Online self‐assessment materials: Do these make a difference to student learning?

During the last decade the teaching of students in first‐year biology has changed from a teacher‐centred focus to a student‐centred focus. The change was designed to encourage students to take responsibility for their learning, develop team and communication skills and put in practice those skills required for lifelong learning. Students are introduced to small learning communities (in large classes) that give the students a sense of belonging and a peer support group. Activities have been devised and implemented to support student‐centred learning, which in more recent years has included using computers. All these activities are integrated into the course design so that the students are offered an array of learning opportunities relevant to the course(s) learning outcomes. An important requirement for the development of student‐centred learning is suitable and timely feedback that gives students guidance about their learning outcomes. Giving feedback to very large classes is an expensive commodity and one that is vulnerable in the current climate of reducing resources and increasing student numbers. First‐year biology students receive online feedback from a weekly quiz (with both formative and summative components), from a mid‐semester mock exam (formative only) and from a series of self‐assessment modules (formative only). This paper will examine the use of such online self‐assessment in a large first‐year biology class, discuss current evaluations of the materials and propose further research into how students use these integrated learning opportunities

Analysis and evaluation of uncertainty for conducted and radiated emissions tests

Whenever an EMC measurement is made, there are numerous uncertainties in different parts of the measurement system and even in the EMC performance of the equipment under test (EUT) which is being measured. It is important to be able to estimate the overall uncertainty, in particular, the test setup and measurement equipment uncertainty. However, making repetitive measurements can reduce the measurement uncertainty, but often economics of time do not permit that. Therefore, a practical process, which is used to evaluate uncertainty in EMC measurement a, according to the principle of uncertainty and conditions in EMC measurement is presented. In this study, an efficient analysis of uncertainty for both radiated and conducted emissions tests is performed. The uncertainty of each contributor had been calculated and evaluating the reported expanded uncertainty of measurement is stated as the standard uncertainty of measurement. This standard uncertainty is multiplied by the coverage factor k=2, which for a normal distribution corresponds to a coverage probability of approximately 95%. The result of calculating the uncertainty for both conducted and radiated emission tests showed that the overall uncertainty of the system is high and it must be lowered by reducing the expanded uncertainty for the dominant contributors for both tests. In addition, the result of applying the concept of CISPR uncertainty for both conducted and radiated emission tests showed that non-compliance is deemed to occur for both EUT of both tests. This is due to the result that the measured disturbances increased by ( ), above the disturbance limit

Understanding best practices in control engineering education using the concept of TPACK

This study aimed to design an integrated pedagogical approach to advance introductory Process Control Engineering Education through the application of the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework, and evaluating its impact on student learning. The research is initially being undertaken at Nottingham Trent University, UK but we will next adapt it to a case study in Libya. This paper aims to strengthen the teaching of introductory Process Control by using appropriate approach es in universities to improve the learning outcomes for students. From this work a new schematic for teaching Process Control ha s be en developed and, moreover, a thoughtful best practice in introducing Process Control in engineering education can be developed

Integration of course management system communication tools in instruction

A major thrust of education is integration of technology in to teaching. In the face-to-face classroom, computer mediated communication tools such as electronic mail, discussion forums and chat are currently being integrated into instruction at a rapid pace. This is especially true in courses that use course management systems to deliver content. Are the current integration practices leading students to higher levels of cognitive engagement? Faculty members that choose to use technology in their teaching practice need to use a sound pedagogical framework to structure course tasks that use the technologies. The purpose of the study was to identify which Blackboard computer mediated communication tools faculty members chose to integrate in their teaching practices, with particular interest in the cognitive levels at which tools were integrated. Data were gathered via a web-based survey that answered the following research questions: 1. What communication tools are faculty members using to support instruction, based on Blackboard\u27s communication tools, i.e., electronic mail, discussion forum, and virtual classroom (chat)? 2. At what cognitive level(s) can use be categorized based on Bloom\u27s hierarchy of cognitive levels: 1) knowledge 2) comprehension 3) application 4) analysis 5) synthesis and 6) evaluation? Data were gathered using a survey instrument that was completed by 91 faculty members at UTK who were using CMC tools in their teaching. In summary, electronic mail (e-mail) is the most widely used tool, followed by the discussion forum. Chat is being used at a very low frequency. The tools are mainly being used to as a convenience to communicate course management issues. Additionally, when the tools are being used to support instructional tasks, the middle to upper levels of cognitive engagement are rarely reached. Recommendations based on the findings included a reexamination of what is intended by integration and suggestions to increase faculty development in pedagogical uses of technology in instruction in relation to discipline

