Decisions-making in Agile Information Systems Development: The Role of Empowerment and Authority

Agile information systems development (ISD) teams are claimed to work via self-organized and autonomous methods. Yet little research exists on how these teams make decisions. Therefore, this research-in-progress paper conceptualizes a multilevel model that examines decision-making–team empowerment and project managers’ decision-making authority–in agile ISD teams and its effect on team members’ work engagement and performance. Preliminary results show satisfactory psychometric criteria for the measurement instrument. Within the main study, multilevel analyses using hierarchical linear modeling and hierarchical linear regression will be used to examine cross-level effects. We expect our research to contribute to deeper understanding of agile ISD teams’ decision-making and to the limited evidence on project managers’ role in agile ISD

DEM-CFD MODELLING OF A FLUIDIZED BED SPRAY GRANULATOR

Coupled DEM-CFD simulations have been performed to study the hydrodynamics of a Wurster granulator on the scale of individual particles. Based on extensive material tests, the collision behaviour of dry Gamma -Al2O3 particles is identified and incorporated into the model. The effect of process parameters like air flow rate and geometry details like the Wurster position is studied. Based on a physical description of the material properties, an effective tool for design and scale-up of a Wurster granulator is obtained

DEM-CFD Modeling of a Bubbling Fluidized Bed and a Wurster Coater

Coupled DEM-CFD simulations were performed to study the fluid and particle dynamics of a fluidized bed granulator on the micro-scale. In a first study, wetting of the particles is estimated based on the residence time distribution inside a conical spray zone. The effect of the geometry of the apparatus on the homogeneity of wetting is analyzed in order to understand the performance and specificity of different granulator configurations. For a small simulation system, heat and mass transfer laws were resolved to calculate the moisture content of the individual particles An effective modelling tool for design of a fluidized bed spray granulator is obtained

App-Based Habit Building Reduces Motivational Impairments During Studying – An Event Sampling Study

Stojanovic M, Grund A, Fries S. App-Based Habit Building Reduces Motivational Impairments During Studying – An Event Sampling Study. Frontiers in Psychology. 2020;11: 167.In this app-based event sampling study, we observed the intentional formation of new study habits. A sample of 91 university students defined individual study habits and logged data over 6 weeks on motivational conflict, motivational interference (MI) and automaticity of behavior after each habit repetition using an app on their phone. The app was specifically created for this study and gave feedback on habit automaticity. A total of N = 2,574 habit repetitions have been generated and were analyzed using multilevel modeling. The results suggest that (1) app-based intentional habit building works, as automaticity of behavior could be predicted by habit repetition, (2) motivational impairments during studying can be reduced by building habits, as want conflicts and MI decreased with automaticity, and (3) trait self-control supports studying indirectly by fostering habit building rather than directly by suppressing impulses during the activity, as self-control predicted automaticity, but not motivational impairments during the habit execution. The effect of self-control on automaticity of the new study habit was fully mediated by the general automaticity of the students’ other study habits (general study habit strength). This study showcases an app-guided genesis of new study habits and its beneficial motivational effects for learning behavior

The Interactive Lecture: A new Teaching Paradigm based on Ubiquitous Computing

In this paper we present a new teaching paradigm based on ubiquitous computing, which we call the Interactive Lecture. It specifically supports situations where the interactivity between students and lecturer is usually limited, such as lectures with a large number of students, or teleteaching scenarios. In an Interactive Lecture each student is equipped with a handheld computer. These computers connect to the computer of the lecturer via wireless communication. Interactivity between students and lecturer is then increased by a number of services. Examples for these services are: online-feedback which enables students to give immediate feedback about the lecture (e.g., about its speed and difficulty), or online-quizzes were all students participate in solving problems described by the lecturer. We have developed a first prototype of the software and performed a thorough evaluation during a graduate course. The results of this evaluation indicate that interactivity was increased significantly and that the students were very enthusiastic about participating in Interactive Lectures in the future

Is it still worth it? Applying expectancy-value theory to investigate the intraindividual motivational process of forming intentions to drop out from university

Schnettler T, Bobe J, Scheunemann A, Fries S, Grunschel C. Is it still worth it? Applying expectancy-value theory to investigate the intraindividual motivational process of forming intentions to drop out from university. Motivation and emotion. 2020;44:491–507 .The intraindividual process of study dropout, from forming dropout intention to deregistration, is of motivational nature. Yet typical studies investigate interindividual differences, which do not inform about intraindividual processes. Our study focused on the intraindividual process of forming dropout intention, and applied expectancy-value theory to analyze its motivational underpinnings. To expand research, we considered associations of intraindividual deviations in expectancy, intrinsic value, attainment value, utility value, and cost to intraindividual deviations in dropout intention. A total of 326 undergraduate students of law and mathematics rated motivational variables and dropout intention three times from semester start to the final exam period. Multilevel regression analyses revealed that intraindividual changes in intrinsic value, attainment, and cost, but not in expectancy and utility, related to intraindividual changes in dropout intention. Further, we considered students' demographics as moderators. Only age moderated the association between intrinsic value and dropout intention. Our results stress the crucial role of certain value components, including cost, for emerging dropout intention

