Using high-stakes grades to incentivize learning

I use a natural experiment in Norwegian high school to investigate how high-stakes grades affect students’ investment in schooling. By exploiting variation across space and time I compare the performance of students taking the same exit exam in compulsory school, but where the test is high-stakes for only a subset of students. Using a staggered triple-difference framework, I find that exam grades increase in the high-stakes setting if students have a sufficient number of prospective high schools within traveling distance. Results from low-stakes ability assessments suggest actual learning — and not test-taking strategy — could largely explain the effect.publishedVersio

Essays on the Economics of Education : Policies for Academic Transitions

This doctoral thesis builds on a rich literature investigating how education policy affects students’ learning, motivation, investment, and decisionmaking— all of which are determinants of the productivity of education systems. Over the past decades, the education field has yielded one of the most prolific strands of literature within applied economics research (Machin, 2014). In part this reflects a growing demand for an evidencebased design of education policy. Rigorous and thoughtful economic research can often produce such evidence, which may guide policymakers in the policy-design process (Hanushek et al., 2016). Policy questions are ubiquitous in the education domain. In particular, many dimensions of a child’s environment in school are determined by policymakers, ranging from the small and specific (such as the number of students in each class or the books used) to the large and general (such as the length of compulsory education, financing, and tracking). Another prevalent structural feature of the schooling process determined by policymakers are the transitions from one educational stage to the next. These milestone moments not only involve the replacement of one set of education policies by another, but have evolved into rites of passage in children’s lives, signifying the end of one stage of development and the beginning of the next (Bharara, 2020; Evans et al., 2018). Like more traditional rites of passage, these academic transitions are often costly. Because of the institutional discontinuities they represent, they are disruptive and challenging for many students (Anderson et al., 2000; Curson et al., 2019; Rice et al., 2015; Rice, 2001; Symonds and Galton, 2014), forcing them to navigate a new educational context that often involves a new school, new peers, and new teachers. Further, at each new stage, students not only face new and challenging academic demands but also heightened expectations of their independence and ability to assume responsibility for their own schooling. Not surprisingly, these transitions represent a period of particular vulnerability for many young people. An extensive research literature has consistently found associations with negative outcomes such as a decline in academic engagement and motivation, a decline in grades, and an increased risk of dropout (see, e.g., Bharara, 2020; Eccles et al., 1993; Evans et al., 2018; Galton et al., 1999 or Mizelle and Irvin, 2000).1 Because the number, timing, and structure of transitions are all the result of policy, and imposed on students by policymakers, there is a need for a solid base of evidence—particularly causal—on how students navigate and prepare for them that can inform policy design so as to minimize the negative outcomes associated with those transitions (Rice, 2001; van Rens et al., 2018). My aim for the thesis is to contribute to that evidence base. Empirical studies, such as those in the following chapters, can provide insights for policy on how best to prepare students for transitions, and how best to support them in making well-informed choices. For example, ensuring that students are adequately prepared for subsequent stages of schooling is an important step in making the education system more efficient and productive. Understanding how children and adolescents make investments and choices in their schooling can help policymakers identify areas where interventions might reduce inequalities in (opportunities for) human capital accumulation. Indeed, support and preparedness have been identified in the education literature as key elements for effective transitions (Anderson et al., 2000; Bharara, 2020)

Multiculturalism in an everyday perspective: Immigration and settlement services in Vancouver, Canada

This thesis examines social relationships and everyday encounters between immigrants and focus particularly on representatives of organizations working to help immigrants integrate and settle in a multicultural society. Canada’s support of multicultural policies and “visible minorities” is grounded in their constitution, and Canada is known as a country with liberal immigration policies. This thesis explores what multiculturalism means for people who use the word as part of their every day vocabulary, and if living in a multicultural society influence immigrants’ sociality in relation to three important topics; transnational ties, citizenship and community participation and their experiences of discrimination and racism. My interlocutors are mainly immigrants who work in what they refer to as the “settlement industry”, meaning that they work in non-profit organizations that offer settlement services to immigrants to help them settle in and adapt to Canadian society. For my interlocutors, multiculturalism was a concept used to describe their environment, but it was also used to describe a corner-stone of their society and a way of living. In this thesis I explore perceptions of multiculturalism that are based on misunderstandings and romanticized utopian ideas of what multiculturalism is and what it was intended to do. I try to deconstruct these romanticized perceptions by exploring the multicultural society as seen from my interlocutors’ point of view, the average working immigrant, rather than the state, and I discuss multiculturalism as the mundane household-concept it was to them.MasteroppgaveSANT350MASV-SAN

