Online and Face-to-Face Classes: A Comparative Analysis of Teaching Presence and Instructor Satisfaction

Teaching presence is one of three components of the Community of Inquiry Model proposed by Garrison, Anderson, and Archer (2000). This study examined teaching presence, as measured by the instructional design and organization, and directed facilitation (Shea, Li, Swan, and Pickett, 2005), in a large undergraduate science course, contrasting two modes of lecture delivery, face-to-face and online video. Confirmatory factor analysis validated the teaching presence instrument, producing factor loadings similar to Shea et al.\u27s for both online and face-to-face delivery. Analysis of the relationship between instructor satisfaction and teaching presence (instructional design and organization, and directed facilitation) produced a significant (p \u3c 0.05) but relatively weak (r = .50) correlation. Differences between mean instructor satisfaction and teaching presence scores showed no significant differences based on the mode of lecture delivery. Advisor: Allen Steckelber

Effects of charge symmetry breaking on form factors of the pion and kaon

Effects of charge symmetry breaking associated with the $u$ and $d$ quark mass difference in the elastic form factors of the pion and kaon are presented. We use a confining version of the Nambu--Jona-Lasinio model. The pion and kaon are described as a dressed quark and antiquark bound states governed by the Bethe-Salpeter equation, and exhibit the properties of Goldstone bosons, with the pion mass difference given by $m_{\pi^{+}}^2 - m_{\pi^{0}}^2 \propto (m_u -m_d)^2$ as demanded by dynamical chiral symmetry breaking. We found significant charge symmetry breaking effects for realistic current quark mass ratios ($m_u/m_d \sim 0.5$) in the quark electromagnetic form factors of the pion and kaon. We also report the effects of charge symmetry breaking on the parton distribution functions, which are rather smaller than those found in the electromagnetic form factors.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, accepted version for the QNP2018 proceedings, 8th International Conference on Quarks and Nuclear Physics (QNP2018), November 13-17, 2018, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japa

Medium modifications of nucleon electromagnetic form factors

We use the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model as an effective quark theory to investigate the medium modifications of the nucleon electromagnetic form factors. By using the equation of state of nuclear matter derived in this model, we discuss the results based on the naive quark-scalar diquark picture, the effects of finite diquark size, and the meson cloud around the constituent quarks. We apply this description to the longitudinal response function for quasielastic electron scattering. RPA correlations, based on the nucleon-nucleon interaction derived in the same model, are also taken into account in the calculation of the response function.Comment: 46 pages, 16 figure

A reaction-diffusion model for the hydration/setting of cement

We propose a heterogeneous reaction-diffusion model for the hydration and setting of cement. The model is based on diffusional ion transport and on cement specific chemical dissolution/precipitation reactions under spatial heterogeneous solid/liquid conditions. We simulate the spatial and temporal evolution of precipitated micro structures starting from initial random configurations of anhydrous cement particles. Though the simulations have been performed for two dimensional systems, we are able to reproduce qualitatively basic features of the cement hydration problem. The proposed model is also applicable to general water/mineral systems.Comment: REVTeX (12 pages), 4 postscript figures, tarred, gzipped, uuencoded using `uufiles', coming with separate file(s). Figure 1 consists of 6 color plates; if you have no color printer try to send it to a black&white postscript-plotte

The NJL-jet model for quark fragmentation functions

A description of fragmentation functions which satisfy the momentum and isospin sum rules is presented in an effective quark theory. Concentrating on the pion fragmentation function, we first explain why the elementary (lowest order) fragmentation process q --> q \pi is completely inadequate to describe the empirical data, although the "crossed" process \pi --> q \bar{q} describes the quark distribution functions in the pion reasonably well. Taking into account cascade-like processes in a generalized jet-model approach, we then show that the momentum and isospin sum rules can be satisfied naturally, without the introduction of ad hoc parameters. We present results for the Nambu--Jona-Lasinio (NJL) model in the invariant mass regularization scheme and compare them with the empirical parametrizations. We argue that the NJL-jet model, developed herein, provides a useful framework with which to calculate the fragmentation functions in an effective chiral quark theory.Comment: 21 pages, 7 figure

ONLINE LEARNING CHALLENGES: NEED FOR EVOLVING MODELS

This paper proposes that online learning theory can be enhanced by looking at research outside of education.Models such as the Community of Inquiry and the Transactional Distance Theoretical Model provide a utility toward structuring, conceptualizing, understanding, and analyzing online education. The ongoing research based on these models continues to explore and recommend as practice that the instructor holds "the keys" as to how the online learning environment will be formulated, shaped, and conducted. The assertion from this perspective continues that instructors through proper or improper structuring, guidance, and/or facilitation and design of their online learning environments may or may not be successful in their teaching. Research outside of education explores implications for online education from a biological and human behavior perspective, which includes analysis of innate brain wiring and emergent research regarding student emotional responses. If we think in terms of the online learning context and the apparent innate desire by all while learning to "connect" to one another, mirroring neurons and the advancement of their understanding could and should be monitored closely as more information and evidence emerges that may have valuable revelations about improving learning and learning outcomes within asynchronous learning environments. "Setting up" the space for learning is not enough for an online educator to understand. Having insight into one's own and others' personal relational dynamics and group dynamics is critical in facilitating online learning environments. Understanding the psyche of individuals and having the ability to intuit human behavior is equally important

ONLINE LEARNING CHALLENGES: NEED FOR EVOLVING MODELS

This paper proposes that online learning theory can be enhanced by looking at research outside of education.Models such as the Community of Inquiry and the Transactional Distance Theoretical Model provide a utility toward structuring, conceptualizing, understanding, and analyzing online education. The ongoing research based on these models continues to explore and recommend as practice that the instructor holds "the keys" as to how the online learning environment will be formulated, shaped, and conducted. The assertion from this perspective continues that instructors through proper or improper structuring, guidance, and/or facilitation and design of their online learning environments may or may not be successful in their teaching. Research outside of education explores implications for online education from a biological and human behavior perspective, which includes analysis of innate brain wiring and emergent research regarding student emotional responses. If we think in terms of the online learning context and the apparent innate desire by all while learning to "connect" to one another, mirroring neurons and the advancement of their understanding could and should be monitored closely as more information and evidence emerges that may have valuable revelations about improving learning and learning outcomes within asynchronous learning environments. "Setting up" the space for learning is not enough for an online educator to understand. Having insight into one's own and others' personal relational dynamics and group dynamics is critical in facilitating online learning environments. Understanding the psyche of individuals and having the ability to intuit human behavior is equally important

The near-infrared radius-luminosity relationship for active galactic nuclei

Black hole masses for samples of active galactic nuclei (AGN) are currently estimated from single-epoch optical spectra. In particular, the size of the broad-line emitting region needed to compute the black hole mass is derived from the optical or ultraviolet continuum luminosity. Here we consider the relationship between the broad-line region size, R, and the near-infrared (near-IR) AGN continuum luminosity, L, as the near-IR continuum suffers less dust extinction than at shorter wavelengths and the prospects for separating the AGN continuum from host-galaxy starlight are better in the near-IR than in the optical. For a relationship of the form R propto L^alpha, we obtain for a sample of 14 reverberation-mapped AGN a best-fit slope of alpha=0.5+/-0.1, which is consistent with the slope of the relationship in the optical band and with the value of 0.5 naively expected from photoionisation theory. Black hole masses can then be estimated from the near-IR virial product, which is calculated using the strong and unblended Paschen broad emission lines (Pa alpha or Pa beta).Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, accepted by MNRAS Letter