An agent system to support student teams working online

Online learning is now a reality, with distributed learning and blended learning becoming more widely used in Higher Education. Novel ways in which undergraduate and postgraduate learning material can be presented are being developed, and methods for helping students to learn online are needed, especially if we require them to collaborate with each other on learning activities. Agents to provide a supporting role for students have evolved from Artificial Intelligence research, and their strength lies in their ease of operation over networks as well as their ability to act in response to stimuli. In this paper an application of a software agent is described, aimed at supporting students working on team projects in the online learning environment. Online teamwork is problematical for a number of reasons, such as getting acquainted with team members, finding out about other team members’ abilities, agreeing who should do which tasks, communications between team members and keeping up to date with progress that has been made on the project. Software agents have the ability to monitor progress and to offer advice by operating in the background, acting autonomously when the need arises. An agent prototype has been developed in Prolog to perform a limited set of functions to support students. Team projects have a planning, doing and completing stage, all of which require them to have some sort of agent support. This agent at present supports part of the planning stage, by prompting the students to input their likes, dislikes and abilities for a selection of task areas defined for the project. The agent then allocates the various tasks to the students according to predetermined rules. The results of a trial carried out using teams working on projects, on campus, indicate that students like the idea of using this agent to help with allocating tasks. They also agreed that agent support of this type would probably be helpful to both students working on team projects with face to face contact, as well as for teams working solely online. Work is ongoing to add more functionality to the agent and to evaluate the agent more widely

Student teamwork: developing virtual support for team projects

In the 21st century team working increasingly requires online cooperative skills as well as more traditional skills associated with face to face team working. Virtual team working differs from face to face team working in a number of respects, such as interpreting the alternatives to visual cues, adapting to synchronous communication, developing trust and cohesion and cultural interpretations. However, co-located student teams working within higher education can only simulate team working as it might be experienced in organisations today. For example, students can learn from their mistakes in a non-threatening environment, colleagues tend to be established friends and assessing teamwork encourages behaviour such as “free-riding”. Using a prototyping approach, which involves students and tutors, a system has been designed to support learners engaged in team working. This system helps students to achieve to their full potential and appreciate issues surrounding virtual teamwork. The Guardian Agent system enables teams to allocate project tasks and agree ground rules for the team according to individuals’ preferences. Results from four cycles of its use are presented, together with modifications arising from iterations of testing. The results show that students find the system useful in preparing for team working, and have encouraged further development of the system

Paperless assessment via VLE: the pros and the cons

The aim of this short paper is to share our experience of paperless assessment using the submission facility provided in the Blackboard Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). An important part of a tutor’s work is monitoring and assessing students’ work on modules of study, in order to measure progress and attainment. Assessment may be continuous throughout the module to help students progress by providing feedback on their learning, or it may be a final summative examination to measure attainment at the end of the module. Most modules make use of a combination of the two types of assessment. In the Research and Information Technology Skills (RITS) module in Salford Business School, we have endeavoured to use the Blackboard VLE to manage a portfolio of continuous assessment exercises and a final summative examination. This Level 1 module comprises activities to develop Information Communication Technology (ICT) and research skills, and is an important foundation for new students, both to encourage good study habits and to ensure that a minimum level of expertise in skills is achieved. Student numbers on this module were about 40 this year

Taking over someone else's design: implications for the tutor's role in networked learning

The experience of taking over an already designed Web-based course helps us to investigate the claims in the literature about the role that tutors have more generally in networked learning. This paper addresses this issue through a case study and brings together the tutor's experience and her reflective diary, as well as the interview data from a JISC/CALT phenomenographic study of tutors' and students' experiences. This particular case study raises issues about the tutors' role, teaching activity, design and the value of content resources and knowledge representation. Finally the paper reflects on the implications for the tutor in this situation and provides suggestions for future practice

Bone cross-sectional geometry in male runners, gymnasts, swimmers and non-athletic controls: a hip-structural analysis study.

