An examination of within-class grouping arrangements to replace traditional grouping practices in elementary classrooms

The dilemma of deciding the most effective means of grouping students for learning activities has been a controversial issue in education for many decades (Manning & Lucking, 1990). Traditionally schools have grouped students by achievement levels and/or perceived ability. Recently, however, ability grouping has been questioned in regard to its ability to provide quality and equitable education for all students, especially those placed in Iowa and middle-ability groups (French & Rothman, 1990)

Introduction to the JOCN special issue on future PON architectures enabled by advanced technology

This JOCN Special Issue, which spans the September and October 2020 issues, investigates the future of passive optical networks (PONs) in light of new enabling technologies that are currently under consideration. The papers present a broad overview of topics of current interest, across both the physical and network layers. They investigate how new technologies (e.g., higher-speed direct detection transceivers, coherent systems, advanced digital signal processing, and new optoelectronic components) and new network-layer approaches may drive the medium- to long-term evolution of PONs

Journal of African Christian Biography: v. 4, no. 2

A publication of the Dictionary of African Christian Biography with U.S. offices located at the Center for Global Christianity and Mission at Boston University. This issue focuses on: 1. Tributes to Lamin Sanneh by friends, family, colleagues, scholars, a Bible translator, and an editor. 2. Biographies by Lamin Sanneh in the DACB. 3. A selected bibliography by Lamin Sanneh, compiled by B. Restrick. 4. Book Notes, compiled by B. Restric

40 Gbit/s silicon-organic hybrid (SOH) phase modulator

A 40 Gbit/s electro-optic modulator is demonstrated. The modulator is based on a slotted silicon waveguide filled with an organic material. The silicon organic hybrid (SOH) approach allows combining highly nonlinear electro-optic organic materials with CMOS-compatible silicon photonics technology

Quantum state tomography and quantum logical operations in a three qubits NMR quadrupolar system

In this work, we present an implementation of quantum logic gates and algorithms in a three effective qubits system, represented by a (I = 7/2) NMR quadrupolar nuclei. To implement these protocols we have used the strong modulating pulses (SMP). The various stages of each implementation were verified by quantum state tomography (QST). It is presented here the results for the computational base states, Toffolli logic gates, and Deutsch-Jozsa and Grover algorithms. Also, we discuss the difficulties and advantages of implementing such protocols using the SMP technique in quadrupolar systems.Comment: 24 pages, 8 figure

Access and metro network convergence for flexible end-to-end network design

This paper reports on the architectural, protocol, physical layer, and integrated testbed demonstrations carried out by the DISCUS FP7 consortium in the area of access - metro network convergence. Our architecture modeling results show the vast potential for cost and power savings that node consolidation can bring. The architecture, however, also recognizes the limits of long-reach transmission for low-latency 5G services and proposes ways to address such shortcomings in future projects. The testbed results, which have been conducted end-to-end, across access - metro and core, and have targeted all the layers of the network from the application down to the physical layer, show the practical feasibility of the concepts proposed in the project

Performance and economics of co-firing a coal/waste slurry in advanced fluidized-bed combustion

This study`s objective was to investigate co-firing a pressurized fluidized-bed combustor with coal and refuse-derived fuel for the production of electricity and the efficient disposal of waste. Performance evaluation of the pressurized fluidized-bed combustor (PFBC) power plant co-fired with refuse-derived fuel showed only slightly lower overall thermal efficiency than similar sized plants without waste co-firing. Capital costs and costs of electricity are within 4.2 percent and 3.2 percent, respectively, of waste-free operation. The results also indicate that there are no technology barriers to the co-firing of waste materials with coal in a PFBC power plant. The potential to produce cost-competitive electrical power and support environmentally acceptable waste disposal exists with this approach. However, as part of technology development, there remain several design and operational areas requiring data and verification before this concept can realize commercial acceptance. 3 refs., 3 figs., 4 tabs

Managing plagiarism in programming assignments with blended assessment and randomisation.

Plagiarism is a common concern for coursework in many situations, particularly where electronic solutions can be provided e.g. computer programs, and leads to unreliability of assessment. Written exams are often used to try to deal with this, and to increase reliability, but at the expense of validity. One solution, outlined in this paper, is to randomise the work that is set for students so that it is very unlikely that any two students will be working on exactly the same problem set. This also helps to address the issue of students trying to outsource their work by paying external people to complete their assignments for them. We examine the effectiveness of this approach and others (including blended assessment) by analysing the spread of similarity scores across four different introductory programming assignments to find the natural similarity i.e. the level of similarity that could reasonably occur without plagiarism. The results of the study indicate that divergent assessment (having more than one possible solution) as opposed to convergent assessment (only one solution) is the dominant factor in natural similarity. A key area for further work is to apply the analysis to a larger sample of programming assignments to better understand the impact of different features of the assignment design on natural similarity and hence the detection of plagiarism

Massive Open Online Course Instructor Motivations, Innovations, and Designs: Surveys, Interviews, and Course Reviews | Motivations, innovations et conceptions des instructeurs de cours en ligne ouverts à tous : sondages, entrevues et évaluations de cours

This mixed methods study explores instructor motivations for offering massive open online courses (MOOCs) as well as the instructional innovations used to enhance the MOOC design. The researchers surveyed 143 MOOC instructors worldwide and then interviewed 12 of these instructors via Zoom. They also extensively reviewed the MOOCs of the interviewees. The primary motivations for offering MOOCs included “growth” needs such as curiosity about MOOCs and the exploration of new ways of teaching. In addition, “relatedness” needs of instructors included reaching more people, showcasing research and teaching, marketing their university, integrating interactive technology, and obtaining peer reviews. The perceived instructional innovations of these MOOC instructors included using problem-based learning, service learning in MOOCs, and shortening the length of videos. Overall, these MOOC instructors were satisfied with their MOOC designs. Cette étude faisant appel à des méthodes mixtes explore les motivations des instructeurs de cours en ligne ouverts à tous ainsi que les innovations pédagogiques utilisées pour améliorer la conception de ces cours. Les chercheurs ont procédé au sondage de 143 instructeurs de cours en ligne ouverts à tous à travers le monde et ont ensuite interviewé 12 de ces instructeurs par l’entremise de Zoom. Ils ont également réalisé un examen approfondi des cours en ligne ouverts à tous des instructeurs interviewés. Les motivations principales pour l’offre de cours en ligne ouverts à tous comprenaient des besoins relatifs à la « croissance », comme la curiosité au sujet de ces cours et l’exploration de nouvelles façons d’enseigner. De plus, les désirs relationnels des instructeurs comprenaient joindre plus de gens, mettre en lumière la recherche et l’enseignement, publiciser leur université, intégrer la technologie interactive et obtenir des évaluations par les pairs. Les innovations pédagogiques perçues par ces instructeurs de cours en ligne ouverts à tous comprenaient l’utilisation de l’apprentissage par résolution de problèmes, de l’apprentissage par le service dans les cours en ligne ouverts à tous et la durée écourtée des vidéos. Dans l’ensemble, les instructeurs de cours en ligne ouverts à tous étaient satisfaits de leur conception de cours