Estimating the Effects of Forms of Computer-Based Scaffolding in Problem-Centered STEM Instruction

Much like Post-Sputnik 1950s era there is a lot of interest in making sure that United States does not fall behind in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education. STEM learners are often presented with complex problems to solve both as part of their education and their work. Engineering education suffers from student dropout often due to how difficult it is to support students through solving problems. This dissertation is a close look at computer-based scaffolding, a method of supporting learners during problem solving through computer software. The first paper in this dissertation examines and resolves some of the debate about key terms in scaffolding. The second paper looks across all of the collegiate engineering education research to date and measures the unique and combined contributions of scaffolding forms on learning using a technique called meta-analysis

Terminations of reticulospinal fibers originating from the gigantocellular reticular formation in the mouse spinal cord.

The present study investigated the projections of the gigantocellular reticular nucleus (Gi) and its neighbors—the dorsal paragigantocellular reticular nucleus (DPGi), the alpha/ventral part of the gigantocellular reticular nucleus (GiA/V), and the lateral paragigantocellular reticular nucleus (LPGi)—to the mouse spinal cord by injecting the anterograde tracer biotinylated dextran amine (BDA) into the Gi, DPGi, GiA/GiV, and LPGi. The Gi projected to the entire spinal cord bilaterally with an ipsilateral predominance. Its fibers traveled in both the ventral and lateral funiculi with a greater presence in the ventral funiculus. As the fibers descended in the spinal cord, their density in the lateral funiculus increased. The terminals were present mainly in laminae 7–10 with a dorsolateral expansion caudally. In the lumbar and sacral cord, a considerable number of terminals were also present in laminae 5 and 6. Contralateral fibers shared a similar pattern to their ipsilateral counterparts and some fibers were seen to cross the midline. Fibers arising from the DPGi were similarly distributed in the spinal cord except that there was no dorsolateral expansion in the lumbar and sacral segments and there were fewer fiber terminals. Fibers arising from GiA/V predominantly traveled in the ventral and lateral funiculi ipsilaterally. Ipsilaterally, the density of fibers in the ventral funiculus decreased along the rostrocaudal axis, whereas the density of fibers in the lateral funiculus increased. They terminate mainly in the medial ventral horn and lamina 10 with a smaller number of fibers in the dorsal horn. Fibers arising from the LPGi traveled in both the ventral and lateral funiculi and the density of these fibers in the ventral and lateral funiculi decreased dramatically in the lumbar and sacral segments. Their terminals were present in the ventral horn with a large portion of them terminating in the motor neuron columns. The present study is the first demonstration of the termination pattern of fibers arising from the Gi, DPGi, GiA/GiV, and LPGi in the mouse spinal cord. It provides an anatomical foundation for those who are conducting spinal cord injury and locomotion related research