Business models for MOOC platform providers in digital education using the example of xMOOCs. Stimulations for academic further education?!

Dieser Beitrag beleuchtet Geschäftsmodelle für xMOOCs. Zugrunde liegen Befunde einer Studie für die Plattformbetreiber Coursera, Udacity, edX und iversity. Aus Sicht des Hochschulmanagements offerieren xMOOCs Anregungen für Gestaltung, Finanzierung und Marketing von wissenschaftlicher Weiterbildung. Für eine abschliessende Betrachtung der Mehrwerte von xMOOCs ist es zu früh. Es fehlen Belege.This contribution focuses on business models for xMOOCs. It is based on findings from a study on the platform providers Coursera, Udacity, edX and iversity. From a higher education management perspective, xMOOCs offer stimulations for the design, funding and marketing of academic further education. Final conclusions on benefits from xMOOCs cannot be foreseen, yet, since the lack of further evidence

Dieta comparativa de primatas com base em levantamento bibliográfico.

Resumo

Open Access in Nederland: de volgende stap

Ten gevolge van de invloed van ICT-ontwikkelingen op onderzoek en wetenschappelijke communicatie zien we een fundamentele verandering ten opzichte van het ‘papieren tijdperk’. Toegang tot wetenschappelijke kennis, informatie en data, essentieel voor hoger onderwijs en onderzoek, kan door deze technische ontwikkeling drastisch verbeterd worden. Het is binnen de instellingen de basis voor de kennisoverdracht (onderwijs) en kennisontwikkeling (onderzoek). Maar ook in de relatie met de samenleving (kennisvalorisatie) is toegang tot kennis en informatie van groot belang. Uitgangspunt is dat resultaten van met publieke middelen gefinancierd onderzoek ook publiekelijk toegankelijk dienen te zijn. De afgelopen jaren heeft Open Access een relatief hoge vlucht genomen. Vele instellingen wereldwijd (waaronder alle Nederlandse universiteiten) hebben de zgn. Berlin Declaration ondertekend, daarmee aangevend dat men Open Access van wetenschappelijke informatie actief wil bevorderen. Er is sprake van Open Access wanneer: 1. een publicatie online wordt gepubliceerd en in minimaal een online repository (een vrij toegankelijk digitaal archief) wordt opgenomen; 2. de publicatie voor iedereen met een internetverbinding kosteloos toegankelijk is en blijft; 3. de auteur de gebruiker toestemming geeft om de content te mogen (her)gebruiken voor onderzoek en onderwijs; 4. die toestemming voor (her)gebruik twee voorwaarden heeft: een correcte bronvermelding en geen plagiaat; 5. de auteur deze toestemming vooraf geeft voor het vrije, wereldwijde en onherroepelijke gebruik. Er zijn twee scenario’s m.b.t. Open Access: 1. The Green Road / Repositories: vrijwel alle universiteiten in Europa en de VS en hebben een begin gemaakt met een “institutional repository” waarin publicaties van de instelling voor iedereen toegankelijk kunnen worden ontsloten. Via harvesting kunnen vervolgens disciplinegewijs aanvullende diensten worden geleverd met het in repositories aanwezige materiaal. De universiteit van Nottingham houdt een lijst bij van alle repositories (OpenDoar). Nederland, waar alle universiteiten, dank zij het DARE project inmiddels een redelijk gevuld repository hebben, is koploper. 2. The Golden Road / Open Access Tijdschriften: dit zijn tijdschriften waar niet de lezer betaalt (in de vorm van een abonnementsprijs) maar de kosten op een andere wijze worden gedekt. Een veel voorkomende variant is dat dit geschiedt in de vorm van article processing charges (publicatiekosten, ook wel publication fees genoemd), wat betekent dat de financier/opdrachtgever voor het onderzoek betaalt

Cross-polarized photon-pair generation and bi-chromatically pumped optical parametric oscillation on a chip

Nonlinear optical processes are one of the most important tools in modern optics with a broad spectrum of applications in, for example, frequency conversion, spectroscopy, signal processing and quantum optics. For practical and ultimately widespread implementation, on-chip devices compatible with electronic integrated circuit technology offer great advantages in terms of low cost, small footprint, high performance and low energy consumption. While many on-chip key components have been realized, to date polarization has not been fully exploited as a degree of freedom for integrated nonlinear devices. In particular, frequency conversion based on orthogonally polarized beams has not yet been demonstrated on chip. Here we show frequency mixing between orthogonal polarization modes in a compact integrated microring resonator and demonstrate a bi-chromatically pumped optical parametric oscillator. Operating the device above and below threshold, we directly generate orthogonally polarized beams, as well as photon pairs, respectively, that can find applications, for example, in optical communication and quantum optics

