Legendre wavelet operational matrix of derivative for optimal control in a convective–diffusive fluid problem

We consider the problem of controlling the model of one-dimensional fluid flow through a soil packed tube in which a contaminant is initially distributed. A fluid is pumped through a tube to remove the contaminant. The control problem is to determine the optimal convective velocity due to the fluid being pumped by minimizing a given performance criterion. The performance criterion is chosen to be a combination of the total contaminant at the final time and the cost of the control. The set of orthogonal Fourier trigonometry series is used as a basis function of the Galerkin procedure to lump the distributed parameter system. A Legendre wavelet operational matrix of derivative is used to approximate the control and modal state variables. The main characteristics of this technique is that it reduces these problems to those of solving a system of algebraic equations, thus greatly simplifying the problem. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is illustrated numerically and the results are quite satisfactory.     

Assessment of the laboratory learning environment in an inquiry-oriented chemistry laboratory in Arab and Jewish high schools in Israel

An inquiry-oriented laboratory in chemistry was integrated into the chemistry curriculum in Jewish high schools in Israel, and after a short period was also implemented in Arab sector. In this study, we investigated the effect of culture on the perceptions of laboratory classroom learning environments by comparing the perceptions of Arab and Jewish high school students who learned the inquiry-oriented chemistry laboratory. The learning environment is influenced by student-teacher relationship and we thought that this relation is an important issue in the inquiry laboratory and is different between the Arab and Jewish populations. However, until recently, the Arab teachers have remained in the centre of the learning process and their students perceived them as the main source of knowledge and information. In this study, we used both quantitative and qualitative methods to determine whether the laboratory learning environment was different in Arab and Jewish classes that learned in the inquiry-oriented laboratory in chemistry. A statistical comparison of Arab and Jewish inquiry groups revealed significant differences in their actual and preferred perceptions. From the qualitative part of the study, we found that the teachers and students from the Arab and Jewish sectors were statistically similar in the categories that we measured during the inquiry phase, but they were statistically different during the pre-inquiry phase of the laboratory. From the interviews with the teachers and the students, we found that there were differences in the student-teacher relationship between the two sectors.     

How are universities responding to demands for an improved learning environment?

Globally, universities are currently facing increased external demands to strengthen and develop their learning environments. The article examines how a sample of Norwegian universities responds to governmental demands concerning establishing good learning environments. Based on document analysis and interviews, the article demonstrates that the concept of the learning environment seems to be interpreted and implemented in a standardised way and that institutional work in this area might suffer from a decoupling between ‘administrative’ and ‘academic’ responsibilities. Furthermore, the analysis shows that the universities studied to a great extent seem to rely on copying and imitating understandings of the concept instead of using it to develop more specific and uniquely local practices. In conclusion, the article calls for more attention to the consequences of specific organisational solutions, and it is argued that more attention should be given to identifying factors that enable or constrain how universities handle external pressure for change.     

EFFECT OF CULTURE ON HIGH-SCHOOL STUDENTS’ QUESTION-ASKING ABILITY RESULTING FROM AN INQUIRY-ORIENTED CHEMISTRY LABORATORY

In order to cope with complex issues in the science–technology–environment–society context, one must develop students’ high-order learning skills, such as question-asking ability (QAA), critical thinking, evaluative thinking, decision-making, and problem-solving capabilities within science education. In this study, we are concerned with evaluating the effect of student–teacher interaction—which is regulated by culture and traditions—on the QAA in science classroom in general and, specifically in our case, in chemistry laboratory classroom. We take Arab and Jewish sectors that are according to the literature different in their culture and tradition, as a model for our investigation. Specially developed and validated tools, including a novel practical test and an adapted article followed by a questionnaire for evaluating QAA, were administered to the research student population, and the responses were analyzed quantitatively. Observations were conducted in order to better understand the quantitative results that we got. Our findings indicate that there was a difference in the QAA between the 2 sectors. According to our findings, we assume that cultures, tradition, norms, social structure, modes of living, and related factors play a significant role as far as the development of students’ QAA and apparently any intended attempt targeting the QAA paradigm shift must take into consideration the multicultural context within which it is to be implemented.     

Society-in-the-loop: programming the algorithmic social contract

Recent rapid advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning have raised many questions about the regulatory and governance mechanisms for autonomous machines. Many commentators, scholars, and policy-makers now call for ensuring that algorithms governing our lives are transparent, fair, and accountable. Here, I propose a conceptual framework for the regulation of AI and algorithmic systems. I argue that we need tools to program, debug and maintain an algorithmic social contract, a pact between various human stakeholders, mediated by machines. To achieve this, we can adapt the concept of human-in-the-loop (HITL) from the fields of modeling and simulation, and interactive machine learning. In particular, I propose an agenda I call society-in-the-loop (SITL), which combines the HITL control paradigm with mechanisms for negotiating the values of various stakeholders affected by AI systems, and monitoring compliance with the agreement. In short, ‘SITL = HITL + Social Contract.’     

One country,two cultures – a multi-perspective view on Israeli chemistry teachers’ beliefs about teaching and learning

This paper presents a study focusing on differences in Israeli Jewish and Arab chemistry teachers’ beliefs regarding teaching and learning of chemistry in the upper secondary schools. Israel is a country experiencing the problems of diverse cultural orientation of its inhabitants but applying the same educational system to its diverse cultural sectors. Education includes the same curriculum in chemistry for both the Israeli Jewish and Arab cultural sectors as well as final examinations (matriculation) set centrally by the Ministry of Education. Thus, this study can serve as a striking case for other countries facing similar cultural diversity. The study is based on two different instruments that are both qualitative and quantitative in nature. The qualitative data stem from chemistry teachers’ drawings of themselves as teachers in a typical classroom situation accompanied by four open questions. The data analysis follows three qualitative scales: beliefs about classroom organization, beliefs about teaching objectives and epistemological beliefs. A quantitative study gives insights into teachers’ beliefs about what characterizes good education. The main goal of the present paper is to determine whether both groups of chemistry teachers with different sociocultural background in Israel hold different views about education in general and chemistry education in particular. The findings provide evidence that in Israeli chemistry classrooms, the beliefs of Arabic teachers differ from those of the Jewish teachers, although both groups live in the same country and operate the same educational system.