ASME Codes and RDT Specifications, have required that the U.S. programs be directed toward contributing knowledge in a number of areas. These areas, relating to material deformation, failure modes, compatibility, fabrication, long-term behavior, irradiation damage, and availability will be discussed. The U.S. Structural Material Programs concerned with primary-circuit components will be reviewed, and their current and future contributions to knowledge of these areas will be explained

Promoting Success in the Physical Sciences: The University of Wisconsin's Physics Learning Program

Science.gov (United States)

Nossal, S. M.; Jacob, A. T.

2002-05-01

The Physics Learning Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison provides small group, academic and mentoring support for students enrolled in algebra-based introductory physics courses. Those students accepted into our program are potentially at-risk academically in their physics course or for feeling isolated at the University. They include, among others, students who have not taken high school physics, returning adults, minority students, students with disabilities, and students with English as a second language. A core component of the program is the peer-lead teaching and mentoring groups that match upper level undergraduate physics majors with students potentially at-risk in introductory physics. The tutors receive ongoing training and supervision throughout the year. The program has expanded over the years to include staff tutors, the majority of whom are scientists who seek additional teaching experience. The Physics Peer Mentor Tutor Program is run in collaboration with a similar chemistry program at the University of Wisconsin's Chemistry Learning Center. We will describe our Physics Learning Programs and discuss some of the challenges, successes, and strategies used to work with our tutors and students.

78 FR 39271 - Applications for New Awards; Educational Technology, Media, and Materials Program for Individuals...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-07-01

... DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Applications for New Awards; Educational Technology, Media, and Materials...: Educational Technology, Media, and Materials Program for Individuals with Disabilities--Center on Technology... Description Purpose of Program: The purpose of the Educational Technology, Media, and Materials for...

Implementing New Reform Guidelines in Teaching Introductory College Statistics Courses

Science.gov (United States)

Everson, Michelle; Zieffler, Andrew; Garfield, Joan

2008-01-01

This article introduces the recently adopted Guidelines for the Assessment and Instruction in Statistics Education (GAISE) and provides two examples of introductory statistics courses that have been redesigned to better align with these guidelines.

Unpacking Gender Differences in Students' Perceived Experiences in Introductory Physics

Science.gov (United States)

Kost, Lauren E.; Pollock, Steven J.; Finkelstein, Noah D.

2009-11-01

Prior research has shown, at our institution: 1) males outperform females on conceptual assessments (a gender gap), 2) the gender gap persists despite the use of research-based reforms, and 3) the gender gap is correlated with students' physics and mathematics background and prior attitudes and beliefs [Kost, et al. PRST-PER, 5, 010101]. Our follow-up work begins to explore how males and females experience the introductory course differently and how these differences relate to the gender gap. We gave a survey to students in the introductory course in which we investigated students' physics identity and self-efficacy. We find there are significant gender differences in each of these three areas, and further find that these measures are weakly correlated with student conceptual performance, and moderately correlated with course grade.

Material balance area custodian performance evaluation program at PNL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dickman, D.A.

1991-01-01

This paper reports that the material balance area (MBA) custodian has primary responsibility for control and accountability of nuclear material within an MBA. In this role, the custodian operates as an extension of the facility material control and accountability (MC and A) organization. To effectively meet administrative requirements and protection needs, the custodian must be fully trained in all aspects of MC and A related to the MBA, and custodian performance must be periodically evaluated. U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Policy requires that each facility provide for a program which ensures that personnel performing MC and A functions are trained and/or qualified to perform their duties and responsibilities and knowledgeable of requirements and procedures related to their functions. the MBA Custodian Performance Evaluation Program at Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) uses a variety of assessment techniques to meet this goal, including internal and independent MBA audits, periodic custodian testing, limited scope performance tests, daily monitoring of MC and A documentation, and reviewing custodian performance during physical inventories

Health and safety information program for hazardous materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

O'Brien, M.P.; Fallon, N.J.; Kuehner, A.V.

1979-01-01

The system is used as a management tool in several safety and health programs. It is used to: trace the use of hazardous materials and to determine monitoring needs; inform the occupational physician of the potential health problems associated with materials ordered by a given individual; inform the fire and rescue group of hazardous materials in a given building; provide waste disposal recommendations to the hazardous waste management group; assist the hazardous materials shipping coordinator in identifying materials which are regulated by the Department of Transportation; and guide management decisions in the area of recognizing and rectifying unsafe conditions. The information system has been expanded from a manual effort to provide a brief description of health hazards of chemicals used at the lab to a computerized health and safety information system which serves the needs of all personnel who may encounter the material in the course of their work. The system has been designed to provide information needed to control the potential problems associated with a hazardous material up to the time that it is consumed in a given operation or is sent to the waste disposal facility

A Classification Scheme for Career Education Resource Materials.

