Integrating Information Literacy into the Virtual University: A Course Model

published or submitted for publicatio

Mining Sequences of Developer Interactions in Visual Studio for Usage Smells

In this paper, we present a semi-automatic approach for mining a large-scale dataset of IDE interactions to extract usage smells, i.e., inefficient IDE usage patterns exhibited by developers in the field. The approach outlined in this paper first mines frequent IDE usage patterns, filtered via a set of thresholds and by the authors, that are subsequently supported (or disputed) using a developer survey, in order to form usage smells. In contrast with conventional mining of IDE usage data, our approach identifies time-ordered sequences of developer actions that are exhibited by many developers in the field. This pattern mining workflow is resilient to the ample noise present in IDE datasets due to the mix of actions and events that these datasets typically contain. We identify usage patterns and smells that contribute to the understanding of the usability of Visual Studio for debugging, code search, and active file navigation, and, more broadly, to the understanding of developer behavior during these software development activities. Among our findings is the discovery that developers are reluctant to use conditional breakpoints when debugging, due to perceived IDE performance problems as well as due to the lack of error checking in specifying the conditional

Student Nurse Perceptions of Effective Medication Administration Education

Nursing faculty strive to educate students in a manner that prevents errors, promoting quality, patient-centered care. This endeavor is dependent upon meaningful and effective education that incorporates educational experiences reflective of the service sector. Anecdotal reports from clinical faculty and student nurses suggest that academic medication administration education may not optimally prepare students for safe entry into clinical practice. The aim of this phenomenologic qualitative research is to understand student nurse perceptions regarding teaching strategies and learning activities that prepared them for safe medication administration in acute care clinical settings. Focus group interviews resulted in two broad themes that are identified as Effective Education and Gaps in Education. Within these broad themes, findings revealed that students value faculty demonstrations, peer-learning opportunities, and repetitive practice with timely feedback. Study findings also pointed to educational gaps. Students reported needing to learn communication and conflict resolution strategies that would help them manage real-world interruptions, distractions, and computer generated alerts. Study findings recommend implementing relevant decision-support technology within academic lab learning activities

The Tolman Surface Brightness Test for the Reality of the Expansion. II. The Effect of the Point-Spread Function and Galaxy Ellipticity on the Derived Photometric Parameters

To complete the Tolman surface brightness test on the reality of the expansion of the Universe, we need to measure accurately the surface brightness profiles of the high-redshift galaxy sample. We, therefore, investigate the effects of various sizes of point-spread-functions composed of telescope diffraction, CCD pixel resolutions, and ground-based seeing on the measurements of mean surface brightness. We have done the calculations using two synthetic galaxies of effective radii of 0.70" and 0.25" with point-spread functions of 0.1, 0.3, and 0.9 arcseconds. We have also compared actual observations of three high-redshift galaxies in the cluster Cl 1324 + 3011 (z = 0.76) made both with the Keck telescopes in seeing of about 0.9" and with HST which has a PSF that is approximately ten times smaller. The conclusion is that HST data can be used as far into the galaxy image as a Petrosian metric radius of eta = 1.3 magnitudes, whereas the ground-based data will have systematic errors of up to 2.9 magnitudes in the mean surface brightness at eta values of less than 2.2 magnitudes. In the final section, we compare the differences in derived average surface brightness for nearly circular galaxy images compared with highly flattened images. The comparison is made by using the two reduction procedures of (1) integrating the profile curves using circular apertures, and (2) approximating an ``equivalent circular'' galaxy that is highly elongated by using an ``effective'' radius of sqrt{ab}, where a and b are the semi-major and semi-minor axis, respectively, of the best-fitting ellipse. The conclusion is that the two methods of reduction give nearly identical results and that either method can be used to analyze the low and high-redshift galaxy samples used in the Tolman test.Comment: 15 pages, 9 figures; accepted for publication in Astronomical Journa

The MARTA Collection: An Investigation of an Archaeological Legacy and Cache of History

The initial rail lines for the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA), radiate from a center point where the town of Terminus gave rise to Atlanta. This massive public undertaking created an opportunity for Georgia State University (GSU) personnel, under the direction of Dr. Roy Dickens, to implement urban archaeological excavations, which were part of the burgeoning field of Cultural Resource Management (CRM). The material recovered from this project revealed a wealth of information about the people, culture, and growth of Atlanta. Since the conclusion of this project in 1980, little attention has been given to the physical collection. This invaluable resource has succumbed to the effects of decomposition and loss due to inattentiveness over time. This thesis focuses on the physical condition of this collection, its organization, and challenges of reassessing, stabilizing, and increasing the accessibility of the material to allow future researchers the ability to utilize this resource

Paper Session II-A - Revisiting the Dawn of the US Space Program: Application of Virtual Technology to Space History

