Social presence in collaborative learning: Analysis of interactions in knowledge building community

Social presence is a key element in a collaborative learning environment to promote interaction and a sense of community among online students. The purpose of establishing social presence in online courses is to facilitate levels of comfort and assurance of safety among participants. Based on two distinct online graduate courses, this paper explores the interactions and evidence of social presence among students. The results discussed in this paper focus on the analysis of student and instructor messages. In-depth analysis of messages was based on the social presence model by Garrison and Anderson. Findings suggest, overall, low levels of social presence among the two groups. The paper discusses several factors affecting the creation of social presence within two courses. These include (i) profile of the students such as maturity, time availability and their own agenda, (ii) type of course, and (iii) workload. Strategies to improve social presence in online courses are discussed

Content Analysis of The Diagrammatic Representations of Primary Science Textbooks

Science education research emphasizes the irreplaceable value of textbooks in students’ acquisition of scientific knowledge. Illustrations such as diagrams contained in science books are crucial modes of visual representations that facilitate learners’ conceptual learning. Through classifying, coding, and analysing diagrams from twenty science textbooks and workbooks used by Bahrain primary science curriculum, the aim of the study is to find out the distributional pattern and illustration characters of different diagrammatic types in the Bahrain’s primary science books. Descriptive statistical analysis was carried out. A one-way ANOVA test was performed to check if there are any distributional differences between textbook and workbook categories. Findings of the study summarized the characteristics of diagrammatic usage in the Bahrain primary science books. The textbook analysis method used in the research also provided some insights for researchers interested in analysing the usage of diagrams and other illustrations in science learning contexts

Modeling the relationships between perceptions about technology and attitudes toward computers

Over the past few years, the relationship between attitudes and behavior has been of a major interest to educators. Previous studies have found varying degree of associations between attitudes, behavioral intention and perceptions and corroborate the fact that attitudes influence patterns of behavior. As computer technology is becoming pervasive in the society, researchers have attempted to explore the links between individual's perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness and their intention to use the computer technology. A study was conducted in two higher education institution in the United Arab Emirates to find out students' intention to use computer technology employing the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) by Reference [1] as a theoretical framework and Structural Equation Modeling as an analytical tool. The results revealed strong relationships between the students' attitudes toward computer and intention to use. This paper further reports the applicability of technology acceptance model and its robustness and generalizability in different research contexts

A Lightweight Size Estimation Approach for Embedded System using COSMIC Functional Size Measurement

Functional Size Measurement (FSM) is an important component of a software project that provides information for estimating the effort required to develop the measured software. Although the embedded software is time-consuming to develop, COSMIC FSM can be estimated to get more accurate function size. The traditional Function Point methods are designed to measure only business application domain and are problematic in the real-time domain. As a result, COSMIC Functional Size Measurement (FSM) method is designed to measure both application domains. The design diagrams such as UML, SysML and the well-defined FSM procedure must use to accurately measure the functional size of embedded system. We have already developed the generation model based on SysML metamodel with an example of elevator control system. In this paper, we applied the generation model that is the classification of the instance level of object based on UML metamodel. After that, this paper also showed the mapping rules which mapped between the generation model and COSMIC FSM to estimate the functional size of embedded software with the case study of cooker system. This paper also proposed the light weight generation method of COSMIC FSM by using the generation model

Implementing Distributed Data Management System In Dynamic Objects By Using Improved Sort Based Algorithm

In the High Level Architecture (HLA) paradigm, the Runtime Infrastructure (RTI) provides a set of services, such as data distribution and management (DDM) among federates. Each federate may inform the RTI about its intention to publish some data or it may subscri be to receive a subset of the published data. DDM services are used to reduce the transmission and receiving of irrelevant data and aimed at reducing the communication over the network. These services rely on the computation of the intersection between “up date” and “subscription” regions. Currently, there are several main DDM filtering algorithms. Our proposed system describes data management and filtering mechanism on tank simulation in battlefield area. This system intends to detect the movement of the ta nk ob ject s, search overlap between the tank object and every regional regiment (extent). When overlapping information is getting from one of the simulation object (OverlapDetector), another simulation object (Coordinator) connects the relevant extent that conta ining the tank object. That extent continued to send the tank information to other regional regiments according to the predefined list. In this paper, we present the design and implementation of a simulation platform used to implement one of the fil tering algorithms, the improved sort based algorithm, and report the overhead of reducing network traffic and ensuring that the forwarding data receive federates only who need the data

Global self-esteem and self-efficacy correlates: Relation of academic achievement and self-esteem among Emirati students

