Developing a Design Framework for UMI Educational Scenarios

Ubiquitous learning (u-learning) is a new paradigm which is based on ubiquitous computing technology. The most significant role of ubiquitous computing technology in u-learning is to construct a ubiquitous learning environment which enables anyone to learn at anytime anyplace. Nonetheless the characteristics of u-learning are still unclear and being debated by the research community. Designing instructional tools that actually promote u-learning experiences is a cumbersome task in the sense of taking into consideration and combining a variety of complex, technological tools and characteristics of u-learning. This study describes the characteristics and design methodology of a UMI-Sci-Ed* Educational Scenario Template as a medium to organize and construct u-learning experiences based in a u-learning environment. It also presents a case study scenario, based on UMI Subject Matter Experts’ interaction with the predefined and designed Educational Scenario Components

STEM Learning and Career Orientation via IoT Hands-on Activities in Secondary Education

This work studies the influence of IoT-driven educational activities and tools (software, hardware and educational material) in STEM education as well as their role as STEM related career enablers to young boys and girls. The study builds on previous related results and applies to over 60 young students that are involved in hands-on learning activities in the context of a summer school. The analysis is based on especially designed close-ended and open-ended questionnaires as well as in-class observations and focuses on age and gender aspects. The results confirm the overall positive stance of the students on the educational activities and show that the provided tools under consideration are well accepted and effectively used. Furthermore, students’ choices regarding prospective future careers reveal that their views on STEM fields and related professions have significantly been enriched through their participation in the summer school

Multiple Electron Stripping of Heavy Ion Beams

One approach being explored as a route to practical fusion energy uses heavy ion beams focused on an indirect drive target. Such beams will lose electrons while passing through background gas in the target chamber, and therefore it is necessary to assess the rate at which the charge state of the incident beam evolves on the way to the target. Accelerators designed primarily for nuclear physics or high energy physics experiments utilize ion sources that generate highly stripped ions in order to achieve high energies economically. As a result, accelerators capable of producing heavy ion beams of 10 to 40 Mev/amu with charge state 1 currently do not exist. Hence, the stripping cross-sections used to model the performance of heavy ion fusion driver beams have, up to now, been based upon theoretical calculations. We have investigated experimentally the stripping of 3.4 Mev/amu Kr 7+ and Xe +11 in N2; 10.2 MeV/amu Ar +6 in He, N2, Ar and Xe; 19 MeV/amu Ar +8 in He, N2, Ar and Xe; 30 MeV He 1 + in He, N2, Ar and Xe; and 38 MeV/amu N +6 in He, N2, Ar and Xe. The results of these measurements are compared with the theoretical calculations to assess their applicability over a wide range of parameters