Multimapper: Data Density Sensitive Topological Visualization

Mapper is an algorithm that summarizes the topological information contained in a dataset and provides an insightful visualization. It takes as input a point cloud which is possibly high-dimensional, a filter function on it and an open cover on the range of the function. It returns the nerve simplicial complex of the pullback of the cover. Mapper can be considered a discrete approximation of the topological construct called Reeb space, as analysed in the $1$-dimensional case by [Carriere et al.,2018]. Despite its success in obtaining insights in various fields such as in [Kamruzzaman et al., 2016], Mapper is an ad hoc technique requiring lots of parameter tuning. There is also no measure to quantify goodness of the resulting visualization, which often deviates from the Reeb space in practice. In this paper, we introduce a new cover selection scheme for data that reduces the obscuration of topological information at both the computation and visualisation steps. To achieve this, we replace global scale selection of cover with a scale selection scheme sensitive to local density of data points. We also propose a method to detect some deviations in Mapper from Reeb space via computation of persistence features on the Mapper graph.Comment: Accepted at ICDM

The role of social networks in students’ learning experiences

The aim of this research is to investigate the role of social networks in computer science education. The Internet shows great potential for enhancing collaboration between people and the role of social software has become increasingly relevant in recent years. This research focuses on analyzing the role that social networks play in students’ learning experiences. The construction of students’ social networks, the evolution of these networks, and their effects on the students’ learning experience in a university environment are examined

Continuing success of a strategy to support accelerated nursing students at two diverse campuses

A strategy initiated in 2010 to support and improve the retention rate of diverse cohorts of accelerated nursing students at two QUT campuses continued to be successful in 2012. An additional procedure involving the formation of learning communities was trialled in 2012 to address the social dimension of learning and assist in enhancing the quality of accelerated nurse’s first year university experience. A supported formative assessment activity was planned to allow the students to collaborate in learning communities

Promoting Partnerships for Student Success: Lessons from the SSPIRE Initiative

The Student Support Partnership Integrating Resources and Education (SSPIRE) initiative aimed to increase the success of young, low-income, and academically underprepared California community college students by helping colleges strengthen their support services and better integrate these services with academic instruction. This report describes what the nine participating community colleges did to meet the goals of SSPIRE and offers lessons for other institutions drawn from MDRC's research on the initiative

Transcript for lunchable learning 25: Better together partners in learning

Monday May 2nd Lunchable Learning hosts Leva Lee and Helena Prins are back together for a special extended 60 minute program! Tune-in at noon as they welcome guests Steven Bishop and Shannon Cox from Douglas College to kick-off the conference “Better Together: Partners in Learning”. “Better Together” is a college-wide themed week of learning, collaborating, and sharing. It’s a first for Douglas College and expresses the desire to rekindle a sense of community and common mission after two years of physical distance and isolation. Programming includes keynote speakers, interactive workshops, panel sessions, radio shows and more. While the conference is an offering for Douglas College faculty, staff and administrators, the themes discussed will certainly be of interest to everyone in the post-secondary sector and a few select sessions are open for those who wished to register, based on availability. See the conference program here: https://facilitatingfacultyonline.opened.ca/2022/03/25/better-together-partners-in-learning/ Learn how the “Better Together” conference came to be, how it is a result of a huge collaborative effort between many groups and what organizers’ hopes and highlights will be for the week. Tune-in as we celebrate with song the affirmation that we are all indeed “Better Together”. #LunchableLearning #ds106radi

Learning Communities and the Completion Agenda

Learning communities are widely recognized as a powerful pedagogy that promotes deep learning and student engagement, while also addressing a range of challenges that plague higher education. The Completion Agenda represents a complex set of intersecting priorities advocated by federal and state government, nonprofit organizations, colleges, and universities that shift the national focus from expanding access to degree completion. Policy shifts and emerging educational practices aligned with the Completion Agenda such as dual credit courses, prescriptive degree maps, and the expansion of online general education courses are considered in terms of their impact on the administration of learning community programs. Although subtle adjustments in curricula may be necessary, learning communities remain critically important to preserving the quality of student learning and the integrity of undergraduate curricula in a policy environment that sometimes seems to emphasize efficiencies in degree completion above all else. Kathy E. Johnson is Dean of University College, Associate Vice Chancellor for Undergraduate Education, and Professor of Psychology at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)

Could do better? Students' critique of written feedback

This feature starts with the observation that current research into university assessment feedback has a tendency to conclude that students want ‘more feedback’ but in general, don’t know what to do with it. Likewise, related research notes the mismatch of expectations between tutors’ and students’ perceptions of the purposes of feedback