Kinetic Monte Carlo simulations of oscillatory shape evolution for electromigration-driven islands

The shape evolution of two-dimensional islands under electromigration-driven periphery diffusion is studied by kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) simulations and continuum theory. The energetics of the KMC model is adapted to the Cu(100) surface, and the continuum model is matched to the KMC model by a suitably parametrized choice of the orientation-dependent step stiffness and step atom mobility. At 700 K shape oscillations predicted by continuum theory are quantitatively verified by the KMC simulations, while at 500 K qualitative differences between the two modeling approaches are found.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figure

Assessment feedback to enhance student development as effective construction industry practitioners

Assessment feedback has been identified as playing a key role in enhancing student learning and academic success, and effective feedback can also promote selfregulating learners which in turn translates to more effective practitioners. There is a considerable amount of literature concerning assessment feedback, however most of the research is generic and does not focus on the needs of particular academic disciplines, nor of relevant professional practice. For built environment students, assessment feedback can strengthen links between academic learning and professional practice, supporting the development of effective construction industry practitioners. To evaluate assessment feedback within this context, a study focusing on links between assessment feedback and professional practice is being undertaken. Early findings are presented here, based on content analysis of assessment feedback on submitted assignments. Data was analysed using a numeric approach, recording frequency of key words. Findings suggest there is scope to enhance practice via the use of revised documents and thus enhance the student learning experience as well as promoting deep learning and development of reflective practitioners. This preliminary study indicates the need to re-consider wording of key documents provided to students

Mapping Students’ Development in Response to Sustainability Education: A Conceptual Model

Target 4.7 of the Sustainable Development Goals requires that, by 2030, all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development. This not only demands an interdisciplinary approach, but also that this approach must seek to be transformative, with change for sustainability as an explicit outcome in addition to subject knowledge. Many have argued that the complex or ‘wicked’ nature of sustainability challenges indicates the need for a learning experience that emphasizes active, reflective learning across-and between-discipline areas. In this paper we develop a conceptual model of sustainability learning for higher education that can potentially address the distinctiveness of sustainability education and monitor students’ progression as learners. Our conceptual model of sustainability learning, has been developed on a university Master’s program in Sustainability and integrates continua of pedagogy and disciplinarity into a three-dimensional space. Learners can be represented as different loci within this space at different points in their development. This potentially allows a ‘learning journey’ to be plotted. We propose that the model can also be used more widely as a tool to visualize learning progression within other university programs, providing an opportunity for both learners and curriculum designers to reflect on progress

Family Law Action Maze (version 4.0)

The action maze has been designed to support a Level 2 Family Law course. It simulates the interactions between a trainee solicitor and a client experiencing marital difficulties.\ud The maze presents a series of brief scenarios, and there is then a choice of courses of action with each of these. Depending on which option is selected, different subsequent scenarios are encountered. Thus there are several different storylines contained within the maze, and the student experience is determined by their choices in response to different events. Students can backtrack through the maze to review decisions and test alternative courses of action.\ud The action maze is designed to be used for self-directed study. It is ideally suited to use as a revision exercise. Students typically work through the maze on their own, although it could be used by groups working independently or as a seminar activity using computers or an interactive whiteboard. The current version of the maze allows students to jump from the introduction page to the start of later sections.\ud The maze was designed and built as a collaboration between a member of academic staff (AG) and a learning technologist (JP). We used a standard format for each page in the maze, with a Word proforma document that was used for authoring and the text, resources and links then transferred to a web template page. The maze has been built using bespoke web templates and contains a range of resource types. The site is built to high standards of accessibility.\ud Please note that this simulation is being provided initially for the Simshare roadshows, and that a version with minor revisions is likely to be available later. For the moment, the current version of the maze is hosted at:\ud http://www.step-up-to-science.com/actionMaze/index.htm

Family Law Action Maze (version 4.0)

The action maze has been designed to support a Level 2 Family Law course. It simulates the interactions between a trainee solicitor and a client experiencing marital difficulties. The maze presents a series of brief scenarios, and there is then a choice of courses of action with each of these. Depending on which option is selected, different subsequent scenarios are encountered. Thus there are several different storylines contained within the maze, and the student experience is determined by their choices in response to different events. Students can backtrack through the maze to review decisions and test alternative courses of action. The action maze is designed to be used for self-directed study. It is ideally suited to use as a revision exercise. Students typically work through the maze on their own, although it could be used by groups working independently or as a seminar activity using computers or an interactive whiteboard. The current version of the maze allows students to jump from the introduction page to the start of later sections. The maze was designed and built as a collaboration between a member of academic staff (AG) and a learning technologist (JP). We used a standard format for each page in the maze, with a Word proforma document that was used for authoring and the text, resources and links then transferred to a web template page. The maze has been built using bespoke web templates and contains a range of resource types. The site is built to high standards of accessibility. Please note that this simulation is being provided initially for the Simshare roadshows, and that a version with minor revisions is likely to be available later. For the moment, the current version of the maze is hosted at: http://www.step-up-to-science.com/actionMaze/index.html

Coscinodiscus bouvet Karsten - a distinctive diatom which may be an indicator of changes in the Southern Ocean

The centric diatom Coscinodiscus bouvet Karsten is a distinctive Antaretic endemic species whose distribution can be assessed reliably from a large body of literature. It appears to be typically neritic, but has also been found as a dominant species in the Scotia Sea during the period of Discovery Investigations. It is suggested that this widespread occurrence of C. bouvet in oceanic waters reflects changes in the advection of the species from ‘seed populations’ in Bransfield Strait. Changes in grazing pressure, resulting from varying krill abundance, are discounted. The species is re-described in order to rectify inadequacies in Karsten's (1905) diagnosis