FYYSIKA.EE

Elu, loodus, teadus ja tehnoloogia

Impedance modelling of pipes

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Impedance models of pipes can be used to estimate resonant frequencies of standing waves and model
acoustic pressure of closed and open ended pipes. Modelling a pipe with impedance methods allows
additional variations to the pipe to be included in th…

Inertia—the answer

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In my article (Featonby 2015 Phys. Educ . 50 [http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/0031-9120/50/6/768] 768
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/0031-9120/50/6/768] ) I asked what happens when a large mass is placed
between an impacting force and fragile item? Here I disc…

The three eggs experiment

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The three eggs experiment concerns 37 pre-service science teachers’ predictions about the impact
shapes of three uncooked eggs dropped from different heights. This experiment looks at energy
transformation from potential to kinetic energy, where th…

Where is the Sun at sunset?

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The question in the title above is exploited to analyse the relationship between different
astronomical models and frames of reference. The paper highlights the fact that the geostatic model,
the favoured model in ordinary discourse, even that of sci…

Hysteresis in the phase transition of chocolate

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We designed an experiment to reproduce the hysteresis phenomenon of chocolate appearing in the
heating and cooling process, and then established a model to relate the solidification degree to the
order parameter. Based on the Landau–Devonshire theo…

Dimensions of Openness: Beyond the Course as an Open Format in Online Education

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The objective of the paper is to provide a framework for understanding the pedagogical opportunities of openness in education. The paper will argue that openness in education should not only be viewed as opening existing resources and courses to a broader audience. Openness is also a matter of providing insight and enable communication and collaboration across traditional barriers – such as distance and accessibility. From this perspective, openness is the removal of barriers for interaction and exchange – and not only a matter of providing access to resources or courses. Rather, the objective is to open education to the outside world, which entails an interaction between educational institutions and society. The key point of the paper is that to do this, educational activities need to change and move beyond the course as the main unit of openness. Openness is not only a matter of opening up the existing, but to develop new educational practices that interact with the world. The paper outlines three different dimensions of openness that describe different types of interaction between institutions and society: transparency, communication and engagement. To exemplify the dimensions, the paper presents a case study that demonstrates the three dimensions of openness in an university programme. The paper concludes in a discussion of educational technologies for the different dimensions of openness.

A MOOC on Approaches to Machine Translation

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This paper describes the design, development and analysis of a MOOC entitled “Approaches to Machine Translation: rule-based, statistical and hybrid” providing lessons learnt on conclusions to be take into account in the future. The course was developed within a Canvas platform, used by recognized European universities. The course contains video-lectures, quizzes and laboratory assignments. Evaluation is done across on-line quizzes, programming assignments (PAs) evaluated by means of a specific code evaluation and peer-to-peer strategies. This MOOC allows to introduce people from various areas to the Machine Translation theory and practice. It also allows to internationally publisize different tools developed at the Universitat Polit`ecnica de Catalunya.

A strategic response to MOOCs: How one European university is approaching the challenge

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This paper briefly outlines some of the macro level claims, counter-claims and unresolved debates surrounding the rapid growth of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) in Higher Education. It then reports insights, experiences and perceptions of those charged with developing a strategic institutional response to the challenges and opportunities presented by the MOOC movement framed within a wider European context. A description of the key drivers, strategic deliberations and major decision points at Dublin City University (DCU) is provided along with brief analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of a range of MOOC options set against an increasingly complex and rapidly evolving technology-enhanced learning terrain. In reflecting on this micro level experience, informed by lessons from the burgeoning literature on MOOCs, the paper aims to demonstrate the value of aligning key decisions with well-defined institutional drivers, which are used to help compare and contrast the affordances of different MOOC platforms. Finally, a number of strategic questions are presented that may help guide future decisions about the adoption of MOOCs by other institutions. 

Opportunities and Threats of the MOOC Movement for Higher Education: The European Perspective

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The Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) movement is the latest ‘big thing’ in Open and Distance Learning (ODL) which threatens to transform Higher Education. Both opportunities and threats are extensively discussed in literature, comprising issues on opening up education for the whole world, pedagogy and online versus campus education. Most of the literature focus on the origin of the MOOC movement in the US. The specific context of Europe with on the one hand autonomous countries and educational systems and on the other hand cross-border cooperation and regulations through the European Union differs from the US context. This specific context can influence the way in which the MOOC movement affect education in Europe, both reusing MOOCs from other continents (US) as publishing MOOCs, on a European platform or outside of Europe. In the context of the EU funded HOME project, a research was conducted to identify opportunities and threats of the MOOC movement on the European institutions of higher education. Three sources of data were gathered and analysed. Opportunities and threats were categorized in two levels. The macro level comprises issues related to the higher education system, European context, historical period and institutional level. The micro level covers aspects related to faculty, professors and courses, thus to the operational level. The main opportunities mentioned were the ECTS system as being a sound base for formal recognition of accomplishments in MOOCs, the tendency to cooperate between institutions, stimulated by EU funded programs and the many innovative pedagogical models used in MOOCs published in Europe. The main threats mentioned were a lacking implementation of the ECTS system, hindering bridging non/formal and formal education and too much regulation, hindering experimenting and innovation.

