Developing an online course to support student transitions to university

The University of Strathclyde developed "We are Strathclyde", an online course developed to aid the transition of incoming undergraduate students into university life. Launching in August 2016 and running over four weeks, the course introduced students to their institution, the culture of higher education learning and support services available to them. A core aim was to instill the sense of a "Strathclyde identity" before arrival. Students were introduced to academic skills while orientating themselves in university life. They engaged in active and reflective tasks and explored a range of key skills while being introduced to a diverse range of opinion, comment and advice from current students. The course was run on the University’s virtual learning environment and was designed to fit around the lives of students. Emphasis was placed on learning as a social activity with knowledge shared and developed between participants. This approach was supported by weekly live broadcast sessions with senior staff. Almost 1000 students were introduced to the institution through the course. Post-course feedback indicated that they felt more knowledgeable, supported and confident in embarking on university life. In this paper, we examine how the design process was grounded in theory of social learning, building on lessons learned from the development of a suite of successful and engaging MOOCs

School of Naval Command and Staff: The Tribal Soldier: A Study of the Manipulation of Ethnic Minorities

This thesis is devoted to the determination of the criteria which can be used both in the selection of those ethnic minorities which are critical and as guidelines in their manipulation in an insurgent or counterinsurgent situation

Geological Controls on Water Resource Variability in Minnesota, USA

Sustainable management of water resources requires quantitative description of spatio-temporal variability, and the map is a universal medium to reflect the spatio-temporal distribution of water resources. The long history of cartography and the recent digital revolution have culminated in the Google Earth web portal with unprecedented frequency of daily use. System analysis with combination of a cyber model of landscapes, multidimensional methods of data analysis, and GIS cartography of water resources in Minnesota started in 1996 with support from faculty of Department of Geology University of Minnesota-Duluth and has continued ever since. The “Water Resource Sustainability” project, funded by the Legislative Citizens Commission on Minnesota Resources (2007-2009) was the most resent phase of the research. 

Research using river flow monitoring data available from USGS for Minnesota and bordering areas of North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Wisconsin was completed for the territory. Analysis of landscapes properties for watersheds taken from maps - Bailey’s Ecological Provinces, Soil Taxonomy Order, topographic characteristics (average altitude, average watershed slope, total, intermittent, and perennial drainage density), thickness of quaternary sediments, and Hydrogeological Hierarchical Regionalization - revealed control of geological conditions on water resource variability. The trends of interannual patterns and seasonality of river runoff depend on bedrock type and presence or absence of thick depositions of quaternary sediments in NE and SE of research territory and also on thickness of quaternary sediments in NW. The same parts of territory have main differences in annual and February monthly yields for interval of observations 1955-1978. The numbers of river discharge yield reach difference from 5 to 20 times. 

The control over water resource distribution and variability belongs to geological boundaries for types of bedrocks, lithology, and thickness of quaternary sediments. Groups of watersheds recognized by mutual landscape properties (geological conditions) with statistically proven influence on hydrologic characteristics provide a basis for regionalization and creation of a water resource map. The regionalization on the water resource map opens the way to study and climate change for regional level

Virtual models in online shopping: do they help or hinder customers?

Virtual experience and other technology-dependent methods of describing products online are frequently touted as the way of the future in e-commerce. However, despite the hyperbole, these claims have actually not been tested rigorously on systems used by major online retailers. This paper reports the results of an experiment that assesses user perceptions of the informativeness and ultimate usefulness of systems that use personalization and rich media to enhance the online product evaluation process. Our results challenge the commonly held view that the “high-tech” approach is, in its own right, beneficial to either the customer or the vendor. Key results are (i) the highest levels of informativeness about anticipated (future) experiences were achieved when no personalization systems were used; and (ii) the system that provided the most personalized support was perceived to be least informative about future experience, and least useful overall. Overall, our results indicate that although these systems can improve awareness of some important product attributes, with this enhanced awareness comes a reduced awareness of other product characteristics. At worst, these systems actually appear to make the customer less informed, and result in negative assessments of the retailer

Experimental Effects of Coal-Limestone Mixtures on Dust Dispersion Behind a Moving Shock Wave

Secondary dust explosions in coal mines or industrial settings are known to cause greater catastrophic hazards than the coupled primary explosions themselves. The shock waves produced during a primary explosion, which are initiated by inadvertent stimuli in an explosive atmosphere such as methane, lift surrounding coal particles from neighboring areas, and if added in an effort to create an inert mixture, limestone as well. Dust dispersion can influence the severity of a secondary explosion as the particles can ignite from passing shock waves. A shock tube modified to evaluate dust dispersion provides the optical access to characterize the shock-wave/dust-layer interaction. This experimental study characterized the dust dispersion of coal-limestone mixtures and moisture-varied limestone dust as it is likely present in the hazardous environment. The dust rise height was measured with respect to time after the shock passage, where regardless of the sample, initial laminar dust growth rates increased with Mach number. Laminar and unstable regimes were also identified in the data samples. The moisture-varied limestone samples were tested at three shock Mach numbers, namely Ms = 1.1, 1.23, and 1.4, and the trending data show an average increase of 10% in overall lifting heights and 20% in initial linear growth rates for the moisture-reduced, dried samples as compared to undried samples stored in standard temperature and pressure (STP) conditions. Conceivably, the effective moisture reduction in the samples led to fewer agglomerations and/or reduced densities, influencing the ability of lift forces to act on the particles. In addition, limestone may bond or agglomerate more readily to coal particles when undried, reducing the likelihood of ignition. The coal-limestone mixture samples were tested at two shock Mach numbers, namely Ms = 1.24 and 1.57, with the 75% coal sample having the largest and 25% coal sample having the smallest combined dust dispersion parameters. Dust dispersion parameters affect how quickly the dust transitions to an unstable interface layer, readily increasing the chances of ignition through increased mixing and dispersion. As the limestone content is increased, dust grows faster, larger, and tend to transition into larger instabilities on the dust-gas boundaries. The highest dust growth rate, shortest transition time, and largest average dust height will affect the ability of the dust sample to ignite. Increasing undried limestone content while maintaining the lowest possible dust dispersion would both help the mixture remain inert and expose less coal particle surface area to the reactive atmosphere. These parameters are fluid-particle dispersion dynamics