Using Low-Stakes Quizzing for Student Self-Evaluation of Readiness for Exams

Introductory level courses in many Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) disciplines require students to acquire an enormous new discipline-specific vocabulary in preparation for future courses. Students are often not prepared for the amount of self-directed studying they must do to be successful in these types of courses, particularly in their first year of college. To assist students in more accurately gauging their readiness for an exam, online low-stakes quizzes were implemented in a freshman level course, giving students an opportunity to practice their new language with minimal grade-related consequences. This quizzing strategy provides students an opportunity to self-assess their current level of knowledge. The quizzes also provide feedback, helping students determine how to adjust their behavior to ensure that acquisition of the missing knowledge is successful. This paper presents preliminary results of the research effort and illustrates the effects of this low-stakes quizzing. Specifically, this paper evaluates (1) whether the quizzing helps students to better prepare for medium and high stakes exams; (2) whether the quizzing increases the mean exam scores compared to previous semesters with no quizzing; and (3) whether the quizzing must be required (low-stakes) to be effective, or whether it can be optional (no-stakes) and still benefit students

U.S. Construction Management Students\u27 Comfort Level with and Knowledge of Mobile Technologies

Mobile technologies are becoming increasingly common on U.S. construction sites as companies become aware of how they can simplify and automate the capturing of information in the field, and communicate that information back to company management systems. Field personnel are now being equipped with smart phones or tablets to check email, look at blueprints, take progress photos, or create punchlists, all with one device. These technologies are being used to make work efforts more efficient, raise productivity, reduce costs, and positively impact project profitability. As the U.S. construction industry moves to these mobile technologies, so too should university construction management programs move to mobile education and learning applications to ensure that students are prepared for a mobile construction industry. This study uses university provided iPads in construction management classes to expose students to mobile technologies before they enter the workforce. Pre- and post-test surveys collected data about first-year and upper-level construction management students comfort with mobile technologies, their knowledge about mobile technologies in construction, and their views on whether they think they will use mobile technologies in the workplace and for what tasks. While some students entered with a very low comfort level with mobile devices, there were gains in comfort level by nearly all students. Most, even first-year students, were able to envision how a mobile device could be used within the construction industry to perform various tasks, and their visions increased from the beginning of the semester to the end, even though no formal instruction was done in this area. The gains were primarily due to exposure to the device and general usage. By gaining a greater understanding of student comfort with and knowledge of emerging technologies, more effective educational and training methodologies can be developed to facilitate instruction and improve the effectiveness of students upon graduation

Assessing the impact of IRES on researchers, research outcomes, and students: A case study approach

IRES programs seek to develop globally connected future researchers while also facilitating broader long-term collaborations between U.S.-based and international research groups. Faculty and student exchanges are expected to result in international linkages between the researchers that bring new insights and methods to U.S.-based research projects, leading to transformative research. In this project, we conducted a comprehensive evaluation of IRES programs through a case study analysis. The nine selected cases focused specifically on engineering-focused IRES experiences for ease of comparison. Case studies included interviews with all U.S. PI’s, a selection of additional international and U.S. faculty researchers, and select student alumni for a total of 59 interviews across the nine sites. Our analysis highlights the variety of approaches different IRES programs have taken, which we hope will be helpful for institutions proposing new IRES programs as well as for NSF program officers who work with IRES PI teams. We highlight best practices in developing research exchanges, the return on investment of such programs, as well as ideas from program leaders and participants in how to structure such experiences for students as well as faculty and institutions both on the U.S. and international sides to achieve a range of outcomes

