The Effects of Cooperative Grouping Strategies and a Three-Level Evaluation Tool on Student Soft Skills Achievement and Satisfaction Within a Problem-Based Instructional Model in the Soft Sciences

In education, many academic majors can fall within one of two main concentrations: the hard or soft sciences. The hard sciences are defined as the natural sciences and include subjects such as Engineering, Chemistry, and Biology while the soft sciences are defined as the social sciences and include subjects such as English, Sociology, and Anthropology. While instructional approaches have been created to help instructors teach and students learn within each of the scientific areas, few studies have sought to see if instructional approaches from one of the sciences can be used in the other. One such instructional approach is the problem-based one, which has yielded many different instructional models within the hard sciences but remains unused in the soft sciences. Research has shown that each problem-based model used within the hard sciences has used its own cooperative grouping and assessment strategies, leading to variations in the methods used in hard science classrooms. While the problem-based instructional approach used in the hard sciences values the development of soft skills, this has also been a major learning outcome for courses within the soft sciences. Knowing that the problem-based instructional approach used in the hard sciences values soft skills development, it is not known if a problem-based approach should be used in the soft sciences classroom, and, if it should, if a traditional problem-based model from the hard science classroom would be effective. As part of a problem-based model for the soft sciences disciplines, it is also not clear which cooperative grouping and assessment strategies should be used since many of the previous problem-based models use a variety of grouping and assessment strategies. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to investigate which cooperative grouping strategies and assessment method may be effective within two problem-based instructional models used in the soft sciences. The following cooperative grouping strategies were examined for effects on student satisfaction and achievement: homogeneous or heterogeneous teams, small or large teams, and instructor or student-selected job role assignments. A three-level evaluation tool, including peer, self, and tutor evaluation, was also tested as an instructional tool within the problem-based model to see if it had an impact on student\u27s achievement. Pre- and Post-Satisfaction Questionnaires were created to test each model\u27s and cooperative grouping strategy\u27s effect on students\u27 satisfaction with teamwork and team projects. The participants were undergraduate students enrolled in blended learning sections of an Arts and Sciences senior Capstone course at a private university. Students were enrolled in a course section that used one of eight different grouping combinations: either a traditional or revised problem-based instructional model, which placed students in teams of five to seven or three to four students, respectively; either a homogeneous or heterogeneous teams composition; and either instructor or student-chosen job roles within the teams. Quantitative data were collected on students\u27 achievement via grades based upon a three-level grading rubric and students\u27 satisfaction ratings via a quantitative pre- and post-questionnaire. Qualitative data were students\u27 satisfaction via ten reflection wikis. The quantitative data were analyzed using statistical procedures, including ANOVA, MANOVA, and MANCOVA; qualitative data were analyzed using phenomenological analysis methods. The findings show that the traditional and revised problem-based models are equally effective in promoting student achievement and students are equally satisfied in terms on teamwork and team projects in both models. The grouping strategies within the models also had the same effects. However, where the findings differ is in terms of role assignments. While there were no differences among satisfaction in the different role assignments, students\u27 grades did differ depending on the role assignments

Bias Voltage and Temperature Dependence of Hot Electron Magnetotransport

We present a qualitative model study of energy and temperature dependence of hot electron magnetotransport. This model calculations are based on a simple argument that the inelastic scattering strength of hot electrons is strongly spin and energy dependent in the ferromagnets. Since there is no clear experimental data to compare with this model calculations, we are not able to extract clear physics from this model calculations. However, interestingly this calculations display that the magnetocurrent increases with bias voltage showing high magnetocurrent if spin dependent imaginary part of proper self energy effect has a substantial contribution to the hot electron magnetotransport. Along with that, the hot electron magnetotransport is strongly influence by the hot electron spin polarization at finite temperatures

Current-driven excitations in magnetic multilayers: a brief review

In 1996, Berger and Slonczewski independently predicted that a large enough spin-polarized dc current density sent perpendicularly through a ferromagnetic layer could produce magnetic excitations (spin-waves) or reversal of magnetization (switching). In the past few years, both current-driven switching and current-driven excitation of spin-waves have been observed. The switching is of potential technological interest for direct 'writing' of magnetic random access memory (MRAM) or magnetic media. The spin-wave generation could provide a new source of dc generated microwave radiation. We describe what has been learned experimentally about these two related phenomena, and some models being tested to explain these observations.Comment: 5 pages, 7 figures, expected to appear in conf. proceeding

