The study investigated the impact that children experienced after the inclusion of educational devices and non-contact virtual learning during the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. An investigation was needed see how the primary use of educational devices and how the effects of non-contact virtual learning impacted the social-emotional development of children during this time. Five educators and five parents participated in this study including their observations and perspectives. Open-ended interviews and a survey had been conducted to gather the qualitative data. I examined the data in a thematic analysis using evaluation and emotion coding to quantify the results. 37% of the parents felt their child had been negatively impacted by the use of educational devices and non-contact virtual learning by the virtual modifications created for children who were originally in brick-and-mortar schools during the pandemic. The majority of the educators (64%) believed the use of educational devices and non-contact learning methods negatively impacted their students' social-emotional development. Educators disclosed the difficulty to incorporate group activities on the educational devices, as the time only allotted for individual module work. When non-contact virtual learning was incorporated, the educators discussed the regulation control skills students lacked. There were concerns by the participants of the limited exposure to social experiences children need for development. It was important to see if this study showed any areas of concern if educational devices and virtual learning practices had impacted children during COVID-19. Results could be used to inform educational practices toward social-emotional development for future distance education needs.

The COVID-19 pandemic uncovered instructional changes within higher education. Accommodations for continued instruction included a transition to remote learning. However, little research exists regarding the experiences of medical residents during this transition in their education while combating the COVID-19 pandemic. This qualitative study, phenomenological in nature, aimed to explore the lived experiences of internal medicine medical residents at one medical college in Central Florida regarding the transition from face-to-face instruction to remote learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Eleven participating medical residents underwent semi-structured interviews via Zoom. Garrison's Community of Inquiry conceptual model and Hall and Hord's Concerns-Based Adoption Model theoretical framework were used. The researcher utilized Colaizzi's phenomenological analysis method to analyze the interview transcripts and Saldaña's coding method to code the data. Dedoose software was used in the analysis process. Participants were found to have shared and non-shared experiences and encountered both benefits and challenges from remote learning. Shared experiences included travel difficulties due to border closures and family challenges. Benefits included the presence of national guest speakers in lectures, attending lectures from the convenience and comfort of home, and the addition of interactive learning methods such as Kahoot and Jeopardy. Challenges experienced during the transition included curricular disorganization, distractions such as watching movies, a lack of interest in attending lectures, and a lack of interaction, with colleagues and by the instructor. Further research recommendations are discussed regarding emergency preparedness in higher education and graduate medical education, in addition to instructor perspectives.

This study explores the perceptions toward immigrant criminality in Utah of four distinct social groups: state legislators, immigrants, law enforcement personnel, and incarcerated immigrants. Each group was examined separately and found to have a variety of perceptions among their members. Themes emerged that provided insight into the overlap and complexity of these differences across social groups. Legislators appeared the most dichotomous: some believed immigration and crime to be positively correlated, especially for undocumented immigrants, while others perceived no such connection. Among immigrants, perceptions were extremely diverse, but generally represented by reference to an unsubstantiated stereotype that immigrants committed crime at a higher rate than non-immigrants, though there were wide gaps in other areas within this group. For law enforcement, perceptions varied according to social distance and the degree of interaction with immigrants: those officers who dealt more intimately with immigrants had more sympathetic and nuanced perceptions. Incarcerated immigrants represented a diversity of perceptions with complexities similar to those manifested in the immigrant group; but overall, most did not consider themselves to be criminal. Future research is suggested and recommended.

This phenomenological study examined the lived experiences of online Algebra I teachers as they relate to the instruction of minority students. There is an academic achievement gap that exists between minority students and their non-minority peers in United States public education (Sousa & Armor, 2016). Although national educational policy has sought to narrow the academic achievement gap, it is persistent and must be addressed because public education affects the future of our nation (Fullan & Quinn, 2016). Virtual education is a growing platform for learning, with nearly 300,000 students enrolled across the United States. Achievement data demonstrates the existence of an academic achievement gap in this learning environment as well (Miron, Shank, & Davidson, 2018). Yet, there is not a great deal of high-quality research surrounding aspects of virtual education (Molnar et al., 2017). A phenomenological research method was used to examine the lived experiences of Algebra I teachers in a virtual learning environment. Interviews were conducted with five participants (N = 5). Data analysis resulted in eight overarching themes and twenty-seven tertiary themes. The major themes include: (a) teachers believe that student characteristics are a primary determinant of their success in virtual education; (b) teachers believe they have a strong impact upon student success in a virtual learning environment; (c) teachers believe Algebra I is a challenging content area for student achievement; (d) teachers believe family involvement impacts student learning in virtual education; (e) teachers believe frequent and consistent communication is vital in virtual education; (f) teachers believe there are challenges communicating with English language learners; (g) teachers believe strategies can be implemented to support student success in an online learning environment; and (h) teachers believe virtual education is a unique learning environment. This study concludes with an examination of each finding and provides implications for virtual education teachers and policy, and recommendations for future research.

Although there has been a great deal of research on binocular distance perception (Foley, 1980; Gogel, 1977), a number of questions remain unexplored. One such question involves how our ability to perceive distances is influenced by fitness and stress (internal and external). Previous research has shown that kinesthetic stress (via backpack weight) influences a person’s ability to accurately guess distances (Proffitt, Bhalla, Gossweiler, & Midgett, 2003). This research did not only attempt to replicate previous work, but also extend it by exploring potential interactions between fitness level and mental stress on distance perception, a combination that is often encountered by soldiers, firefighters, and rescue workers. Mental stress was measured using the State Anxiety Inventory test (Spielberger, Reheiser, & Sydeman, 1995) and cardiovascular fitness was measured using MET scores (Jurca et al., 2005). Physical stress was manipulated by asking participants to estimate distances and then walk blindly to the target while carrying a backpack weighing 20% of their weight. We were unable to replicate Proffitt. We did however find a positive correlation between cardiovascular fitness and error in the second block of the blind walking task for the heavy backpack condition, r(22) = -.45, p = 0.03.

