Degree of Scaffolding: Learning Objective Metadata: A Prototype Leaning System Design for Integrating GIS into a Civil Engineering Curriculum

Digital media and networking offer great potential as tools for enhancing classroom learning environments, both local and distant. One concept and related technological tool that can facilitate the effective application and distribution of digital educational resources is learning objects in combination with the SCORM (sharable content objects reference model) compliance framework. Progressive scaffolding is a learning design approach for educational systems that provides flexible guidance to students. We are in the process of utilizing this approach within a SCORM framework in the form of a multi-level instructional design. The associated metadata required by SCORM will describe the degree of scaffolding. This paper will discuss progressive scaffolding as it relates to SCORM compliant learning objects, within the context of the design of an application for integrating Geographic Information Systems (GIS) into the civil engineering curriculum at the University of Missouri - Rolla

The politics of learning within Post-Yerevan EHEA: Some epistemological remarks on the role of university lecturers

XXI Jornades de Foment de la Investigació de la Facultat de Ciències Humanes i Socials (Any 2016)The last 20 years have witnessed a gradual and constant shift in the way society and transnational education institutions, namely the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), conceptualise and address the education/learning activity. That shift in the dominant education paradigm, epistemologically rooted, affects among other stances the role of lecturers, displacing the teaching figure from the centre towards the periphery of the education process. The student-centred narratives in education have a direct impact on lecturers, their self-concept, and the expectations regarding their class contents and methodology. The following paper addresses that concern, advocating for a reconceptualisation of the role of lecturers under the current studentcentred epistemological approach

Evaluation of a Learning System to Teach GIS for Civil Engineering

An evaluation was conducted on a web-based e-learning system designed to facilitate integration of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) into the Civil Engineering curriculum. The principal goals of the evaluation were to determine the overall effectiveness of the system and to better understand underlying learning processes. Data were collected from 80 students who participated in a computer laboratory session involving a typical geotechnical exercise. Students rated their learning and motivation significantly higher than studying from the class text, and rated the lab’s applicability to the “real world” significantly higher than the class text or lecture. Furthermore, students rated their knowledge of GIS significantly higher after the lab session. Qualitative analysis indicated that students were motivated to use the system in order to develop a broad overview of GIS, to learn specific GIS functionality, and as a method for on-going review of GIS

Desigm and Development Considerations of a Learning Object Repository

A learning objects repository (LOR) is a web-based educational portal that houses, displays, and delivers sharable content objects for educational purposes. Design of such a repository encounters a number of considerations that relate the behavior of the information system to the content objects it manages. This paper examines these design issues in light of standards we have utilized. In particular, the instructional design of our learning objects is based on a concept called progressive scaffolding, which refers to the process of providing differing levels of media guidance. A brief description of related research is included. Furthermore, our objects are compliant with the Advanced Distributed Learning’s Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) to ensure they behave in a uniform and predictable manner. This paper also reviews existing content portals and gives a summary of an evaluation project carried out with a prototype

Integration of a GIS learning system into civil engineering curricula: an evaluation

An evaluation of a web-based e-learning system to facilitate integration of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) into the Civil Engineering curriculum was conducted. The principal goals of the evaluation were to examine the effectiveness of the learning system and to develop a preliminary model to describe how students interact with the learning system. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 80 students who participated in a geotechnical engineering laboratory session, which covered soil borrow sites. Students rated the laboratory session as significantly more effective for learning, a nd more motivational than the class text. They also rated the lab significantly more applicable to real world learning than both their text books and class lecture. Furthermore, students rated their knowledge about the subject area significantly higher after the laboratory session than before. Qualitative analysis indicated that students were motivated to use the system in order to acquire a general understanding of GIS, to develop a better understanding of GIS functionalities, and as a method for ongoing review of GIS --Abstract, page iii

Conceptualising inclusive pedagogies: evidence from international research and the challenge of autistic spectrum disorder.