Analysing the implementation of a material requirements planning (MRP) system into an engineer-to-order (ETO) company ; the case of National Oilwell Varco Norway (NOVN)

Masteroppgave økonomi og administrasjon- Universitetet i Agder, 2014A material requirements planning (MRP) system is a computer-based planning and control system whose main objectives are to provide the right part at the right time, and to meet the schedules for completed products. The development of these systems revolutionised the manufacturing industry, and lead to it being adopted by many companies. The expectations of the systems were high, both from academia and industry in the subject area of production planning and control. However, the widespread use of the system has uncovered several failures, mainly because the systems are implemented under the assumption that “one-size-fits-all”, and thus do not differentiate between various operations strategies. Prior research has already identified MRP systems as successful production planning and control systems in several operations strategies. Despite its importance, the previous research on MRP systems has not thoroughly addressed the systems strategic fit with an engineer-to-order (ETO) operations strategy. This thesis therefore focuses on the use of an MRP system in an ETO environment, and the overall objective is to investigate if implementation of an MRP system supports the operations strategy of an ETO company. To help investigate the overall objective, a literature review and a case study has been conducted. The literature review was carried out to provide a theoretical base for the research and a foundation for the future work of the research. A case study was conducted to help get a better understanding of an MRP system’s strategic fit in an ETO company to draw parallels between theory and practice. Numerical data has been collected to conduct statistical analysis. The case study company is a large ETO company that is about to implement an MRP system and that previously have used a similar system in some of its departments. Qualitative data from the case study have mainly been conducted through interviews and informal conversations with key informants employed in the case study company. The result of this research shows that there is a clear misalignment between the decision support provided by an MRP system and the decision support required by an ETO company. The product-, market- and process characteristics of an ETO company are too much of a constraining factor for the MRP system, which may lead to reduced competitiveness. Furthermore, the research suggests that organisational factors, such as education level of employees, company size and culture have significant impacts on implementation of an MRP system. The results gathered from the research have a foundation from relevant theory, which strengthens the quality of the thesis. The thesis has therefore contributed with increased knowledge and provides a better understanding of the use of an MRP system in an ETO company. In particular the definitions in the thesis, the identified variables, and the frameworks should be of interest for researchers, management, and consultant in the area of production planning and control (PPC). The research also has important implications for top management and policy makers in implementing an MRP system, as these stakeholders need to communicate effectively with their organisation about their MRP adoption intentions. Case study findings suggest that MRP systems are not suitable for ETO products, and that MRP implementation is influenced by, but not necessarily bound by, existing national and organisational factors. The findings of this study aid the management of organisations that are implementing MRP systems to gain a better understanding of the likely challenges they may face and enables them to put in place appropriate measures to mitigate the risk of implementation failures