Loading of the skeleton is important for the development of a functionally and mechanically appropriate bone structure, and can be achieved through impact exercise. Proximal femur cross-sectional geometry was assessed in the male athletes (n = 55) representing gymnastics, endurance running and swimming, and non-athletic controls (n = 22). Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (iDXA, GE Healthcare, UK) measurements of the total body (for body composition) and the left proximal femur were obtained. Advanced hip structural analysis (AHA) was utilised to determine the areal bone mineral density (aBMD), hip axis length (HAL), cross-sectional area (CSA), cross-sectional moment of inertia (CSMI) and the femoral strength index (FSI). Gymnasts and runners had greater age, height and weight adjusted aBMD than in swimmers and controls (p < 0.05). Gymnasts and runners had greater resistance to axial loads (CSA) and the runners had increased resistance against bending forces (CSMI) compared to swimmers and controls (p < 0.01). Controls had a lower FSI compared to gymnasts and runners (1.4 vs. 1.8 and 2.1, respectively, p < 0.005). Lean mass correlated with aBMD, CSA and FSI (r = 0.365-0.457, p < 0.01), particularly in controls (r = 0.657-0.759, p < 0.005). Skeletal loading through the gymnastics and running appears to confer a superior bone geometrical advantage in the young adult men. The importance of lean body mass appears to be of particular significance for non-athletes. Further characterisation of the bone structural advantages associated with different sports would be of value to inform the strategies directed at maximising bone strength and thus, preventing fracture

Isolation & Characterization of Bacteria in the Built Environment: Measuring The Effect of Pharmaceuticals on Growth

This work reports the isolation and characterization of bacteria from the built environment at Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, PA. Surfaces of a water fountain on campus were swabbed and serially streaked to isolate multiple bacteria on R2A agar. Following multiple rounds of growth, the unknown microbial candidates were narrowed to two visibly­distinct organisms. Morphological characterization and phylogenetic identification based on 16S rDNA sequencing revealed that the isolates were Chryseobactierum hispalense and Microbacterium maritypicum. We report synergistic biofilm formation between Chryseobactierum hispalense and Microbacterium maritypicum. The contamination of drinking water with varying levels of personal care products and pharmaceuticals (PCPPs) is well documented. Additionally, these environmental pollutants and their derivatives affect aquatic life, as illustrated with effect of the antidepressant fluoxetine on mudsnails. To determine if previously reported contaminants affect freshwater bacteria, we assessed both planktonic growth and biofilm formation following exposure to nalidixic acid (non­fluorinated quinolone antibiotic), diphenhydramine (over­the­counter drug Benadryl), and fluoxetine (Prozac)

Atomic oxygen effects on boron nitride and silicon nitride: A comparison of ground based and space flight data

The effects of atomic oxygen on boron nitride (BN) and silicon nitride (Si3N4) were evaluated in a low Earth orbit (LEO) flight experiment and in a ground based simulation facility. In both the inflight and ground based experiments, these materials were coated on thin (approx. 250A) silver films, and the electrical resistance of the silver was measured in situ to detect any penetration of atomic oxygen through the BN and Si3N4 materials. In the presence of atomic oxygen, silver oxidizes to form silver oxide, which has a much higher electrical resistance than pure silver. Permeation of atomic oxygen through BN, as indicated by an increase in the electrical resistance of the silver underneath, was observed in both the inflight and ground based experiments. In contrast, no permeation of atomic oxygen through Si3N4 was observed in either the inflight or ground based experiments. The ground based results show good qualitative correlation with the LEO flight results, indicating that ground based facilities such as the one at Los Alamos National Lab can reproduce space flight data from LEO

A comparison of ground-based and space flight data: Atomic oxygen reactions with boron nitride and silicon nitride

The effects of atomic oxygen on boron nitride (BN) and silicon nitride (Si3N4) have been studied in low Earth orbit (LEO) flight experiments and in a ground-based simulation facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Both the in-flight and ground-based experiments employed the materials coated over thin (approx 250 Angstrom) silver films whose electrical resistance was measured in situ to detect penetration of atomic oxygen through the BN and Si3N4 materials. In the presence of atomic oxygen, silver oxidizes to form silver oxide, which has a much higher electrical resistance than pure silver. Permeation of atomic oxygen through BN, as indicated by an increase in the electrical resistance of the silver underneath, was observed in both the in-flight and ground-based experiments. In contrast, no permeation of atomic oxygen through Si3N4 was observed in either the in-flight or ground-based experiments. The ground-based results show good qualitative correlation with the LEO flight results, thus validating the simulation fidelity of the ground-based facility in terms of reproducing LEO flight results