Toolboxes and handing students a hammer: The effects of cueing and instruction on getting students to think critically

Developing critical thinking skills is a common goal of an undergraduate physics curriculum. How do students make sense of evidence and what do they do with it? In this study, we evaluated students' critical thinking behaviors through their written notebooks in an introductory physics laboratory course. We compared student behaviors in the Structured Quantitative Inquiry Labs (SQILabs) curriculum to a control group and evaluated the fragility of these behaviors through procedural cueing. We found that the SQILabs were generally effective at improving the quality of students' reasoning about data and making decisions from data. These improvements in reasoning and sensemaking were thwarted, however, by a procedural cue. We describe these changes in behavior through the lens of epistemological frames and task orientation, invoked by the instructional moves

Application of inertial instruments for DSN antenna pointing and tracking

The feasibility of using inertial instruments to determine the pointing attitude of the NASA Deep Space Network antennas is examined. The objective is to obtain 1 mdeg pointing knowledge in both blind pointing and tracking modes to facilitate operation of the Deep Space Network 70 m antennas at 32 GHz. A measurement system employing accelerometers, an inclinometer, and optical gyroscopes is proposed. The initial pointing attitude is established by determining the direction of the local gravity vector using the accelerometers and the inclinometer, and the Earth's spin axis using the gyroscopes. Pointing during long-term tracking is maintained by integrating the gyroscope rates and augmenting these measurements with knowledge of the local gravity vector. A minimum-variance estimator is used to combine measurements to obtain the antenna pointing attitude. A key feature of the algorithm is its ability to recalibrate accelerometer parameters during operation. A survey of available inertial instrument technologies is also given

Re-Envisioning The Dissertation Stage Of Doctoral Study: Traditional Mistakes With Non-Traditional Learners

Doctoral students discuss the shift from learning in isolation to collaborative learning during doctoral study. Pros and cons of learning in isolation and collaborative learning will be detailed with various types of collaboration being discussed

The physical characteristics underpinning performance of wheelchair fencing athletes: a Delphi study of Paralympic coaches

Wheelchair Fencing (WF) is a Paralympic sport which is practiced by athletes with physical disabilities and is classified into three categories according to the degree of activity limitation the impairment causes in the sport. All Paralympic sports are requested to develop their own evidence-based classification system to enhance the confidence in the classification process however, this is yet to be achieved in WF. Research within WF is scarce therefore, the aim of this study was to reach expert consensus on the physical characteristics that underpin performance of athletes competing in the sport as this is known as one of the initial steps required to achieve an evidence-based classification system. Sixteen Paralympic WF coaches were invited to take part in a 3-round Delphi study, with experts drawing consensus on qualities of speed, strength, power, flexibility and motor control of the trunk and fencing arm being associated with increased athletic success. The required qualities of the non-fencing arm led to diverging opinions across the expert panel. This study provides clear guidance of the physical qualities to be developed to maximise athletic performance while also providing the initial framework to guide future WF classification research

Re-Envisioning the Dissertation Stage of Doctoral Study: Traditional Mistakes with Non-Traditional Learners

Doctoral students discuss the shift from learning in isolation to collaborative learning during doctoral study. Pros and cons of learning in isolation and collaborative learning will be detailed with various types of collaboration being discussed. Citation: Holmes, B. D., Seay, A. D., & Wilson, K. N. (2009). Re-Envisioning The Dissertation Stage Of Doctoral Study: Traditional Mistakes With Non-Traditional Learners. Journal of College Teaching & Learning (TLC), 6(8). https://doi.org/10.19030/tlc.v6i8.1109https://openriver.winona.edu/educationeddfacultyworks/1014/thumbnail.jp