Sanitisation of faecal sludge by ammonia

Faecal sludge contains valuable plant nutrients and can be used as a fertiliser in agriculture, instead of being emitted as a pollutant. As this involves a risk of pathogen transmission, it is crucial to inactivate the pathogens in faecal sludge. One treatment alternative is ammonia sanitisation, as uncharged ammonia (NH₃) inactivates pathogens. The aim of this thesis was to study how the pathogen inactivation depends on treatment factors, mainly NH₃ concentration, temperature and storage time, and based on this to make treatment recommendations that ensure pathogen inactivation. Salmonella inactivation was rapid and could be eliminated within a few days. Reovirus and adenovirus were inactivated more slowly than that, but more rapidly than bacteriophages PhiX174, 28B and MS2. Ascaris eggs were generally inactivated more slowly than the other studied organisms, especially at low temperatures (<20 °C). Ascaris egg inactivation was modelled as a function of NH₃ concentration and temperature, which enabled the prediction of required treatment time. An assessment of health risk associated with consumption of crops eaten raw indicated that a 4.5 log10 reduction of Ascaris eggs and a 7.5 log10 reduction of rotavirus were required for unrestricted use of ammonia-treated faecal sludge as a fertiliser. Faecal sludge contains some ammonia mainly due to the ammonia in urine, but the concentrations can be low due to dilution with flushwater and losses to air. Mixing source-separated urine and faeces from urine-diverting dry toilets will give a high enough NH₃ concentration for pathogen inactivation. Estimations of NH₃ concentrations in faecal sludge from vacuum, pour-flush and low-flush toilets indicated that the ammonia concentrations required for stable pH may not be reached without the addition of ammonia. The addition can be urea, which is a common mineral fertiliser that hydrolyses to ammonia and carbonate through the enzyme urease found in faeces. Ammonia sanitisation of faecal sludge is a simple and robust technology enabling a high degree of pathogen inactivation. This can considerably reduce the health risk for farmers, food consumers and downstream populations. It is important to minimise flush water volumes in order to reduce the treatment costs

Sykkelturistens opplevelse av landskapet langs Kanalruta i Telemark : en utprøving av landskapsressursanalysen i et sykkelperspektiv

Sykkelturisme som reiseform øker i popularitet, og sykkelen regnes som spesielt godt egnet for å leve seg inn i det spesielle og særegne ved ett sted. Der bilen er bygd for å reise mellom landskap er sykkelen bygd for å reise inn. Via sykling kan man få tilgang til minneverdige og spesielle opplevelser. I denne oppgaven tar jeg for meg metoden landskapsresurssanalyse, som via relevant kunnskap om sykkelturistens landskapsopplevelse tilpasses og benyttes i analysen av en sykkelrute. Landskapsressursanalysens to deler, landskapsanalyse og stadkjensle-undersøkelse, tilpasses begge til å bli mer hensiktsmessige for analysens formål. Sentralt står målet om å inkludere både de materielle og de immaterielle sidene ved landskapet som oppstår når man sykler sykkelruten. Tilnærmingen sykkelruten som landskapsfortelling sin styrke er å skape sammenheng og koble sammen det materielle og imaterielle. Dette belyses ved teoretiske prinsipper og praksiser for å formidle landskapsfortellinger. Metoden er testet ut i et case område, Nasjonal sykkelrute 2, på strekningen langs Telemarkskanalen. Først i et overordnet trinn av strekningen Ulefoss – Dalen, deretter detaljert analyse av en valgt delstrekning. Oppgaven avsluttes med forslag til konkrete tiltak langs sykkelruta. Her blir prinsippene og praksisene rundt tilnærmingen landskapsfortelling tatt opp igjen. Oppgaven tar for seg en uttesting av en metode i en ny setting, og fører diskusjon rundt metodens bruk og grunnlaget den gir for å skape gode sykkelopplevelser. I analysen av ruta i case området identifiseres den ro og fred man opplever ved å sykle strekningen, som en av de viktigste ressursene. Tiltakene som forslås er basert på denne betraktningen. I arbeidet med utvikling og tilrettelegging for sykkelturisme vil en viktig del av det som styrer utformingen av ruta være sammenkoblingen av attraksjoner og reiselivstilbud i området. Denne oppgaven bidrar med en tankegang som kan fungerer som et supplement i dette arbeidet, og som sørger for at også landskapsopplevelsen blir viet oppmerksomhet Bike tourism as a way of travelling is gainingpopularity and the bike is considered particularly well suited as a means to immerse oneself in a place’s peculiarities. Where the car is designed to travel between landscapes, the bike is made to travel into landscapes. Through biking you can gain access to memorable and unique experiences. In this thesis I discuss the method landscape resource analysis. Trough the use of relevant theory on the bike tourist’s experience of landscape the method is adapted and used in the analysis of a bicycle route. The two parts of the landscape resource analysis; landscape analysis and sense of place investigation, are both adapted to fit the main analysis’ purpose. The main focus lies on including the material and immaterial aspects of the landscape that arise when you bike the route.The bike route as a landscape narrative is an approach which strength lies in creating bonds between the material and immaterial. This is illustrated by theoretical principles and practices for communicating landscape narratives. The method is tested in a case study area, Nasjonal sykkelrute 2, on the stretch along the Telemark Canal. First, in a general manner the route between Ulefoss - Dalen, then a detailed analysis of a selected subsection. The thesis ends with propositions for measures to be taken along the bicycle route. This part picks up the principles from the approach landscapenarratives. In this thesis a method has been tested in a new setting. The use of the method and the basis it is providing for making positive biking experiences will be discussed. It is the peace and quietness you experience that are the main quality of the bike route in the case study. The suggestions are based on this main reflection. When developing bike tourism in an area, the connection between local attractions and other important tourist sites will be a main influence on the design of the bike route. This thesis contributes with a mindset that can act as a supplement in the process, ensuring that the landscape experience also will be given attentionM-L

