Pre-Rate My Professor: Predicting Course Ratings And Response Rates From Lms Activity In College Courses

College teaching is primarily assessed through the use of course ratings, which are expected to act as both summative and formative feedback. Considering the significance of teaching in academia and the amount of time professors spend on teaching and related activities, it is particularly important that ratings are effective formative feedback. In this study, methods from learning analytics and data mining are used in an effort to predict course ratings and response rates on ratings surveys from students’ activity in the course learning management system, with the goal of making predicted ratings available to faculty early. Regression and classification methods used in this study included linear and logistic regression, random forests, and gradient boosting and features were chosen based on their inclusion in earlier studies predicting individual student success and motivation. However, none of the models created for this study were not able to accurately predict either course ratings or response rates on either the entire data sample or a subset of classes with higher LMS activity. This may have been caused by difficulties with aggregating features or outcome variables to the class level, which was necessary due to the confidentiality of the student ratings. It may also result from the complexity of good college teaching: unlike individual student grades or motivation, which have been successfully predicted, there are many successful and unsuccessful forms of teaching

Robust Stochastic Design of Linear Controlled Systems for Performance Optimization

This study discusses a robust controller synthesis methodology for linear, time invariant systems, under probabilistic parameter uncertainty. Optimization of probabilistic performance robustness for [script H]_2 and multi-objective [script H]_2 measures is investigated, as well as for performance measures based on first-passage system reliability. The control optimization approaches proposed here exploit recent advances in stochastic simulation techniques. The approach is illustrated for vibration response suppression of a civil structure. The results illustrate that, for problems with probabilistic uncertainty, the explicit optimization of probabilistic performance robustness can result in markedly different optimal feedback laws, as well as enhanced performance robustness, when compared to traditional “worst-case” notions of robust optimal control

Nonlinear stochastic controllers for semiactive and regenerative structural systems, with guaranteed quadratic performance margins

In many applications of vibration control, the circumstances of the application impose constraints on the energy available for the actuation of control forces. Semiactive dampers (i.e., viscous dampers with controllable coefficients) constitute the simplest example of such actuation in structural control applications. Regenerative Force Actuation (RFA) networks are an extension of semiactive devices, in which mechanical energy is first converted to electrical energy, which is then dissipated in a controllable resistive network. A fairly general class of semiactive and regenerative systems can be characterized by a differential equation which is bilinear (i.e., linear in state, linear in control input, but nonlinear in both). This paper presents a general approach to bilinear feedback control system design for semiactive and regenerative systems, which is analytically guaranteed to out-perform optimal linear viscous damping in stationary stochastic response, under the familiar Quadratic Gaussian performance measure. The design for full-state feedback and for the more practical case of noise-corrupted and incomplete measurements (i.e., output feedback) are separately discussed. Variants of the theory are shown to exist for other quadratic performance measures, including risk-sensitive and multi-objective frameworks. An illustrative application to civil engineering is presented

Determining the physical limits on semi‐active control performance: a tutorial

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/106822/1/stc1602.pd

Average Cross-Sectional Area of DebriSat Fragments Using Volumetrically Constructed 3D Representations

Debris fragments from the hypervelocity impact testing of DebriSat are being collected and characterized for use in updating existing satellite breakup models. One of the key parameters utilized in these models is the ballistic coefficient of the fragment which is directly related to its areatomass ratio. However, since the attitude of fragments varies during their orbital lifetime, it is customary to use the average crosssectional area in the calculation of the areatomass ratio. The average crosssectional area is defined as the average of the projected surface areas perpendicular to the direction of motion and has been shown to be equal to onefourth of the total surface area of a convex object. Unfortunately, numerous fragments obtained from the DebriSat experiment show significant concavity (i.e., shadowing) and thus we have explored alternate methods for computing the average crosssectional area of the fragments. An imaging system based on the volumetric reconstruction of a 3D object from multiple 2D photographs of the object was developed for use in determining the size characteristic (i.e., characteristics length) of the DebriSat fragments. For each fragment, the imaging system generates N number of images from varied azimuth and elevation angles and processes them using a spacecarving algorithm to construct a 3D point cloud of the fragment. This paper describes two approaches for calculating the average crosssectional area of debris fragments based on the 3D imager. Approach A utilizes the constructed 3D object to generate equally distributed crosssectional area projections and then averages them to determine the average crosssectional area. Approach B utilizes a weighted average of the area of the 2D photographs to directly compute the average crosssectional area. A comparison of the accuracy and computational needs of each approach is described as well as preliminary results of an analysis to determine the "optimal" number of images needed for the 3D imager to accurately measure the average cross sectional area of objects with known dimensions