Science.gov (United States)

Koontz, Ronald G.

The introductory section of the paper expresses its purpose: to devise a classification scheme for career education resource material, which will be used to develop the USOE Office of Career Education Resource Library and will be disseminated to interested State departments of education and local school districts to assist them in classifying…

Learning to Program with Personal Robots: Influences on Student Motivation

Science.gov (United States)

McGill, Monica M.

2012-01-01

One of the goals of using robots in introductory programming courses is to increase motivation among learners. There have been several types of robots that have been used extensively in the classroom to teach a variety of computer science concepts. A more recently introduced robot designed to teach programming to novice students is the Institute…

Foreign Material Exclusion Program at CNE Cernavoda Nuclear Generating Station

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Urjan, Daniel [S.N. ' Nuclearelectrica' SA, CNE Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant, Medgidiei 2 Street, 905200 Cernavoda, Constanta (Romania)

2008-07-01

In the face of a continuing attention to operations and maintenance costs at nuclear power plants, the future of the industry depends largely upon increasing plant availability and improving operating efficiency. The success in achieving these objectives is dependent upon the success of each plant's equipment maintenance program. Preventing the introduction of foreign materials into a nuclear power plant system or component requires a careful, thoughtful, and professional approach by all site personnel. This paper describes a proactive approach to prevent the introduction of foreign material into systems and components, by providing an overview of technical considerations required to develop, implement, and manage a foreign material exclusion program at CNE Cernavoda Unit 1 and 2 Nuclear Power Station. It is also described an example of Foreign Material Intrusion which happened during the 2003 planned maintenance outage at Cernavoda Unit no.1. This paper also defines personnel responsibilities and key nomenclature and a means for evaluating prospective work tasks and activities against standardized criteria, in order to identify the appropriate level of the required FME controls. (author)

Foreign Material Exclusion Program at CNE Cernavoda Nuclear Generating Station

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Urjan, Daniel [S.N. ' Nuclearelectrica' SA, CNE Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant, Medgidiei 2 Street, 905200 Cernavoda, Constanta (Romania)

2008-07-01

In the face of a continuing attention to operations and maintenance costs at nuclear power plants, the future of the industry depends largely upon increasing plant availability and improving operating efficiency. The success in achieving these objectives is dependent upon the success of each plant's equipment maintenance program. Preventing the introduction of foreign materials into a nuclear power plant system or component requires a careful, thoughtful, and professional approach by all site personnel. This paper describes a proactive approach to prevent the introduction of foreign material into systems and components, by providing an overview of technical considerations required to develop, implement, and manage a foreign material exclusion program at CNE Cernavoda Unit 1 and 2 Nuclear Power Station. It is also described an example of Foreign Material Intrusion which happened during the 2003 planned maintenance outage at Cernavoda Unit no.1. This paper also defines personnel responsibilities and key nomenclature and a means for evaluating prospective work tasks and activities against standardized criteria, in order to identify the appropriate level of the required FME controls. (author)

Foreign Material Exclusion Program at CNE Cernavoda Nuclear Generating Station

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Urjan, Daniel

2008-01-01

In the face of a continuing attention to operations and maintenance costs at nuclear power plants, the future of the industry depends largely upon increasing plant availability and improving operating efficiency. The success in achieving these objectives is dependent upon the success of each plant's equipment maintenance program. Preventing the introduction of foreign materials into a nuclear power plant system or component requires a careful, thoughtful, and professional approach by all site personnel. This paper describes a proactive approach to prevent the introduction of foreign material into systems and components, by providing an overview of technical considerations required to develop, implement, and manage a foreign material exclusion program at CNE Cernavoda Unit 1 and 2 Nuclear Power Station. It is also described an example of Foreign Material Intrusion which happened during the 2003 planned maintenance outage at Cernavoda Unit no.1. This paper also defines personnel responsibilities and key nomenclature and a means for evaluating prospective work tasks and activities against standardized criteria, in order to identify the appropriate level of the required FME controls. (author)

Feasibility of Python in teaching programming

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rafael Martínez Estévez

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Given the diversity of the objectives of the programming courses in the Cuban educational system and the training of teachers, it is not easy to decide the language to be used in each case. The intention of this article is to bring to debate to our context a trend that has been growing in the last decade: Python as a first programming language. The aim of this study is to compile some inter national experiences in the use of Python in introductory programming courses, also analyzing their advantages and disadvantages.

