E-learning services acceptance in higher educational institutes: A case study in Brunei

This research studies on the e-learning services acceptance in higher education institutions in Brunei Darussalam. This research has seven hypotheses, relating to independent, intermediary, and dependent variables. The independent variables include lecturer’s characteristics, design of learning contents, teaching materials, and playfulness; while the intermediary variables are perceived benefits and perceived ease of use. On the other hand, the dependent variable in this research is the intention to use e-learning. Multiple regression analysis were conducted to test the hypotheses proposed. Data analysis from this research has confirmed that the lecturer’s characteristics, teaching materials, perceived ease of use and the intention to use e-learning corresponds to the perceived benefits. Meanwhile, the design of learning content and the intention to use e-learning are positively related to the perceived ease of use and lastly, the variable playfulness is positively related to the intention to use e-learning.     

Cancer on the cross-wires

Normal cells in our body that constitute a cellular society are not selfish and this is evident by the fact that they have evolved a phenomenal pathway whereby they cause their own death under conditions of stress that lie beyond the absorbing capacity of the cell. This phenomenon is known as ‘Apoptosis’ or ‘Programmed Cell Death’. However, cancerous cells, which are indeed selfish and proliferate at the cost of their normal counterparts, evade the apoptotic pathway by hindering the mitochondrial release of the proapoptotic protein cytochrome c (Cyt c). Here, we have proposed a scheme whereby the power of proteasome (an intracellular protein chopper) could be harnessed to remove the obstruction placed by cancer cell to the apoptotic process and thereby pushing the cancerous cells to self-destruction, leading to a possible cure for cancer.     

皮特拉城的探索和保护

皮特拉是约旦的一座著名古城,它是古代阿拉伯国家间的交通要塞,现今则是世界上最著名的考古遗址之一,1985年被联合国教科文组织公布为世界文化遗产地段.文章简要阐述了皮特拉城的历史和文化价值,着重介绍了对文化遗址的保护,尤其是对皮特拉神庙遗址的加固保护研究,对人们了解不同地域古建筑的保护有着借鉴意义.对皮特拉的探索不仅是一种对遗址保护,当地政府还在努力寻找从物质及经济方面的改善,用规划的手段,使这座古城的城市活力再现.     

Provision of public educational services and access to higher education among the Negev Bedouin Arabs in Israel

This paper deals with the provision of educational services and access to higher education of the Negev Bedouin Arabs in Israel, in the context of the social change this community is undergoing. The Negev Bedouin have been transformed from semi‐nomads and agriculturists to urban town dwellers. Education in general, and higher education in particular, are crucial to their adjustment and development. As members of the Arab minority in Israel, they face a number of inequities in the provision of educational services, access to higher education and access to job opportunities. The Negev Bedouin schools face additional problems related to the lack of qualified teachers and proper facilities. These schools have the highest drop‐out rates and the poorest success rates on the matriculation exams in the country. As of the 1993‐94 academic year, there were only 135 Bedouin Arab university graduates and 163 university students. Their higher education ratio is 2 per 1000, which is far below the Israeli national average of 80 per 1000. Recommendations are offered for improving the access of Negev Bedouin Arabs to higher education and their subsequent absorption into the Israeli labour market.     

The concurrent validity of the Cognitive Levels Test with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised for a sample of referred children and youth

The present investigation compared the Cognitive Levels Test (CLT) and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) scores for 55 children who were referred for remedial educational services. A comparison of the correlations for each of the criterion measures from the WISC-R showed a consistent significant positive relationship with the CLT. A repeated measures analysis of variance that compared standard scores for the CLT with those of the WISC-R indicated that significant differences existed between WISC-R IQs and the CLT Cognitive Index. Implications concerning the validity of the Cognitive Levels Test are discussed.     