The Helmholtz decomposition revisited

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In electrodynamics it is generally accepted that only vector fields decaying asymptotically more
strongly than the inverse of the distance can be split into an irrotational and a solenoidal part,
although this decomposition can clearly be applied to…

The atmospheric extinction of light

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An experiment is described that enables students to understand the properties of atmospheric
extinction due to Rayleigh scattering. The experiment requires the use of red, green and blue lasers
attached to a travelling microscope or similar device. T…

Invariance of the Noether charge

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Surprisingly, an interesting property of the Noether charge that it is by itself invariant under the
corresponding symmetry transformation is never discussed in quantum field theory or classical
mechanics textbooks we have checked. This property is a…

Exploring new learning paradigms in ODL: A reflection on the paper of Barber, Donnelly and Rizvi (2013): “An avalanche is coming: Higher education and the revolution ahead”.

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The paper of Barber, Donnelly & Rizvi (2013): “An avalanche is coming: Higher education and the revolution ahead”  addresses some significant issues in higher education and poses some challenging questions to ODL (Open and Distance Learning) administrators, policy makers and of course to ODL faculty in general.  Barber et al.’s paper does not specifically address the area of teaching and learning theories, strategies and methodologies per se.  In this paper I would therefore like to reflect on the impact that the contemporary changes and challenges that Barber et al. describes, have on teaching and learning approaches and paradigms.  In doing so I draw on earlier work about future learning paradigms and navigationism (Brown, 2006).  We need a fresh approach and new skills to survive the revolution ahead.  We need to rethink our teaching and learning strategies to be able to provide meaningful learning opportunities in the future that lies ahead.

Design Considerations for Integrating Twitter into an Online Course

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While the use of Twitter for communication and assessment activities in online courses is not new, it has not been without its challenges. This is increasingly true of high enrolment courses. The use of a Twitter Evaluation application which leverages a Learning Management System’s (LMS’s) application programming interface (API) provides a solution which reduces the administrative overhead associated with tracking students’ Tweets and allows the grader to focus on the assessment of the Tweets’ quality. Such an application and how it improved the assessment process of grading Tweet events is described. In addition to the technological considerations, the soundness of the Twitter learning design in the course impacts the effectiveness of the Tweet events for learning and enhancing the much needed online social presence. Learning design considerations are also discussed. 

Exploring the Roles of Social Participation in Mobile Social Media Learning: A Social Network Analysis

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Social media is increasingly becoming an essential platform for social connectivity in our daily lives. The availability of mobile technology has further fueled its importance – making it a ubiquitous tool for social interaction. An emerging mode of learning is the mobile social media learning where social media is used in the mobile learning mode. However, limited studies have been conducted to investigate roles of social participation in this field. Thus, the study investigates roles of social participation in mobile social media learning using the “ladder of participation and mastering”. Participants were students taking an educational technology course in a local university. The study was conducted in a four-month period. Data was collected from discussions while learning among the students using one of the mobile social media platforms, Facebook groups. The data was analyzed using a social network analysis tool, NodeXL. Data was analyzed based on egocentric networks, betweeness centrality, and closeness centrality. The findings revealed that there are four roles of social participation in mobile social media, which are: (i) lurkers; (ii) gradually mastering members/passive members; (iii) recognized members; and (iv) coaches. The findings also indicated that over the course of four months, learners can inter-change roles of social participation – becoming more central or less central in learning discussions. As a result, a roles of social participation scale for mobile social media learning is proposed. Future research could be conducted in other fields to investigate whether mobile social media could be used to promote learning. 

The Role of Social Media for Collaborative Learning to Improve Academic Performance of Students and Researchers in Malaysian Higher Education

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Social media is widely considered to improve the collaborative learning among students and researchers. However, there is a surprising lack of empirical research in Malaysian higher education to improve performance of students and researchers through the effective use of social media that facilitates desirable outcomes. Thus, this study offers a review of the empirical literature, and its distinctiveness stems from the focus on collaborative learning and engagement in literature, as dominated by higher education. This study also aims to explore factors that contribute to the enhancement of collaborative learning and engagement through social media.  It is also unique in that it highlights that the effective use of social media depends on users in what is referred to as social interactivity to “collaborative learning, engagement and intention to use social media” – a phenomenon that relies on the theory of social constructivist learning. The findings showed that collaborative learning, engagement and intention to use social media positively and significantly relate to the interactivity of research group members (students and researchers) with supervisors to improve their academic performance in Malaysian higher education.