The purpose of this study was to determine (a) what differences, if any, exist between Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) students enrolled in distance learning and traditional courses during 2004 with regard to their satisfaction with course quality and (b) the level of satisfaction of distance learning students with regard to online delivery technology and administrative services provided to them in distance learning. Data were gathered using information from 400 distance learning undergraduate students using the Distance Learning Student Response Questionnaire (DLSRQ) and 400 traditional undergraduate students using the Student Survey Form (SSF). These students were enrolled in at least one of the four courses selected from the general education competency areas of Communications, Mathematics, Humanities, and Social Sciences during 2004. It was concluded that distance learning and traditional classroom students experienced a high level of satisfaction in regard to almost all aspects of course quality. It was also determined that there was very little difference in the levels of satisfaction between the two groups. Unlike traditional classroom students, distance learning students did not express a high level of satisfaction with the timeliness of instructor feedback. They did, however, express a high level of satisfaction with online delivery technology and administrative services. Implications and recommendations addressed a mentoring program, expanded quality control and professional development initiatives. Recommendations for future research were also offered.

Thèse numérisée par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

Microgrids form small-scale power grids with distributed energy resources such as wind generators, photovoltaic panels, fuel cells, energy storage systems, and controllable loads. The characteristics of a microgrid include bi-directional power flows, flexible modes of operation, as well as variable short circuit currents. Due to the weak injection of fault current and short period nature, the connection of microgrids to the distribution systems or sub-transmission systems creates serious challenges to existing over-current based protection systems. The protection of microgrids is gaining substantial attentions in recent years because of large-scale deployment of microgrids and its impacts to existing electricity infrastructures. New protection methodologies and solutions applicable for microgrids are studied and presented in this dissertation. To effectively protect the microgrids, three areas of study are conducted based on the latest technologies in the protection systems, computing platforms, and communication networks. Firstly, the Point of Interconnection protection using distance protection with residual voltage compensation method for an ungrounded microgrid network is presented. This study resolves the challenging issues of detecting single-phase-to-ground fault at the interconnection line of microgrid. It can correctly identify the fault, properly measure the fault location, and timely isolate the fault without jeopardizing the stability of downstream microgrid system and/or causing dangerous overvoltage and arcing conditions. Secondly, the distribution substation busbar protection using the synchrophasor data is studied to realize fast and reliable bus differential protection. Comparing with other busbar protection schemes, this method has the advantages of low cost, easy configuration, fast expansion, and no circuit limitation. Lastly, an adaptive protection solution for distribution feeders with microgrids is developed and tested using RTDS. This study focuses on providing a framework for microgrid over-current coordination to improve the reliability and dependability of the protected network. Overall, the research studies presented in this dissertation will provide the power industries with new insights and methodologies on microgrid protection. Together with other protection functions, the proposed methods can provide effective microgrid protection against dangerous faults, reduce arcing condition, increase the possibility of seamless islanding, and consequently improve the reliability and resilience of microgrids.

The purpose of this study was to investigate host site participants' perceptions of a shared distance learning experience. The participants for the study were 12 students enrolled in the course, Teaching Strategies in Elementary Education at Hunt University during the fall semester of 2000. The course was offered simultaneously to students at a distance site. Both groups of students received instruction from the same instructor during the course. According to the review of the literature numerous studies have been conducted to obtain data from the perspectives of distance site students. However, no literature was found that pertained specifically to the perceptions of host site participants. As a result, this study is unique and significant as it provides data from the perspectives of the host site participants. A case study was the research design for this study. The researcher collected data through classroom observations, individual interviews and documents. Data were triangulated from multiple data sources to answer each of the following five research questions: 1. What motivated the participants at the host site to enroll in this course? 2. How do the participants at the host site perceive the quality of instruction? 3. How do the participants at the host site rate the quality of communication between the instructor and themselves? 4. To what extent do the participants at the host site perceive the instructor to be accessible? 5. What improvements can be implemented to ensure the success of the program at the host site? Reflective analysis was utilized to draw conclusions about the data collected. Overall analysis revealed that participants were satisfied with their experience in the course. Recommendations to improve the course included the following: 1. Potential students should be told in advance that the course will be offered simultaneously to students at a distance site. 2. A facilitator should be provided at distance sites to communicate with the instructor about student participation. 3. Technology problems or difficulties should be anticipated and handled swiftly. 4. The instructor should provide ongoing feedback on course assignments throughout the semester. 5. The instructor should respond to electronic mail from students promptly. 6. The instructor should monitor the pacing of the course to avoid unnecessary delays.

This study examined the perception of teachers among Mississippi Community Colleges and Universities concerning online courses and distance learning. With the enormous expansion in the amount of technical information that has become available during the past few decades, the challenge of retrieving required data has assumed gigantic proportions. In today’s society there is a rapid growth of technology. A quantitative survey was conducted to identify the teachers’ perception of online education. Two community colleges and two universities were selected to participate in this study. These institutions are geographically located in a widespread chain. The questionnaire consisted of 36 items that addressed the demographics and the instructors’ perception of the quality of online education. Specifically, data was collected to assess the adequacy of the instructional, technical, and administrative support for teaching online courses, the problems encountered, and whether WebCT and Blackboard adequately serve the instructional needs of students and instructors.