ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Building an Understanding of Heat Transfer Concepts in Undergraduate Chemical Engineering Courses
Author: Nottis, Katharyn E. K.
Date: 2010-02-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Inquiry,Chemistry,Active Learning,Heat,Chemical Engineering,Misconceptions,Teaching Methods,Thermodynamics,Scientific Concepts,College Science,Undergraduate Students,Concept Formation

Understanding the distinctions among heat, energy and temperature can be difficult for students at all levels of instruction, including those in engineering. Misconceptions about heat transfer have been found to persist, even after students successfully complete relevant coursework. New instructional methods are needed to address these misconceptions. This pilot study examined whether researcher-developed and inquiry-based activities could increase conceptual understanding of heat transfer and alter common misconceptions. Twenty-two undergraduate chemical engineering students were assessed before and after instruction with inquiry-based activities using a ten-item concept inventory. Concept inventory questions were developed to assess students' performance on questions closely related to the inquiry-based activities and questions applying concepts in new contexts. Participants significantly improved their overall scores from pre-test to post-test. An examination of performance on individual items revealed significant improvement on half of those questions closely related to the instructional activities and half of those applying concepts in new but related contexts. Results are examined in light of the assessment and inquiry activities that were used, as well as the difficulty of the concepts. Educational implications and suggestions for future research are discussed. Descriptions of inquiry-based learning activities are appended. (Contains 3 tables.)
University Students' Conceptions about the Concept of Gene: Interest of Historical Approach
Author: Boujemaa, Agorram
Date: 2010-02-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Genetics,Misconceptions,Teaching Methods,Scientific Concepts,Concept Teaching,Student Attitudes,College Students,Models,Knowledge Level,Biology,Questionnaires,Definitions,Foreign Countries

Concepts of genetics are often difficult to teach, specifically the central concept of gene. Even the scientists disagree when defining this concept. This paper investigates university students' understanding about the gene and its functions. The results show the dominance of two conceptions of the gene: the Neoclassical model and the Mendelian model. The existence of hybrid conceptions and the lack of the modern model show that students are unable to mobilize the knowledge taught in biology. These results suggest to improve the teaching methods of genetics, for instance, by developing activities that bring students face to face with their conceptions. (Contains 2 tables.)
Universities--Drivers for Regional Innovation Culture and Competitiveness
Author: Muresan, Mihaela
Date: 2010-02-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Universities,College Role,Innovation,Global Approach,Competition,Regional Characteristics,Economic Development,Sustainable Development,Labor Market,Research and Development,Foreign Countries

The actual infrastructure of the information society sustains the globalization trend and increases the importance of the information and knowledge. The development of the knowledge society is the direct consequence of the mix of economic, social and cultural processes, which involve the knowledge creation and its equitable distribution, access and sharing. Universities, as poles of knowledge, creativity and innovation, play a key part in the regional development and the global competitiveness. The universities are active promoters of the innovation culture at the regional and international level, by increasing the synergy among education, research and innovation. The article focuses on the role of the academic area in the development of the learning and creative society at the regional level, contributing to the design of new knowledge and technology embedded products, services and organizational processes, which represent the premises of the global competitiveness. The most important challenge the academic environment faces in the new economy is to bridge the gap between the political decision, the governance and the labour market, offering innovative solutions and developing the intellectual capital to address the various issues of the knowledge economy. The article highlights the role of the universities as regional development drivers, by analyzing the economic performance of the Bucharest-Ilfov region and the direct influence of the trinomial equation: education-research-innovation. (Contains 3 figures, 9 tables, and 1 footnote.)
Diversity in Education Using Blended Learning in Sarawak
Author: Ling, Siew-Eng
Date: 2010-02-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Electronic Learning,Online Courses,Course Content,Rural Areas,Foreign Countries,Internet,Satisfaction,Student Attitudes,Access to Education,Student Surveys,Interviews,Mathematics Instruction,Comparative Analysis,Urban Areas,Rural Urban Differences,College Students,Open Universities,College Instruction,Blended Learning