Magnetic materials and 3D finite element modeling

CERN Document Server

Bastos, Joao Pedro A

2014-01-01

Magnetic Materials and 3D Finite Element Modeling explores material characterization and finite element modeling (FEM) applications. This book relates to electromagnetic analysis based on Maxwell’s equations and application of the finite element (FE) method to low frequency devices. A great source for senior undergraduate and graduate students in electromagnetics, it also supports industry professionals working in magnetics, electromagnetics, ferromagnetic materials science and electrical engineering. The authors present current concepts on ferromagnetic material characterizations and losses. They provide introductory material; highlight basic electromagnetics, present experimental and numerical modeling related to losses and focus on FEM applied to 3D applications. They also explain various formulations, and discuss numerical codes.

DOE materials program supporting immobilization of radioactive wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oertel, G.K.; Scheib, W.S. Jr.

1979-01-01

A summary is presented of the DOE program for developing waste-form criteria, immobilization processes, and generation and evaluation of performance characterization data. Interrelationships are discussed among repository design, materials requirements, immobilization process definition, quality assurance, and risk analysis as part of the National Environmental Policy Act and regulatory processes

The Write Stuff: Teaching the Introductory Public Relations Writing Course.

Science.gov (United States)

King, Cynthia M.

2001-01-01

Outlines an introductory public relations writing course. Presents course topics and objectives, and assignments designed to meet them. Provides a sample grading rubric and evaluates major public relations writing textbooks. Discusses learning and assessment strategies. (SR)

Women and Minorities in Introductory Economics Textbooks: 1974 to 1984.

Science.gov (United States)

Feiner, Susan F.; Morgan, Barbara A.

1987-01-01

Reviews widely-used introductory economics textbooks, examining how issues relating to race and gender are treated. Suggests how stereotypical roles could be avoided in the future. Includes a table summarizing data from 21 textbooks. (Author/DH)

Program strategy document for the Nuclear Materials Transportation Technology Center

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jefferson, R.M.

1979-07-01

A multiyear program plan is presented which describes the program of the Nuclear Materials Transportation Technology Center (TIC) at Sandia Laboratories. The work element plans, along with their corresponding work breakdown structures, are presented for TTC activities in the areas of Technology and Information Center, Systems Development, Technology, and Institutional Issues for the years from 1979 to 1985

Topic Order in Introductory Physics and its Impact on the STEM Curricular Ladder

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Teresa L Larkin

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Introductory physics courses are an important rung on the curricular ladder in STEM. These courses help to strengthen students critical thinking and problem solving skills while simultaneously introducing them to many topics they will explore in more detail in later courses in physics and engineering. For these reasons, introductory physics is a required element on the curricular ladder. Most often, introductory physics is offered as a two-semester sequence with basic mechanics being taught in the first semester and electricity and magnetism in the second. In fact, this curricular sequence has not been altered in decades. Is there a reason for this? There are many other enduring questions that arise pertaining to these foundation courses in physics. These questions include: Does taking the introductory course sequence “out of order” have an impact on student learning in physics? What topics should be taught? When should these topics be taught? What topics could be left out? The list of questions is essentially endless. This paper will address some of these questions in part, through a brief discussion on student learning in a second-semester algebra-based physics course. Connections will also be made to the broader curricular ladder in STEM. To this end, an illustration that makes connections to an engineering statics course will be presented. This discussion will conclude by presenting some broader implications for the larger STEM communities.

Teaching Introductory Psychology in the Community College Classroom: Enhancing Student Understanding and Retention of Essential Information

Science.gov (United States)

Debb, Scott M.; Debb, Sharon M.

2012-01-01

Enrolling in an introductory course in psychology is a staple of many community college students' core curriculum. For those students who plan to pursue social science and humanities-related majors in particular, introductory psychology helps provide a solid base upon which future coursework at all academic levels will be built. The goal of any…

Humor to the Rescue: How to Make Introductory Economics an Appealing Social Science for Non-Majors

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, George H.

