OER Hub Researcher Pack

The OER Hub researcher pack will be of interest to anyone conducting research into the impact of open educational resources (OER) or open education. Building on the earlier release of tools developed, used and released by the OER Hub, the researcher pack provides explanation and guidance on how to use these tools. All material and tools are CC BY licensed and are available for reuse

Characterization of Samples for Optimization of Infrared Stray Light Coatings

NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is a converted 747SP that houses a 2.5 m telescope that observes the sky through an opening in the side of the aircraft. Because it flies at altitudes up to 45,000 feet, SOFIA gets 99.99% transmission in the infrared. Multiple science instruments mount one at a time on the telescope to interpret infrared and visible light from target sources. Ball Infrared Black (BIRB) currently coats everything that the optics sees inside the telescope assembly (TA) cavity in order to eliminate noise from the glow of background sky, aircraft exhaust, and other sources. A reflectometer and emissometer were used to measure and characterize the coatings in terms of their ability to absorb stray light. These measurements were then compared to the BIRB currently used. Though Aeroglaze Z306 showed lower better (lower) reflectance values than Desothane, neither of these coatings showed better reflectance values than the current BIRB. These characterizations help us to determine an improved recipe for TA cavity coating

Impact of OER use on teaching and learning: data from OER Research Hub (2013–2014)

The true power of comparative research around the impact and use of open educational resources is only just being realised, largely through the work done by the Hewlett-funded OER Research Hub, based at The Open University (UK). Since late 2012, the project has used a combination of surveys, interviews and focus groups to gather data about the use of open educational resources (OER) by educators, formal learners and informal learners across the globe. These data focus on the overall picture emerging from the survey research of the project, which presently comprises more than 6390 responses, 50.3% of which are informal learners, 24.7% of which are formal learners, 21.6% of which are educators and 3.4% of which are librarians. Results from more than 20 individual questionnaires have been compiled, including surveys of K12 and Flipped Learning teachers; college educators from the CCCOER consortium; users of iTunesU, OpenLearn, OpenStax, Saylor, Siyavula and the YouTube channel of The Open University

OER Research Hub Data 2013-2015: Educators

In 2013 the Hewlett-funded OER Research Hub Project created a bank of survey questions to test eleven hypotheses related to the impact of OER use on teaching and learning. In the two years that followed, a number of bespoke surveys were designed and administered in collaboration with the Flipped Learning Network, Vital Signs, the Community Colleges Consortium for Open Educational Resources, OpenLearn, Saylor Academy, OpenStax, BCcampus, Siyavula, School of Open-P2PU and CoPILOT. Responses from each survey were then combined into a larger dataset to allow for comparison and in-depth examination. The final dataset is comprised of 7,498 cases –44.4% informal learners, 28.4% formal learners, 24.3% educators and 2.9% librarians. The current report, third and final of the series, presents a frequencies analysis of responses from educators: 32.3% teaching in school/K12, 16.7% in FE and 25.2% in HE. Some key findings: 46.5% of educators agree or strongly agree that OER broaden the range of teaching and learning methods they use; 43.9% of educators believe that OER allow them to better accommodate diverse learner needs; A majority of educators perceive the impact of OER on student learning as increased interest in the subject taught, increased satisfaction, independence and self-reliance rather than improved student grades; Relevance, reputation and clear learning objectives guide educators’ selection of open content; Content needs to be relevant, high-quality and discoverable for educators to adopt OER

OER Research Hub Data 2013-2015: Informal Learners

In 2013 the Hewlett-funded OER Research Hub Project created a bank of survey questions to test eleven hypotheses related to the impact of OER use on teaching and learning. In the two years that followed, a number of bespoke surveys were designed and administered in collaboration with the Flipped Learning Network, Vital Signs, the Community Colleges Consortium for Open Educational Resources, OpenLearn, Saylor Academy, OpenStax, BCcampus, Siyavula, School of Open-P2PU and CoPILOT. Responses from each survey were then combined into a larger dataset to allow for comparison and in-depth examination. The final dataset is comprised of 7,498 cases –44.4% informal learners, 28.4% formal learners, 24.3% educators and 2.9% librarians. The current report, first in a series of three, presents a frequencies analysis of responses from informal learners, i.e. those learners not registered on a course of study at an educational institution. Some key findings: A majority of informal learners using OER are full-time employed and already hold an educational qualification; Cost is the most important factor driving adoption of OER by informal learners; Relevance to one’s particular needs and clear learning objectives guide informal learners’ selection of open content; Few (13.9%) informal learners are mindful of open licenses allowing adaptation when selecting OER; Discoverability of resources, quality and subject coverage are the most pressing challenges faced by informal learners using OER; 91.5% of informal learners are likely to continue using OER; A quarter of respondents declare their inclination to go into formal education after using OER