One of the objectives of Malaysia Ministry of Education is to provide educational opportunities for all Malaysians. Are education opportunities given fairly to all Malaysians who come from two big regions and divided by the South China Sea? The web infancy era, where the World Wide Web (WWW) is blooming fast, has changed the new millennium teaching and learning process tremendously. Although the online learning can reach to students regardless of their location and backgrounds, human contact is still very important in traditional face-to-face learning. Blended learning course comprising online learning and traditional face-to-face learning components is an effective teaching and learning method, where it combines the best from both worlds. Blended learning courses only started a few years ago in Malaysia higher learning institutions to give everybody equal opportunities to study. The key acceptance of blended learning approach and continuing improvement is students' satisfaction. This study focused on students' satisfaction related to the nine components of blended learning (course content, technical, flexibility, community learning, motivation, sharing, feedback, complementary learning and personalized learning) from two locations: urban and rural areas. The study employed a mixed method consisting of a survey questionnaire distributed first to collect the quantitative data and followed by the interview to refine and explain the data. The population of the study consisted of students who enrolled in the Mathematics Blended Learning Course in Sarawak state in semester July-November, 2007. Census was used in the study. The survey instrument was developed and validated using Rasch model. The semi-structured questionnaire was used in qualitative data collection. The quantitative data was analyzed by using SPSS v14.0 whilst the qualitative data was coded by using NVivo software. Results from the quantitative data showed that students were satisfied in in all nine components regardless of the location. The grand mean of all components also indicated that respondents were satisfied with blended learning course. This result was supported by the qualitative data.
Collaborative Learning in a VLE Based Common Module
Author: Toth, Peter
Date: 2010-01-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Electronic Learning,Cooperative Learning,Curriculum Development,Standards,Curriculum Implementation,Electronic Publishing,Social Networks,Web Sites,Evaluation Criteria,Preservice Teacher Education,Units of Study,Vocational Education,Vocational Education Teachers,Graduate Study,Partnerships in Education,Program Descriptions,Program Effectiveness,International Education,Internet,Teaching Methods,Foreign Countries,Computer Mediated Communication,Integrated Learning Systems,Multimedia Materials,Computer Uses in Education

The Masters Level Opportunities and Technological Innovation in Vocational Teacher Education project (http://motivate.tmpk.bmf.hu/) aims to develop the use and management of virtual learning environments [VLEs] in the area of vocational teacher training, drawing on a well established international partnership of institutions providing both technical and educational expertise. This paper gives an overall picture of the first results and products of the contribution. The author touches upon the goals, the assessments and the learning process of using &quot;multimedia and e-learning: E-learning methods and tools&quot; module in details. The main collaborative tools in virtual learning environment from point of view of pedagogical approach are presented. The communication during collaborative learning, the structured debate on forum and the benefits of collaborative learning in VLE are interpreted at the end of this paper. (Contains 2 figures and 2 tables.)
Use of Neuroimaging to Clarify How Human Brains Perform Mental Calculations
Author: Ortiz, Enrique
Date: 2010-05-02
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Topography,Mental Computation,Memorization,Brain,Arithmetic,Diagnostic Tests,Brain Hemisphere Functions,Spectroscopy,Neurological Organization,Cognitive Processes,Metabolism,Light,College Students

The purpose of this study was to analyze participants' levels of hemoglobin as they performed arithmetic mental calculations using Optical Topography (OT, helmet type brain-scanning system, also known as Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy or fNIRS). A central issue in cognitive neuroscience involves the study of how the human brain encodes and manipulates information, including mental calculation. Recently, functional neuro-imaging studies have begun to clarify how the human brain performs mental calculations. fNIRS is an imaging technique capable of measuring changes in the relative concentration of hemoglobin the in the cerebral cortex of the brain (Hoshi &amp; Tamura, 1993; Villringer et al., 1993; Koizumi et al., 2003). It is well known that near-infrared light of a wavelength between 650 nm and 950 nm can penetrate living tissue where it is specifically absorbed by hemoglobin (Strangman et al., 2002). By illumination the surface of the brain with near-infrared light of two specific wavelengths (695 nm for deoxy- and 830 nm for the oxygen-carrying oxyhemoglobin) changes in the concentrations of oxy- and deoxyhemoglobin can be monitored and allow conclusions about the energy consumption, or activation of the brain region during the performance of cognitive tasks. Twelve undergraduate and graduate college-level students participated in scanning session. Differences in brain activity were found based on mental calculation strategies. There were there different levels of oxy-hemoglobin: low, moderate, and high. The levels of activity were related to participants' mental strategies as they solve the exercises. Students who used more rote memorization tended to show moderate to low hemoglobin oxygenation. These results may have implications for how important rote memorization of arithmetic facts might be. Other results and possible implications are discussed in this article. (Contains 6 tables and 22 figures.)
Feedback Mechanisms in Learning Virtual Community Settings
Author: Colazzo, Luigi
Date: 2010-01-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Electronic Learning,Feedback (Response),Test Results,Internet,Teaching Methods,Foreign Countries,Economics,College Instruction,College Students,Student Evaluation,Evaluation Methods,Test Construction,Tests,Questionnaires,Self Evaluation (Individuals),Community,Computer Software,Computer Assisted Testing,Blended Learning,Computer Mediated Communication,Integrated Learning Systems

