Online Learner Satisfaction: Learner-Instructor Discourse

  This paper discusses the importance of the direct relationship between instructor discourse and learner discourse in the online learning environment during mandatory online discussions. It provides meaningful insights toward pedagogical theory and corresponding instructional practices associated with these two factors: (a) the extent of instructor discourse and (b) the extent of learner discourse within the online learning environment.  

Psychosocial correlates of juvenile delinquency

The present thesis is a detailed and in depth examination of the reasons of re-offending, perceived by young offenders in custody, drawn from the largest Young Offenders' Institution in Scotland. Mainly materialistic and affective reasons were provided, in line with previous research, yet the issue of drugs abuse emerged as salient. The thesis focused on the immediate and more proximally related factors of re-offending, predicting young offenders' decisions to re-offend in the future. One hundred and fifty two young offenders were randomly selected and participated in a structured interview. The interview assessed several background characteristics, their perceptions of the costs and benefits of their future offending, their perceived normative influences in their future offending and their perceptions of desisting from future offending by controlling several criminogenic factors in the future. In addition, the participants completed two self-reported measures: the Parental Bonding Instrument(PBI)- and the Moral Disengagement Scale(MDS). Intentions of re-offending in the future were predicted by perceived control and attitudes towards future offending. Background factors, related and predictive of recidivism and chronic offending, failed to contribute to the prediction of variation of intentions, over and above the contribution of perceptions of control and attitudes of re-offending. The results suggest that attitudes towards offending and perceptions of control over offending provide a parsimonious framework of assessing and predicting young offenders' intentions of reoffending in the future. Moreover, the detailed examination of the control and behavioural beliefs underlying the two constructs, perceived control to desist from offending and attitudes towards offending, can guide to the specific needs that are perceived as criminogenic by the young offenders and potentially inform the content and the direction of any intervention programs within the correctional settings of young offenders aiming at reducing levels of recidivism. Two dimensions of child-rearing practices, parental care and protection, were examined in relation to normative data, background characteristics and cognitive representations of future offending, and it was found that the relation between perceptions of parenting and intentions of re-offending were mediated by attitudes towards offending in the future. In addition, the associations of moral disengagement, as a failure of self-regulation of morality with past recidivism rates and age of initiation of offending were examined, and were found, contrary to expectations, mainly unrelated. However, the overall score of Moral Disengagement of the young offenders was significantly higher in comparison to normative data. The results suggest that Moral Disengagement could be a factor differentiating young people involved in criminal activity and processed by the legal system from young people who are not involved in criminal activity and/or are unaffected by official monitoring. Moral Disengagement, however, might not be related with frequency of offending within groups of young people in the correctional institutions. Moral disengagement was also found mainly unrelated with background characteristics of the young offenders, suggesting that self-regulation of morality is relatively independent from influences from the social environment. Finally, the relations of Moral Disengagement and cognitive representations of offending in the future were discussed in terms of self-regulation of hierarchically organised feedback loops

Seepage in earth slopes with longitudinal drainage trenches

The major objective of this study was to determine the effect of hydraulic conductivity on the effectiveness and efficiency of longitudinal drains and on the time to reach steady state seepage under controlled laboratory conditions. An apparatus capable of simulating different slope angles and trench spacing was utilized in this study. By using this apparatus it was possible to obtain data regarding flow pattern, pressure heads, saturation time, influence of slope angle (theta), the trench spacing (W = 2w) and seepage depth (h) under steady state and transient conditions for different values of hydraulic conductivity. Two different soil types with different values of hydraulic conductivity (k) were tested at three slope angles. For each of these slopes, three different values of trench spacing were tested. For each of these, tests were conducted at three seepage levels. Measurements of seepage removal rate were taken along the longitudinal direction of the trench under transient and steady state conditions. The piezometric pressures at selected locations in the soil slope were measured

Experimental and numerical investigation of seepage into longitudinal drains

The effectiveness of longitudinal drains was investigated by using experimental and numerical methods. The main objective of the longitudinal drains was to extract and deflect the water flowing through the soil. The influence of water level, drain spacing, slope inclination and soil type was investigated. Results show that the longitudinal drains can reduce the amount of water flowing through the soil significantly.;Several soil types were used in order to cover a wide range of properties. Different soil types were obtained by mixing Ohio River sand and Kaolinite clay in different proportions depending on the desired hydraulic conductivity. In this research the clay content of soils ranged from 5% to 35%. The soils were labeled: A, B, C, D and E.;In order to study longitudinal drains in the laboratory, a versatile physical model was built. This model represents the space between drains. The bed of this model can be inclined to different slope angles so that the performance of longitudinal drains at different slope angles can be investigated. Four different slope angles were used in this study (horizontal, four to one, three to one and two to one). The width of model can also be modified to different values. In this study, three values were selected for the width; six inches, twelve inches, and eighteen inches.;To better understand the behavior of the longitudinal drains, two conditions were studied: transient state and steady state. Transient state is the condition in which the flow of water and piezometric levels are fluctuating within the soil over time. Steady state is the state at which flow and water levels do not show any significant change over time. The performance of longitudinal drains was investigated by performing both laboratory experiments and computational modeling work. The computer model was calibrated by comparing model calculations with experimental data. The computer model was used to predict the performance of field-scale longitudinal drains.;Results from this study show that the longitudinal drains are very effective in reducing seepage through soils. Longitudinal drains remove a significant portion of water that would otherwise flow through the soil. The transient time depends on the soil type used

Student Empowerment In An Online Program

Given that online higher education is a competitive marketplace, this paper discusses how to ensure online student success. Within the online learning environment, the following may create the vitality of the online institution: (a) The online learning environment; (b) The role of the instructor; (c) Learning Communities; (d) Computer-mediated Communication Technologies; and (e) Policy and practice. These factors may be managed by the institution of higher education, the faculty member, or the learner; however, a commitment is needed by all stakeholders in the program

Linear analyses for the stability of radial and nonradial oscillations of massive stars

In order to understand the periodic and semi-periodic variations of luminous O- B- A-type stars, linear nonadiabatic stability analyses for radial and nonradial oscillations have been performed for massive evolutionary models ($8M_\odot - 90M_\odot$). In addition to radial and nonradial oscillations excited by the kappa-mechanism and strange-mode instability, we discuss the importance of low-degree oscillatory convection (nonadiabatic g$^-$) modes. Although their kinetic energy is largely confined to the convection zone generated by the Fe opacity peak near $2\times10^5$K, the amplitude can emerge to the photosphere and should be observable in a certain effective temperature range. They have periods longer than those of the radial strange modes so that they seem to be responsible for some of the long-period microvariations of LBVs (S Dor variables) and $\alpha$ Cyg variables. Moreover, monotonously unstable radial modes are found in some models whose initial masses are greater than or equal to $60M_\odot$ with $Z=0.02$. The monotonous instability probably corresponds to the presence of an optically thick wind. The instability boundary roughly coincides with the Humphreys-Davidson limit.Comment: 10 pages, 14 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA