Student Expectations: The effect of student background and experience

CONTEXT The perspectives and previous experiences that students bring to their programs of study can affect their approaches to study and the depth of learning that they achieve Prosser & Trigwell, 1999; Ramsden, 2003). Graduate outcomes assume the attainment of welldeveloped independent learning skills which can be transferred to the work-place. PURPOSE This 5-year longitudinal study investigates factors influencing students’ approaches to learning in the fields of Engineering, Software Engineering, and Computer Science, at two higher education institutes delivering programs of various levels in Australia and New Zealand. The study aims to track the development of student approaches to learning as they progress through their program. Through increased understanding of students’ approaches, faculty will be better able to design teaching and learning strategies to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse student body. This paper reports on the first stage of the project. APPROACH In August 2017, we ran a pilot of our survey using the Revised Study Process Questionnaire(Biggs, Kember, & Leung, 2001) and including some additional questions related to student demographics and motivation for undertaking their current program of study. Data were analysed to evaluate the usefulness of data collected and to understand the demographics of the student cohort. Over the period of the research, data will be collected using the questionnaire and through focus groups and interviews. RESULTS Participants provided a representative sample, and the data collected was reasonable, allowing the questionnaire design to be confirmed. CONCLUSIONS At this preliminary stage, the study has provided insight into the student demographics at both institutes and identified aspects of students’ modes of engagement with learning. Some areas for improvement of the questionnaire have been identified, which will be implemented for the main body of the study

Online project collaboration and on-campus implementation

Distance learning students in the Electrical strand of the NZDE complete projects as part of their summative assessment. One project requires collaboration with team mates via online environment, with the final implementation of the project when the students meet on-campus near the end of the semester

Engineering Distance education projects

Online collaboration & on-campus project implementatio

Embedding Māori achievement: An innovative example

“Let’s embed ako, tikanga and te reo in our teaching & learning”, but how? We strive to increase Māori engagement & achievement, but the tikanga to reach these goals can be difficult. A novel project has engaged students & staff from across Wintec faculties as well as iwi, businesses, Council and funding agencies from the Waikato rohe to collaborate in a culturally appropriate way. The outcome will be not just a lasting public artwork for our community, but increased understanding for participants of how to embed Māori achievement into teaching & learning

A distributed programming system for media applications

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 1995.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 104-106).by Brent M. Phillips.M.S

Global Mobile Satellite Service Interference Analysis for the AeroMACS

The AeroMACS (Aeronautical Mobile Airport Communications System), which is based on the IEEE 802.16-2009 mobile wireless standard, is envisioned as the wireless network which will cover all areas of airport surfaces for next generation air transportation. It is expected to be implemented in the 5091-5150 MHz frequency band which is also occupied by mobile satellite service uplinks. Thus the AeroMACS must be designed to avoid interference with this incumbent service. Simulations using Visualyse software were performed utilizing a global database of 6207 airports. Variations in base station and subscriber antenna distribution and gain pattern were examined. Based on these simulations, recommendations for global airport base station and subscriber antenna power transmission limitations are provided

Investigation of type I collagen deposition in the glomeruli of COL1A2 deficient mice

Abstract only availableType I collagen is the most abundant structural protein in the body, playing a major role in the strength and integrity of connective tissues. Alterations in the synthesis and structure of type I collagen result in a number of connective tissue disorders, such as osteogenesis imperfecta and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Type I collagen is normally a heterotrimeric type I collagen molecule composed of three pro 1(I) collagen chains and one pro2(I) collagen chain. The COL1A2 deficient mouse produces only homotrimeric molecules, composed of three pro1(I) collagen chains resulting from a functional null mutation in the COL1A2 gene. Recently our lab discovered a novel type I collagen glomerulopathy in the COL1A2 mouse. The novel glomerulopathy demonstrated increased collagen deposition in the renal glomerular mesangium. The collagen accumulation is similar to what is observed in the secondary progression of renal damage, caused by a variety of kidney disorders. This project entails the measurement of COL1A2 and COL1A1 mRNA levels discerning whether increased collagen deposition in the glomeruli mesangium in COL1A2 deficient mice is related to increased type I collagen mRNA expression (pretranslational mechanism). These studies required harvesting kidneys from the COL1A2 deficient, heterozygous, and wildtype mice at one week, two weeks, and one month of age. Total RNA was isolated from harvested kidneys using the Qiagen RNAeasy RNA isolation kit, post mortar and pestle homogenization. The isolated total RNA was then analyzed for amount and quality via spectrophotometer at 260nm and 280nm, and 80ng of total RNA was used for cDNA generation via reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction using Promega ImpromII reagents. PCR products were generated for mouse COL1A2 transcripts using primers optimized for Real Time PCR analysis (RT-PCR). Quantitation of the COL1A1 and COL1A2 transcripts was obtained on the Roche LightCycler, with SYBR green monitoring after each amplification cycle. Previous in situ hybridization data suggests that there may not be an increase in mRNA. The study will attempt to gain a greater understanding of the molecular mechanism leading to type I collagen accumulation in the renal mesangium, with future application to understanding the role of extracellular matrix deposition in renal pathology and disease.Life Sciences Undergraduate Research Opportunity Progra

