Fostering self-regulation and deep approaches to learning : end-user computing courses in higher education : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education (Special Education) at Massey University, New Zealand

This thesis examines student approaches to learning and self-regulation within a higher education computing environment. Traditional end-user computing teaching methods emphasise a skills approach that does not encourage effective use of information technology as it evolves and does not consider how students approach their learning. This research was designed to promote student use of self-regulated learning to see if it would encourage deep approaches to learning. The revised two-factor Study Process Questionnaire (R-SPQ-2F) was used to measure approaches to learning, at the beginning and end of a semester, to see if students' learning had shifted towards a deeper approach. The sample was taken from two end-user computing classes in a diploma programme. The teaching of strategies to foster self-regulatory practices was introduced. Focus group discussions were held at the beginning, middle and end of the study to record student perceptions of learning. Academic journals, recording student reflection, were collected. The results from the R-SPQ-2F questionnaire showed no shift had occurred. The participants began the semester with a tendency toward a deeper learning approach, leaving little room for change. There was no difference found between approaches to learning of ethnic groupings. Qualitative results revealed deep and surface learning approaches are not necessarily mutually exclusive and may overlap, suggesting a combined approach. The course grades suggested that the adoption of teaching strategies fostering self-regulation helped student learning in the researched classes. A link was suggested between strategy use and student approaches to learning

The Growth of Female Piano Pedagogy in Nineteenth-Century Dublin and Annie Curwen’s Pianoforte Method

At the turn of the nineteenth century women’s involvement in music in Ireland was still mainly limited to performance. However, over the course of the century their participation in music teaching increased dramatically. Music teaching became one of the few acceptable professions for women and the majority of female music teachers taught piano.1 Music was also seen as an asset for young ladies, creating social acceptance as well as adding to their desirable attributes for possible suitors. It gave them an opportunity to demonstrate their education, grace and self-expression through their musical abilities as a singer or pianist. However, opportunities in music were usually limited to those from a reasonably wealthy background because they themselves would have to pay for lessons and a piano to practice on. After that, a good standing in society was helpful in giving women the opportunity to illustrate their talents and gain students of their own

The Role of Women in Music in Nineteenth-Century Dublin

During the nineteenth century the position of women in music grew throughout Europe, and Ireland was no exception. In Dublin, women went from participating in the city's musical culture as performers to participating as teachers, composers, organisers, performers and writers. In the first half of the century, private music teachers such as Mrs Allen represented women's first steps into promoting Irish music. With the re-organisation of the Royal Irish Academy of Music in 1856, women were given a new outlet for their talents as students and teachers. The employment and fair treatment of Fanny Robinson, as the Royal Irish Academy of Music‟s first female teacher, set a precedent for equal treatment of women in the music profession. The Royal Irish Academy of Music continued to employ women as teachers, such as Mrs Scott- Ffennell, Margaret O‟Hea and Edith Oldham. The nineteenth century saw Dublin's first female composers, Fanny Robinson, Elena Norton and Annie Patterson, publishing and performing their music. Women began writing about music as a means of improving music education and public understanding. One of the greatest outcomes of the promotion of music by women was the founding of the Feis Ceoil by Annie Patterson and its organisation and promotion by Patterson and Oldham. The musical culture of Dublin was given a means through which it could develop while reviving native Irish music. This thesis evaluates the contribution made by women to music in nineteenth century Dublin and examines the areas they were involved in, how they were perceived and how their important work has been neglected and often forgotten in accounts of music from that period. It argues their worthiness of an important place in Ireland's music history

Tethered Space Satellite-1 (TSS-1): Wound About a Bolt

In the early 1990's US and Italian scientists collaborated to study the electrodynamics on a long tether between two satellites as it moved through the electrically charged portion of Earth's atmosphere called the ionosphere. Potential uses for the electrical current induced in the long wire include power and thrust generation for a satellite, momentum exchange, artificial gravity, deployment of sensors or antennas, and gravity-gradient stabilization. The Tethered Space Satellite (TSS) was a first-of-its-kind experiment with long tethers in space. It consisted of a satellite with science experiments attached to a 12.5 mile long, very thin (0.10 inch diameter) copper wire assembly wound around a spool in the deployer reel mechanism. The whole mechanism sits on a pallet that is installed into the Shuttle bay. At an altitude of 160 nautical miles above earth, the satellite would be deplodeployed from the Shuttle bay by raising it on a boom facing away from Earth. Once cleared of the bay, the deployer mechanism would slowly feed out the 12-plus miles of tether. Scientific data would be collected throughout the operation, after which the satellite would be reeled back in. A receiver spool to catch the 12.5 mile tether as it was being unwound by the deployer reel mechanism was set up to do the system-level test of deployer real mechanism prior to installing the loaded pallet into the Shuttle bay. The system level tests were required before the pallet could be installed into the Space Shuttle cargo bay. A few months before flight, the system level tests, including unreeling and reeling the tether, were completed at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and the TSS payload was installed onto the Spacelab pallet. Some of this testing equipment was then shipped back to the contractor, Martin Marietta. Integration with the Shuttle began. Systems-level load analyses, which cannot be run until all information about each payload is finalized, was run in parallel with the physical integration of the hardware into the Shuttle payload bay. An analysis, called Coupled loads analysis, incorporates any updates to the model due to system level tests of all the different payloads, and any changes that were found during integration. Engineering analysis examines the worst case scenarios for the loads the hardware will see. The two times during the mission where the dynamic loads are the worst were 1) the first 10-second portion of Shuttle lift off, and 2) a 2-second time during landing when the landing gears hit the ground. The coupled loads analysis using the final verification loads showed that a single bolt attaching the deployer reel mechanism to the support structure had a "negative margin" - which is an indication that it might fail - during touch down. Hardware certification rules do not allow for hardware to fly with negative margins. A structural failure of one payload could have serious or catastrophic consequences to other payloads, or may significantly damage the Orbiter. The issue had to be resolved before the flight

