A Survey of the Learning Behaviour of Open University students

This survey forms a crucial part of research completed by the Learning Innovation team to gain a deeper understanding of the underlying study habits and learning behaviour of Open University (OU) students to inform the future development of systems, tools and platforms. This research validates the themes that emerged from the previous report, ‘Study behaviours in an increasingly digital world: Learning habits, top tips and 'study hacks' questionnaire survey’ (Ellis, Gallagher and Peasgood, 2017). Analysis carried out on the data from that survey revealed eight possible learning behaviours that underpinned the student responses. In order to validate those original findings a new survey was designed. This report explains the findings of that survey. The survey consisted of 55 behavioural and attitudinal statements aligned to the learning behaviours, some of which were based upon survey instruments from the literature. Survey statements were written to explore each of these on a five-point scale (‘Very true for me’ to ‘Not at all true for me’) in order to identify the concepts that describe the behaviours and preferences of OU students through a process of Principle Component Analysis (PCA). In addition, the survey included questions to inform the analysis and explore potential confounding factors: accessing OU content, access to the web, and technological self-efficacy. The technological self-efficacy statements were selected from the OU’s Digital Competency Framework for Level 1 students. The survey was peer reviewed and piloted, before being sent to a generalised student population. The overall response rate was 12.7% with 524 valid responses received. Seven clear learning behaviours were identified through PCA, and a cluster analysis of the data was carried out. These learning behaviours are: • Goal-setting • Time • Focus • Note-making • Digital-preferred • Help-seeking • Elaboratio

Production of (anti-)3^3He and (anti-)3^3H in p-Pb collisions at sNN\sqrt{s_{\rm{NN}}} = 5.02 TeV

The transverse momentum ($p_{\rm{T}}$) differential yields of (anti-)$^3$He and (anti-)$^3$H measured in p-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm{NN}}}$ = 5.02 TeV with ALICE at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) are presented. The ratios of the $p_{\rm{T}}$-integrated yields of (anti-)$^3$He and (anti-)$^3$H to the proton yields are reported, as well as the $p_{\rm{T}}$ dependence of the coalescence parameters $B_3$ for (anti-)$^3$He and (anti-)$^3$H. For (anti-)$^3$He, the results obtained in four classes of the mean charged-particle multiplicity density are also discussed. These results are compared to predictions from a canonical statistical hadronization model and coalescence approaches. An upper limit on the total yield of $^4\bar{\mathrm{He}}$ is determined.Comment: 30pages, 11 captioned figures, 4 tables, authors from page 25, published version, figures at http://alice-publications.web.cern.ch/node/565

Event-by-event mean pTp_{\rm T} fluctuations in pp and Pb-Pb collisions at the LHC

Event-by-event fluctuations of the mean transverse momentum of charged particles produced in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 0.9, 2.76 and 7 TeV, and Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 2.76 TeV are studied as a function of the charged-particle multiplicity using the ALICE detector at the LHC. Dynamical fluctuations indicative of correlated particle emission are observed in all systems. The results in pp collisions show little dependence on collision energy. The Monte Carlo event generators PYTHIA and PHOJET are in qualitative agreement with the data. Peripheral Pb-Pb data exhibit a similar multiplicity dependence as that observed in pp. In central Pb-Pb, the results deviate from this trend, featuring a significant reduction of the fluctuation strength. The results in Pb--Pb are in qualitative agreement with previous measurements in Au-Au at lower collision energies and with expectations from models that incorporate collective phenomena.Comment: 21 pages, 8 captioned figures, 1 table, authors from page 16, published version, figures at http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/83

Production of strange particles in charged jets in p--Pb and Pb--Pb collisions measured with ALICE at the LHC

Studies of jet production can provide information about the properties of the hot and dense strongly interacting matter created in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions. Specifically, measurement of strange particles in jets may clarify the role of fragmentation processes in the anomalous baryon to meson ratio at intermediate particle pT that was observed in PbPb and, to a lesser extent, in pPb collisions. In this contribution, measurements of the pT spectra of Lambda and Antilambda baryons and K0s mesons produced in association with charged jets in PbPb collisions at sqrt(sNN)=2.76 TeV and pPb collisions at sqrt(sNN)=5.02 TeV are presented. The analysis is based on data which was recorded by ALICE at the LHC, exploiting its excellent particle identification capabilities. The baryon meson ratios of the spectra of strange particles associated with jets are studied for different event activities in p-Pb and are restricted to central events in PbPb. A comparison to the ratios obtained for inclusive particles and for particles stemming from the underlying event as well as to PYTHIA simulations is shown.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, HPT2014 proceeding