The Relationship Between Game Art Students’ Achievement and Their Perceived Quality of Assessment

The purpose of this quantitative, non-experimental, predictive correlational study is to analyze the relationship between Game Art students’ perceptions of quality of assessment practices in higher education and their achievement of learning. Assessment in higher education has become increasingly significant due to accreditation and regulatory requirements around accountability of student outcomes. Institutions must commit a high level of resources toward appropriate assessment practices in order to answer tough questions about the value of higher education. This work has been met with adversity by students and educators, often resulting in overextended departments and poor-quality assessment practices. Questions pertaining to the benefits of assessment are normal on college campuses. Of particular concern is the influence of assessment on students, particularly game art students whose work is more complex to assess. This study included a convenience sample of 70 undergraduate game art students from a small art college in Southern California. Perception of assessment was measured via the Students’ Perceptions of Assessment Quality Questionnaire survey and achievement of learning was measured via the results of advancement portfolio reviews completed by faculty. Multiple regression analysis results concluded the overall model was significant, therefore the null hypothesis was rejected at the 95% confidence level. Two predictors (effectiveness of assessment and conditions of assessment) were significant, two (fairness of assessment and authenticity of assessment) were trending toward significance, and two (interpretation of assessment and credibility of assessment) were not significant. This study supports that there is a predictive relationship between Game Art students’ perceptions of quality of assessment practices in higher education and their achievement of learning, building a foundation for further research. Findings imply that if assessment practices are designed to elicit more positive student perceptions, achievement of learning outcomes will improve

Fusion Artmap: A Neural Network Architecture for Multi-Channel Data Fusion and Classification

Fusion ARTMAP is a self-organizing neural network architecture for multi-channel, or multi-sensor, data fusion. Single-channel Fusion ARTMAP is functionally equivalent to Fuzzy ART during unsupervised learning and to Fuzzy ARTMAP during supervised learning. The network has a symmetric organization such that each channel can be dynamically configured to serve as either a data input or a teaching input to the system. An ART module forms a compressed recognition code within each channel. These codes, in turn, become inputs to a single ART system that organizes the global recognition code. When a predictive error occurs, a process called paraellel match tracking simultaneously raises vigilances in multiple ART modules until reset is triggered in one of them. Parallel match tracking hereby resets only that portion of the recognition code with the poorest match, or minimum predictive confidence. This internally controlled selective reset process is a type of credit assignment that creates a parsimoniously connected learned network. Fusion ARTMAP's multi-channel coding is illustrated by simulations of the Quadruped Mammal database.Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (ONR N0014-92-J-401J, AFOSR 90-0083, ONR N00014-92-J-4015); National Science Foundation (IRI-90-00530, IRI-90-24877, Graduate Fellowship); Office of Naval Research (N00014-91-J-4100); British Petroleum (89-A-1204); Air Force Office of Scientific Research (F49620-92-J-0334

Fusion ARTMAP: An Adaptive Fuzzy Network for Multi-Channel Classification

Fusion ARTMAP is a self-organizing neural network architecture for multi-channel, or multi-sensor, data fusion. Fusion ARTMAP generalizes the fuzzy ARTMAP architecture in order to adaptively classify multi-channel data. The network has a symmetric organization such that each channel can be dynamically configured to serve as either a data input or a teaching input to the system. An ART module forms a compressed recognition code within each channel. These codes, in turn, beco1ne inputs to a single ART system that organizes the global recognition code. When a predictive error occurs, a process called parallel match tracking simultaneously raises vigilances in multiple ART modules until reset is triggered in one of thmn. Parallel match tracking hereby resets only that portion of the recognition code with the poorest match, or minimum predictive confidence. This internally controlled selective reset process is a type of credit assignment that creates a parsimoniously connected learned network.Advanced Research Projects Agency (ONR N00014-92-J-401J, ONR N00014-92-J-4015); National Science Foundation (IRI-90-00530, IRI-90-24877, Graduate Fellowship); Office of Naval Research (N00014-91-J-4100); British Petroleum (89-A-1204); Air Force Office of Scientific Research (F49620-92-J-0334

Identification of mixed-symmetry states in an odd-mass nearly-spherical nucleus

The low-spin structure of 93Nb has been studied using the (n,n' gamma) reaction at neutron energies ranging from 1.5 to 3.0 MeV and the 94Zr(p,2n gamma)93Nb reaction at bombarding energies from 11.5 to 19 MeV. States at 1779.7 and 1840.6 keV, respectively, are proposed as mixed-symmetry states associated with the coupling of a proton hole in the p_1/2 orbit to the 2+_1,ms state in 94Mo. These assignments are derived from the observed M1 and E2 transition strengths to the symmetric one-phonon states, energy systematics, spins and parities, and comparison with shell model calculations.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Atmospheric oxidation in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) during April 2003