We investigated the relationships between global self-esteem, academic self-efficacy and academic performance among a sample of 255 college students in the United Arab Emirates. The widely used Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale (RSES; Rosenberg, 1965) and an academic self-efficacy scale, modified from (Jinks and Morgan, 1999) were used to assess student’s self-esteem and their academic self-efficacy. Each student’s average grade for the mid-semester and final semester was used as the performance measure. Confirmatory factor analyses using Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS) version 18 performed on the scores of the RSES revealed two factors (positive and negative self-esteem) as hypothesized. Correlated results indicated significant relationships between global self-esteem and academic self-efficacy. Also academic achievement was associated with having high academic self-efficacy

Lambda Lambda-XiN Coupling Effects in Light Hypernuclei

The significance of $\Lambda\Lambda$-$\Xi$N coupling in double-$\Lambda$ hypernuclei has been studied. The Pauli suppression effect due to this coupling in $^6_{\Lambda\Lambda}$He has been found to be 0.43 MeV for the coupling strength of the NSC97e potential. This indicates that the free-space $\Lambda\Lambda$ interaction is stronger by about $5^{\circ}$ phase shift than that deduced from the empirical data of $^6_{\Lambda\Lambda}$He without including the Pauli suppression effect. In $^5_{\Lambda\Lambda}$He and $^5_{\Lambda\Lambda}$H, an attractive term arising from $\Lambda\Lambda$-$\Xi$N conversion is enhanced by the formation of an alpha particle in intermediate $\Xi$ states. According to this enhancement, we have found that the $\Lambda\Lambda$ binding energy ($\Delta B_{\Lambda\Lambda}$) of $^5_{\Lambda\Lambda}$He is about 0.27 MeV larger than that of $^6_{\Lambda\Lambda}$He for the NSC97e coupling strength. This finding deviates from a general picture that the heavier is the core nucleus, the larger is $\Delta B_{\Lambda\Lambda}$.Comment: 16 pages with 2 figure

Feasibility of extracting a Σ−\Sigma^- admixture probability in the neutron-rich Λ10^{10}_{\Lambda}Li hypernucleus

We examine theoretically production of the neutron-rich $^{10}_{\Lambda}$Li hypernucleus by a double-charge exchange ($\pi^-$, $K^+$) reaction on a $^{10}$B target with distorted-wave impulse approximation calculations. The result shows that the magnitude and shape of the calculated spectrum at 1.20 GeV/c by a one-step mechanism $\pi^-p \to K^+ \Sigma^-$ via $\Sigma^-$ doorways caused by a $\Sigma^-p \leftrightarrow \Lambda n$ coupling can explain the recent experimental data, and the $\Sigma^-$ admixture probability in $^{10}_{\Lambda}$Li is found to be the order of 10$^{-1}$ %. The ($\pi^-$, $K^+$) reaction provides a capability of extracting properties of wave functions with $\Lambda$-$\Sigma$ coupling effects in neutron-rich nuclei, together with the reaction mechanism.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figure

Full-Coupled Channel Approach to Doubly Strange ss-Shell Hypernuclei

We describe {\it ab initio} calculations of doubly strange, $S=-2$, $s$-shell hypernuclei ($^4_{\Lambda\Lambda}$H, $^5_{\Lambda\Lambda}$H, $^5_{\Lambda\Lambda}$He and $^6_{\Lambda\Lambda}$He) as a first attempt to explore the few-body problem of the {\it full}-coupled channel scheme for these systems. The wave function includes $\Lambda\Lambda$, $\Lambda\Sigma$, $N\Xi$ and $\Sigma\Sigma$ channels. Minnesota $NN$, D2$^\prime$ $YN$, and simulated $YY$ potentials based on the Nijmegen hard-core model, are used. Bound state solutions of these systems are obtained. We find that a set of phenomenological $B_8B_8$ interactions among the octet baryons in $S=0, -1$ and -2 sectors, which is consistent with all of the available experimental binding energies of $S=0, -1$ and -2 $s$-shell (hyper-)nuclei, can predict a particle stable bound state of $^4_{\Lambda\Lambda}$H. For $^5_{\Lambda\Lambda}$H and $^5_{\Lambda\Lambda}$He, $\Lambda N-\Sigma N$ and $\Xi N-\Lambda\Sigma$ potentials enhance the net $\Lambda\Lambda-N\Xi$ coupling, and a large $\Xi$ probability is obtained even for a weaker $\Lambda\Lambda-N\Xi$ potential.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur