Intelligent fuzzy spelling evaluator for e-Learning systems

Evaluating Learners’ Response in an e-Learning environment has been the topic of current research in areas of Human Computer Interaction, e-Learning, Education Technology and even Natural Language Processing. The current paper presents a twofold strategy to evaluate single word response of a learner in an e-Learning environment. The response of the learner to be evaluated would consist of errors committed due to lack of knowledge and also out of inadvertent mistakes committed while typing the answers. The proposed system benevolently considers such errors and still marks the learner partially. The feature incorporated in this work adds the human element to the mechanised system of evaluation and assessment in an e-Learning environment.     

Raising Basic Education Levels in Rural Bangladesh: The Impact of a Non-formal Education Programme

Based on the concept of "basic education" from the Declaration of the World Conference on Education for All (WCEFA, Jomtien 1990), this paper explores the impact of the non-formal education programme (NFPE) of the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) in the achievement of basic education for rural Bangladeshi children. Using an instrument developed previously in Bangladesh, three groups with different educational experiences were assessed: (1) children who attended BRAC's NFPE; (2) those attending formal school; (3) children who had never attended school. A total of 720 randomly selected children, who live in five rural areas of Bangladesh were assessed in this study. Of the four components of basic education, BRAC children did significantly better in life skills and writing than their peers in formal schools. Equal performance was observed in reading and numeracy. Although the children who had never attended school in general did poorly, some had developed life skills knowledge and more than half had acquired numeracy skills. This study concludes that BRAC's education programme has a positive impact on basic education in rural Bangladesh.     

Level and Trend of Basic Education of Children in Bangladesh: 1993-1998

Using data generated through two nationally representative sample surveys, this paper explores the trends in the level of basic education of Bangladeshi children. The instrument used for the purpose was based on the Declaration of the World Conference on Education for All (WCEFA, Jomtien, 1990). The findings reveal that the level of 'basic education' increased very slowly, 26.7% in 1993 to 29.6% in 1998, less than one percentage point per year. Statistically significant improvement was observed in 'life skills knowledge' and 'writing skills', but not in 'reading' or 'numeracy'. Girls progressed in 'reading', 'writing' and 'life skills', while the boys in 'writing' and 'life skills'. Over the period, the level improved for rural children but decreased for urban children. Bangladesh falls much behind the targets of the Jomtien Conference in 1990; it will have to wait until 2093 AD to reach the WCEFA goal. The country has made good progress in increasing the access to primary education, but a massive drive is necessary to improve the quality of education.     

Ziegler–Natta polymerization and the remaining challenges

Polymers have become indispensable in the 21st century, and today we cannot imagine life without them. However, till around the beginning of the last century, the science of polymers was considered a very primitive discipline, and majority of the scientific community did not believe that polymers even existed. Hermann Staudinger, among others, fought a long battle to convince the scientific community that polymers are real and that they are long chain molecular entities. Building on this rational bedrock of polymer science, Prof. Karl Ziegler laid the foundation of ethylene polymerization. As outlined by Dr. Sivaram in his articles on Ziegler and Natta, careful observations and systematic analyses of serendipitous results enabled Ziegler to deveop the enormously significant ‘Mülheim atmospheric polyethylene process’. A decade later, Cossee and Arlman revealed the mechanism of this polymerization reaction, which is called ‘insertion polymerization’. Insertion polymerization is popularly known as the ‘Ziegler–Natta polymerization’, in recognition of its founding fathers. Today, the world produces about 180 million tons of polyolefins annually, and polyethylene or polythene has become a household name.In this article, I shall present an overview of Ziegler–Natta polymerization. I will highlight the mechanism of this reaction, and outline the progress made in the last seven decades using some real-world examples. The last part of this artificle will take a stock of the unresolved challenges posed by Ziegler–Natta polymerization, briefiy discuss current solutions, and reiterate the enormous potential of this seventy-year-old reaction to meet contemporary challenges.     

Private supplementary tutoring among primary students in Bangladesh

Using the databases created under Education Watch, a civil society initiative to monitor primary and basic education in Bangladesh, this paper explores trends, socioeconomic differentials and cost in private supplementary tutoring among primary students and its impact on learning achievement. The rate of primary school students getting access to private supplementary tutoring is increasing at two percentage points per year and reached 31% in 2005. Incidence of private tutoring was greater among boys and urban students than respective counterparts. Educated parents and well‐off families were more likely to arrange supplementary tutoring for their children. A wide variation in the cost for private tutoring prevailed. The tutees spent 46% of their total private expenditure for education on supplementary tutoring. Supplementary tutoring helped students learn more than those who had no such support. Private tutors for primary school students have become a well‐accepted norm. Finally, a number of social implications are discussed.