Chip morphology predictions while machining hardened tool steel using finite element and smoothed particles hydrodynamics methods

Chip morphology predictions in metal cutting have always been challenging because of the complexity of the various multiphysical phenomena that occur across the tool-chip interface. An accurate prediction of chip morphology is a key factor in the assessment of a particular machining operation with regard to both tool performance and workpiece quality. Although finite element (FE) models are being developed over the last two decades, their capabilities in modeling correct material flow around the tool tip with shear localization are very limited. FE models with an arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE) approach are able to simulate correct material flow around the tool tip. However, these models are unable to predict any shear localization based on material flow criteria. On the other hand, FE models with a Lagrangian formulation can simulate shear localization in the chip segments; they need to make use of a mesh-based chip separation criterion that significantly affects material flow around the tool tip. In this study a mesh-free method viz. smoothed particles hydrodynamics (SPH) is implemented to simulate shear localization in the chip while machining hardened steel. Unlike other SPH models developed by some researchers, this model is based on a renormalized formulation that can consider frictional stresses along the tool-chip interface giving a realistic chip shape and material flow. SPH models with different cutting parameters are compared with the traditional FE models and it has been found that the SPH models are good for predicting shear localized chips and do not need any geometric or mesh-based chip separation criteria.     

Attitudes and Cultural Background and Their Relationship to English in a Multicultural Social Context: the case of male and female Arab immigrants in Canada [1]

This study investigated the relationship between attitudes and cultural background of 52 eighth‐grade Arab students in Canada and their reading comprehension of texts with English and Arabic content. An attitudes questionnaire, semi‐structured interviews and stories with cultural content in Arabic and English were used. Contrary to predictions made by schema theory, students scored higher whenever they read texts in English, their second language, regardless of cultural content. The multicultural reality of Canada seems to have provided students from different ethnic background with wide‐ranging cultural knowledge to cope successfully with unfamiliar cultural stories presented to them in the English language. Furthermore, gender differences were found among the Canadian Arab students with regard to the type of attitudes that motivated them to study English: male students showed predominantly instrumental attitudes, while females showed predominantly integrative attitudes towards learning English and becoming integrated into Canadian society. It is concluded that sociopsychological models of second‐language (L2) learning should be expanded to take into consideration gender differences and the gains that females coming from conservative societies start to achieve by learning the language of the host country and by integrating into its society.

     

A multidimensional approach to overcoming challenges in leading community college math tutoring success

The United States lags behind many countries in mathematics proficiency. Quite often, students after graduating from high school are not prepared to enter college and are required to take remedial courses before taking credit-bearing math courses. This is particularly true at two-year institutions such as LaGuardia Community College, which provides the opportunity for students from a diverse background to attend college and earn a degree. Our college has created numerous initiatives to support the least prepared students. Our Mathematics Learning Center offers support for courses ranging from remedial mathematics through calculus and differential equations. In recent semesters, the mathematics department decided to dedicate a select group of faculty members to identify new ways of improving services at the center. In this paper, we argue for the need to give faculty a central role in assessing and devising appropriate policies for running a tutoring center. We discuss several challenges and solutions that would provide a multidimensional approach to students’ educational experience at a public two-year urban college.     

An empirical study of the impact of multiple modes of delivery on student learning in a blended course

ABSTRACT

Finding ways to promote students’ online learning performance has always been regarded as a necessity for higher education institutions. In this study, we investigated how certain modes of learning delivery can potentially influence students’ learning. Precisely, the effects of Face-to-Face (F2F), Learning Management System (LMS), and Web-based Learning (WBL) on students’ online learning were examined. A survey questionnaire, distributed to 196 undergraduate students, was used in this study. The use of these modes showed varied effects on the learning outcomes of students. F2F learning mode was found to influence students’ performance in completing online assignments. The result also showed that the use of LMS-based learning mode affects students’ performance in the final exam. These results are believed to provide useful directions for the higher education community to better understand how certain modes of learning delivery can be related to the development of students’ performance in a blended learning environment.