Relevant prior knowledge moderates the effect of elaboration during small group discussion on academic achievement

This study set out to test whether relevant prior knowledge would moderate a positive effect on academic achievement of elaboration during small-group discussion. In a 2 × 2 experimental design, 66 undergraduate students observed a video showing a small-group problem-based discussion about thunder and lightning. In the video, a teacher asked questions to the observing participants. Participants either elaborated by responding to these questions, or did not elaborate, but completed a

Flexible Manufacturing Systems: background examples and models

In this paper, we discuss recent innovations in manufacturing technology and their implications on the design and control of manufacturing systems. Recognizing the need to respond properly to rapidly changing market demands, we discuss several types of flexibility that can be incorporated in our production organisation to achieve this goal. We show how the concept of a Flexible Manufacturing System (FMS) naturally arises as an attempt to combine the advantages of traditional Job Shops and dedicated production lines.The main body of the paper is devoted to a classification of FMS problem areas and a review of models developed to understand and solve these problems. For each problem area, a number of important contributions in the literature is indicated. The reader, interested in the applications of Operations Research models but not familiar with the technical background of FMS’s, will find the descriptions of some essential FMS elements useful. Some final remarks and directions for future research conclude the paper.<br/

Learning in a digital world: an introduction

In recent years, several scholars have called for more inquiry on the role of interactive media in learning in the digital and hyperconnected world. While the interplay of technology and learning may be difficult to fully unfold, current evidence suggests that technological innovations have an important effect on learning, engagement, and achievement in all educational settings—formal, non-formal, and informal. This book compiles contemporary and multidisciplinary research in this area, with the goal of arousing other investigators to contribute to the growing empirical literature on interactive media for learning. The chapters in this book explore research questions on technologically mediated learning from a variety of theoretical and methodological frameworks in several different types of educational contexts, and from different participant perspectives (students and teachers). In doing so, the book is expected to shed light and raise academic discussions on the interplay of interactive media and learning in formal, non-formal, and informal educational settings—how learning gains emerge and are documented, and how the use of interactive media relates to important behavioral, motivational, and achievement outcomes