Teaching the Teachers – A report on key events and activities run by the UAS Wildau Centre of Competence for Teaching in English

Ziel dieses Berichts ist es, die Ergebnisse der wichtigsten Aktivitäten des Kompetenzzentrums Lehrsprache Englisch der Technischen Hochschule Wildau [FH] zu präsentieren, um zu illustrieren, wie wichtig es ist, das Lehrpersonal im tertiären Bildungsbereich im Umgang mit der englischen Sprache zu unterstützen. Der Artikel wird sich auf vier Hauptthemen konzentrieren: Gründe für den Aufbau des Kompetenzzentrums Lehrsprache Englisch, Die Rolle und Position des Zentrums auf lokaler, nationaler und europaweiter Ebene, Schlüsselthemen in Bezug auf Englisch als Lehrsprache im tertiären Bildungsbereich, Zukünftige Aktivitäten. Im Bericht wird dargelegt, dass die Unterstützung für die Lehrenden notwendig ist, nicht nur um den Anforderungen der Internationalisierung der Hochschulen gerecht zu werden, sondern auch den Anforderungen der Studierenden, die in englischer Sprache studieren wollen. Ohne ein nachhaltiges Sprachprogramm und ohne Unterstützung für die Lehrenden besteht die Gefahr, dass einige Universitäten nicht in der Lage sind, vom Wunsch der ausländischen Studierenden in Deutschland zu studieren, zu profitieren.The aim of this report is to present the results of activities recently undertaken by the UAS Wildau Centre of Competence for Teaching in English in order to illustrate the importance of the provision of English language support to the teaching staff in tertiary education. The article will focus on four main subjects: Reasons for setting up the Centre of Competence for Teaching in English, The role and position of the Centre, locally, nationally and Europe-wide, Key issues concerning teaching in English at tertiary level, Future activities. The report will argue that support for teachers is needed in order to not only meet the demands of universities for internationalization but also the demands of students who want to study in English. English language support for the teaching staff is therefore an issue that should take a high priority at universities where the traditional focus has been on the students’ language needs and not on the teachers’ language needs. Without a sustainable language programme and support for teachers there is a danger that some universities will not be able to benefit properly from the desire of foreign students to come to Germany to study

An evaluation of the effectiveness of studio-based teaching for a first year electronic engineering degree course

This thesis presents the results of a six-year study conducted on two equivalent groups, one group taught in traditional mode, i.e. lecture/tutorial and laboratory; and another group taught using a studio-based methodology that integrated these three into a unitary whole. The courses studied were two, linked, first year introductory courses in electronic engineering, taught over two semesters. They were part of the Manufacturing Engineering, and Mechatroruc Engineering degree programmes at City University of Hong Kong (CityU).The first part of the thesis attempts to place the evolution of studio-based teaching into two major streams of educational development over the past century - the move towards collaborative and cooperative learning in small groups, and the integration of computing and the internet as enabling technologies in learning. Next, the equivalence of the control group (non-studio-based) and experimental group (studio- based) is established. Then, an analysis of the assessments is carried out, which demonstrates that the experimental group not only achieved higher grades, but also achieved deeper learning. A qualitative analysis of responses from the groups at City University is then discussed, complemented by a similar analysis of students studying on a studio-based electronics course at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), Troy, New York, USA. Responses from other studies of students on studio-based courses at RPI and CityU are also included for comparison. The next section considers similar, but not so comprehensive, studies of studio-based teaching at institutions other than CityU and RPI. Then, learning style theory is considered as one way of attempting to explain why some students dislike the studio-based classes while continuing to get better results. It IS concluded that although learning-styles may be helpful in explaining some of the contradictions in the results, further work is needed before any firm conclusions in this area can be reached

The British Air Campaign during the Battle of the Somme, April-November, 1916: A Pyrrhic Victory

