Roles as a structuring tool in online discussion groups: the differential impact of different roles on social knowledge construction

A

Voice feedback exercises after video instruction are necessary to ensure acquisition of quality basic life support skills in a self-learning station

C

Duurzame maatregelen in kantoren, integrale benadering voor adoptieproces

Veel organisaties willen duurzaam bouwen en energie besparen, maar hoe? Het is moeilijk om in alle afwegingen tijdens het ontwerp- en bouwproces vast te houden aan de energiebesparende ambities. Veel partijen hebben een adviserende rol en er zijn er maar een paar die de besluiten nemen. Welke stappen neemt een organisatie voordat het een nieuwe technologie of maatregel volledig accepteert? Een onderzoek waarin vier projecten zijn bestudeerd, die een hele duidelijke energiebesparende ambitie hebbe

The learning divide in formal adult education: why do low-qualified adults participate less?

Objectives. The aim of this paper is to investigate the reasons behind differential participation rates in formal adult education in Flanders (Belgium) between low- and high-qualified adults. Since the scientific literature is rather tentative in its explanations for existing differences, finding empirical grounds for these explanations is necessary. Prior Work. Most theories explaining differences in participation in adult education draw on psychological, economical, and/or sociological reasoning. According to the psychological strand, differences in participation can be explained by differences in dispositions. The economic strand, on its behalf, stresses the importance of socio-economic status for understanding differential participation rates. Finally, the sociological strand focusses on differences in volume and composition of (economic, cultural, social) capital. Approach. In the analysis, data from the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) (n = 4134) were used. More in particular, applying logit regression modelling, we examined which factors were likely to explain the differential participation rate based on educational qualification. Results. The results suggest that differences in motivation to learn and differences in cultural capital are at the heart of the existing differences in participation between low- and high-qualified adults. Implications and value. The present study points out that the social background of potential adult education candidates should be accounted for in order to increase participation in formal adult education. Interventions aimed at increasing participation are not likely to resort the same effect on different population groups. Targeted interventions might be a more preferential approach when aiming at increasing participation of specific groups

Field assisted sintering of larger scaled ceramic parts using adapted tool design and hybrid heating

Field Assisted Sintering/Spark Plasma Sintering (FAST/SPS) is a promising technology for the energy efficient sintering of ceramic, composite and metal powders. The combination of direct current heating and applied pressure enables high heating rates, rapid densification and offers the potential to decrease the sintering temperature significantly. FAST/SPS is of special interest for materials, which are difficult to densify by conventional methods like pressure less sintering. To establish this processing technology on industrial scale, fundamental studies are required to better understand the relationship between processing parameters, specific FAST/SPS boundary conditions and resulting material properties. A challenging task – especially for non-conductive oxide ceramics – is the decrease of thermal gradients during FAST/SPS cycles to a minimum and to suppress interface reactions with the tool material. In the present work, a systematic study was conducted in our FAST/SPS device aiming on to homogeneously densifying commercial yttria (Y2O3) powder to discs with diameter up to 100 mm. Specific attention was laid on the formation of thermal gradients during the cycle and to investigate their influence on the resulting microstructure. Therefore, different tool set ups were used. Amongst others, carbon fiber reinforced carbon (CFC) inlays were implemented to adjust thermal conductivity of the tool. Furthermore, the effect of hybrid heating was evaluated. For this experimental series, an additional induction coil was mounted in the FAST/SPS device. For evaluating the efficiency of hybrid heating, total energy consumption of the FAST/SPS device – operated with and without induction coil – was measured. The experimental studies were accompanied by finite element modelling to estimate the temperature distribution of non-conductive yttria sample during FAST/SPS processing. The modelling results will be correlated with the grain size distribution along the cross section of the 100 mm disc. Additionally, Vickers hardness measurements were done to investigate how thermal gradients tend to influence mechanical properties

An innovative approach to study the impact of different blends of learning on learning performance in higher education

This study investigates the differential impact of blended learning (BL), face-to-face (F2F) and eLearning (EL) on learning performance (LP), also considering the effect of particular variables (self-efficacy (SE), intrinsic motivation(IM) and flexibility). Students were randomly allocated to one of the four experimental conditions (n F2F= 22, n BL1= 22, n EL= 23, n BL2= 23). Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was applied to study the differential impact of teaching approaches. The results reflect a significant difference in LP after studying in a particular higher education setup [F(3,86) = 9.44, p<. 001], R-2= 22.1. Learning performance was superior in both blended learning conditions. Though the different teaching setups resulted in small significant differences in mediating variables, these did not interact significantly with the research conditions. Based on the present findings, blended learning instruction could be put forward as a promising alley to enhance students' performance

Structuring asynchronous discussion groups: the impact of role assignment and self-assessment on students’ levels of knowledge construction through social negotiation

This article examines the impact of the introduction of roles and the added value of self-assessment on students' level of knowledge construction in online asynchronous discussions in a first-year university course in instructional sciences. Students' postings in 20 discussion groups were used as the research data for this study. All messages, submitted during the 12-week discussion period and comprising four discussion themes of 3 weeks each, were analysed. Repeated-measures multilevel modeling was adopted to analyse the data from thecontent analysis. The results point at a significant positive impact of assigning roles to students. However, this positive impact depends on the moment of the introduction of the roles. Higher levels of social knowledge construction were found in discussion groups where roles were introduced right at the start of the discussions and faded out towards the end. The results further indicate that self-assessment has no significant added value