2014-01-01

Despite efforts made over the past few years to improve upon the way introductory economics is taught, these efforts have unfortunately done very little to change student perception of economics as a dry, difficult and boring subject. Since the introductory economics course for many nonmajors may be their only economics course in college, it is…

Advanced gas cooled nuclear reactor materials evaluation and development program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1977-01-01

Results of work performed from January 1, 1977 through March 31, 1977 on the Advanced Gas Cooled Nuclear Reactor Materials Evaluation and Development Program are presented. The objectives of this program are to evaluate candidate alloys for Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR) Process Heat and Direct Cycle Helium Turbine (DCHT) applications, in terms of the effect of simulated reactor primary coolant (impure Helium), high temperatures, and long time exposures, on the mechanical properties and structural and surface stability of selected candidate alloys. A second objective is to select and recommend materials for future test facilities and more extensive qualification programs. Work covered in this report includes progress to date on alloy selection for VHTR Nuclear Process Heat (NPH) applications and for DCHT applications. The present status on the simulated reactor helium loop design and on designs for the testing and analysis facilities and equipment is discussed

Introductory analysis of Benard-Marangoni convection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maroto, J A; Perez-Munuzuri, V; Romero-Cano, M S

2007-01-01

We describe experiments on Benard-Marangoni convection which permit a useful understanding of the main concepts involved in this phenomenon such as, for example, Benard cells, aspect ratio, Rayleigh and Marangoni numbers, Crispation number and critical conditions. In spite of the complexity of convection theory, we carry out a simple and introductory analysis which has the additional advantage of providing very suggestive experiments. As a consequence, we recommend our device for use as a laboratory experiment for undergraduate students of the thermodynamics of nonlinear and fluid physics

Introductory analysis of Benard-Marangoni convection

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maroto, J A [Group of Physics and Chemistry of Linares, Escuela Politecnica Superior, St Alfonso X El Sabio, 28, University of Jaen, E-23700 Linares, Jaen (Spain); Perez-Munuzuri, V [Group of Nonlinear Physics, University of Santiago de Compostela, E-15782 Santiago de Compostela (Spain); Romero-Cano, M S [Group of Complex Fluids Physics, Department of Applied Physics, University of Almeria, E-04120 Almeria (Spain)

2007-03-15

We describe experiments on Benard-Marangoni convection which permit a useful understanding of the main concepts involved in this phenomenon such as, for example, Benard cells, aspect ratio, Rayleigh and Marangoni numbers, Crispation number and critical conditions. In spite of the complexity of convection theory, we carry out a simple and introductory analysis which has the additional advantage of providing very suggestive experiments. As a consequence, we recommend our device for use as a laboratory experiment for undergraduate students of the thermodynamics of nonlinear and fluid physics.

Introductory statistics for the behavioral sciences

CERN Document Server

Welkowitz, Joan; Cohen, Jacob

1971-01-01

Introductory Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences provides an introduction to statistical concepts and principles. This book emphasizes the robustness of parametric procedures wherein such significant tests as t and F yield accurate results even if such assumptions as equal population variances and normal population distributions are not well met.Organized into three parts encompassing 16 chapters, this book begins with an overview of the rationale upon which much of behavioral science research is based, namely, drawing inferences about a population based on data obtained from a samp

Academic Performance in Introductory Accounting: Do Learning Styles Matter?

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Lin Mei; Laswad, Fawzi

2015-01-01

This study examines the impact of learning styles on academic performance using major assessment methods (examinations and assignments including multiple-choice and constructed response questions (CRQs)) in an introductory accounting course. Students' learning styles were assessed using Kolb's Learning Style Inventory Version 3.1. The results…

Characterizing Teaching in Introductory Geology Courses: Measuring Classroom Practices

Science.gov (United States)

Budd, D. A.; van der Hoeven Kraft, K. J.; McConnell, D. A.; Vislova, T.

2013-01-01

Most research about reformed teaching practices in the college science classroom is based on instructor self-report. This research describes what is happening in some introductory geology courses at multiple institutions across the country using external observers. These observations are quantified using the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol…

Race, Sex, and Their Influences on Introductory Statistics Education

Science.gov (United States)

van Es, Cindy; Weaver, Michelle M.

2018-01-01

The Survey of Attitudes Toward Statistics or SATS was administered for three consecutive years to students in an Introductory Statistics course at Cornell University. Questions requesting demographic information and expected final course grade were added. Responses were analyzed to investigate possible differences between sexes and racial/ethnic…

Introductory Anatomy and Physiology in an Undergraduate Nursing Curriculum

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, S. J.; White, S.; Power, N.

2017-01-01

Using an educational data mining approach, first-year academic achievement of undergraduate nursing students, which included two compulsory courses in introductory human anatomy and physiology, was compared with achievement in a final semester course that transitioned students into the workplace. We hypothesized that students could be grouped…

Using News Media Databases (LexisNexis) To Identify Relevant Topics For Introductory Earth Science Classes

Science.gov (United States)

Cervato, C.; Jach, J. Y.; Ridky, R.

