Conceptual learning : the priority for higher education

The common sense notion of learning as the all-pervasive acquisition of new behaviour and knowledge, made vivid by experience, is an incomplete characterisation, because it assumes that the learning of behaviour and the learning of knowledge are indistinguishable, and that acquisition constitutes learning without reference to transfer. A psychological level of analysis is used to argue that conceptual learning should have priority in higher education

General circulation of the middle atmosphere, part 1.4B

In both the tropical and extratropical regions there are a large number of dynamical problems which can be addressed by mesosphere-stratosphere-troposphere (MST) radars. The distinct advantage the MST radar has over rocket observations is continuous data acquisition. Without a doubt, the time-space spectrum of the mesospheric flow field is rich in high frequency motions associated with gravity waves rather than turbulent (random) fluctuations, and these events are particularly amenable to analysis with continuous data sets. In addition to the high frequency motions these are longer period fluctuations in the upper stratosphere and mesosphere wind fields which, combined with temperature fields derived from satellite data or lidars, can greatly enhance our knowledge of the upper atmosphere

Knowledge acquisition in international strategic alliances among Malaysian manufacturing firms

This thesis examines the process of knowledge acquisition by Malaysian manufacturing firms through their involvement in international strategic alliances. The strategic alliances can be with or without equity involvement. Firms involved with a foreign partner with equity involvement are joint venture firms while non-equity involvement are firms that engaged in contractual agreements. Using empirical evidence from 65 international alliances gathered through a survey conducted in high-technology manufacturing sectors, several factors that influence the process of knowledge acquisition are examined. The factors are: learning capacity, experience, goals, active involvement and accessibility to the foreign knowledge. Censored regression analysis and ordered probit analysis are used to analyse the effects of these factors on knowledge acquisition and its determinant parts, and the effects of knowledge acquisition and its determinants on the performance of the alliances. A second questionnaire gathered evidence relating to the factors, which encouraged tacit knowledge transfer between the foreign and Malaysian partners in international alliances. The key findings of the study are: knowledge acquisition in international strategic alliances is influenced by five determining factors; learning capacity, experience, articulated goals, active involvement and accessibility; new technology knowledge, product development knowledge and manufacturing process knowledge are influenced differently by the determining factors; knowledge acquisition and its determinant factors have a significant impact on the firm’s performance; cultural differences tend to moderate the effect on the firm’s performance; acquiring tacit knowledge is not only influenced by the five determinant factors but also by other factors, such as dependency, accessibility, trust, manufacturing control, learning methods and organisational systems; Malaysian firms involved in joint ventures tend to acquire more knowledge than those involved in contractual agreements, but joint ventures also exhibit higher degrees of dependency than contractual agreements; and the presence of R&D activity in the Malaysian partner encourages knowledge acquisition, but the amount of R&D expenditure has no effect on knowledge acquisition

Examining Leadership Knowledge and Skills Development Opportunities for Physical Therapist Students: A Multiple Case Study Design

This study examined leadership knowledge and skills development in accredited physical therapist programs. Data were triangulated across program director and faculty member interviews, course descriptions and student learning outcomes. The use of the FINHOP framework by Schafer et al. (2007) facilitated an analysis of the data and a delineation of knowledge development versus skills acquisition. Additionally, programs with and without pro bono clinics were compared. This multiple case study examined four purposively recruited physical therapy programs. Four themes and related subthemes were identified through data analysis and included: (a) inconsistent definition of leadership; (b) leading leaders with subthemes professional socialization, networking, and pedagogy of integrated leadership; (c) business savvy with one subtheme of resource management; and (d) never enough time. Programs demonstrated consistency in evaluation of graduates’ acquisition of leadership knowledge, but lacked measurement of graduates’ application of leadership skills. The comparison between programs with and without pro bono clinics identified a weak link between pro bono clinical experiences and graduates’ leadership knowledge and skills development. The voluntary status of student and faculty participation within the pro bono clinics in combination with a lack of measurable student learning outcomes limited linking leadership knowledge and skills development to pro bono clinic participation. Recommendations for future research included: programs’ use of a consistent definition of leadership threaded across the curriculum, graduates self-assessment of leadership knowledge and skills development, and programs’ use of student learning outcomes to link pro bono clinic participation to leadership knowledge and skills development