Light trapping in ultrathin plasmonic solar cells

We report on the design, fabrication, and measurement of ultrathin film a-Si:H solar cells with nanostructured plasmonic back contacts, which demonstrate enhanced short circuit current densities compared to cells having flat or randomly textured back contacts. The primary photocurrent enhancement occurs in the spectral range from 550 nm to 800 nm. We use angle-resolved photocurrent spectroscopy to confirm that the enhanced absorption is due to coupling to guided modes supported by the cell. Full-field electromagnetic simulation of the absorption in the active a-Si:H layer agrees well with the experimental results. Furthermore, the nanopatterns were fabricated via an inexpensive, scalable, and precise nanopatterning method. These results should guide design of optimized, non-random nanostructured back reflectors for thin film solar cells

Three-dimensional Structure of L-2-Haloacid Dehalogenase from Xanthobacter autotrophicus GJ10 Complexed with the Substrate-analogue Formate

The L-2-haloacid dehalogenase from the 1,2-dichloroethane degrading bacterium Xanthobacter autotrophicus GJ10 catalyzes the hydrolytic dehalogenation of small L-2-haloalkanoic acids to yield the corresponding D-2-hydroxyalkanoic acids. Its crystal structure was solved by the method of multiple isomorphous replacement with incorporation of anomalous scattering information and solvent flattening, and was refined at 1.95-Å resolution to an R factor of 21.3%. The three-dimensional structure is similar to that of the homologous L-2-haloacid dehalogenase from Pseudomonas sp. YL (1), but the X. autotrophicus enzyme has an extra dimerization domain, an active site cavity that is completely shielded from the solvent, and a different orientation of several catalytically important amino acid residues. Moreover, under the conditions used, a formate ion is bound in the active site. The position of this substrate-analogue provides valuable information on the reaction mechanism and explains the limited substrate specificity of the Xanthobacter L-2-haloacid dehalogenase.

Optical Cherenkov radiation by cascaded nonlinear interaction: an efficient source of few-cycle energetic near- to mid-IR pulses

When ultrafast noncritical cascaded second-harmonic generation of energetic femtosecond pulses occur in a bulk lithium niobate crystal optical Cherenkov waves are formed in the near- to mid-IR. Numerical simulations show that the few-cycle solitons radiate Cherenkov (dispersive) waves in the \lambda=2.2-4.5\mic range when pumping at \lambda_1=1.2-1.8\mic. The exact phase-matching point depends on the soliton wavelength, and we show that a simple longpass filter can separate the Cherenkov waves from the solitons. The Cherenkov waves are born few-cycle with an excellent Gaussian pulse shape, and the conversion efficiency is up to 25%. Thus, optical Cherenkov waves formed with cascaded nonlinearities could become an efficient source of energetic near- to mid-IR few-cycle pulses.Comment: Extended version of Nonlinear Optics 2011 contribution http://www.opticsinfobase.org/abstract.cfm?URI=NLO-2011-NTuA7. Submitted for Optics Express special issue for NLO conferenc

Submerged in the mainstream? A case study of an immigrant learner in a New Zealand primary classroom

Immigrant children from diverse language backgrounds face not only linguistic challenges when enrolled in mainstream English-medium classrooms, but also difficulties adjusting to an unfamiliar learning community. The culture of primary school classrooms in New Zealand typically reflects conventions across three dimensions: interactional, instructional task performance and cognitive-academic development. All three dimensions are underpinned by the culturally specific discourse conventions involved in language socialisation. New learners may be helped by classmates or their teacher to understand and successfully use these conventions, but left on their own they may sink rather than swim. This is a case study of one Taiwanese 11-year old boy, 'John', who entered a New Zealand primary classroom midway through the school year. John's basic conversational ability was sound, but he did not possess the interactive classroom skills needed to operate in the new culture of learning. Selected from a wider study of the classroom, transcript data from audio-recorded excerpts of John's interactions over several months with his teacher and classmates are interpreted from perspectives derived from sociocultural and language socialisation theories. The article concludes with a brief consideration of the extent to which John constructed, or was constrained from constructing meaningful learning experiences, and suggestions for further research and reflection

Not Just Efficiency: Insolvency Law in the EU and Its Political Dimension

Certain insolvency law rules, like creditors’ priorities and set-off rights, have a distributive impact on creditors. Distributional rules reflect the hierarchies of values and interests in each jurisdiction and, as a result, have high political relevance and pose an obstacle to reforming the EU Insolvency Regulation. This paper will show the difficulty of reform by addressing two alternative options to regulate cross-border insolvencies in the European Union. The first one is the ‘choice model’, under which companies can select the insolvency law they prefer. Although such a model would allow distressed firms to select the most efficient insolvency law, it would also displace Member States’ power to protect local constituencies. The choice model therefore produces negative externalities and raises legitimacy concerns. The opposite solution is full harmonisation of insolvency law at EU level, including distributional rules. Full harmonisation would have the advantage of internalising all externalities produced by cross-border insolvencies. However, the EU legislative process, which is still based on negotiations between states, is not apt to decide on distributive insolvency rules; additionally, if harmonisation includes such rules, it will indirectly modify national social security strategies and equilibria. This debate shows that the choice regarding power allocation over bankruptcies in the EU depends on the progress of European integration and is mainly a matter of political legitimacy, not only of efficiency