2003-12-01

Introductory Earth science courses are undergoing pedagogical changes in universities across the country and are focusing more than ever on the non-science majors. Increasing enrollment of non-science majors in these introductory Earth science courses demands a new look at what is being taught and how the content can be objectively chosen. Assessing the content and effectiveness of these courses requires a quantitative investigation of introductory Earth science topics and their relevance to current issues and concerns. Relevance of Earth science topics can be linked to improved students' attitude toward science and a deeper understanding of concepts. We have used the Internet based national news search-engine LexisNexis Academic Universe (http://www.lexisnexis.org/) to select the occurrence of Earth science terms over the last 12 months, five and ten years both regionally and nationally. This database of term occurrences is being used to examine how Earth sciences have evolved in the news through the last 10 years and is also compared with textbook contents and course syllabi from randomly selected introductory earth science courses across the nation. These data constitute the quantitative foundation for this study and are being used to evaluate the relevance of introductory earth science course content. The relevance of introductory course content and current real-world issues to student attitudes is a crucial factor when considering changes in course curricula and pedagogy. We have examined students' conception of the nature of science and attitudes towards science and learning science using a Likert-scale assessment instrument in the fall 2002 Geology 100 classes at Iowa State University. A pre-test and post-test were administered to see if the students' attitudes changed during the semester using as reference a control group comprised of geoscience undergraduate and graduate students, and faculty. The results of the attitude survey have been analyzed in terms

Fundamental radiation effects studies in the fusion materials program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doran, D.G.

1982-01-01

Fundamental radiation effects studies in the US Fusion Materials Program generally fall under the aegis of the Damage Analysis and Fundamental Studies (DAFS) Program. In a narrow sense, the problem addressed by the DAFS program is the prediction of radiation effects in fusion devices using data obtained in non-representative environments. From the onset, the program has had near-term and long-term components. The premise for the latter is that there will be large economic penalties for uncertainties in predictive capability. Fusion devices are expected to be large and complex and unanticipated maintenance will be costly. It is important that predictions are based on a maximum of understanding and a minimum of empiricism. Gaining this understanding is the thrust of the long-term component. (orig.)

Advanced Materials Development Program: Ceramic Technology for Advanced Heat Engines program plan, 1983--1993

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1990-07-01

The purpose of the Ceramic Technology for Advanced Heat Engines (CTAHE) Project is the development of an industrial technology base capable of providing reliable and cost-effective high temperature ceramic components for application in advanced heat engines. There is a deliberate emphasis on industrial'' in the purpose statement. The project is intended to support the US ceramic and engine industries by providing the needed ceramic materials technology. The heat engine programs have goals of component development and proof-of-concept. The CTAHE Project is aimed at developing generic basic ceramic technology and does not involve specific engine designs and components. The materials research and development efforts in the CTAHE Project are focused on the needs and general requirements of the advanced gas turbine and low heat rejection diesel engines. The CTAHE Project supports the DOE Office of Transportation Systems' heat engine programs, Advanced Turbine Technology Applications (ATTAP) and Heavy Duty Transport (HDT) by providing the basic technology required for development of reliable and cost-effective ceramic components. The heat engine programs provide the iterative component design, fabrication, and test development logic. 103 refs., 18 figs., 11 tabs.

Continuing training program in radiation protection in biological research centers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Escudero, R.; Hidalgo, R.M.; Usera, F.; Macias, M.T.; Mirpuri, E.; Perez, J.; Sanchez, A.

2008-01-01

specific training program in radiation protection to meet the different needs of all workers in a biological research center. This program aims to ensure compliance with the relevant national legislation and to minimize the possibility of radiological incidents and accidents in this kind of center. This study has involved contributions from six nationally and internationally recognized Spanish biological research centers that have active training programs in radiation protection, and the design of the program presented here has been informed by the teaching experience of the training staff involved. The training method is based on introductory and refresher courses for personnel in direct contact with the radioactive facility and also for indirectly associated personnel. The courses will include guideline manuals (print or electronic), training through seminars or online materials, and also personnel evaluation, visits to the radioactive facility or practical training as required. The introductory courses are intended for newly incorporated personnel. The refresher courses are fundamentally designed to accommodate possible changes to national legal regulations, working conditions or the in-house radiological protection controls. Maintenance and instrumentation workers, cleaners, administrative personnel, etc. who are associated with the radioactive facility indirectly. These workers are affected by the work in the radioactive facility to varying degrees, and they therefore also require information and training in radiological protection tailored to their level of interaction with the installation. The aim of this study was to design a specific training program in radiation protection to meet the different needs of all workers in a biological research center. This program aims to ensure compliance with the relevant national legislation and to minimize the possibility of radiological incidents and accidents in this kind of center. This study has involved contributions from