Reducing the gender gap in early learning: Evidence from a field experiment in Norwegian preschools

Substantial gender differences in key academic skills appear even before children start formal schooling. Although increasing investments in early-childhood programs is motivated by efforts to promote equality of opportunity in education, program attendance seems to have less effect on boys. In this field experiment, we investigate whether a more structured curriculum can help preschools reduce the gender gap in early learning. While girls have higher skills at baseline, we find that the intervention primarily benefits boys, thereby reducing the gender skill gap, with effects persisting into formal schooling.publishedVersio

Flexible neuronal network simulation framework using code generation for NVidia® CUDA™

No description supplie

Comparing Neuromorphic Solutions in Action : Implementing a Bio-Inspired Solution to a Benchmark Classification Task on Three Parallel-Computing Platforms

Copyright © 2016 Diamond, Nowotny and Schmuker. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.Neuromorphic computing employs models of neuronal circuits to solve computing problems. Neuromorphic hardware systems are now becoming more widely available and "neuromorphic algorithms" are being developed. As they are maturing toward deployment in general research environments, it becomes important to assess and compare them in the context of the applications they are meant to solve. This should encompass not just task performance, but also ease of implementation, speed of processing, scalability, and power efficiency. Here, we report our practical experience of implementing a bio-inspired, spiking network for multivariate classification on three different platforms: the hybrid digital/analog Spikey system, the digital spike-based SpiNNaker system, and GeNN, a meta-compiler for parallel GPU hardware. We assess performance using a standard hand-written digit classification task. We found that whilst a different implementation approach was required for each platform, classification performances remained in line. This suggests that all three implementations were able to exercise the model's ability to solve the task rather than exposing inherent platform limits, although differences emerged when capacity was approached. With respect to execution speed and power consumption, we found that for each platform a large fraction of the computing time was spent outside of the neuromorphic device, on the host machine. Time was spent in a range of combinations of preparing the model, encoding suitable input spiking data, shifting data, and decoding spike-encoded results. This is also where a large proportion of the total power was consumed, most markedly for the SpiNNaker and Spikey systems. We conclude that the simulation efficiency advantage of the assessed specialized hardware systems is easily lost in excessive host-device communication, or non-neuronal parts of the computation. These results emphasize the need to optimize the host-device communication architecture for scalability, maximum throughput, and minimum latency. Moreover, our results indicate that special attention should be paid to minimize host-device communication when designing and implementing networks for efficient neuromorphic computing.Peer reviewe

A two teraflop swarm

© 2018 Jones, Studley, Hauert and Winfield. We introduce the Xpuck swarm, a research platform with an aggregate raw processing power in excess of two teraflops. The swarm uses 16 e-puck robots augmented with custom hardware that uses the substantial CPU and GPU processing power available from modern mobile system-on-chip devices. The augmented robots, called Xpucks, have at least an order of magnitude greater performance than previous swarm robotics platforms. The platform enables new experiments that require high individual robot computation and multiple robots. Uses include online evolution or learning of swarm controllers, simulation for answering what-if questions about possible actions, distributed super-computing for mobile platforms, and real-world applications of swarm robotics that requires image processing, or SLAM. The teraflop swarm could also be used to explore swarming in nature by providing platforms with similar computational power as simple insects. We demonstrate the computational capability of the swarm by implementing a fast physics-based robot simulator and using this within a distributed island model evolutionary system, all hosted on the Xpucks