The use of clickers in Instrumentation and Control Engineering education: a case study

ABSTRACT

This paper presents results from a small-scale study of third-year Instrumentation and Control Engineering (n?=?37) at the University of Plymouth. The aim of the study was to enhance student learning and increase participation via the use of clickers. Clickers allow for student participation anonymously. The lecture content was modified to embed clicker questions at regular intervals to test knowledge, understanding and cognitive skills. Largely, the students preferred interactive lectures to traditional didactic lectures and using clickers increased student engagement and participation. Interestingly, compared to assessment results from the previous year, the increased level of engagement did seem to lead to an overall improvement in grades of approximately 10% in the subject of Control Engineering. However, in Instrumentation, the average fell by approximately 20%. One possible contributory factor of this drop could be the changed exam format for Instrumentation only. This year, the multiple choice section was removed from the Instrumentation examination paper. Furthermore, an analysis of variance showed that in addition to using clickers in the lectures, attendance plays a key role. Results of this small-scale study show that for a more complex subject like Control, student learning, engagement and attainment can increase by the use of clickers.     

Chemical oscillations

The law of mass-action led chemists to the belief that reactions approach equilibrium steadily. So the discovery of chemical oscillations came as a surprise. Now chemists are very familiar with reactions that oscillate in time and/or space. Experimental and theoretical studies of such reactions showing temporal and spatial oscillations attract the interest of many laboratories world-wide. The Lotka-Volterra model is the simplest mathematical model which exhibits such oscillations. In this article, we use this model to illustrate chemical oscillations with the help of a computer program.     

Struggling toward a transformative model of instruction: It's not so easy!

This article is about the moving toward a new instruction style—a transformative model of instruction. One university instructor attempts to change her teaching strategies, and she encounters her own belief as obstacles, self-labeled her pedagogical discrepancies. Through peer feedback, reflective journal writing, and readings she uncovers the obstacles and discovers how the beliefs need to change in order to implement transformative teaching strategies. The change is incorporated into five lessons: it is easier to tell than to listen; modeling needs to go beyond a monologue; be humble and learn from the students; there are more ways to the same end; and, grading the end product or acknowledging the risk. Her lessons take on a spiral nature of learning, and incorporate detailed emotional–psychological resistance. In doing so, she gains a deeper understanding of her instruction, and becomes better equipped to prepare other reflective practitioners. The study takes place in the continental United States of America.     

Combined Analysis of Anti SARS-CoV-2 IgG and IgM Responses in COVID19 Patients in India

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a global health problem, India being the second most affected country. The kinetics of antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 in Indian population is not studied yet. To understand serological response in relation to age, gender, time period and severity of disease, Roche Elecsys anti-SARS-CoV-2 test was used which analysed both IgM and IgG. One hundred and three COVID-19 patients were enrolled. Seropositivity was seen in 64% of patients, with 33% at ≤ 7 days, 62% between 8 and 15 days and 81% at ≥ 16 days from the time of admission. Men (65%) showed higher antibody response than women (59%), whereas no difference was observed in seropositivity with respect to age of the patients. Dynamics of antibody responses revealed individual variations. Patients in ICU had higher antibody reactivity with 67% positivity as compared to 60% positivity in non-ICU patients. Kinetics of antibody response during COVID-19 disease varied in relation to gender, age, time period and severity and these factors might play an important role in treatment and control of COVID-19.     

An easy, rapid and cost-effective method of microtitration

An economical and less time consuming microtitration method is presented. The method has been applied to two types of titration, viz., neutralization and complexometric. The results obtained by the new method are comparable to those obtained by conventional method using burette and pipette. It is proposed that this method can be implemented in high school and undergraduate classes as the quantities of chemicals consumed are far less and the experiment can be completed within the given laboratory period.     

Space allocation to academic departments in a high rise building of an Australian educational institution

This study examines an important aspect of the college space planning problem for an institution which has a high density development on the campus site. A model is developed which minimizes the vertical student pedestrian movements within the building. The optimal solution obtained from the model was adjusted marginally to alleviate space dispersal problems which tend to militate against departmental coordination and interaction. The resulting assignment of space was found to be better than the existing deployment of teaching department accommodation from the perspective of minimization of student pedestrian traffic and intradepartmental interaction and administration. The study is concluded by suggesting that future investigators should consider a multiobjective approach to the resolution of space allocation problems. It indicates that academic interaction should be maximized whilst costs of relocation of occupants from existing building floors should be minimized. The consideration of these goals, together with the objectives examined in this study, appear to be central to the solution of the college space allocation problem.     

Evaluation of polymerase chain reaction for rapid diagnosis of clinically suspected tuberculous pleurisy

Pleural effusion is one of the commonest presentations of tuberculosis, the clinical manifestations being typically abrupt resembling bacterial pneumonia. Since delayed hypersensitivity is the underlying immune response, bacterial load is very low. Owing to these facts, tuberculous pleurisy as an extra-pulmonary disease poses a diagnostic dilemma. The conventional bacteriological methods rarely detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis in pleural fluid and are of limited use in diagnosis of tuberculous pleurisy. We evaluated the efficacy of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in the diagnosis of tuberculous pleurisy by targeting the gene segment coding for MPB64 protein specific forMycobacterium tuberculosis. Based on the clinical criteria, 82 patients with lymphocytic exudative pleural effusion were included in the study. Patients were analyzed in two groups; one group consisting of 48 patients of tubercular pleural effusion confimed by various diagnostic procedures and another group of 34 patients comprising of non-tubercular pleural effusion. There were no false positive results by PCR and the specificity worked out to be 100%. Twenty two patients tested positive for Mantoux with a sensitivity of 45%. ZN-staining for AFB was found in samples from 15 patients (20% sensitivity). ADA was positive for 28 patients with a sensitivity of 53%. PCR was positive for 32/48 patients (67% sensitivity). Thus, PCR was found to be more sensitive than any other conventional method in diagnosis of clinically suspected tubercular pleurisy.