The historical development of special education has left a legacy of beliefs regarding special procedures and teaching approaches for specific groups of children. These practices would appear to contribute to the continued growth of pedagogical practices that do not acknowledge the issue of inclusion. This paper considers the notions of inclusive pedagogies that emerges from a vignette study as part of an international review of the conceptualisation of special educational needs. Within this data evidence emerges regarding students with autistic spectrum disorder, a group who are often advocated as in need of special and specific educational provision. This paper critically examines this evidence. The implications of this analysis for understanding inclusive classrooms are discussed, including the extent to which effective education for students with autistic spectrum disorder can be part of an effective education for all

The Study of Kinesiology and Ignatian Spirituality: Parallels Through Exercise

Spirituality relates to an internal movement towards the sacred, while kinesiology is the science of physical human movement. Strong, user-friendly communication between spiritual directors and retreatants is important to the development of an individualized productive retreat experience. To better facilitate guidance, it is helpful for directors to understand the parallels between spiritual exercises and the expertise of retreatants and for retreatants to understand comparisons between their professional and spiritual lives. The physical activity of St. Ignatius during his pilgrimage across Spain exemplifies the similarities between Ignatian spirituality and the science of human movement. Comparisons between Ignatian spirituality and kinesiology include the need for practice of specific exercises, the underlying structure of the Ignatian spiritual exercises compared to a periodized physical exercise program, and the discernment or analysis of movements involved in both fields. Knowledge of the overlap between kinesiology and spirituality may result in retreatants familiar with the science of human movement and exercise developing a better understanding of their spiritual selves and ultimately a closer relationship to God

Recent Geotechnical Developments in Geospatial Information Systems Technology

Geotechnical engineering projects in current research and practice are increasingly undergoing geospatial analysis based on geologic and geotechnical data collected. The explosion of spatial data that is available for surface features, particularly from the raster based products, heavily used by commercial and available to the public, present only one dimension of site characterization. Geotechnical engineers are more interested in data with depth immediately below their project site retrieve from drilled and imaged subsurface surveys. The ability to optimize the use of new and existing subsurface data continues to be undermined by the lack of a common and agreed data format and structure. Over the past decade several initiatives have tried to develop some consensus, with limited success. The latest initiative for a common geotechnical data exchange standard is also described. Several projects based on the authors, experience are featured in this paper and serve as examples of the challenge of working with large and diverse subsurface geotechnical databases. Additionally, an update of a geotechnical data exchange format is also presented to point the direction for the future

A Web-Based Learning Module for Teaching GIS within the Context of Environmental Engineering

There is a Growing Need for Teaching Geographical Information Systems (GIS) in Engineering Disciplines, Such as Environmental. However, There Has Been Limited Focus on GIS in Undergraduate Programs, Since It\u27s Difficult to Fit a GIS Class into the Large Number of Class Requirements Already Included in Engineering Curricula. the Purpose of This Research is the Evaluation of Web-Based Learning Module Created by a Multidisciplinary Team at a Midwestern Technological Research University, Which Allows Instructors to Integrate GIS Instruction into Existing Courses. This Module is One Part of a Large-Scale National Science Foundation Funded Project in Which GIS Modules Are Being Developed for Several Areas in Civil Engineering. the Principal Goals of This Evaluation Are to Determine the overall Effectiveness of the Module, Identify the Factors that Mediate the Effectiveness, and to Determine Ways in Which the Module Can Be Made More Effective. Data Were Collected from 56 Students, 28 in an Experimental Group and 28 in a Control Group. Students in an Experimental Group Participated in a Laboratory Session, Which Utilized the Module, to Solve a Problem on Urban Ozone Events and Census Tract Analysis, Whereas Students in a Control Group Attended a Class Lecture Covering the Same Information. Students in the Experimental Group Completed a Questionnaire and Students in Both Groups Completed a Quiz over the Material. Quantitative Analysis Was Carried Out on the Quantitative Portion of the Scale for the Experimental Group, and for Both Groups on the Quiz. a Qualitative Analysis Was Applied to the Open-Ended Questionnaire Items for the Experimental Group. Students in the Experimental (Learning System) Section Scored Significantly Higher on the Quiz. Students in the Learning Systems Group Rated the Laboratory Session as Significantly More Effective for Learning, and More Motivational Than the Class Texts. They Also Rated the Lab Significantly More Applicable to Real World Engineering Than Both their Textbooks and Class Lecture. the Qualitative Analysis Revealed a Number of Ways the System Can Be Further Improved to Make the Module More Effective. © 2011 American Society for Engineering Education