Analisis Perbandingan Material Slab Beton Pada Perkerasan Apron Dengan Menggunakan Program Bantu Elemen Hingga

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hendrawan Setyo Warsito

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Kekuatan slab beton sangat dipengaruhi oleh jenis material yang dipakai. Jenis material yang dimaksud adalah material beton dengan menggunakan PC (Portland Cement dan penggunaan geopolimer dalam komposisi campuran slab beton. Beton geopolimer merupakan beton yang ramah lingkungan. Permasalahan lain yang timbul adalah letak roda pesawat tidak selalu berada pada titik yang sama disuatu permukaan slab beton apron. Pada tugas akhir ini dimaksudkan untuk menganalisis suatu slab beton yang dibebani roda pesawat dengan campuran variasi material beton dan variasi letak roda pesawat pada slab beton dengan program bantu metode elemen hingga. Dengan data pergerakan pesawat, spesifikasi apron bandara Juanda kondisi eksisting. Dilakukan perhitungan tebal slab beton menggunakan software FAARFIELD dan diperoleh tebal slab beton sebesar 442,5 mm. Dari analisis program bantu elemen hingga dapat diperoleh tegangan pada slab beton yang ditimbulkan oleh pembebanan roda pesawat. Hasil validasi dari analisis tegangan menggunakan program bantu elemen hingga dengan analisis Westergaard yaitu memiliki nilai tegangan yang hampir sama pada ketebalan slab beton 450mm. Nilai tegangan tiap-tiap material beton menunjukan nilai tebal slab beton yang diijinkan untuk tipe pesawat tertentu. Dari analisis menggunakan program bantu elemen hingga tebal slab beton yang diijinkan untuk material slab beton PC yaitu sebesar 425mm. Sedangkan untuk material beton geopolimer yaitu sebesar  415 mm.

From Random Walks to Brownian Motion, from Diffusion to Entropy: Statistical Principles in Introductory Physics

Science.gov (United States)

Reeves, Mark

2014-03-01

will present a number of these exercises, with particular focus on the hands-on experiments done by the students, and will give examples of the tangible material that our students work with throughout the two-semester sequence of their course on introductory physics with a bio focus. Supported by NSF DUE.

Access Patterns of Online Materials in a Blended Course

Science.gov (United States)

Asarta, Carlos J.; Schmidt, James R.

2013-01-01

Patterns in student accesses of online materials and their effects upon student performance in a blended course are examined. Our blended course is an introductory business and economic statistics course where lectures are only available online while the traditional class period is used for complementary learning activities. Timing, volumes,…

Intuitive introductory statistics

CERN Document Server

Wolfe, Douglas A

2017-01-01

This textbook is designed to give an engaging introduction to statistics and the art of data analysis. The unique scope includes, but also goes beyond, classical methodology associated with the normal distribution. What if the normal model is not valid for a particular data set? This cutting-edge approach provides the alternatives. It is an introduction to the world and possibilities of statistics that uses exercises, computer analyses, and simulations throughout the core lessons. These elementary statistical methods are intuitive. Counting and ranking features prominently in the text. Nonparametric methods, for instance, are often based on counts and ranks and are very easy to integrate into an introductory course. The ease of computation with advanced calculators and statistical software, both of which factor into this text, allows important techniques to be introduced earlier in the study of statistics. This book's novel scope also includes measuring symmetry with Walsh averages, finding a nonp...

Introductory Biology Labs... They Just Aren't Sexy Enough!

Science.gov (United States)

Cotner, Sehoya; Gallup, Gordon G., Jr.

2011-01-01

The typical introductory biology curriculum includes the nature of science, evolution and genetics. Laboratory activities are designed to engage students in typical subject areas ranging from cell biology and physiology, to ecology and evolution. There are few, if any, laboratory classes exploring the biology and evolution of human sexual…

Advanced neutron source materials surveillance program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heavilin, S.M.

1995-01-01

The Advanced Neutron Source (ANS) will be composed of several different materials, one of which is 6061-T6 aluminum. Among other components, the reflector vessel and the core pressure boundary tube (CPBT), are to be made of 6061-T6 aluminum. These components will be subjected to high thermal neutron fluences and will require a surveillance program to monitor the strength and fracture toughness of the 6061-T6 aluminum over their lifetimes. The purpose of this paper is to explain the steps that were taken in the summer of 1994 toward developing the surveillance program. The first goal was to decide upon standard specimens to use in the fracture toughness and tensile testing. Second, facilities had to be chosen for specimens representing the CPBT and the reflector vessel base, weld, and heat-affected-zone (HAZ) metals. Third, a timetable had to be defined to determine when to remove the specimens for testing

"Flipping" the introductory clerkship in radiology: impact on medical student performance and perceptions.