Repositioning of special schools within a specialist, personalised educational marketplace - the need for a representative principle

This paper considers how notions of inclusive education as defined in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Salamanca Agreement (1994) have become dissipated, and can be developed and reframed to encourage their progress. It analyses the discourse within a range of academic, legal and media texts, exploring how this dissipation has taken place within the UK. Using data from 78 specialist school websites it contextualises this change in the use of the terms and ideas of inclusion with the rise of two other constructs, the 'specialist school' and 'personalisation'. It identifies the need for a precisely defined representative principle to theorise the type of school which inclusion aims to achieve, which cannot be subsumed by segregated providers. It suggests that this principle should not focus on the individual, but draw upon a liberal/democratic view of social justice, underlining inclusive education's role in removing social barriers that prevent equity, access and participation for all

Validity of the new lifestyles NL-1000 accelerometer for measuring time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in school settings

Current interest in promoting physical activity in the school environment necessitates an inexpensive, accurate method of measuring physical activity in such settings. Additionally, it is recognized that physical activity must be of at least moderate intensity in order to yield substantial health benefits. The purpose of the study, therefore, was to determine the validity of the New Lifestyles NL-1000 (New Lifestyles, Inc., Lee's Summit, Missouri, USA) accelerometer for measuring moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in school settings, using the Actigraph GT1M (ActiGraph, Pensacola, Florida, USA) as the criterion. Data were collected during a cross-country run (n = 12), physical education (n = 18), and classroom-based physical activities (n = 42). Significant and meaningful intraclass correlations between methods were found, and NL-1000 estimates of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity were not meaningfully different from GT1M-estimated moderate- to-vigorous physical activity. The NL-1000 therefore shows promising validity evidence as an inexpensive, convenient method of measuring moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in school settings

Rubrics and Their Use in Inclusive Science

General education teachers are increasingly finding themselves faced with the challenge of providing instruction for all students, including those with learning and behavior problems. Because of the emphasis on experiments and active learning, science classes seem to be one of the most accessible—and accessed—subjects for inclusive programming. However, science instructors are not always as skilled at assessing learning as they are at designing and delivering instruction. A method that can be used to objectively and individually assess the achievement of students with learning and behavior problems is rubrics. When implemented effectively, rubrics can be used to more accurately reflect student achievement and help the educator in determining if remediation is needed.Yeshttps://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/manuscript-submission-guideline

Reaction Between Nitrogen and Spinel in Chromium

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/66029/1/j.1151-2916.1968.tb15671.x.pd

Sozialstaatliche Kürzungspolitik in Deutschland: Nur eine Mär? Eine quantitative Gesetzgebungsanalyse 1974–2014

Quantitative analyses on welfare state dynamics have to cope with the “dependent variable problem”, as studies on social spending reach different conclusions than analyses of replacement rate data. This article suggests a way around this problem by presenting results from a fine-grained analysis of welfare state legislation in Germany between 1974 and 2014. We show that the German welfare state has seen both cuts and expansions occur in all decades. Moreover, we show by means of a regression analysis that partisan politics play a role. Supporting the “Nixon-in-China”-thesis, social democratic governments are associated with a higher probability of cutbacks – especially in times of budgetary pressure – whereas expansions are more likely under Christian democratic governments