Expectations and Experiences of Short-Term Study Abroad Leadership Teams

This paper explores the expectations and experiences of faculty, academic advisors, and graduate students leading a study abroad experience for first-year engineering students. In the current age of globalization, engineering students require a global understanding of engineering to be competent in the global workforce. In response, undergraduate engineering programs have created various programs to fill this student need. The research surrounding these initiatives focuses on the student experience but is limited when describing that of program leaders. This qualitative study draws from track leader journals that were completed during and shortly after the international program as well as semi-structured interviews in the following semester. The findings suggest that the majority of leaders expected their role to be that of an educator on the study abroad experience, but upon reflection, realized that their definition of what it means to be an educator expanded to encompass facilitation of learning. Many of the student learning instances leaders pointed to had to do with facilitating a learning environment rather than delivering content or answering technical questions. The roles described by leaders varied from troubleshooter to behavioral manager to informer. Leaders reflected that their roles developed as they met students where they were in their learning within the dynamic international context of the program. Overall, leaders saw their roles evolve over the course of the trip. The findings shed light on emergent power dynamics that leadership teams engage in outside of the formal learning environment and provide a unique insight into the types of learning program leaders can experience through leading study abroad programs. The multiple forms of data collection provide deeper insights into the experiences of the leaders while encouraging them to also reflect in real-time. This study has implications for the development of intentionally designed, condensed study-abroad experiences that draws from understanding the program leaders’ experience

Discovery of a red backsplash galaxy candidate near M81

Understanding quenching mechanisms in low-mass galaxies is essential for understanding galaxy evolution overall. In particular, isolated galaxies are important tools to help disentangle the complex internal and external processes that impact star formation. Comparisons between quenched field and satellite galaxies in the low mass regime offer a substantial opportunity for discovery, although very few quenched galaxies with masses below $M_{\star}$$\sim$$10^{9} M_{\odot}$ are known outside the virial radius, $R_{vir}$, of any host halo. Importantly, simulations and observations suggest that an in-between population of backsplash galaxies also exists that may complement interpretations of environmental quenching. Backsplash galaxies -- like field galaxies -- reside outside the virial radius of a host halo, but their star formation can be deeply impacted by previous interactions with more massive systems. In this paper, we report the discovery of a low-mass ($M_{\star}$$\sim$$10^{7} M_{\odot}$) quenched galaxy approximately $1 R_{vir}$ in projection from the M81 group. We use surface brightness fluctuations (SBF) to investigate the possibility that the new galaxy, dubbed dw0910p7326 (nicknamed Blobby), is a backsplash galaxy or a more distant field galaxy. The measured SBF distance of $3.21\substack{+0.15 +0.41 \\ -0.15 -0.36}$ Mpc indicates that Blobby likely lies between $1.0 < R/R_{vir} < 2.7$ outside the combined M81--M82 system. Given its distance and quiescence, Blobby is a good candidate for a backsplash galaxy and could provide hints about the formation and evolution of these interesting objects.Comment: 15 pages, 8 figures, to be submitted to MNRAS, comments welcome

Bose-Einstein condensation in arbitrarily shaped cavities

We discuss the phenomenon of Bose-Einstein condensation of an ideal non-relativistic Bose gas in an arbitrarily shaped cavity. The influence of the finite extension of the cavity on all thermodynamical quantities, especially on the critical temperature of the system, is considered. We use two main methods which are shown to be equivalent. The first deals with the partition function as a sum over energy levels and uses a Mellin-Barnes integral representation to extract an asymptotic formula. The second method converts the sum over the energy levels to an integral with a suitable density of states factor obtained from spectral analysis. The application to some simple cavities is discussed.Comment: 10 pages, LaTeX, to appear in Physical Review

Differences In Mechanics Between First And Second Drop Vertical Jump Landings

A drop jump and landing, followed by another maximal jump and landing, has been used when assessing injury risk utilizing the Landing Error Scoring System (LESS). Vertical ground reaction force (vGRF) and knee excursion are also commonly analyzed during a drop vertical jump. Previous studies have assessed initial drop vertical jump landing mechanics without assessing the second landing from the subsequent vertical jump. Additionally, analyzing landing mechanics based on subject jump height has not been examined for either landing 1 (L1) or landing (L2). The purpose of this study was to investigate whether there was a difference in LESS scores, vGRF, and knee excursion between the first and second landings of the drop vertical jump in all subjects and when divided into subgroups based on jump height.https://dune.une.edu/pt_studrrposter/1004/thumbnail.jp