Science.gov (United States)

Belfi, Lily M; Bartolotta, Roger J; Giambrone, Ashley E; Davi, Caryn; Min, Robert J

2015-06-01

Among methods of "blended learning" (ie, combining online modules with in-class instruction), the "flipped classroom" involves student preclass review of material while reserving class time for interactive knowledge application. We integrated blended learning methodology in a "flipped" introductory clerkship in radiology, and assessed the impact of this approach on the student educational experience (performance and perception). In preparation for the "flipped clerkship," radiology faculty and residents created e-learning modules that were uploaded to an open-source website. The clerkship's 101 rising third-year medical students were exposed to different teaching methods during the course, such as blended learning, traditional lecture learning, and independent learning. Students completed precourse and postcourse knowledge assessments and surveys. Student knowledge improved overall as a result of taking the course. Blended learning achieved greater pretest to post-test improvement of high statistical significance (P value, .0060) compared to lecture learning alone. Blended learning also achieved greater pretest to post-test improvement of borderline statistical significance (P value, .0855) in comparison to independent learning alone. The difference in effectiveness of independent learning versus lecture learning was not statistically significant (P value, .2730). Student perceptions of the online modules used in blended learning portions of the course were very positive. They specifically enjoyed the self-paced interactivity and the ability to return to the modules in the future. Blended learning can be successfully applied to the introductory clerkship in radiology. This teaching method offers educators an innovative and efficient approach to medical student education in radiology. Copyright © 2015 AUR. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Transversality of electromagnetic waves in the calculus-based introductory physics course

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burko, Lior M

2008-01-01

Introductory calculus-based physics textbooks state that electromagnetic waves are transverse and list many of their properties, but most such textbooks do not bring forth arguments why this is so. Both physical and theoretical arguments are at a level appropriate for students of courses based on such books, and could be readily used by instructors of such courses. Here, we discuss two physical arguments (based on polarization experiments and on lack of monopole electromagnetic radiation) and the full argument for the transversality of (plane) electromagnetic waves based on the integral Maxwell equations. We also show, at a level appropriate for the introductory course, why the electric and magnetic fields in a wave are in phase and the relation of their magnitudes

Transversality of electromagnetic waves in the calculus-based introductory physics course

Science.gov (United States)

Burko, Lior M.

2008-11-01

Introductory calculus-based physics textbooks state that electromagnetic waves are transverse and list many of their properties, but most such textbooks do not bring forth arguments why this is so. Both physical and theoretical arguments are at a level appropriate for students of courses based on such books, and could be readily used by instructors of such courses. Here, we discuss two physical arguments (based on polarization experiments and on lack of monopole electromagnetic radiation) and the full argument for the transversality of (plane) electromagnetic waves based on the integral Maxwell equations. We also show, at a level appropriate for the introductory course, why the electric and magnetic fields in a wave are in phase and the relation of their magnitudes.

Real sequential evaluation of materials balance data with the computer program PROSA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bicking, U.; Golly, W.; Seifert, R.

1991-01-01

Material accountancy is an important tool for international nuclear safeguards. The aim is to detect a possible loss of material timely and with high probability. In this context, a computer program called PROSA (Program for Sequential Analysis of NRTA data) was developed at the Karlsruhe Nuclear Research Center. PROSA is a statistical tool to decide on the basis of statistical considerations whether or not in a given sequence of material balances a loss of material might have occurred. The evaluation of the material balance data (MUF values) is carried out with statistical test procedures. In the present PROSA version 4.0 three tests, Page's test, CUMUF test and GEMUF test are applied at a time. These three test procedures are the result of several years of research and are supposed to be the most promising ones with respect to the detection probability of possible losses of material as well as to the timeliness of such a detection. PROSA version 4.0 is a user-friendly, menudriven computer program which is suitable for routine field application. Data input - that means MUF values and measurement model - can be performed either by diskette or by key-enter. The output consists of an information whether or not an alarm is indicated. This information can be displayed either numerically or graphically. Therefore, a comfortable graphical output utility is attached to PROSA version 4.0. In this presentation the theoretical concepts implemented in PROSA will be explained. Furthermore, the functioning of the program will be presented and the performance of PROSA will be demonstrated using balance data of a real reprocessing campaign. (J.P.N.)