The name “Cape Canaveral” evokes visions of bright orange gantries lining windswept shores, where the United States departed on its voyages to the heavens. Future generations of aerospace historians and engineers will look back to the Cape as hallowed ground. Undoubtedly, they will be cognizant of the names Mercury, Gemini and Apollo, but will they be aware of the thousands of contractor, civil service and military workers who supported these giant leaps for mankind and technology? And what of the aging launch structures? The University of Central Florida and the US Space Walk of Fame Foundation have initiated oral history projects to capture the reflections of pioneer space workers. As we near our 200th oral history interview, we are only beginning to understand the social and technical dynamics surrounding their Herculean efforts during the infancy of this nation’s missile/space industry. These interviews are a touchstone to a bygone era and will permit future scholars and citizens the opportunity to learn from those who were there. While priceless, these oral histories are only a two dimensional link to the past. The human brain processes and assimilates knowledge more effectively in a three dimensional fashion [Sheppard]. Advances in virtual technology offers more than a detailed recreation of significant events in space history, they act as a highly effective multi-sensory educational tool. The Institute of Simulation and Training and the History Department at the University of Central Florida have embarked on a joint venture to recreate historic events at Cape Canaveral through computer simulation. The first phase of the project is Launch Complex 14 as configured in February 1962 for the launch of the “Free World’s First Man in Orbit” – John Glenn. Users can witness all aspects of the launch procedure and interact with the computerized simulation, change views and move through the launch timeline. Our envisioned experience will incorporate portions of oral history interviews of those present at the launch, ensuring the element of humanity is not forgotten

The Fusion Model of Instructional Design: a proposed model for faculty development programs in technology integration

University faculty are increasingly challenged to integrate technology into their teaching to meet the needs of technology-savvy students today. The purpose of this dissertation is to introduce and examine an instructional design model, the Fusion Model of Instructional Design, for designing and implementing more effective faculty development programs in technology integration. The model builds on positive aspects of participatory design (Vincini, 2001), rapid prototyping (Tripp & Bichelmeyer, 1990), and Keller’s (1983) ARCS model of motivation. Key characteristics of the Fusion Model are participation of early adopters in the design and implementation of training, recursive training of early adopters first and then the remaining faculty within one department or a small number of related departments, and on-going formative evaluation through brainstorming and discussion. Two studies were conducted to examine the perceived value, usability, and effectiveness of the Fusion Model in a small southern university. For both studies, the participants were trained on various components of a popular course management system. Study 1 was conducted with two departments for the purpose of piloting of the model. Survey data were collected in Study 1. Study 2 was conducted with two additional departments for further evaluation of the model. Data from Study 2 were collected using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Qualitative data were collected through interviews of faculty participants and the university technology facilitator and the researcher’s observation journal. Results of these studies indicate that the use of Fusion Model of Instructional Design was perceived favorably and produced positive outcomes. Both the technology facilitator and the faculty participants reported positive attitudes toward the training designed, developed, and implemented using the model. The technology facilitator was pleased with the value, usability, and effectiveness of the model because the model allowed for greater faculty participation, customization of the training, and modifications of the sessions when needed. The faculty were pleased because using the model allowed them input in their training which resulted in more participation, more targeted training and support with colleagues in the same department. In a follow-up survey, faculty reported a significantly higher level of technology integration in their teaching and student learning

Beyond the Cape: An Examination of Cape Canaveral\u27s Influence on the City of Cocoa Beach 1950-1963

A drive down A1A through the City of Cocoa Beach reveals meager clues to this municipality\u27s former life as Missileland, USA. Few businesses sport missile oriented names as they did during the Space-Age boom of the 1950s and 1960s. Reporters no longer troll the missile worker watering holes in hopes of securing information regarding the next launch from the Cape. The number of tourists seeking out Major Anthony Nelson\u27s house decreases each year. Today\u27s visitors find a community whose lifeblood stems more from its broad sandy shores than from its proximity to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station or the Kennedy Space Center. But looking behind the surf shops and time shares, the legacy of Missileland, USA survives in the solid infrastructure developed during the city\u27s Space-Age heyday

Students’ Strategies for Writing Arguments from Online Sources of Information

This study builds on previous work on writing (e.g., Bereiter & Scardamalia, 1987; Hayes & Flower, 1980) and writing from sources (e.g., Spivey, 1997). Its purpose was to investigate processes and strategies for writing from online sources of information. High-achieving Grade 12 students were recorded as they researched on the Internet and wrote arguments about cosmetics testing on animals. Data included think aloud protocols, video recordings of participants and computer screens, writing products, and interviews. Data was analyzed using narrative summaries and cross-case comparisons. A coding scheme was developed and applied, in order to establish interrater reliability. Writers used one of three overall processes: 1) Writers alternated between researching online and structuring content into an outline, and then drafted a text; 2) Writers researched online, writing notes and a separate outline, and then drafted a text, drawing on both documents; 3) Writers drafted the text and their research while drafting. Each process was comprised of sub-ordinate strategies and operations. Two contributions of this work are discussed. First, the strategies of participants were similar in that they demonstrated translations between content and rhetorical problem spaces (cf. Bereiter & Scardamalia, 1987). These translations occurred during researching, as well as drafting and reviewing, and were apparent through students’ Internet activity. Second, participants constructed different task environments (cf. Hayes & Flower, 1980) and used different strategies; all were adapted to the affordances and constraints of the Internet, the electronic writing medium, and internal cognition. Final sections address writing instruction, the method, and future research