Atomic and electronic structure of ultra-thin Al/AlOx/Al interfaces

Interfaces between metals based on AlO$_{x}$ represent the most popular basis for Josephson junctions or, more recently, also for junctions exhibiting substantial tunneling magneto-resistance. We have performed a computational study of possible local geometric structures of such interfaces at the ab-initio DFT/GGA level of approximation to complement recent experimental data on ultra-thin AlO$_{x}$-based interfaces. We present two competing structures that we characterise with their electronic properties: fragmentation and interface energies.Comment: Presented at the ECOSS24, submitted to the proceeding - special issue of Surf. Scienc

Frequency Modulation of Spin-Transfer Oscillators

Spin-polarized dc electric current flowing into a magnetic layer can induce precession of the magnetization at a frequency that depends on current. We show that addition of an ac current to this dc bias current results in a frequency modulated (FM) spectral output, generating sidebands spaced at the modulation frequency. The sideband amplitudes and shift of the center frequency with drive amplitude are in good agreement with a nonlinear FM model that takes into account the nonlinear frequency-current relation generally induced by spin transfer. Single-domain simulations show that ac current modulates the cone angle of the magnetization precession, in turn modulating the frequency via the demagnetizing field. These results are promising for communications and signal processing applications of spin-transfer oscillators.Comment: 13 pages, 3 Figure

Using Technology to Transform Learning: Tell ISTE What Students Need to Know for the Future

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) publishes the internationally recognized ISTE Standards, which are the premier standards to guide the use of technology for learning. ISTE is updating the standards, beginning with the ISTE Standards for Students and they are seeking the input of thousands of educators and other stakeholders during the process. Participants will be able to provide feedback on a draft of the updated standards, giving key insight during a crucial phase of the refresh process

Pre-Service Teacher Social Networking Decisions and Training Needs: A Mixed Methods Study

The use of social networks in America has risen nearly tenfold in a decade, rising from 7% in 2005 to 65% in 2015. This rise in the use of social networks has presented new ethical, legal, and professional challenges for educators. Teachers are held to higher standards of moral behavior than the general population. This mixed-methods study examined the types of social networks used by pre-service teachers and if they are making good decisions when using social networks. The findings show that the pre-service teachers were unsure what to post. Based on this finding, the researchers provide training suggestions to help pre-service teachers avoid common errors and misconceptions

Non-white frequency noise in spin torque oscillators and its effect on spectral linewidth

We measure the power spectral density of frequency fluctuations in nanocontact spin torque oscillators over time scales up to 50 ms. We use a mixer to convert oscillator signals ranging from 10 GHz to 40 GHz into a band near 70 MHz before digitizing the time domain waveform. We analyze the waveform using both zero crossing time stamps and a sliding Fourier transform, discuss the different limitations and advantages of these two methods, and combine them to obtain a frequency noise spectrum spanning more than five decades of Fourier frequency $f$. For devices having a free layer consisting of either a single Ni$_{\text{}80}$Fe$_{\text{}20}$ layer or a Co/Ni multilayer we find a frequency noise spectrum that is white at large $f$ and varies as \emph{$1/f$} at small $f$. The crossover frequency ranges from \approx\unit[10^{4}]{Hz} to \approx\unit[10^{6}]{Hz} and the $1/f$ component is stronger in the multilayer devices. Through actual and simulated spectrum analyzer measurements, we show that $1/f$ frequency noise causes both broadening and a change in shape of the oscillator's spectral line as measurement time increases. Our results indicate that the long term stability of spin torque oscillators cannot be accurately predicted from models based on thermal (white) noise sources

Synchronization of spin-torque driven nanooscillators for point contacts on a quasi-1D nanowire: Micromagnetic simulations

In this paper we present detailed numerical simulation studies on the synchronization of two spin-torque nanooscillators (STNO) in the quasi-1D geometry: magnetization oscillations are induced in a thin NiFe nanostripe by a spin polarized current injected via square-shaped CoFe nanomagnets on the top of this stripe. In a sufficiently large out-of-plane field, a propagating oscillation mode appears in such a system. Due to the absence of the geometrically caused wave decay in 1D systems, this mode is expected to enable a long-distance synchronization between STNOs. Indeed, our simulations predict that synchronization of two STNOs on a nanowire is possible up to the intercontact distance 3 mkm (for the nanowire width 50 nm). However, we have also found several qualitatively new features of the synchronization behaviour for this system, which make the achievement of a stable synchronization in this geometry to a highly non-trivial task. In particular, there exist a minimal distance between the nanocontacts, below which a synchronization of STNOs can not be achieved. Further, when the current value in the first contact is kept constant, the amplitude of synchronized oscillations depends non-monotonously on the current value in the second contact. Finally, for one and the same currents values through the contacts there might exist several synchronized states (with different frequencies), depending on the initial conditions.Comment: 13 pages with 4 figurews, recently submitted to PR