Fostering a collaborative and creative climate in a college class through idea-centered knowledge-building

This study explored the effects of student engagement in a knowledge-building (KB) environment on their collaborative learning process and the perceived creative climate of that environment. The participants were 30 college students who undertook a living technology course in which KB were employed. The main data sources include students’ online discourse and a creative climate questionnaire. The findings indicate that the students became progressively more collaborative and productive over time, and they also tended to perceive the climate of the learning environment as highly supportive of knowledge creation. Implications for designing creative learning environments are discussed.     

Nonlinear H∞ feedback control with integrator for polynomial discrete-time systems

This paper investigates the problem of designing a nonlinear _H∞$H_{\infty }$ feedback controller for polynomial discrete-time systems with and without polytopic uncertainties. The objective is to design a controller such that the ratio between the energy of the regulated outputs and the energy of the exogenous disturbance/inputs is minimized or guaranteed to be less or equal to a prescribed value. It is well known that the state dependant or parameter dependant Lyapunov function is always chosen for synthesizing polynomial discrete-time systems. This leads the solution to be nonconvex because the Lyapunov function and the controller matrix are coupled and therefore cannot be solved by semidefinite programming (SDP). Hence, in this paper, an integrator is proposed to be incorporated into the controller structure. In doing so, the coupling of Lyapunov function and controller matrix can be eliminated effectively. This somehow simplifies the numerical solution of the problem. Then, by using SOS decomposition approach, sufficient conditions for the existence of the proposed controller are provided in terms of solvability of the state-dependent linear matrix inequalities (SDLMIs) which can be solved by SDP. A tunnel diode circuit is used to demonstrate the effectiveness of this integrator approach.     

Comparative effects of plant growth regulators on leaf and stem explants of Labisia pumila var. alata

Objective: Labisia pumila var. alata, commonly known as ’Kacip Fatimah’ or ’Selusuh Fatimah’ in Southeast Asia, is traditionally used by members of the Malay community because of its post-partum medicinal properties. Its various pharmaceutical applications cause an excessive harvesting and lead to serious shortage in natural habitat. Thus, this in vitro propagation study investigated the effects of different plant growth regulators (PGRs) on in vitro leaf and stem explants of L. pumila. Methods: The capabilities of callus, shoot, and root formation were evaluated by culturing both explants on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with various PGRs at the concentrations of 0, 1, 3, 5, and 7 mg/L. Results: Medium supplemented with 3 mg/L indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) showed the optimal callogenesis from both leaf and stem explants with (72.34±19.55)% and (70.40±14.14)% efficacy, respectively. IBA was also found to be the most efficient PGR for root induction. A total of (50.00±7.07)% and (77.78±16.47)% of root formation were obtained from the in vitro stem and leaf explants after being cultured for (26.5±5.0) and (30.0±8.5) d in the medium supplemented with 1 and 3 mg/L of IBA, respectively. Shoot formation was only observed in stem explant, with the maximum percentage of formation ((100.00±0.00)%) that was obtained in 1 mg/L zeatin after (11.0±2.8) d of culture. Conclusions: Callus, roots, and shoots can be induced from in vitro leaf and stem explants of L. pumila through the manipulation of types and concentrations of PGRs.     

The change in epistemological beliefs and beliefs about teaching and learning: a study among pre-service teachers

This study investigated the change in Singaporean pre-service teachers' epistemological beliefs and beliefs about learning and teaching over the course of a teacher preparation program. An online survey was administered during the first week of a nine-month program and the same survey was administered after the 413 participants had completed all their course work and teaching practice. Participants exhibited significant changes in epistemological beliefs and beliefs about learning and teaching – participants indicated more relativistic epistemological outlooks and less constructivism in beliefs about teaching. At the end of the teacher preparation program, they seemed to less value effort in learning and believed more in innate ability.     

Teacher-education students’ views about knowledge building theory and practice

This study investigated the effects of engaging students to collectively learn and work with knowledge in a computer-supported collaborative learning environment called Knowledge Forum on their views about knowledge building theory and practice. Participants were 24 teacher-education students who took a required course titled “Integrating Theory and Practice in Teaching.” Data mainly came from (1) student discourse recorded in a Knowledge Forum database, (2) a survey that examined students’ views about knowledge building, and (3) interviews with regard to students’ perceived barriers to implementing knowledge building theory in teaching. Findings suggest that with sustained discourse to construct their collective understanding of the relationships between theory and practice in teaching for a semester, the participants were able to attain more informed and practical views about knowledge building theory. In addition, students’ perceived barriers to implementing knowledge building in teaching were identified and strategies to help overcome these barriers discussed.     

College Students Constructing Collective Knowledge of Natural Science History in a Collaborative Knowledge Building Community

Journal of Science Education and Technology - This study investigates whether engaging college students (n = 42) in a knowledge building environment would help them work as a...     

A survey to examine teachers’ perceptions of design dispositions,lesson design practices,and their relationships with technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK)

This study investigates 201 Singaporean teachers’ perceptions of their technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK), lesson design practices, and design dispositions through a survey instrument. Investigation of these constructs reveal important variables influencing teachers’ perceptions of TPACK which have not yet been explored. The confirmatory factor analysis and reliability analysis confirm the validity and reliability of the instrument. The structural equation model shows that the teachers’ perceptions of design dispositions (orientations towards design) and lesson design practices (approaches used for lesson design) have direct relationships with the teachers’ perceptions of TPACK. The results of this study show that to enhance teachers’ TPACK perceptions, teacher educators need to help teachers develop lesson design practices that support ideation and iteration. They also need to develop teachers’ design dispositions that are amenable to exploring and resolving conflicting lesson design ideas. Going beyond TPACK, understandings of teachers’ lesson design practices and design dispositions are important for teacher educators to better design professional development for integration of information and communications technology.     

澳门免费幼儿教育政策民意调查报告

澳门特区政府自2007～2008学年开始实施15年免费教育,至今已经实施5年了.为了解免费幼儿教育政策对澳门幼儿教育界的实际影响以及园(校)长、教师和家长对这一政策的态度,我们进行了相关研究,发现:(1)园(校)长、教师及家长大多对免费幼儿教育政策表示满意,其中家长满意度最高.(2)免费幼儿教育政策为澳门幼教发展带来了许多积极影响,负面影响较小.(3)免费幼儿教育政策对家长择园自主性的影响很小,对幼儿园课程与发展自主性的影响也很小,但会削弱入网私立幼儿园的行政自主性,在一定程度上增加了园(校)长和教师的工作压力.(4)政策的实施虽然对幼儿园收费标准的影响比较轻微,但是切实减轻了低收入家长的育儿负担.园(校)长、教师和家长均提出了改进免费幼儿教育政策的建议.     

Secondary school students’ intentions to learn AI: testing moderation effects of readiness,social good and optimism

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly integrated into existing technologies which has brought forth the fourth industrial and learning revolution, designing curriculum for AI education has become an important strategic development for education authorities throughout the world. Framed broadly from the Theory of Planned Behavior, this study examined a structural equational model to establish the interrelationships of students’ perceived usefulness, attitude towards using AI, subjective norms to learn about AI, basic literacy about AI and their behavioral intention to learn about AI. In addition, it examines the moderation effects of readiness, social good, and optimism on the research model. The findings confirm the hypothesized model. In addition, various moderation effects were found among students’ perception of readiness, social good, and optimism for AI. The implications of the study point towards the need to consider these factors in designing AI curriculum to foster students’ behavioral intention to learn AI.