Tethered Space Satellite-1 (TSS-1): Technical Roundabouts

In the early 1990's US and Italian scientists collaborated to study the electrodynamics of dragging a satellite on a tether through the electrically charged portion of Earth's atmosphere called the ionosphere. An electrical current induced in the long wire could be used for power and thrust generation for a satellite. Other tether uses include momentum exchange, artificial gravity, deployment of sensors or antennas, and gravity-gradient stabilization for satellites. Before the Tethered Space Satellite (TSS-1), no long tether had ever been flown, so many questions existed on how it would actually behave. The TSS consisted of a satellite with science experiments attached to a 12.5 mile long, very thin (0.10 inch diameter) copper wire assembly wound around a spool in the deployer reel mechanism. With the Space Shuttle at an altitude of 160 nautical miles above earth, the satellite was to be deployed by raising it from the Shuttle bay on a boom facing away from Earth. Once cleared of the bay, the deployer mechanism was to slowly feed out the 12-plus miles of tether. Scientific data would be collected throughout the operation, after which the satellite would be reeled back in. Pre-flight testing system level tests involved setting up a tether receiver to catch the 12.5 mile tether onto another reel as it was being unwound by the deployer reel mechanism. Testing only the reel mechanism is straightforward. This test becomes more complicated when the TSS is mounted on the flight pallet at Kennedy Space Center (KSC). The system level tests must be passed before the pallet can be installed into the Space Shuttle cargo bay. A few months before flight, the TSS payload had been integrated onto the Spacelab pallet and system level tests, including unreeling and reeling the tether, had been successfully completed. Some of this testing equipment was then shipped back to the contractor Martin Marietta. Systems-level load analyses, which cannot be run until all information about each payload is finalized, was run in parallel with the physical integration of the hardware into the Shuttle payload bay. The coupled loads analysis, as it is called, incorporates any updates to the model due to system level tests, and any changes that were found during integration. The coupled loads analysis revealed that a single bolt attaching the deployer reel mechanism to the support structure had a "negative margin" - which is an indication that it might fail during operation. Hardware certification rules do not allow for hardware to fly with negative margins, so this issue had to be resolved before the flight. Since there is conservatism in engineering analysis, there is an option to "waive" the margin requirement, and fly the experiment as is. On the other hand, a structural failure of one payload could have serious or catastrophic consequences to other payloads and possibly the mission. Minor design changes or fixes might be feasible within the payload bay prior to launch. Any major design changes that required the spooling test to validate the hardware, or for the pallet to be removed, would cause TSS not to be ready for the Shuttle launch

Identification of sleep apnea events using discrete wavelet transform of respiration, ECG and accelerometer signals

Sleep apnea is a common sleep disorder in which patient sleep patterns are disrupted due to recurrent pauses in breathing or by instances of abnormally low breathing. Current gold standard tests for the detection of apnea events are costly and have the addition of long waiting times. This paper investigates the use of cheap and easy to use sensors for the identification of sleep apnea events. Combinations of respiration, electrocardiography (ECG) and acceleration signals were analysed. Results show that using features, formed using the discrete wavelet transform (DWT), from the ECG and acceleration signals provided the highest classification accuracy, with an F1 score of 0.914. However, the novel employment of just the accelerometer signal during classification provided a comparable F1 score of 0.879. By employing one or a combination of the analysed sensors a preliminary test for sleep apnea, prior to the requirement for gold standard testing, can be performed

Leisure time physical inactivity, obesity and diabetes : rates in the southern United States

Purpose: To explore changes in and relationships among leisure time physical INactivity (LTPIA), obesity & DM rates in the US from 1994-2012. Conclusions: Age adjusted LTPIA, Obesity & DM rates are higher in the South than in other US regions; Although self-reported LTPIA rates have dropped, both obesity & DM rates have continued to rise over the 19 year period; Study limitation: Based on LTPIA definition, one episode of exercise during the month would qualify a person as ‘NOT inactive’; Revision of the LTPIA question on the BRFSS is recommended; Future research needs to identify factors that contribute to higher rates of LTPIA, obesity and diabetes in the South

Fanny Arthur Robinson and Annie Patterson: The Contribution of Women to Music in Dublin in the Second Half of the Nineteenth Century

Fanny Arthur Robinson and Annie Patterson made important contributions to musical life in Dublin in the decades leading up to the twentieth century. They inspired and encouraged many of their female peers and this period saw a continuous growth in the involvement of women in music. Fanny Arthur Robinson worked as a performer and teacher. She had a style of playing that was admired by many. She also composed and her piano music illustrates a clear understanding of harmony and the possibilities of the piano. Annie Patterson idea to recreate the ancient Celtic F eiseanna was created in F eis Ceoil, a huge development in Ireland's musical culture. She was also one of Ireland's first music journalists and through her articles she provided her readers with knowledge of a variety of areas of music. This thesis examines the contribution made by women to music in the second half of the nineteenth century, particularly that of Fanny Robinson and Annie Patterson. It exaniines their role within Dublin's musical culture at that time and how their male counterparts and the public perceived them. It hopes to illustrate the contribution women in Ireland made to not only playing and composing music but also to developing and sharing an interest in the music with the public