Student\u27s Perception of Computer Tutorials When Reviewing for Exams

I have spent the last year and a half learning the many aspects required when creating a dynamic student-centered classroom. I was very interested in the many topics that were presented to me in my graduate courses. This made it very difficult for me to narrow my research topic. As a result I find myself on a significantly different path than I had started on in September. Having had these rich experiences with differentiation and having tried many of the strategies I decided I would focus on some aspect of differentiation. however, this past fall I was enrolled in an instructional technology course that introduced me to the many ways in which a teacher can infuse technology into the classroom. This experience then led me down another path. I was very interested in the subject but also wanted to know if technology really is as beneficial as some believe it to be. Is technology the answer to our educational woes or just something nice and pretty to show the kids? Through all of these experiences and false starts I finally came to realize my true research question. i want to examine the benefits of using computer tutorial to review for an exam. I especially want to know from students who participate in the computer tutorial if they prefer the tutorial to the usual paper-and-pencil review sheets they receive before an exam. I also want to know what particular aspects of the tutorial they find beneficial and if they feel it is worth doing again

Self Assembly of Soft Matter Quasicrystals and Their Approximants

The surprising recent discoveries of quasicrystals and their approximants in soft matter systems poses the intriguing possibility that these structures can be realized in a broad range of nano- and micro-scale assemblies. It has been theorized that soft matter quasicrystals and approximants are largely entropically stabilized, but the thermodynamic mechanism underlying their formation remains elusive. Here, we use computer simulation and free energy calculations to demonstrate a simple design heuristic for assembling quasicrystals and approximants in soft matter systems. Our study builds on previous simulation studies of the self-assembly of dodecagonal quasicrystals and approximants in minimal systems of spherical particles with complex, highly-specific interaction potentials. We demonstrate an alternative entropy-based approach for assembling dodecagonal quasicrystals and approximants based solely on particle functionalization and shape, thereby recasting the interaction-potential-based assembly strategy in terms of simpler-to-achieve bonded and excluded-volume interactions. Here, spherical building blocks are functionalized with mobile surface entities to encourage the formation of structures with low surface contact area, including non-close-packed and polytetrahedral structures. The building blocks also possess shape polydispersity, where a subset of the building blocks deviate from the ideal spherical shape, discouraging the formation of close-packed crystals. We show that three different model systems with both of these features -- mobile surface entities and shape polydispersity -- consistently assemble quasicrystals and/or approximants. We argue that this design strategy can be widely exploited to assemble quasicrystals and approximants on the nano- and micro- scales. In addition, our results further elucidate the formation of soft matter quasicrystals in experiment.Comment: 12 pages 6 figure

Icosahedral packing of polymer-tethered nanospheres and stabilization of the gyroid phase

We present results of molecular simulations that predict the phases formed by the self-assembly of model nanospheres functionalized with a single polymer "tether", including double gyroid, perforated lamella and crystalline bilayer phases. We show that microphase separation of the immiscible tethers and nanospheres causes confinement of the nanoparticles, which promotes local icosahedral packing that stabilizes the gyroid and perforated lamella phases. We present a new metric for determining the local arrangement of particles based on spherical harmonic "fingerprints", which we use to quantify the extent of icosahedral ordering.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure

Experimental analysis of debris distribution of masonry panels subjected to long duration blast loading

Blast loading of structures is a complex system dependent on a vast number of parameters from both the structure and blast wave. Even for the simplest of structures, small changes to its size and shape can have a large effect on the result when subjected to blast; additionally, small changes to the pressure or duration of the blast wave can drastically alter its interaction with a specific structure. This paper, as part of a larger in-depth research study, investigates the breakage patterns and debris distribution of masonry panels subjected to blast loads with a positive phase duration typically exceeding 100 ms. Three experimental trials were conducted, in which ten masonry panels of varying geometries were subjected to blast loads with peak static overpressures of approximately 55 kPa and 110 kPa, with corresponding positive phase durations of 200 ms and 150 ms respectively. All structures underwent total structural failure, followed by significant debris distribution with the results showing structural geometry, blast overpressure and impulse to be the key parameters responsible for the breakage pattern, initial fragmentation and debris distribution respectively

Establishing a predictive method for blast induced masonry debris distribution using experimental and numerical methods

When subjected to blast loading, fragments ejected by concrete or masonry structures present a number of potential hazards. Airborne fragments pose a high risk of injury and secondary damage, with the resulting debris field causing major obstructions. The capability to predict the spatial distribution of debris of any structure as a function of parameterised blast loads will offer vital assistance to both emergency response and search and rescue operations and aid improvement of preventative measures. This paper proposes a new method to predict the debris distribution produced by masonry structures which are impacted by blast. It is proposed that describing structural geometry as an array of simple modular panels, the overall debris distribution can be predicted based on the distribution of each individual panel. Two experimental trials using 41 kg TNT equivalent charges, which subjected a total of nine small masonry structures to blast loading, were used to benchmark a computational modelling routine using the Applied Element Method (AEM). The computational spatial distribution presented good agreement with the experimental trials, closely matching breakage patterns, initial fragmentation and ground impact fragmentation. The collapse mechanisms were unpredictable due to the relatively low transmitted impulse; however, the debris distributions produced by AEM models with matching collapse mechanisms showed good agreement with the experimental trials

Preparing Information Systems Graduates for a Complex Society: Aligning IS Curricula with Liberal Education Learning Outcomes

The purpose of this paper is to encourage Information Systems (IS) faculty to intentionally revise their curriculum to address (and assess) higher-order learning skills which are demanded by industry and society and are representative of a liberal arts based education. We substantiated the need for this proposed curriculum revision by first examining the extent to which learning outcomes of U.S. Information Systems (IS) programs are aligned with college learning outcomes, university liberal education learning outcomes and with those of the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U). Most IS programs focus on discipline-specific, course-level learning outcomes rather than considering ways IS courses could be integrated into a holistic academic package. We suggest that learning outcomes at the course level be aligned through the program and college levels to align with university-defined learning outcomes. Our hope is that this proposed design, coupled with a call from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools in Business (AACSB) to prepare liberal arts educated business students, will increase awareness of the need for a liberal arts educated IS graduate and facilitate intentional curriculum revisions to address that need

Prospects for the Development of Fast-Light Inertial Sensors

Next-generation space missions are constrained by existing spacecraft navigation systems which are not fully autonomous. These systems suffer from accumulated dead-reckoning errors and must therefore rely on periodic updates provided by supplementary technologies that depend on line-of-sight signals from Earth, satellites, or other celestial bodies (e.g., GPS, star-trackers) for absolute attitude and position determination, which can be spoofed, incorrectly identified, occluded, obscured, attenuated, or insufficiently available. These dead-reckoning errors originate in the accelerometers and ring laser gyros (RLGs) themselves, which constitute inertial measurement units (IMUs). Increasing the time for standalone spacecraft navigation therefore requires fundamental improvements in the precision of inertial sensors. The conventional method of increasing the precision of an optical gyro is to increase its size, but this is problematic in spaceflight where size and weight are at a premium. One promising solution to enhance gyro precision without increasing size is to place an anomalous dispersion or fast-light (FL) material inside the gyro cavity. The FL essentially provides a positive feedback to the gyro response, resulting in a larger measured beat frequency for a given rotation rate as shown in figure 1