Freshman Organic Chemistry
This is the first semester in a two-semester introductory course
focused on current theories of structure and mechanism in organic
chemistry, their historical development, and their basis in
experimental observation. The course is open to freshmen with
excellent preparation in chemistry and physics, and it aims to
develop both taste for original science and intellectual skills
necessary for creative research.
Bridging the Contextual Distance: The e-CASE Learning Environment for Supporting StudentsÂ’ Context
Supporting studentsÂ’ awareness of the complex way that contextual issues affect knowledge application in authentic situations is a critical instructional mission and can lead to improved problem solving in the workplace. In this work we present the design of e-CASE (Context Awareness Supporting Environment), which is a case based learning environment for supporting instruction in the domain of software development. In designing e-CASE we employ a model for context which further guides the use o
A Programming by Demonstration Authoring Tool
for Model-Tracing Tutors
Model-tracing tutors have consistently been among the most effective class of intelligent learning environments. Across a number of empirical studies, these tutors have shown students can learn the tutored domain better or in a shorter amount of time than traditionally taught students (Anderson et al., 1990). Unfortunately, the creation of these tutors, particularly the production system component, is a time-intensive task, requiring knowledge that lies outside the tutored domain. This outside k
Identifying Coordination Agents for Collaborative Telelearning
This paper deals with identifying roles for coordination agents in a future collaborative telelearning environment. The current practice of students participating in a net-based simulation marketing game on-campus, is studied with an eye on designing a future collaborative telelearning environment where this same net-based simulation game will be central. The work described in this paper is situated within the theoretical foundations of computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL). In partic
Dialectics for collective activities: an approach to virtual campus design
This contribution is an attempt to systematise our approach to the design of a virtual campus. Activities in the recently started TECFA virtual campus rely on Internet tools, but they concern both distance teaching and presential interactions. Designing learning activities is relatively easy when the learning goal is an activity in itself. In this contribution, we explain how we extend the “learning by doing” approach to the acquisition of declarative knowledge. After fulfilling a pseudo-task,
Internet Scout Project
The University of Minnesota Structure and Tectonics Research Group describes its research on the deformation of continental lithosphere at this website. Users can find clear explanations of the group's current projects including partial melting and orogeny, continental subduction, and shear zones. Students and scientists can find the research interests and a list of publications for the group's faculty, research associates, and students. The website displays the group's analytical, field, and te
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Operating as the nonprofit research campus of the University and Community College System of Nevada, the Desert Research Institute (DRI) conducts more than $27 million in environmental research each year with the help of its approximately 400 research faculty and support staff. The informational research page of the main Web site offers descriptions; publications; links; and other relevant facts from the various arms of the institute, which include the Division of Atmospheric Sciences, Division
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In June 2000, the Fourteenth Symposium on Thermophysical Properties was held to review the progress of thermophysics over the last 100 years and to look forward to the next century of research and development in thermophysics. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) provides a special publication online covering the event, including overviews of topical issues by professionals in the field and several brief, invited essays on issues raised in the forum by panelists, audience pa
Learning to collaborate: Designing collaboration in a 3-D game environment
To respond to learning needs, Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) must provide instructional support. The particular focus of this paper is on designing collaboration in a 3-D virtual game environment intended to make learning more effective by promoting student opportunities for interaction. The empirical experiment eScape, which encourages learners to solve problems collaboratively, is also presented. eScape is a design experiment, comprising both the process of designing a collab
Internet Scout Project
The Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Deep-Sea Sample Repository archives sediment and rock deep-sea core data for marine geology and oceanographic research and education. Students can learn about the process of taking the cores, the characteristics of the specimens collected, and their benefits. Researchers can search over 300 datasets for cores sites, mineralogy, micropaleontology, and other core data. Scientific investigators can find out how to obtain samples from the cores. This expansive we
Cowos: A Model of Collective Work Situations to Support Modelling and Simulation Based Approaches of
This paper describes an operational model of collective work situations. This model is rooted in the CHAT theory. It allows creating multi-agent simulations where the agentsÂ’ behaviour is defined in terms that make salient organization issues, and allows building learning situations that focus on making students consider explicitly these issues.
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This University of Calgary website provides summaries of the educational opportunities and of the diverse research interests of the hydrogeology group. Individuals can find synopses of the group's applied isotope geochemistry, electrical resistivity imaging, groundwater modeling, surface-ground water interaction, and hydrology research. The website offers information on the research interests, educational background, and publications of the many faculty, post doctorate, and graduate students. Ge
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The University of Tennessee at Martin provides hands-on science materials in order to "bring students physically and mentally into touch with the science they are studying." This website offers many lesson plans for grades kindergarten through eighth in various science fields including physics, meteorology, geology, oceanography, and space science. Students can learn about the process of scientific research from observing to analyzing and explaining the data they collected. The website also cove
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The Cyber Security Group at Pennsylvania State University is developing database software that can detect "attacks by malicious transactions" and repair the database with no interruption. This research paper proposes five different schemes for implementing such a system, with each one building on the previous. Some of the main goals for the schemes are automatic damage repair, attack isolation to prevent multiple attacks of the same type, and damage containment during the repair process. One of
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Trinity College in Ireland hosts this site about the History of Mathematics. Rather than identifying key discoveries and theorems, the site mainly gives accounts of many prominent mathematicians and focuses on their research and contributions. Most material deals with the period between the 17th and 19th centuries, a time that produced many ideas that form the basis of modern mathematics. Some famous people highlighted on the site include Descartes, Fermat, and Sir Isaac Newton. A number of hist
Promoting Self-Directed Learning in Simulation Based Discovery Learning Environments Through Intell
Providing learners with computer-generated feedback on their learning process in simulation-based discovery environments cannot be based on a detailed model of the learning process due to the "open" character of discovery learning. This paper describes a method for generating adaptive feedback for discovery learning based on an "opportunistic" learning model that takes the current hypothesis of the learner and the experiments performed to test this hypothesis as input. The method was applied in
When less is sometimes more: Optimal learning conditions are required for schema acquisition from mu
While it is usually claimed that multiple examples for the illustration of problem categories are a necessary prerequisite for schema acquisition, there is a lack of conclusive empirical evidence supporting this claim. Moreover, there are findings indicating that carefully designed one-example conditions may allow for profitable processes of example comparison as well. In line with this reasoning, we present an experiment – that builds up on a series of studies conducted by Quilici and Mayer (1
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The latest Federal Funds for Research and Development publication was recently released from the National Science Foundation. The report presents data on federal funds for research and development by character of work, performer of research and development, geographic location, field of science for research, and more. The document is offered in both HTML and Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) formats.
Internet Scout Project
The Tsunami Research Center at the University of Southern California "is actively involved with all aspects of tsunami research; inundation field surveys, numerical and analytical modeling, and hazard assessment, mitigation and planning." The website supplies interactive maps and chilling images of the destruction caused by the December 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean. Visitors can find out the latest tsunami news and research. Students and educators can view animations of seismic activity, lan
Towards Web 2.0 Schools: Rethinking the Teachers Professional Development
This paper aims at analyzing the Web 2.0 based distance education in the K-12 schools as an emerging phenomenon that catalyzes a new educational reform all over the world. Some pre-Web 2.0 best practice examples are analyzed in order to draw the main findings in the paper. The teacherÂ’s professional qualification designed to meet the new challenges is considered as a key problem for a successful penetration of this phenomenon in the schools. It is emphasized on the importance of designing a lif
