Is E-learning replacing the traditional lecture?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review some of the learning technologies associated with teaching and learning in Higher Education (HE). It looks at E-learning and Information Technology (IT) as tools for replacing the traditional learning experience in HE, i.e. the ‘chalk and talk’ lecture and seminar. HE is on the threshold of being transformed through the application of learning technologies. Are we on the brink of a new way of learning in HE after a tried and tested formula over eight hundred years? Design/methodology/approach – Adopting a case based approach, the fieldwork for this research took place at two UK Higher Education Institutes (HEI’s). A number of units that included IT based learning were identified. All units included a web site that was aimed at supporting students’ learning. The data was collected through unstructured discussion with the lecturer and a questionnaire to students. Findings – This paper considers and highlights the key findings from the sample linking them to the literature with the purpose of testing the aim/title of this paper. Evidence suggested the implications for HEI’s are they cannot assume that presenting new technologies automatically makes their institutions “youth friendly”; this new generation would like to see some concrete benefits of technology. Originality/value – From this small-scale investigation this paper attempts to investigate which direction the threshold may go. There has been eight hundred years of learning in the UK, is this generation wanting a new chapter. Evidence from this research suggests not, it will only play a bit part. They can help free up time in order to engage and support students in new and interesting ways

Robotics and the meaning of life: a practical guide to things that think

The new Open University course T184 Robotics and the meaning of life: a practical guide to things that think is an introductory course on robotics. It is an undergraduate course taught at a distance over 10 weeks. The course is centred around a web site containing most of the course material, supported by two books: Ruth Aylett Robots: Bringing intelligent machines to life? which is a general survey of the field and Isaac Asimov I, Robot which is used to motivate questions about the relationship between man and machine. On-line conferences provide study support. There is also a strong practical element to the course. This was originally designed around the use of the Lego Mindstorms robotics kit. Besides mechanical components, the kit includes the Lego RCX brick – a programmable microcontroller with memory and interfaces to input and output devices such as touch and light sensors, motors and an IR channel to communicate with a PC. Students can build and program an autonomous wheeled robot to carry out a range of tasks of increasing difficulty. A new programming environment was developed at the Open University specifically to support the needs of adult learners with no prior experience of programming. This provided an opportunity to extend the capabilities of the Mindstorms kit. For example, the robot can now ‘talk’ by sending IR messages back to the PC where they are turned into spoken phrases. This richer environment is highly motivating. The new software can also take on a processing role to escape the limitations of memory and processing power onboard the robot. For example, students develop a two-agent system in which the mobile robot collects data, transmits it back to the PC where it is analysed using a neural network (built and trained by the student) and results are transmitted back to the running robot. Developing new software also provided an opportunity to produce a simulation of the robot and we can now offer students the choice of carrying out the practical activities with the Lego hardware or as a simulation. We will look at the attitudes and experiences of students who have chosen these different learning approaches

Task 1: Geodetic monitoring of the Yucca Mountain region using continuous global positioning system measurements

The principal purpose of the cooperative agreement is to develop and continue providing the public and the Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Office (YMSCO) with an independently derived, unbiased body of scientific and engineering data concerning the study of Yucca Mountain as a potential high level waste repository. Under this agreement, the University and Community College System of Nevada (UCCSN) will perform scientific or engineering research, and develop and foster collaborative working relationships between the Government and academic researchers. The following describes the objectives of Task 1 “Geodetic Monitoring of the Yucca Mountain Region Using Continuous Global Positioning System Measurements” under the cooperative agreement. The specific tasks for this funding are: 1. to subcontract with the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), under the supervision of Professor Brian Wernicke, for geodetic monitoring of the Yucca Mountain region; 2. to develop a quality assurance plan for geodetic monitoring using continuous GPS measurements; and 3. to double-check the assumptions and processing done under the Cal Tech subcontract

Comparison of Rayleigh-Scatter Lidar Temperature Climatologies in the Mesosphere and Lower Thermosphere Between the Traditional Reduction Method and the New Optimal Estimation Method

An optimal estimation method (OEM) was used to obtain all-night temperature profiles from Rayleigh-scatter lidar (RSL) observations obtained by the original and updated lidar systems at Utah State University (USU). These data were used to produce annual climatologies of temperatures above USU. The climatology of temperatures from the original lidar, which operated from late 1993 through 2004, was compared with the climatology produced using the widely used Hauchecorne-Chanin method (HC). This comparison highlights the similarities at lower altitudes and differences, which start between 70 km and 80 km and extend to the top altitudes with the OEM temperatures warmer on average than those of the HC. The differences between methods are likely due to the reliance of the HC on a seeding temperature at the top altitude which likely has a large influence on the temperatures at the top 10 km. OEM and HC temperature climatologies were also produced using observations from the upgraded RSL at USU, which operated from early 2014 to early 2015. Like the original climatology, the newer climatology was seen to differ most at higher altitudes. The OEM climatologies from the original and newer data sets were compared, showing good agreement in the location of the summer mesopause but with colder temperatures in this region from the newer observations

Contesting agendas of participation in the arts.

Forms of participatory practice have become ever more widely employed across the arts in recent years, operating across various institutional settings and social contexts. It is misleading, however, to assume that a single agenda binds these developments or that they serve the same social values and interests. Veils of common terminology can conceal important differences of political intent and ethical integrity. Conceptions of art, artists, culture and community vary widely, while terms such as participation, engagement and co-creation are rarely well defined. This article draws on current research into UK cultural and artistic leadership, as well as established theories of participation and action, to explore the complex power relations that underpin participatory discourse. It critiques policies and practices that claim 'participation' as an automatic methodological virtue, questioning the positive connotations of participatory language, particularly in relation to shaping assumptions of shared interest. It argues that there is a need for improved critical self awareness on the part of artists involved in participatory projects and processes, discussing possible frameworks for analysis of the relevant power relationships

Designing and testing inflationary models with Bayesian networks

Even simple inflationary scenarios have many free parameters. Beyond the variables appearing in the inflationary action, these include dynamical initial conditions, the number of fields, and couplings to other sectors. These quantities are often ignored but cosmological observables can depend on the unknown parameters. We use Bayesian networks to account for a large set of inflationary parameters, deriving generative models for the primordial spectra that are conditioned on a hierarchical set of prior probabilities describing the initial conditions, reheating physics, and other free parameters. We use $N_f$--quadratic inflation as an illustrative example, finding that the number of $e$-folds $N_*$ between horizon exit for the pivot scale and the end of inflation is typically the most important parameter, even when the number of fields, their masses and initial conditions are unknown, along with possible conditional dependencies between these parameters.Comment: 24 pages, 9 figures, 1 table; discussion update

Opportunities in global mineral resources

The trends of increasing mineral production are likely to continue as global population and standards of living rise. Opportunities for exploration and metallurgical research are particularly interesting for certain mineral commodities. With 19% of the global population and a growing economy, China is a leader in the production of many commodities but needs to import many others. India has 17% of the world's population and is an emerging major producer and consumer. Those commodities with high prices relative to their abundance, large markets, and limited production from China (<19% of the global total) are likely to be most attractive. These include gold, platinum-group elements, uranium, lithium, cobalt, niobium, nickel, chromium, titanium, potassium, and iron