Integrating the Humanities with Engineering through a Global Case Study Course

As the world becomes more connected and globalized, the problems that engineers are called upon to solve are increasingly complex and interdependent. Unfortunately, engineering coursework has traditionally focused on abstract and closed-ended problem solving, offering few opportunities for students to develop these skills. In this practice paper, we argue for the importance of integrating the humanities and engineering to understand the multiple and intersecting layers of context in an engineering project. We then describe the Humanities-Informed Engineering Projects course, which we developed to help students acquire this perspective. The course was piloted in Spring 2021 in response to the obstacles to international and community engineering experiences caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Lastly, we share preliminary assessment data on the development of systems thinking through the course. This pedagogical description and assessment project contributes to the understanding of the development of systems thinking and it also provides empirical evidence about the potential benefits of integrating the humanities and engineering in the classroom

Bacterial Thymidine Kinase as a Non-Invasive Imaging Reporter for Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Live Animals

Bacteria can be selectively imaged in experimentally-infected animals using exogenously administered 1-(2'deoxy-2'-fluoro-beta-D-arabinofuranosyl)-5-[(125)I]-iodouracil ([(125)I]-FIAU), a nucleoside analog substrate for bacterial thymidine kinase (TK). Our goal was to use this reporter and develop non-invasive methods to detect and localize Mycobacterium tuberculosis.We engineered a M. tuberculosis strain with chromosomally integrated bacterial TK under the control of hsp60 -- a strong constitutive mycobacterial promoter. [(125)I]FIAU uptake, antimicrobial susceptibilities and in vivo growth characteristics were evaluated for this strain. Using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), M. tuberculosis P(hsp60) TK strain was evaluated in experimentally-infected BALB/c and C3HeB/FeJ mice using the thigh inoculation or low-dose aerosol infection models. M. tuberculosis P(hsp60) TK strain actively accumulated [(125)I]FIAU in vitro. Growth characteristics of the TK strain and susceptibility to common anti-tuberculous drugs were similar to the wild-type parent strain. M. tuberculosis P(hsp60) TK strain was stable in vivo and SPECT imaging could detect and localize this strain in both animal models tested.We have developed a novel tool for non-invasive assessment of M. tuberculosis in live experimentally-infected animals. This tool will allow real-time pathogenesis studies in animal models of TB and has the potential to simplify preclinical studies and accelerate TB research

Patterns of brain structural connectivity differentiate normal weight from overweight subjects

AbstractBackgroundAlterations in the hedonic component of ingestive behaviors have been implicated as a possible risk factor in the pathophysiology of overweight and obese individuals. Neuroimaging evidence from individuals with increasing body mass index suggests structural, functional, and neurochemical alterations in the extended reward network and associated networks.AimTo apply a multivariate pattern analysis to distinguish normal weight and overweight subjects based on gray and white-matter measurements.MethodsStructural images (N = 120, overweight N = 63) and diffusion tensor images (DTI) (N = 60, overweight N = 30) were obtained from healthy control subjects. For the total sample the mean age for the overweight group (females = 32, males = 31) was 28.77 years (SD = 9.76) and for the normal weight group (females = 32, males = 25) was 27.13 years (SD = 9.62). Regional segmentation and parcellation of the brain images was performed using Freesurfer. Deterministic tractography was performed to measure the normalized fiber density between regions. A multivariate pattern analysis approach was used to examine whether brain measures can distinguish overweight from normal weight individuals.Results1. White-matter classification: The classification algorithm, based on 2 signatures with 17 regional connections, achieved 97% accuracy in discriminating overweight individuals from normal weight individuals. For both brain signatures, greater connectivity as indexed by increased fiber density was observed in overweight compared to normal weight between the reward network regions and regions of the executive control, emotional arousal, and somatosensory networks. In contrast, the opposite pattern (decreased fiber density) was found between ventromedial prefrontal cortex and the anterior insula, and between thalamus and executive control network regions. 2. Gray-matter classification: The classification algorithm, based on 2 signatures with 42 morphological features, achieved 69% accuracy in discriminating overweight from normal weight. In both brain signatures regions of the reward, salience, executive control and emotional arousal networks were associated with lower morphological values in overweight individuals compared to normal weight individuals, while the opposite pattern was seen for regions of the somatosensory network.Conclusions1. An increased BMI (i.e., overweight subjects) is associated with distinct changes in gray-matter and fiber density of the brain. 2. Classification algorithms based on white-matter connectivity involving regions of the reward and associated networks can identify specific targets for mechanistic studies and future drug development aimed at abnormal ingestive behavior and in overweight/obesity