Reflections on International Projects in Undergraduate CS Education

Educational methods race to keep pace with the opportunities afforded by technology, and in computer science we need methods that tie together the diverse aspects of the discipline and set them in a realistic human context. Projects have the potential to address various aims and perspectives, and international projects add new dimensions to student teamwork, requiring students to handle collaboration that is remote, cross-cultural, and linguistically challenging. This paper examines some of the educational issues associated with international projects, in the discussion of two examples: PASTICS and Runestone.     

Exploring the minority–majority gap in sport participation: different patterns for boys and girls?

Abstract

This paper examines the participation of minority and majority youth in organized sport based on the Young in Oslo 2015 survey (response rate: 72%, N = 9.774). Four possible explanations of the minority–majority gap are introduced: (i) culture, (ii) religion, (iii) discrimination/racism and (iv) class and socio-economic resources. Class and religion are further examined in the paper. Initially, among the boys, there are no differences between the minority and majority groups. When taking socio-economic resources into account, the minority boys have a slightly higher participation rate than the majority boys. Among the girls, the likelihood of participating in sport clubs is considerably lower for those with a minority background than for those with a majority background. The analyses show that socio-economic resources have an effect on both girls and boys and that religious denomination also explains, to some extent, the minority–majority gap that exists among girls.     

The impact on annual earnings of adult upper secondary education in Sweden

The public supply of adult education is very different between countries, making it likely that there is scope for efficiency gains. The contribution of this paper is to provide an economic evaluation of the earnings impact of adult education at upper secondary level (AE) in Sweden, where the supply is plausibly larger than in any other country. The analysis is based on register data for 1990–2002 of the cohort born in 1970 on accomplished AE course credits and possibly subsequent higher education. Difference‐in‐differences estimates indicate that for AE enrolees in 1994–1996, a year of AE credits increased earnings in 2002 by 6% for males and by 4.5% for females. The estimates are reconciled with conflicting results from earlier studies. According to crude calculations, which disregard other societal benefits of AE, the earnings benefits are sufficient to cover the costs incurred by society within 17 years.     

Rubrics as a way of providing transparency in assessment

This paper reports on a study where rubrics have been used to convey assessment expectations to students (n?=?176) in three different assessment situations in professional education. These situations are: (1) the development of a survey instrument, which was part of a course in statistics and epidemiology; (2) an inspection of a house, which was part of a course about the functions of buildings for real estate brokers and (3) a workshop in communication with patients, which was part of a course in the evaluation of diagnostic procedures and treatments of oral infections in dental education. In all situations, students’ perceptions and uses of the rubrics were investigated. Findings suggest that it is indeed possible to convey expectations to students through the use of rubrics, in the sense that students not only appreciate the efforts to make assessment criteria transparent, but may also use the criteria in order to support and self-assess their performance. Important features of the rubrics, which were found to facilitate students’ understanding and use of the criteria in these situations, are presented and discussed.     

End of journey,end of story? A longitudinal study of involuntary work transitions among laid-off workers

The purpose of this study is to increase knowledge regarding involuntary work transitions among laid-off workers. It is part of an ongoing cooperation with two outplacement agencies enrolling white-collar workers. The particular arrangements, which are based on collective agreements, include relatively generous support, both economically and regarding the educational and counselling arrangements offered. A narrative research approach is used and the analysis is based on interviews with 15 people, conducted on two occasions with about a year in between. Conceptualizing the transition as a biographical learning process, the findings point out a great variety within and between cases. While the basic distinction is drawn between people who have changed their status and those who have not, a number of rhetorical varieties are identified, pointing to different modes of biographical learning. The originality of the paper lies in its narrative approach and the particular conceptual framework showing that biographical learning is a vital part of enforced work transitions.     

Evaluation of thermal imaging system and thermal radiation detector for real-time condition monitoring of high power frequency converters

We have carried out at laboratory test to study the feasibility of using thermal radiation detectors for online thermal monitoring of electrical systems in wind turbines. A 25 kW frequency converter is instrumented with a thermal camera, operating in the 8-14 μm wave- length range, and a single-pixel thermopile sensor, operating in the 4-8 μm wavelength range, to monitor the temperature development of the power electronics under various load sequences. Both systems performed satisfactorily with insignificant temperature deviations when compared to data from calibrated point contact sensor. With spatial averaging over a 7 mm × 7 mm for the camera and temporal averaging over 60 s for the thermo- pile sensor, we reduce the root mean square noise to 45 mK and 68 mK respectively. The low cost and simple operation of the thermopile sensor make it very attractive for condition monitoring applications, whereas the attractive feature of the camera is the possibility of multi-point or distributed temperature measurements.     

The role of education in Sudan’s civil war

This article addresses the role that education plays in conflict, with specific reference to the civil war in Sudan. It analyses the ideological basis of the Sudanese government (GoS) during the civil war, with special reference to the role of religion and ethnicity. It shows how the primary education system was based on the Islamist ideology of the GoS, with limited consideration of the country’s various cultural and religious groups. It then discusses the political discourse of the Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) and the secular curriculum that SPLM’s Secretariat of Education produced during the war. It identifies differences between the Islamist and the secular educational discourses as one reason why many young people in the South took up arms against the Islamist government. With South Sudan now emerging as an independent nation, a dramatic improvement in the education sector is needed both to heal conflicts in South Sudan and to provide hope for the future to people in the South.     

School Choice in Sweden: Effects on Student Performance,School Costs,and Segregation

This article presents empirical analyses of the effects of independent schools in Sweden. The most important result is that the impact—both the positive and the negative—is relatively marginal. This said, there are now a number of studies that show that when independent schools are established the pupils in municipal schools perform better. Municipal school costs will, however, tend to rise marginally. The effects on school segregation are complex, but the tentative overall result is that independent schools may have added somewhat to the much more significant effect of increasing residential segregation.     

Framed School – Frame Factors,Frames and the Dynamics of Social Interaction in School

This paper aims to show how the Goffman frame perspective can be used in an analysis of school and education and how it can be combined, in such analysis, with the frame factor perspective. The latter emphasizes factors that are determined outside the teaching process, while the former stresses how actors organize their experiences and define shared situations. In this light, an analysis of framing of and in Swedish compulsory school, based on governing documents, is carried out. Since the frame factors are contradictory, different possibilities to frame school in the Goffmanian sense present themselves to the school actors. In spite of frame factors, school can be framed in different and inconstant ways, for example, as an institution, an organization, a movement, or a seminar. Such nuance shifts show different dynamics of social interaction in school and can be used to understand variations between and within schools.