Introductory modern algebra a historical approach

CERN Document Server

Stahl, Saul

2013-01-01

Praise for the First Edition ""Stahl offers the solvability of equations from the historical point of view...one of the best books available to support a one-semester introduction to abstract algebra.""-CHOICE Introductory Modern Algebra: A Historical Approach, Second Edition presents the evolution of algebra and provides readers with the opportunity to view modern algebra as a consistent movement from concrete problems to abstract principles. With a few pertinent excerpts from the writings of some of the greatest mathematicians, the Second Edition uniquely facilitates the understanding of pi

Introductory Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences

CERN Document Server

Cohen, Barry H; Lea, R Brooke

2012-01-01

A comprehensive and user-friendly introduction to statistics for behavioral science students-revised and updated Refined over seven editions by master teachers, this book gives instructors and students alike clear examples and carefully crafted exercises to support the teaching and learning of statistics for both manipulating and consuming data. One of the most popular and respected statistics texts in the behavioral sciences, the Seventh Edition of Introductory Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences has been fully revised. The new edition presents all the topics students in the behavioral s

A Retrospective Self-Assessment of the SURFO Summer Internship Program in Oceanography

Science.gov (United States)

Pockalny, R. A.; Donohue, K. A.; Fliegler, J.

2009-12-01

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships in Oceanography (SURFO) program at the Graduate School of Oceanography/University of Rhode Island is an NSF-funded Research Experience for Undergraduates site program with a programmatic research niche focused on quantitative aspects of Oceanography. Each summer-cohort includes 9-12 participants (rising seniors) who are paired with a primary research advisor and often with a graduate student mentor. The primary components of the 10-week program include a 4-week introductory phase and a 6-week core research phase. A retrospective self-assessment instrument gauged the confidence, attitude and comfort level of participants with; 1) core math and science subjects, 2) oceanography-related subjects, 3) research skills, and 4) SURFO and GSO staff. SURFO participants evaluated themselves at the start of the program, after the introductory phase, and at the end of the program. Participants were also asked to reassess their initial evaluations and provide an updated score. The pre-assessment results indicate that the program recruits students from the target group (e.g., strong physics and math backgrounds, but with limited exposure to oceanography). The results also indicate that the students are initially comfortable with their advising team, but not so comfortable with their research topic and research skills. The post-introductory phase results indicate large increases in comfort level with the advising team and the local research community yet little or no change is indicated for research skills. The final assessments show large changes in oceanography-content knowledge, research topic, and research skills. The retrospective reassessment indicates an initial overconfidence in most categories. Overall, the largest changes occurred during the core research portion of the program. These results reinforce the importance/effectiveness of authentic, hands-on, inquiry-based research for higher learning and training the next

34 CFR 429.1 - What is the Bilingual Vocational Materials, Methods, and Techniques Program?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... techniques for bilingual vocational training for individuals with limited English proficiency. (Authority..., and Techniques Program? 429.1 Section 429.1 Education Regulations of the Offices of the Department of... MATERIALS, METHODS, AND TECHNIQUES PROGRAM General § 429.1 What is the Bilingual Vocational Materials...

The Structure of the Introductory Economics Course in United States Colleges.

Science.gov (United States)

Sweeney, M. Jane Barr; And Others

1983-01-01

This survey examined class size, teaching methods, and the one-semester/two-semester organization of the introductory economics course. Student satisfaction with respect to their institution was also studied. (Author/RM)

Industry to Education Technical Transfer Program & Composite Materials. Composite Materials Course. Fabrication I Course. Fabrication II Course. Composite Materials Testing Course. Final Report.

Science.gov (United States)

Massuda, Rachel

These four reports provide details of projects to design and implement courses to be offered as requirements for the associate degree program in composites and reinforced plastics technology. The reports describe project activities that led to development of curricula for four courses: composite materials, composite materials fabrication I,…

Ecology Content in Introductory Biology Courses: A Comparative Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Pool, Richard F.; Turner, Gregory D.; Böttger, S. Anne

2013-01-01

In recent years the need for ecological literacy and problem solving has increased, but there is no evidence that this need is reflected by increased ecology coverage at institutions of higher education (IHE) across the United States. Because introductory biology courses may serve to direct student interest toward particular biological categories…

Using Data from Climate Science to Teach Introductory Statistics

Science.gov (United States)

Witt, Gary

2013-01-01

This paper shows how the application of simple statistical methods can reveal to students important insights from climate data. While the popular press is filled with contradictory opinions about climate science, teachers can encourage students to use introductory-level statistics to analyze data for themselves on this important issue in public…