Using a student mentorship scheme to develop and raise academic attainment

This practice paper describes and evaluates a mentorship scheme used with undergraduate students on the sports rehabilitation programme at Middlesex University. The scheme commonly called MUSCLE (Middlesex University Sport- Student Centred Learning Experience) was developed to engage students across all levels of the programme in assuming responsibility for, and ownership of, their own learning and grade attainment profiles. In the context of this paper, student mentoring comprised graduate, third, and second year undergraduate students mentoring first, second and third year students respectively. MUSCLE mentoring groups addressed issues such as induction, examination and academic writing skills, and study techniques. The scheme was implemented in October 2007, following consultation with the academic staff and student engagement task force groups at the University. An integrated qualitative (using focus groups to gather experiences of mentors and mentees) and quantitative (using pre and post mentoring academic grade profiles) approach employing multi variant ANOVA analyses of preliminary data revealed that students achieved, on average, two grade bands higher in their final summative assessments when compared with students not enrolled on the scheme. The greatest impact on student grade attainment was evident in year one of study with a diminished but significant impact in years two and three. Male mentees achieve higher grades compared with their female counterparts. There were no significant differences between male and female non mentored students. Mentors and mentees reported feelings of self-empowerment and support, as a result of the scheme

Situating multimodal learning analytics

The digital age has introduced a host of new challenges and opportunities for the learning sciences community. These challenges and opportunities are particularly abundant in multimodal learning analytics (MMLA), a research methodology that aims to extend work from Educational Data Mining (EDM) and Learning Analytics (LA) to multimodal learning environments by treating multimodal data. Recognizing the short-term opportunities and longterm challenges will help develop proof cases and identify grand challenges that will help propel the field forward. To support the field's growth, we use this paper to describe several ways that MMLA can potentially advance learning sciences research and touch upon key challenges that researchers who utilize MMLA have encountered over the past few years

The LATDYN user's manual

The LATDYN User's Manual presents the capabilities and instructions for the LATDYN (Large Angle Transient DYNamics) computer program. The LATDYN program is a tool for analyzing the controlled or uncontrolled dynamic transient behavior of interconnected deformable multi-body systems which can undergo large angular motions of each body relative other bodies. The program accommodates large structural deformation as well as large rigid body rotations and is applicable, but not limited to, the following areas: (1) development of large flexible space structures; (2) slewing of large space structure components; (3) mechanisms with rigid or elastic components; and (4) robotic manipulations of beam members. Presently the program is limited to two dimensional problems, but in many cases, three dimensional problems can be exactly or approximately reduced to two dimensions. The program uses convected finite elements to affect the large angular motions involved in the analysis. General geometry is permitted. Detailed user input and output specifications are provided and discussed with example runstreams. To date, LATDYN has been configured for CDC/NOS and DEC VAX/VMS machines. All coding is in ANSII-77 FORTRAN. Detailed instructions regarding interfaces with particular computer operating systems and file structures are provided

Two-body linear guidance matrices

Analytical expressions for two-body linear guidance matrices in velocity dependent coordinate system for variant motion equation solution

Editorial

Somatostatin analogues and their clinical applicationLaparoscopic cholecystectom

NYSDOT Living Snow Fence Training

New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Living Snow Fences Training: challenges, structure, benefits, costs, limitations, economics, transport, effects, development, growth, design, conditions, site assesmen

NYSDOT Living Snow Fence Training Program 2012

New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Snow Fence Training: plant selection, growth, effects, characteristics, change, site selection, site preparation, existing vegetation, weed control, barriers, root stock, post plant care, limitation

Acoustical characteristics of the NASA Langley full scale wind tunnel test section

The full-scale wind tunnel at NASA-Langley Research Center was designed for low-speed aerodynamic testing of aircraft. Sound absorbing treatment has been added to the ceiling and walls of the tunnel test section to create a more anechoic condition for taking acoustical measurements during aerodynamic tests. The results of an experimental investigation of the present acoustical characteristics of the tunnel test section are presented. The experimental program included measurements of ambient nosie levels existing during various tunnel operating conditions, investigation of the sound field produced by an omnidirectional source, and determination of sound field decay rates for impulsive noise excitation. A comparison of the current results with previous measurements shows that the added sound treatment has improved the acoustical condition of the tunnel test section. An analysis of the data indicate that sound reflections from the tunnel ground-board platform could create difficulties in the interpretation of actual test results