Connecting students' homework to their participation in a course-based social network

This paper presents a comparison between students' efforts on homework (problem sets delivered and completed online using WebAssign) and their participation on a course-focused social media site. The social media platform, CourseNetworking (CN), has many features typical of Learning Management Systems (LMSs), but is distinct in several important ways. The interface is far more "student centric" than traditional LMSs, and is designed to increase engagement; most of the CN window is devoted to student-authored content. Also, the site measures and "gamifies" participation, using an algorithm that includes posts, completion of surveys, comments on other students' posts, and other actions. The setting for our efforts was an introductory calculus-based mechanics class enrolling approximately 150 students, most of whom were engineering majors. Course exams, problem sets, and labs followed a traditional model. Social media participation was not required, but it was encouraged and students could earn a small extra-credit bonus. We investigated correlations between social media "micropoints" and three variables associated with the homework: time on task, points earned, and assignments skipped. Our results show small to moderate correlations and statistical significance in all three cases. Pearson's correlation coefficients are r = 0.286, 0.444, and -0.436 for time on task, points earned, and assignments skipped, respectively. The associated p values are 1.2 × 10-3 for time on task, and p < 10-5 for the other two variables. Because the variables we measure are not normally distributed, we verify these results by also calculating Kendall's tau statistic. This analysis confirms both the size and significance of the correlations we observe. We do not suggest a causal connection; rather, our conclusion is that participation in the social network is a form of engagement with the class comparable to traditional measures of engagement such as homework effort and outcome. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2017

Predação de ninhos artificiais em uma ilha na Mata Atlântica: testando o local e o tipo de ovo Artificial nest predation in Atlantic Forest Island: testing the place and the different types of egg

Experimentos com ninhos artificiais são utilizados para testar hipóteses ecológicas e comportamentais que influenciam na predação de ninhos naturais. O tamanho do ovo, a textura da casca e a cor podem influenciar na taxa de predação, porém poucos estudos avaliam qual modelo de ovo é o mais adequado para simular a predação de ninhos em áreas tropicais. O objetivo deste trabalho foi comparar a predação de diferentes modelos de ovos (ovos de codorna, massa de modelar e canários) no solo e a 1,30 m de altura no sub-bosque. O experimento foi realizado Ilha Anchieta, Ubatuba, São Paulo, Brasil. Foi encontrada uma diferença significativa na taxa de predação entre os ovos de codorna (71,87%) e sintéticos (93,75%) e entre os ovos de codorna e de canário (100%) no solo. Entretanto, não houve diferença significativa entre os ovos sintéticos e de canário. Os ninhos no sub-bosque apresentaram um padrão diferenciado do solo quando se refere aos ovos de codorna (25%) e sintéticos (28,1%), mas houve diferenças significativas quando os ovos de canário foram comparados com os ovos sintéticos e de codorna. Nosso trabalho demonstrou que diferentes tipos de ovos sobre uma mesma pressão de mesopredadores apresentaram taxas de predação diferentes. Portanto, estudos que avaliam o sucesso reprodutivo da avifauna baseado na predação de ninhos artificiais devem considerar a utilização de diferentes tipos de ovos e estratos na vegetação.<br>Experiments on artificial nests are usually used to test ecological hypothesis and behavioural that affects the predation of natural bird nests. It is has been discussed about the size of the egg, texture and color affecting predation rate, but a few studies evaluate which egg type is more appropriate to simulate nest predation in tropical areas. The objective of this work was to compare the predation of different models of eggs (Coturnix coturnix, plasticine and Serinus canarius) on the ground and understory in a island with high abundance of nest predators. The study was carry out in October 2004 at Anchieta Island, Ubatuba, São Paulo, Brazil. The nests on the ground showed a statistical significance difference in the predation of quail eggs, plasticine and canary eggs. However, we did not find differences between plasticine and canaries eggs. The nests in the understory had a different pattern on the ground of quail eggs (25%) and plasticine (28%) and there was a difference when we compare canary eggs with plasticine and quail eggs. Our work pointed out that different eggs may have different predation rates. Therefore, studies that evaluate reproductive fitness of the bird community based on artificial nests must considered different egg types and strata

Public-Nonprofit Partnerships for Collective Action in Dynamic Contexts of Emergencies

This article seeks to understand the problem of building cooperation among public and nonprofit organizations to achieve public service goals in emergencies. It also examines the factors that contribute to successful public-nonprofit partnerships (PNP) and what factors inhibit their development. The theoretical framework draws upon the literature on social capital, network theory and organizational collaboration. The article uses the network analysis perspective to assess the relationships among organizations in terms of their strength, direction and density in the rapid evolution of emergency response operations. The theoretical framework is applied to analyse the interorganizational responses to the 11 September 2001 World Trade Center (WTC) terrorist attacks in New York City. Emergency response operations required coordinated action among many actors across multiple jurisdictions under conditions of urgent stress, high demand and tight time constraints. This type of network analysis can constitute a field of substantial interest and importance to democratic societies that are seeking to manage problems of public service delivery in emergencies using innovative means. © Blackwell Publishers Ltd, 2006