The British Air CampaigndDuring the Battle of the Somme, April-November, 1916: A Pyrrhic Victory The Battle of the Somme was Britain's first major offensive of the First World War. Just about every facet of the campaign has been analyzed and reexamined. However, one area of the battle that has been little explored is the second battle which took place simultaneously to the one on the ground. This second battle occurred in the skies above the Somme, where for the first time in the history of warfare a deliberate air campaign was planned and executed to support ground operations. The British Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was tasked with achieving air superiority over the Somme sector before the British Fourth Army attacked to start the ground offensive. This study focuses on the Royal Flying Corps, its organization and leaders, as well as the strategy and doctrine it employed in its attempt to regain air superiority from the German Army Air Service (GAAS) in the spring of 1916. Prior to the start of the ground battle, the commander of the RFC, General Hugh Trenchard, directed his squadrons accomplish six tactical tasks in order for the RFC to achieve aerial superiority over the Somme. These tasks were: 1) aerial reconnaissance, 2) aerial photography, 3) observation and direction of artillery, 4) tactical bombing, 5) `contact' patrols in support of the infantry and 6) air combat against the GAAS to enable achievement of the other five tasks. Critical to answering the question of whether or not the RFC accomplished its assigned tasks this study also examines the development of air power strategy by the RFC before and during the battle. Five factors are used to frame the analysis: strategy, organization, leadership, selection and training of aircrew. Although the RFC suffered high losses because it rigidly adhered to an offensive strategy throughout the air campaign, when the battle ended, the RFC still controlled the skies above the Somme. While the ground campaign failed to accomplish most of its stated objectives, historians have argued that the air campaign was a victory for the RFC. This paper contends that because of the heavy aircrew casualties it in fact proved to be a Pyrrhic victory. The consequences of maintaining a continuous air offensive over the Somme led to nearly disastrous results for the RFC in its subsequent air campaign over Arras in April, 1917

Matter and ghost : an exploration of the idea of the sacred in ordinary things

The focus of this project is the exploration of notions of the sacred through the study of functional, unadorned forms and the processes by which I translate them into drawn images. My objective is to observe and represent what I see as visually essential to objects such as bowl, egg and rag. My intention is to engage aspects of archetypal simplicity, providing a visual starting-point for contemplation in the viewer. Detached from specific liturgical contexts, the notion of 'sacredness' is not anchored by traditional icons. The logic behind the austerity of my 'generic' subject matter is to make a visual connection to the otherwise formless concept of a primal imprint of human consciousness, to anchor my exploration of the sacred. I aim to discover a position between figuration and abstraction that can communicate what I see as elemental to the subject of each drawing, concentrating the arena for contemplation within the bounds of the form depicted. By subduing contextual narrative in this way, I intend to amplify the tiny events of light, line and texture within the drawn form. I aim to discover a position between figuration and abstraction that can communicate what I see as elemental to the subject of each drawing, concentrating the arena for contemplation within the bounds of the form depicted. By subduing contextual narrative in this way, I intend to amplify the tiny events of light, line and texture within the drawn form

About some rare species of waders in Dnepropetrovsk region, 2000-2003

In the years 2000 to 2003 inclusive the author observed 40 species of waders in Dnepropetrovsk Region. Details are given for the rarest species at Bulakhovsky Liman and Samarsky Rybkhoz. Bulakhovsky Liman: Black-winged Pratincole – three pairs nested in the area, at least one breeding was successful (15 May-27 June 2003); Collared Pratincole – three birds (19 May 2001).Автор сообщения в течение 2000-2003 гг. наблюдал сорок видов куликов в Днепропетровской области. В сообщении приводятся подробности о некоторых редких видах на Булаховском лимане и на территории Самарского рыбхоза. Булаховский лиман: степная тиркушка - три пары гнездились на этой территории и, по крайней мере, одна из них - успешно (15 мая - 27 июня 2003 г.); луговая тиркушка - три особи (19 мая 2001 г.).Автор повідомлення на протязі 2000-2003 рр. зареєстрував 40 видів куликіву Дніпропетровській області. В повідомлені наведено деталі перебування рідкісних куликів на Булаховському лимані та на території Самарського рибгоспу. Булаховський лиман: степовий дерихвіст - три пари гніздились на цій території, та принаймні одна з них - успішно (15 травня - 27 червня 2003 р.); лучний дерихвіст - три особини обліковані 19 травня 2001 р

Ocean Engineering Minor: Use of ROVs for the Teaching of Ocean Engineering

Over the past two years, an Ocean Engineering Minor has been offered at University College London for undergraduate students. The first module of this programme is offered to second-year students and represents an introduction to ocean engineering. This article describes in detail the preparation of the coursework component of this module, which consists in a design and build project of simple ROVs. The aim of the coursework is to help students apply their knowledge of naval architecture to a practical problem and learn about the difficulties and inaccuracies associated with practical work in the process. A detailed description of the project is provided, with an accurate cost break-down so that other institutions may include a similar component in their teaching portfolios. Improvements on the current set-up based on students’ feedback are also described

