published_or_final_version / Urban Planning / Master / Master of Science in Urban Planning

This study investigated the practices, perceptions, and time expenditures of post-secondary instructors in American institutions as they prepared for, taught, and reflected on the tasks involved in teaching a one-semester course. The participants either taught in a traditional face-to-face setting or in an all-online context. This study compares and contrasts the experiences of the participants. Although research in the business field includes models for improving productivity, the world of education rarely looks at these subjects, especially in the context of what leads to a successful course. The few studies there have been on similar topics in education have generally failed to provide consensus on amount of time the delivery of an online course requires and on the factors that contribute to that time difference. A clear trend in higher education is the growing use of instructional technology tools that can help instructors meet the needs of students and facilitate the teaching process. However, these changes also bring about challenges for faculty, challenges that must be examined, understood, and addressed in order to ensure the best possible learning environment for everyone involved. This study was designed to examine faculty teaching practices and gain insight into the experiences of faculty teaching classroom-based courses and faculty teaching online or Web-based courses. A qualitative, case study approach was used to conduct an in-depth investigation that focused on the tools and methods that faculty members employ to help them optimize the time they devote to course activities. The study also revealed a set of good practices used by these faculty members. Data included semi-structured interviews, faculty profile questionnaires, and teaching journals. Findings revealed that faculty teaching online recorded an average of one hour per week more on their courses than did faculty teaching in the classroom. There was minimal difference in time commitment between online and classroom-based faculty participants when considering factors such as gender, type of higher education institution, and experience level. Overall, perceptions of faculty workload averaged three hours more than the actual time recorded during the journaling phase of the study, with all of the face-to-face instructors perceiving that they would work more hours than they actually logged on their journals. Only half of the online instructors perceived that they would work more hours than they actually logged. Significant issues brought to light for faculty in both delivery formats included (1) lack of adequate or sufficient preparation for teaching, (2) limited availability of faculty training, and (3) lack of sufficient time to teach. The study also revealed the variation of instructional strategies used for comparison, and a set of common good practices that apply to both online and face-to-face courses. / text

The combination of theory and practice in all forms of teacher training has always been a topic of debate in policy and research. Research examining university training of preschool teachers in Sweden highlights problems in the application of theory in practice in preschool teacher training. Specifically, the kind of problem identified is the lack of opportunities given to students to apply the knowledge gained through the university courses during their internships at the preschools. As a result a “gap” is created between the theory learnt and the application of this theory into practice, which in turn limits the opportunity for professional development. The meaning of professional development is to improve the knowledge and skills that the students have about their profession. The aim of this study is to understand student perspectives in relation to the combination of academic vs. practice-oriented coursework in preschool teacher training in Sweden. Specifically, this study examines the preferences of undergraduate preschool education students in Sweden regarding academic vs. practice-oriented courses, as well as if and how these courses contribute to their professional development. Final year student of a preschool education program at a college in southern Sweden completed an online survey to assess their perspectives on academically oriented and practice-oriented courses of their program. Students, regardless of whether or not they had previous experience working in early childhood education and care, reported that practice-oriented courses helped them with their professional development. Student also declared that the theory learnt through their academically oriented courses generally proved to be applicable in practice. Two types of future research are proposed in order to capture a wider variety of student perspectives about their training program as preschool education teachers.

As part of a nationwide effort to increase the postsecondary educational attainment levels of citizens, community colleges have expanded offerings of courses and programs to more effectively meet the needs of students. Online courses offer convenience and flexibility that traditional face-to-face classes do not. These features appeal to students with family and work responsibilities that typically make attending classes on campus difficult. However, many of the students who tend to take courses in this instructional format have characteristics that place them at high-risk for academic failure. Because of the traditional mission of community colleges, they generally serve more students who fit this highrisk profile. Despite the promise and potential of online delivery systems, studies have associated distance education with higher student withdrawal rates. In addition, research has indicated that online students tend to earn lower grades than students in comparable face-to-face classes. The existence of contrasting findings in the literature exposes the need for additional empirical research relative to the overall success of students in online courses, as well as on factors associated with success in distance education. This is especially true for community college students. The purpose of this study was to determine if significant differences existed in student success at the community college level in online courses as compared to face-to-face courses. In addition, the researchers investigated the relationship between selected demographic, academic, enrollment, and external environmental factors and student success in online courses. The study involved secondary data analysis of quantitative data relevant to students enrolled in course sections taught by instructors who taught both online and face-to-face sections of the same course within the same semester from fall 2012 through spring 2015. The target population included 4,604 students enrolled at a public 2-year community college located in Tennessee. Results indicated there was a significant difference in success between students taking a course online and students taking a course face-to-face. Also, there was a significant difference in success based on instructional method when the following factors were considered: age group, gender, student academic classification, and Pell Grant eligibility status. There was no significant difference in success based on instructional method when first-generation college student status was considered.