Minimal instructions improve the performance of laypersons in the use of semiautomatic and automatic external defibrillators

INTRODUCTION: There is evidence that use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) by laypersons improves rates of survival from cardiac arrest, but there is no consensus on the optimal content and duration of training for this purpose. In this study we examined the use of semiautomatic or automatic AEDs by laypersons who had received no training (intuitive use) and the effects of minimal general theoretical instructions on their performance. METHODS: In a mock cardiac arrest scenario, 236 first year medical students who had not previously attended any preclinical courses were evaluated in their first study week, before and after receiving prespecified instructions (15 min) once. The primary end-point was the time to first shock for each time point; secondary end-points were correct electrode pad positioning, safety of the procedure and the subjective feelings of the students. RESULTS: The mean time to shock for both AED types was 81.2 ± 19.2 s (range 45–178 s). Correct pad placement was observed in 85.6% and adequate safety in 94.1%. The time to shock after instruction decreased significantly to 56.8 ± 9.9 s (range 35–95 s; P ≤ 0.01), with correct electrode placement in 92.8% and adequate safety in 97%. The students were significantly quicker at both evaluations using the semiautomatic device than with the automatic AED (first evaluation: 77.5 ± 20.5 s versus 85.2 ± 17 s, P ≤ 0.01; second evaluation: 55 ± 10.3 s versus 59.6 ± 9.6 s, P ≤ 0.01). CONCLUSION: Untrained laypersons can use semiautomatic and automatic AEDs sufficiently quickly and without instruction. After one use and minimal instructions, improvements in practical performance were significant. All tested laypersons were able to deliver the first shock in under 1 min

Autonomy-supportive teaching behavior in science lessons - An intervention for pre-service teachers

Großmann N, Fries S, Wilde M. Autonomy-supportive teaching behavior in science lessons - An intervention for pre-service teachers. In: Electronic Proceedings of the ESERA 2017 Conference. Research, Practice and Collaboration in Science Education. Part 13. Dublin, Ireland: Dublin City University; 2018: 1681-1691.Fostering students’ motivation is an essential characteristic of every teaching process. However, teachers often lack practical methods to support it in class. There are several approaches to foster students’ motivation, such as autonomy-supportive teaching behavior (ASTB) based on Self-Determination Theory (Ryan & Deci, 2017 ). Although t hese approaches are at disposal, they do not seem to find their way into practice. Consequently, efforts are needed to transfer theoretical and empirical findings int o the classroom . An intervention for pre -service teachers providing theoretical and practical approaches to foster students’ motivation might be appropriate to deal with this situation. To address this issue, w e conducted a pilot study with 58 science teacher trainees (M age =25.18±3.79 years ; M semester =7.78±1.23; 65% female). The experimental group consisted of 35 teacher trainees that took part in an intervention about ASTB. Teacher trainee s in the control group (n=23) did not participate in this intervention. We assessed the teacher trainees’ beliefs about the easy implementation and effectiveness of ASTB as well as their future intentions to apply ASTB. Further more , the teacher trainees’ t heoretical and practical knowledge were examined. The r esults reveal ed significant differences concerning the teacher trainees’ beliefs about ASTB, their future intentions to apply ASTB as well as their theoretical and practical knowledge thereof in the comparison of the experimental and control group. We found that the t eacher trainees in the experimental group assumed ASTB to be more effective and eas ier to implement than the teacher trainees in the control group after the intervention . Moreover , the teacher trainees in the experimental group showed higher scores in the test of their theoretical and practical knowledge and stated higher intentions to apply ASTB than the teacher trainees in the control group after the intervention

Forschendes Lernen in der Biologiedidaktik (Zoologie/Humanbiologie)

Im vorliegenden Beitrag wird die Perspektive der Abteilung „Biologiedidaktik (Zoologie/Humanbiologie)“ auf das Forschende Lernen dargestellt. Besondere Berücksichtigung finden hierbei die Vorbereitungsveranstaltungen des Praxissemesters. Abschließend werden Möglichkeiten und Ideen für das entstehende Kompetenzzentrum Forschendes Lernen aufgezeigt