An Investigation of University Student Readiness towards M-learning using Technology Acceptance Model

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M-learning is learning delivered via mobile devices and mobile technology. The research indicates that this medium of learning has potential to enhance formal as well as informal learning.  However, acceptance of m-learning greatly depends upon personal attitude of students towards this medium; therefore this study focuses only on the individual context in which role of student’s readiness towards m-learning is investigated using Technology acceptance model (TAM). TAM is the popular choice among the researchers for investigating acceptance of any new technology primarily because of its robust and parsimonious nature. The sample selected for this study consisted of students from the private sector universities in a developing country. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection. The final results of investigation were based on 244 valid responses. The results indicate that the students’ skills and psychological readiness strongly influence their perceived ease of use (PEU) and perceived usefulness (PU) of m-learning, whereas both these constructs positively influenced their behavioral intention to use m-learning. The findings of this study have theoretical as well as practical implications which are discussed at the end.

Stories from Students in Their First Semester of Distance Learning

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Online and distance learning is becoming increasingly common. Some would say it has quickly become the preferred or ‘new normal’ mode of study throughout the world. However, surprisingly little is known about what actually happens to first year distance students once they have enrolled in tertiary institutions; what motivates them and how they actually experience the transition to formal study by distance. This gap in the literature presents a challenge for distance education providers who worldwide are coming under increasing scrutiny in light of poor retention, progression and completion rates. Against this backdrop, the purpose of the current study was to gather insights and seek a deeper understanding from first-time distance learners about the nature of their experiences. The study was framed around Design-based Research involving a mixed method approach over three phases. This paper focuses on the third phase, which was the major component of the study. The lived experiences of 20 first-time distance learners were gathered, in their own words, using weekly video diaries for data collection. Over 22 hours of video data was transcribed and thematically analysed, from which five themes have been reported. The discussion reflects on the ways that video diaries have provided a unique insight around the complexities of distance learning — as distinct from campus-based learning. The paper concludes that the new digital learning environment made possible by the Internet offers a number of exciting possibilities for distance learners; however, more needs to be done by institutions to change the ‘lone wolf’ preconception of distance education and to avoid the ‘goulash approach’ to supporting distance learners. The lives of first-time distance learners are not black and white; they are complex shades of grey and this needs to be taken in to account when designing appropriate learning experiences and supports to ensure student success.

Student Enrollment and Dropout: An Evaluation Study of Diploma in Computer Science and Application Program at Bangladesh Open University

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Abstract:

The aim of this study is to investigate the present status of DCSA program focusing on student enrollment, dropout and completion trends.  The study tries to explore the factors that attract or pull students to enroll in the program and push them to dropout from the program. Secondary data analysis and interview are used to generate data. Quantitative analysis for the secondary data is used to explore students’ enrollment, dropout and completion trends. Qualitative approach is used to analyze the information generated from key participants’ interviews. The findings of the study reveal that students’ enrollment and completion trends are not at satisfactory level. The push factors identified from the study are mostly extrinsic or institution related. The factors that need to improve are current instructional strategy, timely delivery of learning materials and provide course related information, strengthen the activities of Regional Resource Centers (RRC) and Sub Regional Resource Centers (SRRC). The findings have some policy implications implying that the policy makers of BOU should take into account to improve the quality of DCSA program offered by BOU through the delivery mode of ODL.

 

How factors of personal attitudes and learning environments to affect gender difference toward mobile learning acceptance

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Mobile technology for learning empowers the shift from traditionally pure instructor-centered classroom teaching to fully learner-centered educational settings. Although mobile learning (m-learning) accessing Internet resources anytime and anywhere, the issue of the relationship between gender perspectives and m-learning environments has been a controversial topic. Therefore, the main research objective of the research is to explore gender differences toward APP-based m-learning environments. Subjects of the study were selected university students who had already used an APP-based m-learning system for one month. A total of one hundred fifty nine valid questionnaires were collected, spilt evenly between female and male students. The statistical analyses lead to significant conclusions. Both female and male learners have highly positive perceptions toward m-learning. Additionally, the proposed research model is an acceptable conceptual model for investigating female and male learners’ attitudes. Furthermore, factors of personal attitudes and learning environments affect gender difference toward m-learning acceptance. 

Mainstreaming Open Textbooks: Educator Perspectives on the Impact of OpenStax College open textbooks

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This paper presents the results of collaborative research between OpenStax College, who have published 16 open textbooks to date, and the OER Research Hub, a Hewlett funded open research project examining the impact of open educational resources (OER) on learning and teaching.  The paper focuses primarily on the results of two surveys that were conducted with educators during 2013 and 2014/2015. These surveys focused on use and perceptions of OER and OpenStax College materials, financial savings and perceptions of impact on both educators and students.  This paper reports on the research findings related to the impact of OER on educator practice and make a series of specific recommendations based on these findings. 

Zipper model for the melting of thin films

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We propose an alternative model to Lindemann’s criterion for melting that explains the melting of
thin films on the basis of a molecular zipper-like mechanism. Using this model, a unique criterion
for melting is obtained. We compared the results of…