OER Research Hub Data 2013-2015: Formal Learners

In 2013 the Hewlett-funded OER Research Hub Project created a bank of survey questions to test eleven hypotheses related to the impact of OER use on teaching and learning. In the two years that followed, a number of bespoke surveys were designed and administered in collaboration with the Flipped Learning Network, Vital Signs, the Community Colleges Consortium for Open Educational Resources, OpenLearn, Saylor Academy, OpenStax, BCcampus, Siyavula, School of Open-P2PU and CoPILOT. Responses from each survey were then combined into a larger dataset to allow for comparison and in-depth examination. The final dataset is comprised of 7,498 cases –44.4% informal learners, 28.4% formal learners, 24.3% educators and 2.9% librarians. The current report, second in a series of three, presents a frequencies analysis of responses from formal learners, i.e. those learners registered on a course of study at an educational institution. Some key findings: Cost (88%) and ease of access (79%) are the most important factors influencing formal learners’ decision to use OER; 32% of formal learners say that their use of open content influenced their decision to register for their course of study; Biggest impact of OER use not on grades but on increased interest in the subject, satisfaction with the learning experience and enthusiasm for future study; Relevance, reputation and clear learning objectives guide formal learners’ selection of OER; Discoverability of resources is a barrier to OER adoption by formal learners

The Roles and Value of Citizen Science: Perceptions of Professional Educators Enrolled on a Postgraduate Course

Recent findings regarding learning in Citizen Science (CS) have led to an increase in CS project popularity in formal education classrooms. However, there has been little discussion of educators’ initial views on CS. This study examined the perceptions of professional educators enrolled on a postgraduate course in relation to expertise and data quality in CS and to how CS can enhance learning. Collected data comprised comments on the FutureLearn platform made by 164 educators, over two years, after they became involved in CS activities while studying. Findings showed that, overall, educators recognise the power of CS for learning, but are sceptical about the role of experts and the quality of data gathered in this way. Further results highlighted the different motivations educators have for participating in CS (compared with other volunteers) and their need to frame learning that takes place through CS using learning theories and models. The findings of this study have considerable implications for research into designing training activities that introduce educators to CS in classroom settings and support their role as intermediaries of CS

NMR-based assignment of isoleucine vs allo-isoleucine stereochemistry

A simple 1H and 13C NMR spectrometric analysis is demonstrated that permits differentiation of isoleucine and allo-isoleucine residues by inspection of the chemical shift and coupling constants of the signals associated with the proton and carbon at the α-stereocentre. This is applied to the estimation of epimerisation during metal-free N-arylation and peptide coupling reactions

Developing a self‐consistent description of Titan's upper atmosphere without hydrodynamic escape

In this study, we develop a best fit description of Titan's upper atmosphere between 500 km and 1500 km, using a one‐dimensional (1‐D) version of the three‐dimensional (3‐D) Titan Global Ionosphere‐Thermosphere Model. For this modeling, we use constraints from several lower atmospheric Cassini‐Huygens investigations and validate our simulation results against in situ Cassini Ion‐Neutral Mass Spectrometer (INMS) measurements of N 2 , CH 4 , H 2 , 40 Ar, HCN, and the major stable isotopic ratios of 14 N/ 15 N in N 2 . We focus our investigation on aspects of Titan's upper atmosphere that determine the amount of atmospheric escape required to match the INMS measurements: the amount of turbulence, the inclusion of chemistry, and the effects of including a self‐consistent thermal balance. We systematically examine both hydrodynamic escape scenarios for methane and scenarios with significantly reduced atmospheric escape. Our results show that the optimum configuration of Titan's upper atmosphere is one with a methane homopause near 1000 km and atmospheric escape rates of 1.41–1.47 ×10 11 CH 4  m −2 s −1 and 1.08 ×10 14  H 2  m −2 s −1 (scaled relative to the surface). We also demonstrate that simulations consistent with hydrodynamic escape of methane systematically produce inferior fits to the multiple validation points presented here. Key Points The methane homopause is most likely near 1000 km altitude Hydrodynamic escape of methane is not required to match INMS Molecular hydrogen is best fit with a methane homopause of 1000 kmPeer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/108005/1/jgra51076.pd