Implications for Underwater Shock Response of Adopting Simplified Structural Styles in Warships

Over the last two decades there has been increasing interest among naval ship designers to adopt design style elements, standards and practices from commercial shipbuilding. Notable among this is a transition from the highly complex structural styles prevalent during the Cold War to simpler, more readily produced structure. It is generally presumed that this will reduce ship procurement costs, but may also have an effect on operational characteristics, including vulnerability to hostile action. Many naval weapon systems employ shock from underwater explosions as their damaging mechanism. In severe cases shock can cause catastrophic loss of watertight integrity, but in even moderate cases of shock the resulting acceleration environment inside the ship can damage or destroy vital equipment. The research presented in this thesis attempted to quantify the effect of adopting simpler structural styles upon this damaging acceleration environment. A number of different frigate structural models were specifically designed, using different structural styles but to meet the same design strength criteria. These models were subjected to simulated underwater explosions using Fluid Structure Interaction Finite Element Analysis techniques and the resulting motions at likely equipment mounting points computed. Results are presented in the form of comparative shock response spectra and also compared against existing shock response prediction techniques. This thesis concludes that the adoption of certain simplified structural styles in warships can lead to significantly elevated shock response motions, compared to those expected from a ship with a more typical naval structural style. In particular, the adoption of reducing the number of stiffeners, or adopting lower cost stiffener profiles, may result in motions increased by a degree significant enough that they should be taken into account when specifying the shock tolerance or mounting arrangements for on-board equipment

Aktivierende Methodik im Fremdsprachenunterricht – Nutzen, Wirkung, praktische Beispiele

"Spielen im Unterricht macht Spaß, aber dafür fehlt uns die Zeit, wir haben in einem Semester so viel Stoff zu bewältigen, dass wir kaum Zeit für Spiele haben, außerdem finden die Studierenden das eher kindisch." Im Folgenden zeigen wir anhand theoretischer Überlegungen und praktischer Beispiele, dass man gerade bei spielerischen, aktivierenden Methoden lernt. Im ersten Teil dieses Beitrags werden theoretische Grundlagen für das aktivierende, spielerische Lernen vorgestellt. Im zweiten Teil werden methodische Grundsätze präsentiert, und im dritten und letzten Teil berichten wir von praktischen Beispielen aus unserem Unterricht. Die Tatsache, dass die Beispiele dem Fremdsprachenunterricht entnommen sind, bedeutet jedoch nicht, dass aktivierende Methodik nur dort sinnvoll eingesetzt werden kann. Vielmehr hat sie einen allgemeinen Nutzen für die Hochschuldidaktik in allen Fachgebieten. Gerade heute, wo Lernziele an Hochschulen zunehmend nicht nur über den „Stoff“ definiert werden, sondern kompetenzorientiert sein und die Autonomie der Lernenden fördern sollen, können aktivierende Methoden in jedem Fachgebiet und in jeder Art von Lehrveranstaltung bedeutsam sein

Self-structuring foods based on acid-sensitive gellan gum systems to impact on satiety

A novel approach that may impact on satiety, whilst meeting the demands of consumers, is the use of hydrocolloids that respond to the environment (acidic) conditions inside the human stomach by self-structuring. This thesis seeks to investigate the in vitro acid-induced gelation (“structuring”) of the mixed biopolymer systems; low-acyl and high-acyl gellan gum, and low-acyl gellan fluid gels. To explore this concept, a variety of acid structures were obtained, which were characterised by texture analysis, rheology and dynamic scanning calorimetry. The gel structures were found to rely on the pH, hydrocolloid concentration, percentage weight of each hydrocolloid used and the processing conditions used during their production. It is suggested that the use of gel alone is more than capable of providing prolonged satiety but leads to unpleasant sensations for the consumer if there is no delivery of energy to the body to compliment the sensation of satiety. Materials should be included that will modulate the energy delivery and slowly release calories over time. This research shows that the addition of co-solutes such as sugar and the measurement of their subsequent release from hydrocolloid gels could provide a first step to tackling these issues