This paper introduces a set of services for the creation of on-line surveys, questionnaires, exams and self-assessment tests within a virtual community system used in e-learning settings. The system, called &quot;Online Communities&quot;, is a dynamic web application used as platform for blended learning activities by the Faculty of Economics of the University of Trento. The functionalities added to the platform are contextualized into virtual communities, where activities take place. This allows us to create, submit and analyze questionnaires within and/or outside the boundaries of a community. Furthermore, the system allows to manage libraries of queries organized by the teacher/administrator of the community according to topics and levels of difficulty, in order to produce tests and generate self-assessment sessions on behalf of students. The addition of a questionnaire/poll/self-assessment tool to a virtual community system can add a lot of interesting features, mainly using the inheritance mechanism implemented among different hierarchically-connected communities. This paper will present these functionalities and highlight one of these services, precisely the one dedicated to self-assessment. In the system, self-assessment tests have indeed a double nature: (1) They are useful to students for checking their own level of preparation; and (2) They are useful to lecturers as an indicator of the level of preparation reached by the students. In order to encourage the use of the system within the whole educational process, and not to limit the real use of the service to the period of the final exams only, the possibility has been foreseen for each participant to share his/her own test results, comparing them with the other members of the community, and even offering real &quot;challenges&quot;, thus transforming passive and &quot;solitary&quot; learning into something much more stimulating and &quot;social&quot;. (Contains 3 figures.)
Changing School Culture: From Deficiencies to Strengths--An Intervention Study about School Culture
Author: Zeinz, Horst
Date: 2010-01-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Intervention,School Culture,Self Concept,Teacher Attitudes,Student Attitudes,Teacher Student Relationship,Competence,Teacher Expectations of Students,Teaching Methods,Educational Change,Instructional Effectiveness,Pilot Projects,Program Evaluation,Program Effectiveness,Goal Orientation,Secondary School Students,Secondary School Teachers,Females,Inservice Teacher Education,Track System (Education),Science Interests,Scoring Rubrics,Educational Strategies,Participant Observation,Questionnaires,Attitude Change

This research project focuses on the question: Which effects do teachers' attitudes have on students' academic self-concept and students' competences? The study is informed by the theoretical perspective that competences and individual skills can be improved especially when students and teachers are confident about the possibility of change of these variables and when teachers make this explicit as a central theme. In our intervention study, we investigate whether a change in the teaching and learning setting (moving from a focus on deficits to a focus on strengths) is able to enhance students' academic self-concept and students' competences, even across domains. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.) [This project is financed by Foundation for Education in Public Private Partnership.]
Towards an Eclectic Framework for Teaching EFL Writing in a Chinese Context
Author: Yan, Yi
Date: 2010-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English (Second Language),Teaching Methods,Second Language Learning,Writing (Composition),Cultural Context,Foreign Countries,Universities,College Students,Student Characteristics,Models,Writing Instruction,Writing Processes

The challenges of writing itself and lack of appropriate teaching methodology demotivate EFL  (English as a Foreign Language) learners in some Chinese universities to write more, especially as the only incentive for students to write is the compulsory tests. The main objectives of this article are: (1) to discuss the background of the EFL learners in Chinese tertiary education and then to elaborate on their needs and problems for EFL writing; (2) to review the existing approaches to teaching writing; and (3) to propose and justify an integrated model on the basis of these approaches for teaching EFL writing in the Chinese context.
The Effect of Information Mapping Strategy on Mathematics Conceptual Knowledge of Junior High School Students
Author: Zulnaidi, Hutkemri
Date: 2010-01-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Mathematics Achievement,Achievement Tests,Foreign Countries,Junior High School Students,High School Students,Secondary School Mathematics,Mathematics Instruction,Concept Mapping,Concept Formation,Knowledge Level,Mathematical Concepts,Teaching Methods,Comparative Analysis

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of information mapping strategy on mathematics conceptual knowledge of junior high school students in Rokan Hulu Riau, Indonesia. The study also examined the relationship between mathematics conceptual knowledge and mathematics achievement. Using a quasi-experimental method, the study was carried out on 132 students from one junior high school in Rokan Hulu Riau, Indonesia. It was completed in 6 weeks. Instruments used in this study were mathematics conceptual knowledge test and mathematics achievement test. The results of this study indicated that there were significant differences in mathematics conceptual knowledge between the information mapping strategy group and the traditional group. It was concluded that using information mapping strategy may impact students' conceptual knowledge. There was a relationships between mathematics conceptual knowledge and mathematics achievement. (Contains 4 tables and 1 figure.)
Effects of Problem Based Economics on High School Economics Instruction. Final Report. NCEE 2010-4002
Author: Finkelstein, Neal
Date: 2010-07-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Economics Education,Problem Based Learning,Secondary School Curriculum,Curriculum Implementation,Grade 12,High School Students,Academic Achievement,Knowledge Level,Problem Solving,Secondary School Teachers,Teacher Characteristics,Teaching Methods,Satisfaction,Outcomes of Education

