The effects of multiage grouping on primary students

This study analyzes the literature regarding the appropriateness of grouping children in multiage groups. The term multiage groups is defined here as the deliberate assembling of pupils together who are of, at least two or three chronological age groups. Three issues are discussed in this regard: (1) What are the characteristics of the multiage approach? (2) Why is the multiage grouping approach becoming more popular? (3) What are the standards which would be applied when assigning children to multiage groups? The history of multiage groups is addressed as well as the characteristics and reasons for the return in popularity of multiage groups. The standards for teachers and students in the multiage setting are indicated. The appropriateness of grouping primary children in multiage groups is presented

OPTIMAL SPATIAL SCALE FOR EVALUATING ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL TRADEOFFS

This paper develops a conceptual framework that can provide a scientific foundation for formulating policies that consider environmental and economic tradeoffs. It addresses a critical problem recognized in the environmental sciences, namely, choosing the appropriate spatial scale for measurement and analysis of spatially variable economic and biophysical processes.scale, carbon sequestration, agriculture, economic policy, Environmental Economics and Policy, Industrial Organization,

Using an innovative assessment approach on a real-world group based software project

Currently, there is a lack of practical, real-world projects on Computer Science (CS) courses at Maynooth University. Generally CS undergraduate modules are composed of 24 hours of lectures and 24 hours of labs where students learn theoretical concepts in the lectures and apply their understanding to practical lab-based exercises. The problem with this approach is that students do not gain any awareness of, or learn how to solve tasks that they are likely to encounter in a real-world industrial setting; nor do they gain experience of working as part of a team even though most software development positions involve team-based work. This paper reports on a web-based development module that incorporated a real-world group based project was re-designed and delivered. The module went well; however, assessing the work fairly was found to be difficult, especially where team members contributed at considerably varying levels was a challenge. Of particular concern was that some hard-working students were penalised by other students poor work and lazy students were rewarded because of more hard-working students work. This action research project will attempt to re-address how to assess this group-based work with a cohort of students. The goal of the research is to implement an innovative assessment structure, using peer-, self-, and co-assessment, for a group based real-world project, that is deemed fair and reasonable and provided a good learning environment

A study on alternative strategies for sharing lecture notes using a VLE to promote in-class participation

The use of Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) has become popular over the last ten years at third level institutions. At the National University of Ireland Maynooth (NUIM) the Moodle VLE is used to disseminate lecture notes, share course related resources, perform assessment, and provide a means for online communication. This paper is interested in how to effectively use a VLE to disseminate lecture notes. At NUIM lectures notes are typically posted on Moodle before a lecture (for example, all notes posted at the start of the semester or several days before an upcoming lecture etc.) or after a lecture with lecturers having a personal preference for a particular method. In this paper a pilot study on the dissemination of lectures notes through Moodle to a large first year undergraduate class is described in this paper. In previous years student disengagement in this class has been an issue. As such two different approaches were trialed. In the first approach, a summary set of lecture notes to be covered at the next lecture were made available four days in advance. The summary was a one-page document containing at most six slides of the most important material in the lecture. The students were encouraged to read the notes in advance. It was hoped that this would lead to more active participation by the students as they had time to assimilate the material prior to the lecture. In the second approach the students were informed in advance that an in-class assessment would be carried out based on the summary. In both instances a full set of notes were made available on Moodle after the lecture. An overview of the findings of this pilot is presented, including data on student participation during both approaches. In addition, a critique of the potential effects on student results is provided and recommendations based on the findings are discussed

An Analysis of Alternative Approaches for the Distribution of Lecture Notes with the Aid of a Virtual Learning Environment to Promote Class Engagement

The use of Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) has become popular over the last ten years at third level institutions. At NUIM the Moodle VLE is used to disseminate lecture notes, share course related resources, perform assessment, and provide a means for online communication. This paper is interested in how effectively to use a VLE to disseminate lecture notes. At NUIM lectures notes are typically posted on Moodle before a lecture (for example, all notes posted at the start of the semester or several days before an upcoming lecture etc.) or after a lecture with lecturers having a personal preference for a particular method. In this paper a pilot study on the dissemination of lectures notes through Moodle to a large first year undergraduate class is described. In previous years student disengagement in this class has been an issue, therefore, three different approaches were trialled in this pilot. In the first approach, a summary set of lecture notes to be covered at the next lecture were made available four days in advance. The summary was a one-page document containing at most six slides of the most important material. The students were encouraged to read the notes in advance. It was hoped that this would lead to more active participation by the students as they had time to assimilate the material prior to the lecture. In the second approach the students were informed in advance that an in-class assessment would be carried out based on the summary. In both instances a full set of notes were made available on Moodle after the lecture. An overview of the findings of this pilot is presented, including data on student participation during both approaches. In addition, a critique of the potential effects on student results is provided and recommendations based on the findings are discussed

CONTRACTING FOR SOIL CARBON CREDITS: DESIGN AND COSTS OF MEASUREMENT AND MONITORING

Many firms anticipate that a cap on greenhouse gas emissions will eventually be imposed, either through an international agreement like the Kyoto protocol or through domestic policy, and have started to take voluntary actions to reduce their emissions. If agricultural producers participate in the emerging market for tradable C-credits, it must be possible to verify that actions farmers take do increase the amount of C in soils and this increase can be maintained over the length of the contract. In this paper we develop a prototype measurement and monitoring scheme for C-credits sequestered in agricultural soils and estimate its costs for the small grain-producing region of Montana using an econometric-process simulation model. Three key results emerge from the prototype framework. First, the efficiency of measurement and monitoring procedures for agricultural soil C sequestration depends on the price of C credits. Second, we find that at all price levels, costs of measuring and monitoring are largest in areas that exhibit the greatest heterogeneity in carbon values. Third, in a case study application of our prototype measurement and monitoring scheme, we find that if we assume similar error and confidence levels as forestry contracts, the upper estimate of measurement and monitoring costs associated with a contract that pays farmers per tonne of C sequestered is 3% of the value of a C-credit. This cost is small relative to the estimated net value of the contract. Thus we conclude that measurement and monitoring costs are not likely to be large enough to prevent producers from participating in a market for tradable credits.Environmental Economics and Policy,