RE-THINKING BLOOM\u27S TAXONOMY BY INTEGRATING DIGITAL SIMULATION IN

Despite the significant developments in adapting Bloom\u27s taxonomy in architectural design studio in the last few years, in addition to the advancements in applying digital media in the education process, there is still no integrated framework that combines all threads together. The learning objectives of advanced design studio include pragmatic thinking through testing new hypotheses, evaluating and applying different parameters, and identifying appropriate decisions. These are only achieved once barriers between design studio and building sciences considerations are overcome by addressing the process of simulation across the domains and levels of the revised Bloom\u27s taxonomy. The Design Studio and building sciences have traditionally been viewed as independent disciplines due to the lack of an integrated framework to connect them. This formulates a sound basis on which to explore the utilization of revised Bloom\u27s taxonomy levels, adapted through the use of the process of digital simulation in design studio as a decision-supporting tool. This paper aims to design a path for the integrating building performance simulation through upgrading the framework of Bloom\u27s taxonomy. To achieve this, the paper adopts qualitative exploratory approach of integrating building simulation software and its application in an Environmental design studio. The importance of the proposed framework is determined through measuring the attainment attributes. The results show that using this methodology in the design studio highlights the gaps in the learning process that students are facing in conventional architectural education

Clinical Reasoning Skills of Post Graduate Physical Therapists Enrolled in a Distributed Education Program

To determine if online learning enriches the clinical reasoning (CR) skills of advanced practice physical therapists (PTs). CR was measured in 26 PTs enrolled in a one year, course-based, masters program delivered using distributed learning including computer-based online courses (UWO). Outcomes were compared to IB PTs who sought the same credentials (FCAMPT) via a traditional face-to-face continuing education program. Bloom\u27s Taxonomy Scale (BTS) was developed and used to evaluate CR in UWO students during two online discussion forums (ODF). The highest BTS score was in a medium learning level (application) and few students exhibited higher levels of learning (analysis & synthesis). A change in BTS scores was not detected between 1st and 2ndterms; however UWO students had a significant improvement in critical thinking dispositions (CCTDI) by the end of the program. There was no significant difference in CCTDI scores or case history exam marks between students receiving training via UWO or traditional methods. Preliminary results obtained from this small sample supports the conclusion that students in the online masters program exhibited medium levels of learning, improved critical thinking dispositions, and equally good clinical reasoning skills as a group of students trained using a traditional face-to-face format

Analysis of Attitude and Achievement Using the 5E Instructional Model in an Interactive Television Environment

The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to examine attitude and achievement among fifth grade students participating in inquiry and lecture-based forms of instruction through interactive television. Participants (N = 260) were drawn from registered users of NASA\u27s Digital Learning Network™. The first three levels of Bloom\u27s Revised Taxonomy were used to measure levels of achievement while the Science Attitude Inventory II was used to measure science attitudes. Results indicated a significant interaction between inquiry and topic area, as well as achievement for remember, understand, and apply levels of Bloom\u27s Revised Taxonomy. Differences between mean scores were in favor of the treatment group on both topic and achievement levels. Findings echo research that encourages the use of inquiry-based instruction to improve achievement. This study also serves as a reference for supplemental content providers searching for an effective instructional strategy when delivering instruction through interactive television. Recommendations for future research include the examination of: development time between inquiry-based and lecture-based strategies, a longitudinal study of attitude and achievement from elementary through middle school, differences between interactive television sessions and asynchronous sessions, and types of inquiry-based instruction related to student achievement and retention through interactive television

The Status and the Specifications of the Questions of an Achievement Exam from the Points of View of the Teaching Staff-members of Palestine Technical University- Kadoorie (PTUK)\Tulkarm-Campus

The aim of this study was to investigate the status and specifications of the questions of an achievement exam from the points of view of the teaching staff-members of Palestine Technical University Kadoorie PTUK Tulkarm campus to achieve the purpose of this study the researchers followed a descriptive quantitative approach through which a 24-item questionnaire was distributed after ensuring its reliability and validity to a sample of 140 subjects out the population of 355 teaching staff-members of PTUK Findings and conclusions of this study confirm the shaggy and blurred reality of the status and the specifications of the questions of an achievement exa