Web-Based Peer Tutoring in Science Education

Peer-instruction has been shown to have a very positive effect on students’ engagement and learning. PeerWise is a web-tool designed to allow peer-tutoring between students within a large class group. Students can write, answer and discuss Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) based on their work in-class. It is low-cost and low-maintenance software which has become increasingly popular across many subject disciplines as a method to introduce a peer-tutoring aspect to course work. In this study we introduce PeerWise as a form of continuous assessment to a wide and varied cohort of science students (N=509) across disciplines, undergraduate years, levels (certificate to honours degree) and institutes. Correlations between engagement with PeerWise and an increase in end of module exam results are investigated and found to be strongly correlated in one of the modules investigated. Students’ attitudes to PeerWise are probed with a number of Likert style questions. It is found that the students agree that the tool benefits their understanding through the peer-activities of authoring and answering questions and to a lesser degree by discussion of questions with classmates. Some differences exist between class groups but overall the engagement levels across all groups are much higher than the minimum requirement set by the assessments

Student Attitudes to an Online, Peer-instruction, Revision Aid in Science Education

Peer instruction has been shown to have a positive effect on students’ engagement and learning. However, many of the techniques designed to incorporate peer instruction into the student experience are very heavy on resources. PeerWise is a free, low-maintenance, web-tool designed to allow peer instruction between students within a large class group. Students can write, answer and discuss Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) based on their work in-class. In this study, we introduce PeerWise to a wide and varied cohort of science students (N=509) across different disciplines, undergraduate years, levels (certificate to honours degree) and institutes. The attitudes of the students to PeerWise are probed using a questionnaire (356 respondents). This includes responses to Likert-style questions and thematic analysis carried out on free-text responses. It is found that the students are positive about the addition of PeerWise and recognise the advantages of the software in their learning. They recognise, and articulate, the advantages of PeerWise as an active-learning, peer-instruction revision tool. Further advantages and disadvantages are discussed, such as the flooding of system with easy and/or repetitive questions. Overall, the results are positive and are very similar across the varied class groups. In this study, PeerWise performs as free and low-maintenance software that allows the addition of (another) peer-instruction aspect to modules

Exploring Technology Enhanced Instruction and Assessment in the Advanced Physics Laboratory

The development of a strategic, thoughtful and reflective approach to the undertaking of experimental work is key to the development of physicists and physical scientists. This project undertook to remodel senior physics laboratories to adapt to changing skillsets required in the workplace and to instil the graduate attributes necessary for flexible employment in physics and related disciplines. The objective of this project was to foster an enquiry-based model that has been shown both to help engage the students with their subject and develop habits of experimental approach appropriate to physical scientists. The project used e-assessment methods and electronic documentation of student experimental planning, reflection and data recording, while adjusting laboratory instructions and resources. These adjustments included minimising experimental procedures such that this created a less restrictive and more free-form experimental experience, challenging the students to plan prior to experimental work and reflect afterwards. A number of evaluation techniques were used to measure the impact of these changes, including an anonymised on-line survey using the University of Colorado E-CLASS (Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey for Experimental Physics) survey and peer evaluation of experimental reports. The E-CLASS survey was also taken by School of Physics staff to provide a measure of the expert view. The success of this new approach to laboratory instruction is seen in the general alignment between student views of issues of importance in experimental approach. This innovative approach to laboratory instruction will continue to be evaluated and refined for future student cohorts

Characterisation of Glasgow/CNM Double-Sided 3D Sensors.

3D detectors are proposed as an alternative to planar silicon technology to withstand the high radiation environments in planned future high energy physics experiments. Here we review the characterization of double-sided 3D detectors designed and built at CNM and the University of Glasgow. A non-irradiated sensor is characterized in a pion test-beamutilizing the Timepix telescope. The charge collection and detection efficiency across the unit pixel are shown. Area of inefficiency can be found at the columnar electrodes at perpendicular angles of beam incidence while the pixels are shown to be fully efficient at angles greater than ten degrees. A reduction in charge sharing compared to the planar technology is also demonstrated. Charge collection studies on irradiated devices with a Sr-90 source show higher charge collection efficiency for 3D over planar sensors at significantly lower applied bias. The sub-pixel response is probed by a micro-focused laser beam demonstrating areas of charge multiplication at high bias voltages

Instrumentation and techniques in confocal microscopy

THESIS 8132Liquid crystal variable focal length microlenses are designed, fabricated and tested for inclusion into the confocal system. Their emerging light fields are imaged and examined. This proves a novel, efficient and thorough examination of the optical properties, the results of which are compared to those found using interferometric methods. The aberrations present are noted and possible causes discussed. It is also found that by increasing the driving frequency of the applied voltage across the liquid crystal lenses the optical performance can be enhanced by up to 30%, allowing diffraction-limited microlenses to be achievable at greater focal length ranges. The inclusion of these lenses as a high throughput aperture array with a fibre bundle as the corresponding pinhole array at the detector is experimentally investigated. The use of the microlens arrays as an array of objective lenses is also discussed and the depth discriminating properties examined by use of the axial response. The fibre bundle is shown to be an efficient pinhole array and an imaging conduit in confocal systems. The mapping of the entrance and exit positions of an incoherent fibre bundles is undertaken for the proposed application as a pinhole and image conduit. Using fluorescent confocal and conventional microscopy, defect analysis and the size determination of dye-doped melamine formaldehyde microspheres by spectral analysis is performed. High contrast confocal fluorescent lifetime imaging of gold nanoparticles by novel sample preparation is examined and the possible uses of this technique in the future discussed

Primaer- und Sekundaerspannungszustaende in ueberkonsolidiertem Ton Am Beispiel eines Hamburger Glimmerton aufgefahrenen Tiefduekers

Available from TIB Hannover: RN 7360(36) / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekSIGLEDEGerman

Confocal microscopy using variable-focal-length microlenses and an optical fiber bundle

The use of variable-focal-length (VFL) microlenses can provide a way to axially scan the foci across a sample by electronic control. We demonstrate an approach to coupling VFL microlenses individually to a fiber bundle as a way to create a high-throughput aperture array with a controllable aperture pattern. It would potentially be applied in real-time confocal imaging in vivo for biological specimens. The VFL microlenses that we used consist of a liquid-crystal film sandwiched between a pair of conductive substrates for which one has a hole-patterned electrode. One obtains the variation of the focal length by changing the applied voltage. The fiber bundle has been characterized by coupling with both coherent and incoherent light sources. We further demonstrate the use of a VFL microlens array in combination with the fiber bundle to build up a confocal system. The axial response of the confocal system has been measured without mechanical movement of the sample or the objective, and the FWHM is estimated to be approximately 16 µm, with asymmetric sidelobes

eToolbox: Mapping Technologies to Learning

This is a resource for educators interested in designing and developing eLearning. It is structured around six different types of learning to support educators to select the appropriate tools for their teaching-learning context

A Profile of the Spatial Visualisation Abilities of First Year Engineering and Science Students

The link between spatial visualisation skills and academic and professional achievement in STEM fields is well established. It is also widely documented that men outperform women on tests of spatial ability. This disparity puts women at a relative disadvantage for academic success in STEM disciplines. Our research explores the influence of secondary academic experience on spatial visualisation ability among first year students entering an engineering or science programme. Spatial ability was measured using two standard psychometric instruments for measurement of spatial visualization. Out of eight secondary courses considered, a single course in design and computer graphics emerged as a predictor of spatial ability. Students who took this course had significantly higher scores on both measures of spatial cognition than students who did not take the course. There was no significant difference in test scores of men and women who took the course. A significant gender gap was observed among students who did not take the course