A case study of a college-wide first-year undergraduate engineering course

Introductory engineering courses are either programme specific or expose students to engineering as a broad discipline by including materials from various engineering programmes. A common introductory engineering course that spans different engineering programmes raises challenges, including the high cost of resources as well as the lack of background courses of first-year students. This paper presents the design, implementation and evaluation of a first-year common engineering course that uses low-cost materials to expose students to a structured engineering design process. The course is explicitly designed to satisfy the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology criteria for engineering programmes. Our experience with the course shows that not only students are able to follow a structured design process successfully but we also believe that most of the ABET criteria are being delivered through the course.     

Support for Students with Hidden Disabilities in Universities: A Case Study

More students with disabilities are accessing the tertiary sector with many disabilities not easily observed (or hidden), because there are no physical indicators. These “hidden” disabilities affect a variety of cognitive processes and may be developmental or acquired. To ensure students with hidden disabilities can enrol, engage in and benefit from tertiary education, universities generally provide a range of supports. Typically these supports and any reasonable adjustments are negotiated with students taking into account a number of factors including, where available, any supporting documentation that they might be able to provide. This case study reports efforts within one large Australian university to support higher education students with hidden disabilities on campus. Perceptions on the use of and barriers to support available were collected from seven undergraduate students who self-identified as having hidden disabilities and from eight support staff. Results indicated that students found their informal networks to be their most effective supports, closely followed by clear, caring and flexible lecturers and tutors. There were mixed positive and negative perceptions reported on the universal and disability-specific supports available. Implications and future research directions are discussed.     

Fostering Instructor Knowledge of Student Thinking Using The Flipped Classroom

Abstract

In this article, we share a model of flipped instruction that allowed us to gain a window into our students’ mathematical thinking. We depict how that increased awareness of student thinking shaped our mathematics instruction in productive ways. Drawing on our experiences with students in our own classrooms, we show how flipped instruction can be used to design experiences that help students make sense of mathematics during class sessions.     

Four Perspectives on Flipping the Statistics Classroom: Changing Pedagogy to Enhance Student-Centered Learning

Abstract

The term “flipped” or “inverted” classroom includes a broad range of pedagogical innovations, and has recently received a significant amount of press. Although flipping an entire course might be a more extreme step than most are able to take, we discuss modular ideas for change that can be more easily implemented. This paper offers the perspective of four faculty members at different institutions who have all flipped material in statistics courses that were already highly interactive and activity-based. We share common pitfalls and core ideas that were found among diverse environments.     

Education Assistant Support in Inclusive Western Australian Classrooms: Trialling a Screening Tool in an Australian Context

Education assistants (EAs) who support students with disability in general education classrooms often find themselves in difficult situations. Caught in the firing line between their personal sense of duty, expectations of the classroom teachers, and the challenges that inclusion presents, their roles as primary support agents are anything but clear. In the following article the authors describe the findings from a modification of screening tool on the over-utilisation of paraprofessionals. The 16-item electronic survey focused on factors associated with EA support, conducted in a variety of Western Australian schools. The findings revealed that school community members such as EAs, classroom teachers, administrators and parents observed aspects of EA support that appear counter-productive towards more inclusive pedagogy.     

Instructional leadership practices in Singapore

This paper presents a review of the literature on principal instructional leadership in Singapore. The authors investigated the dimensions of instructional leadership in the practices of Singapore principals and highlighted the strategies these leaders adopt to enact their instructional roles. Singapore principals were found to play an active role in defining the school vision and promoting the school climate. However, in the areas of curriculum implementation and classroom instruction, the middle management team in the school played more active roles as compared to principals. Five broad conclusions were discussed to provide perspectives on instructional leadership practices in Singapore. This paper also highlighted limitations on current instructional leadership research in Singapore and pointed to areas of future research.     

Required Collaborative Work in Online Courses: A Predictive Modeling Approach

This article describes a predictive model that assesses whether a student will have greater perceived learning in group assignments or in individual work. The model produces correct classifications 87.5% of the time. The research is notable in that it is the first in the education literature to adopt a predictive modeling methodology using data collected via a designed experiment. All subjects experienced both a collaborative and an individual assignment, thus mitigating uncontrolled external factors in the measurement of differences in perceived learning. The exploratory nature of the work prompted the use of Partial Least Squares Regression for estimation. The work serves as an illustration of how predictive modeling might enlighten those in educational and academic settings.     

高压线除冰机器人本体结构设计

针对高压输电线路的覆冰情况,提出了一种线路除冰机器人,该机器人由行走机构、越障机构、除冰工具、传动系统和摄像系统组成。机器人利用固定在前端的除冰砂轮对覆冰切割,而后除冰锤实现180°半圆形往复运动对剩余覆冰进行反复敲打清除;驱动轮采用半圆型结构,适应一定范围的线径,为机器人提供了稳定性。该机器人体积小,除冰效率高,可清除厚度为10~25 mm的覆冰。     

山岳旅游地文化内涵的景观呈现设计手法探讨--以麻城龟峰山寿养文化为例

有效地将文化内涵予以呈现是山岳旅游地转型升级、寻求差异化发展、提升竞争力的关键举措。在分析麻城龟峰山发展现状尤其是文化内涵呈现存在的遮蔽问题的基础上,引入景观设计的相关理念来探讨其寿养文化内涵的呈现。并提出从营造寿养文化氛围、注意形象标识及景观节点设计、强调景区主题与功能分区文化景观主题的一致性、优化景区空间格局四大方面来呈现龟峰山寿养文化的构想。     

网络研修工作室专题设计研究

实践中发现网络研修工作室存在研修目标不明确、研修焦点发散、教师专业成长碎片化、研修主持人对学员引领缺乏持续性与深度等一系列问题。通过网络研修工作室专题设计可以加强网络研修的针对性与系统性,所设计的专题与校本研修主题保持一致,以克服教师专业成长碎片化、实现教师专业发展。