Since 1995, the Buck Institute has partnered with university economists and expert teachers to create the Problem Based Economics curriculum. The curriculum was developed to respond to NCEE (National Council on Economic Education) standards, and it is supported by professional development for teachers. This study examines whether the Problem Based Economics curriculum developed by the Buck Institute for Education improves grade 12 students' content knowledge as measured by the Test of Economic Literacy, a test refined by NCEE over decades. Students' problem-solving skills in economics were also examined using a performance task assessment. In addition to the primary focus on student achievement outcomes, the study examined changes in teachers' content knowledge in economics and their pedagogical practices, as well as their satisfaction with the curriculum. From observations in intervention and control classrooms, it did not appear to the research team that having and using the problem-based learning curriculum automatically enforced a more hands-on, exploratory classroom learning style. Additional study in this area might help to refine the pedagogical strategies and allow for additional support and practice for teachers on implementing the curriculum effectively. Appendices include: (1) Study power estimates based on the final analytic samples; (2) Procedure for assigning new strata to the final analytic sample; (3) Scoring procedures for the performance task assessments; (4) Sample test/survey administration guide; (5) Teacher-level baseline equivalence tests; (6) Additional student-level baseline equivalence tests; (7) Estimation methods; (8) Summary statistics of teacher data from teacher surveys; (9) Sensitivity of impact estimates to alternative model specifications; and (10) Explanations for sample attrition. (Contains 7 figures, 35 tables, 2 boxes and 16 footnotes.)
Setting Statewide College- and Career-Ready Goals. Issue Brief
Author: National Governors Association, Center for Best Practices
Date: 2010-08-05
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Postsecondary Education,Career Education,Readiness,Educational Objectives,Educational Policy,State Standards,Educational Indicators,Data Collection,Guidelines,Goal Orientation

The changing economy requires that states focus on postsecondary education and training as the goal for all students. Recognizing this, states have led the charge to increase expectations for all students. Unfortunately, the newfound support for college and career readiness has not yet led to significant improvements in student outcomes. To stimulate improvement in the preparation of students for postsecondary education and training, states can set statewide college- and career-ready goals. In setting state education goals, governors can define the vision and inspire the  change necessary to prepare all students for success in college and careers. However, to date, very little guidance exists for states seeking to create education goals. This Issue Brief provides direction to state leaders on establishing college- and career-ready performance goals. Appendices include: (1) Power Indicators Cross-Reference Table; and (2) Arkansas Performance Goals and Measures. (Contains 47 notes.)
Leisure College, USA: The Decline in Student Study Time. Education Outlook. No. 7
Author: Babcock, Philip
Date: 2010-08-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: College Students,Study Habits,Time Factors (Learning),Academic Standards,Educational History,Comparative Analysis,Parents,Educational Attainment,Gender Differences,Student Employment,Student Characteristics,Educational Technology,Leisure Time,Student Attitudes

In 1961, the average full-time student at a four-year college in the United States studied about twenty-four hours per week, while his modern counterpart puts in only fourteen hours per week. Students now study less than half as much as universities claim to require. This dramatic decline in study time occurred for students from all demographic subgroups, for students who worked and those who did not, within every major, and at four-year colleges of every type, degree structure, and level of selectivity. Most of the decline predates the innovations in technology that are most relevant to education and thus was not driven by such changes. The most plausible explanation for these findings, we conclude, is that standards have fallen at postsecondary institutions in the United States. (Contains 4 figures and 15 notes.)
Modular Approach for Ethics
Author: Wyne, Mudasser F.
Date: 2010-02-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Ethics,Models,Program Development,Computer Mediated Communication,Computer Use,Policy Formation,Policy,Standard Setting,Guidelines,Work Environment,Corporations,College Environment,Computer Security,Crime,Intellectual Property,Surveys,Information Technology,Behavior Standards

It is hard to define a single set of ethics that will cover an entire computer users community. In this paper, the issue is addressed in reference to code of ethics implemented by various professionals, institutes and organizations. The paper presents a higher level model using hierarchical approach. The code developed using this approach could be adopted easily by the entire community of computer users working in different environments. The hierarchical approach allows refinement and customization of code at lower levels to address the needs of diverse sub groups of users. It also provides comfort of flexibility as well as the potential for evolution. The work reported here is in continuation of the research reported in an earlier paper (Wyne, 2009).