International audienceThe Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) study in April 2003 had measurements of most atmospheric constituents including OH and HO2. It provided a unique opportunity to examine atmospheric oxidation in a megacity that has more pollution than typical US and European cities. OH typically reached 0.35 pptv (~7×106 cm?3), comparable to amounts observed in US cities, but HO2 reached 40 pptv in the early afternoon, more than observed in most US cities. A steady-state photochemical model simulated the measured OH and HO2 for day and night to within combined measurement and modeling uncertainties for 2/3 of the results. For OH, measured = 0.65 (modeled) + 0.026 pptv, with R2=0.80. For HO2, observed = 0.70 (modeled) + 3.4 pptv, with R2=0.64. Measurements tended to be higher during night and rush hour; the model was higher by ~30% during midday. With a large median measured OH reactivity of more than 120 s?1 during morning rush hour, median ozone production from observed HO2 reached 50 ppb hr?1; RO2 was calculated to have a similar ozone production rate. For both the HO2/OH ratio and the ozone production, the measured values have the essentially same dependence on NO as the modeled values. This similarity is unlike other urban studies in which the NO-dependence of the measured HO2/OH ratio was much less than the modeled ratio and the ozone production rate that was calculated from measured HO2 unexpectedly appeared to increase as a function of NO with no obvious peak

Fast and flexible selection with a single switch

Selection methods that require only a single-switch input, such as a button click or blink, are potentially useful for individuals with motor impairments, mobile technology users, and individuals wishing to transmit information securely. We present a single-switch selection method, "Nomon," that is general and efficient. Existing single-switch selection methods require selectable options to be arranged in ways that limit potential applications. By contrast, traditional operating systems, web browsers, and free-form applications (such as drawing) place options at arbitrary points on the screen. Nomon, however, has the flexibility to select any point on a screen. Nomon adapts automatically to an individual's clicking ability; it allows a person who clicks precisely to make a selection quickly and allows a person who clicks imprecisely more time to make a selection without error. Nomon reaps gains in information rate by allowing the specification of beliefs (priors) about option selection probabilities and by avoiding tree-based selection schemes in favor of direct (posterior) inference. We have developed both a Nomon-based writing application and a drawing application. To evaluate Nomon's performance, we compared the writing application with a popular existing method for single-switch writing (row-column scanning). Novice users wrote 35% faster with the Nomon interface than with the scanning interface. An experienced user (author TB, with > 10 hours practice) wrote at speeds of 9.3 words per minute with Nomon, using 1.2 clicks per character and making no errors in the final text.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures, 1 table, presented at NIPS 2009 Mini-symposi

Collectivity of 0\u3csup\u3e+\u3c/sup\u3e States in \u3csup\u3e160\u3c/sup\u3eGd

Excited 0+ states in 160Gd have been examined with the (n,n′γ) reaction at incident neutron energies up to 2.8 MeV. Gamma-ray excitation functions and angular distribution measurements allow the confirmation of the existence of 0+ states at 1379.70 keV and 1558.30 keV, but we reject the assignments of additional previously suggested 0+ candidates. Limits on the level lifetimes of the observed 0+ states permit an evaluation of the collectivity of these states

Lifetime Measurements of Low-Spin Negative-Parity Levels in \u3csup\u3e160\u3c/sup\u3eGd

160Gd(n,n′γ) experiments were performed with accelerator-produced monoenergetic neutrons. Excitation functions at neutron energies from 1.5 to 2.8 MeV aided in the placement of γ rays in the level scheme and angular distributions at three neutron energies resulted in the determination of 28 excited-level lifetimes or limits in 160Gd, including the lifetimes of several negative-parity levels attributed to octupole vibrations

The Surrogate Method: Past, Present and Future

The STARS/LiBerACE collaboration has been exploring the surrogate technique with success in the actinide region. This method uses a direct reaction to measure the decay probability of the same compound nucleus produced via a neutron-induced channel. This paper serves as an overview of these activities. Using the STARS array at 88-inch Cyclotron at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory we have explored the following surrogate reactions: {sup 234}U({alpha}, {alpha}{prime}f), {sup 235}U({sup 3}He, {alpha}f), {sup 236}U({alpha}, {alpha}{prime}f), {sup 238}U ({alpha},{alpha}{prime}f), {sup 238}U({sup 3}He,{alpha}f), {sup 238}U({sup 3}He, tf) surrogates for {sup 233}U(n,f), {sup 233}U(n,f), {sup 235}U(n,f), {sup 237}U(n,f), {sup 236}U(n,f), and {sup 237}Np(n,f), respectively