Mental tactility: the ascendance of writing in online management education

A qualitative study of online management education and the role of writing as an indicative measure of thinking and learning. Established educational models, such as Dale\u27s Cone of Experience, are expanded and redeveloped to illustrate the central role of writing as a critical thinking process which appears to be increasing, rather than decreasing, with the advent of online multimedia technology. In an environment of increasing reliance on audiovisual stimulus in online education, the authors contend that tertiary educators may witness an ascendance or re-emergence of writing as central to the academic experience. This may be both supply and demand driven. Drawing on a study of two undergraduate units in the Bachelor of Commerce and applying hermeneutics to develop challenging insights, the authors present a case for educators to remain conversant with the art of teaching writing, and to promote writing to improve educational outcomes. <br /

The magnitude and Cyclical Behavior of Financial Market Frictions

We analyze a new panel data set that includes balance sheet information, measures of expected default risk, and credit spreads on publicly-traded debt for more than 900 firms over the period 1997Q1 through 2003Q3. We obtain precise time-specific estimates of the financial frictions parameter underlying the benchmark financial accelerator model of Bernanke, Gertler, and Gilchrist (1999) and clearly reject the null hypothesis of no credit market imperfections; furthermore, for the expansionary period through mid-2000, these estimates are quite similar to the calibrated values used in previous research. Finally, we find that financial market frictions exhibit strong cyclical pattern, with parameter estimates rising by a factor of two during the latest economic downturn before returning to pre-recession levels in 2003.perturbation, policy

Higher-order perturbation solutions to dynamic, discrete-time rational expectations models

We present an algorithm and software routines for computing nth order Taylor series approximate solutions to dynamic, discrete-time rational expectations models around a nonstochastic steady state. The primary advantage of higher-order (as opposed to first- or second-order) approximations is that they are valid not just locally, but often globally (i.e., over nonlocal, possibly very large compact sets) in a rigorous sense that we specify. We apply our routines to compute first- through seventh-order approximate solutions to two standard macroeconomic models, a stochastic growth model and a life-cycle consumption model, and discuss the quality and global properties of these solutions.Macroeconomics - Econometric models ; Business cycles ; Monetary policy

TEACHER DEVELOPMENT IN PROMISING SCHOOL TURNAROUND EFFORTS

The study was developed to examine the teacher development efforts utilized by leaders of lowperforming schools that had shown promising gains in student achievement. A researchercreated quantitative survey sent to school leaders in one state was utilized to analyze the perceived use and effectiveness of various teacher development efforts in supporting student achievement gains at their schools. Overall, the results showed school leaders focused heavily on teacher development to support their school turnaround efforts and that teacher development was effective in improving student achievement. Classroom walk-throughs were found to be an integral strategy in school turnaround and the results also indicated teacher collaboration and teacher coaching as positive strategies as well. Teacher evaluation was found to have no perceived value in teacher development and may have a negative impact

Helipad Design and Best Practices

Heated Permeable Concrete Helipads for Safety and Surety - The latest in helipad construction technologies has combined with aeronautical consultant-guided design to create helipads that are safe and environmentally friendly and that meet the guidelines of the FAA, state, local agencies, and first responders. Join us to learn about heated permeable concrete helipads, which offer safety to flight crew, patient, and helicopter by eliminating ice and snow on the pad and pathways

Investigation into the role of ions and excited molecules in the corona process in air

Corona is the partial breakdown of a gas in an electric field and involves many complex phenomena including the production of space charge and excited molecular states of its constituents. Air is predominantly made up of nitrogen and oxygen, both of which have a wide range of excited states. Oxygen itself is additionally an electronegative gas and has the ability to attach electrons. Together these phenomena combine to influence the electric field and the production of secondary electrons to give corona its distinctive modes. A particular state of excited molecular oxygen, known as singlet oxygen, has the characteristic that it remains excited for a relatively long period of time. It is known that singlet oxygen plays a role in the detachment of electrons from the negative oxygen ions and its role in corona discharges has been accounted for through theory and models, but due to the difficulties of measurement of the singlet oxygen, the influence it does have on corona discharges is not entirely clear. On this basis the gas processes associated with the corona discharge in air have been explored, where a Boltzmann equation solver, the electron energy distribution function, transport coefficient and Townsend coefficients are used to understand the phenomena and provide input to a flux correct transport algorithm model. The model clearly indicates the presence of singlet oxygen, however its the space charge that plays the critical role in the repetitive nature of corona due to the collapse and recovery of the electric field. Experimentally it was convenient to define and compare the modes of corona under di↵erent conditions by its peak amplitude and repetition rate. The experiments included manipulated the environment with air-flow and exciting oxygen through a 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser as well as detecting 1270 nm emission from singlet oxygen. There was no evidence to suggest that the repetition rate of the corona discharge could be related to singlet oxygen. There were no emissions detected from various configurations, whilst visible corona was clearly seen. Together with the evidence from the model, the results showed that the presence of both negative ions and singlet oxygen is relatively low in the region that should provide seed electrons. It could be inferred that a relationship between repetition rate and the presence of singlet oxygen is not a dominant process in the corona discharge

Services Learning Practicum

The Service Learning Practicum is a document driven knowledge management system. The purpose of the Practicum is to involve MSCIT students in IT projects that support and provide solutions to non-profit organizations or non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The main documents that drive the practicum are the student application; the NGO needs statement; and the student\u27s thesis, design, and research documents. The practicum unites graduate students with NGOs. Both benefit from this union because the student is able to reach academic goals and the NGOs are able to implement low-cost or no-cost solutions for their IT needs. This project implements a graphic user interface for the collection, storage, and access of these documents

Inflation Targeting and the Anchoring of Inflation Expectations in The Western Hemisphere

We investigate the extent to which long-run inflation expectations are well anchored in three western hemisphere countries—Canada, Chile, and the United States—using a high-frequency event-study analysis. Specifically, we use daily data on far-ahead forward inflation compensation—the difference between forward rates on nominal and inflation-indexed bonds—as an indicator of financial market perceptions of inflation risk and the expected level of inflation at long horizons. For the United States, we find that far-ahead forward inflation compensation reacts significantly to macroeconomic data releases, suggesting that long-run inflation expectations are not completely anchored. In contrast, the Canadian inflation compensation data do not exhibit significant sensitivity to either Canadian or U.S. macroeconomic news, consistent with the view that inflation targeting in Canada has been successful in anchoring long-run inflation expectations. Finally, while the requisite data for Chile is only available for a limited sample period (2002-2005), our results are consistent with the hypothesis that inflation targeting in Chile has also succeeded in anchoring long-run inflation expectations.

The effects of facilitation on punctuated equilibrium in e-collaboration projects

Information technology has transformed the &ldquo;heartland&rdquo; of education around the world. Classrooms are global, students international, but traditional methods and their adjacent challenges persist or are exacerbated in online schoolhouses. There is reason to believe that team performance of online students completing team projects can be significantly improved by the active participation of a facilitator. What could explain such improvement? Given the communication barriers that learners can experience using e-learning technologies, the skill of a teacher at facilitating an understanding of e-collaboration and the prescient need to facilitate collaborative skills at all times is essential to a successful educational result. There may also be generational learning style issues to consider. One practical, proven tool is progress reporting. This paper reviews the literature and reflects on author experiences in the online education of Management students at universities in the United States and Australia to draw theoretical connections with communication, leadership, and punctuated equilibrium relevant to contemporary educational practice. The implications of effective facilitation of student teams for Management education and management of student performance are explored.<br /