Glassy carbon manufacture using rapid photonic curing

Photonic curing was explored as a rapid method for producing glassy carbon coatings, reducing processing time from ~ 20 h for conventional thermal processing down to ~ 1 min. A resole-type thermoset polymer resin coated on steel foil was used as a precursor, placed in a nitrogen purged container and exposed to high energy light (~ 27 J/cm2 per pulse for up to 20 pulses). Comparison samples were produced at 800 °C using a conventional nitrogen purged thermal route. For both photonic and conventionally produced coatings, Raman spectroscopy and primary peak XPS data showed sp2 bonded carbon, indicative of bulk glassy carbon. This transformation evolved with increasing number of pulses, and therefore amount of energy transferred to the coating. The produced coatings were resilient, highly smooth, with no evidence of surface defects. XPS analysis indicated greater sp3 content at the immediate surface (5–10 nm) for photonic cured carbon compared with thermally cured carbon, likely due to the local environment (temperature, atmosphere) around the surface during conversion. The ability to rapidly manufacture glassy carbon coatings provides new opportunities to expand the window of applications of glassy carbons in coatings towards large-scale high volume applications

Teaching Medical Students Optimal Consulting Skills: The Challenge of Generating Better Referring Physicians.

Rationale and objectives We sought to incorporate a new teaching module into the traditional medical student radiology clerkship, to improve the necessary skills for future referring physicians. Materials and methods A new required and graded module was introduced in 2014 into the radiology clerkship in year three of medical school: the Mystery Case. Each student was provided a unique and undifferentiated case from a dedicated teaching file containing de-identified images and requisition data. Students were expected to complete three serial tasks over one week: 1) prepare a voice recognition-derived, structured radiological report utilizing appropriate and relevant vocabulary; 2) discuss pertinent additional clinical information; and 3) discuss appropriate follow-up imaging, in addition to information on how to best prepare patients for these potential patient exams (e.g., with or without contrast, bowel preparation, and length of study). Students were provided written examples and dedicated class instruction with interactive discussions covering specific cases and associated related cases through random pairing with radiology resident and attending mentors. At the close of the week, students gave brief oral presentations of their cases and submitted the tasks for a written evaluation. Upon completion of the clerkship, the students completed a Likert-type six-item survey to evaluate the perceived improvement in select skills. Results The survey was completed by 82% (54/66) of the enrolled students, with 85% finding the Mystery Case an effective use of time. Medical students perceived an improved awareness of the patient care process (77%), awareness of the medical imaging resources available (89%), ability to understand a radiology report (74%), and ability to advise patients (69%). Conclusion Introduction of the Mystery Case as a graded exercise in the medical school radiology clerkship was perceived by students as effective use of time, with an improvement in the skills essential for future referring physicians

Real-time fMRI neurofeedback training of the amygdala activity with simultaneous EEG in veterans with combat-related PTSD

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a chronic and disabling neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by insufficient top-down modulation of the amygdala activity by the prefrontal cortex. Real-time fMRI neurofeedback (rtfMRI-nf) is an emerging method with potential for modifying the amygdala-prefrontal interactions. We report the first controlled emotion self-regulation study in veterans with combat-related PTSD utilizing rtfMRI-nf of the amygdala activity. PTSD patients in the experimental group (EG, n=20) learned to upregulate BOLD activity of the left amygdala (LA) using rtfMRI-nf during a happy emotion induction task. PTSD patients in the control group (CG, n=11) were provided with a sham rtfMRI-nf. The study included three rtfMRI-nf training sessions, and EEG recordings were performed simultaneously with fMRI. PTSD severity was assessed using the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS). The EG participants showed a significant reduction in total CAPS ratings, including significant reductions in avoidance and hyperarousal symptoms. Overall, 80% of the EG participants demonstrated clinically meaningful reductions in CAPS ratings, compared to 38% in the CG. During the first session, fMRI connectivity of the LA with the orbitofrontal cortex and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) was progressively enhanced, and this enhancement significantly and positively correlated with initial CAPS ratings. Left-lateralized enhancement in upper alpha EEG coherence also exhibited a significant positive correlation with the initial CAPS. Reduction in PTSD severity between the first and last rtfMRI-nf sessions significantly correlated with enhancement in functional connectivity between the LA and the left DLPFC. Our results demonstrate that the rtfMRI-nf of the amygdala activity has the potential to correct the amygdala-prefrontal functional connectivity deficiencies specific to PTSD.Comment: 26 pages, 16 figures, to appear in NeuroImage: Clinica