Socio-self Construction of Knowledge and Acquisition of Cognitive Competencies in Reading: Case of Learners of Class 5 of Maroua Primary Schools, Far-North Region of Cameroon

The present article enrols in the debate on the autonomisation of the learner as base of the learning of reading. We have gone from the observation that a good number of pupils leave the primary school without having acquired the basics of reading. They are estimated at about 65% of the school population (Minedub, 2016). This situation has lead us to question ourselves on the influence of socio-self construction of knowledge on the acquisition of cognitive competencies in reading. The methodology used is that of hypothetico-deductive coupled with quantitative data analysis, those data that had been collected with the help of an experimental device bearing a pre-test, a test and a post-test besides two groups (experimental and control) of 60 pupils each of class 5 of two primary schools of the town of Maroua. The experiment was supplemented by an observation and evaluation chart (checklist) of reading administered to learners in each group. The analysis of the data collected on the field was done using a Z test and content analysis of observation checklists. Results have shown that the practice of socio-self construction of knowledge favours the acquisition of cognitive competencies in reading. Keywords: Socio-self construction, acquisition of cognitive competencies, learning

Was There a Decelerating Past for the Universe?

In this talk, I argue that the method of analysing the m-z data of Type Ia Supernovae (SNe Ia) by assuming exotic energy densities with strange equations of state is misleading and the reasonable remaining option is to make a model-independent analysis of SNe data, without reference to the energy densities. Using this cosmographic method, we address an important question relevant to cosmology: Was there a decelerating past for the universe? To answer this, the Bayes's probability theory is employed, which is the most appropriate tool for quantifying our knowledge when it changes through the acquisition of new data. The cosmographic approach helps to sort out models which were always accelerating from those which decelerated for at least some time in the period of interest. Bayesian model comparison technique is used to discriminate these rival hypotheses with the aid of recent releases of supernova data. It is argued that the lessons learned using Bayesian theory are extremely valuable to avoid frequent U-turns in cosmology.Comment: Based on a talk given in the 1st Crisis in Cosmology Conference (CCC-1), June 23-25, 2005 at Moncao, Portugal. To appear in the proceeding

PC–Based Data Acquisition for a Solid Substrate Cultivation Deep Bed Reactor

This work describes an instrumentation and data acquisition system designed for a deep bed reactor used to cultivate Trichoderma longibrachiatum on wheat bran. The system allowed on–line measurements of substrate temperature, oxygen concentration within the reactor headspace, relative humidity and temperature of the inlet air, and inlet airflow rates while maintaining aseptic conditions and without disturbing the cultivation process. An error analysis for the instrumentation and data acquisition equipment was completed and provided insight into the reliability of the sensor readings. The collected data provided quantitative information about the reactor system dynamics which can be used to evaluate and apply environmental control schemes, gain knowledge on microbial growth characteristics, and develop and validate mathematical models describing heat and mass transfer interactions

Using rhythm to teach spelling to a child with autism

textThe purpose of this study was to develop a multimodal spelling acquisition program (MSAP) for children with autism that capitalizes on sensory perception skills that may be intact with this population to teach early spelling skills. Progress was monitored through seven phases: pre-assessment, baseline probe, acquisition probe, instruction sessions, post-assessment, and maintenance probes of the treatment. MSAP provides for three spelling instructional conditions: (1) instruction with rhythmic auditory feedback in the form of Morse Code presented via speakers at 450 Hz, (2) instruction with rhythmic tactile feedback of Morse Code presented via a bone oscillator, and (3) instruction without feedback. The MSAP program recorded the child's performance for spelling accuracy and rate for each word during the assessment probes. Although the child acquired spelling knowledge of the target words, the statistical analysis revealed no significant difference in the spelling acquisition between the instruction conditions. The computerized instruction did generalize to untaught words. This study's limitations and future directions are discussed.Communication Sciences and Disorder