Abstract This research studied the dropouts who later attended the Cih-Huei class of Yong Ren Junior High School in Tainan County, by using methods such as document analysis, participant observation and deep interview. The goal was to assess the impact of the Cih-Huei class upon dropouts regarding their learning, daily living, family perspective and technical ability. It also examined the general courses, technical courses and living improvement activities provided by the Cih-Huei class in order to make suggestions that would improve the effectiveness of the Cih-Huei class. The growing track and family background of the dropouts were obtained through their personal information; their performance in the Cih-Huei class were assessed by the researchers who participated in the dropouts¡¦ living and teaching activities; and a semi-structured interview with the dropouts was employed to understand their true feeling about the Cih-Huei class. Finally, several suggestions were made on the course arrangement, living improvement activities and other related tasks for the Cih-Huei class. Hopefully these suggestions could serve as useful references for the future planning of general courses, technical courses, living management and improvement activities for the Cih-Huei class.

published_or_final_version / Architecture / Master / Master of Landscape Architecture

Interest in golf and golf course developments has increased considerably in recent years. The reason for this growth is threefold: babyboomers are now making golf the game of choice; women, who in the past were only allowed to play at restricted times or even banned entirely, can now play at almost any time, and presently account for approximately 50 percent (once only 10 percent) of all new golfers; and young people are beginning to take a keen interest in the game. Today, about 200,000 golfers are playing on approximately 85 golfing facilities within the Lower Mainland. By 2011, it is estimated that 318,000 golfers will be playing on 119 golf courses. With a projected demand of an additional 34 golf courses over the next 15 years, locating suitable golf course development sites may be difficult, as local and provincial authorities are cautious about these 150 acre land uses that cause many land use and environmental conflicts. Golf course developers are commonly confronted with seven main concerns from the public and local government when a new development is proposed. The most heavily scrutinized of these concerns is the loss of agricultural land, the loss of wildlife habitat, and the amounts of chemicals used on golf courses. These are followed by increased water consumption levels, errant golf balls causing injury or damage, unwanted urban growth following these recreational developments, and lost recreational opportunities to non-golfers in the community. To varying degrees, these concerns can stall the golf course planning process, or even cause a municipality to reject an application. The golf course concerns were assessed in this thesis to discern how significant the issues are, and how planners and developers throughout North America are addressing them. The analysis is based on information gathered from public meetings, interviews, municipal planning reports, a general literature review and a case study. The result of the analysis is a set of planning guidelines designed to promote better golf courses. If the planning guidelines outlined in this thesis are followed, future and existing courses can become functional, environmentally sensitive and aesthetic land uses, characterized by: • sites that do not conflict with an Official Community Plan; • land fill sites reclaimed into a working recreational land use with native vegetation and wildlife; • chemical turf care management plans; • comprehensive construction plans to protect against erosion and plant damage; • protection zones for sensitive on-site habitats; • mixtures of native turf grass, plants, shrubs, and trees within the site; • nearby secondary sewage treatment plant to provide effluent for irrigation; • drainage systems that feed excess water into retention ponds for re-use; • designs that provide park and recreation space (where feasible) within the site; • proper setbacks or buffering spaces between the playing areas and nearby housing (where applicable); • multi-teed target-style golf course design layout for all skill levels.

Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / Bibliography. Also available via the Internet.

Interest in golf and golf course developments has increased considerably in recent years. The reason for this growth is threefold: babyboomers are now making golf the game of choice; women, who in the past were only allowed to play at restricted times or even banned entirely, can now play at almost any time, and presently account for approximately 50 percent (once only 10 percent) of all new golfers; and young people are beginning to take a keen interest in the game. Today, about 200,000 golfers are playing on approximately 85 golfing facilities within the Lower Mainland. By 2011, it is estimated that 318,000 golfers will be playing on 119 golf courses. With a projected demand of an additional 34 golf courses over the next 15 years, locating suitable golf course development sites may be difficult, as local and provincial authorities are cautious about these 150 acre land uses that cause many land use and environmental conflicts. Golf course developers are commonly confronted with seven main concerns from the public and local government when a new development is proposed. The most heavily scrutinized of these concerns is the loss of agricultural land, the loss of wildlife habitat, and the amounts of chemicals used on golf courses. These are followed by increased water consumption levels, errant golf balls causing injury or damage, unwanted urban growth following these recreational developments, and lost recreational opportunities to non-golfers in the community. To varying degrees, these concerns can stall the golf course planning process, or even cause a municipality to reject an application. The golf course concerns were assessed in this thesis to discern how significant the issues are, and how planners and developers throughout North America are addressing them. The analysis is based on information gathered from public meetings, interviews, municipal planning reports, a general literature review and a case study. The result of the analysis is a set of planning guidelines designed to promote better golf courses. If the planning guidelines outlined in this thesis are followed, future and existing courses can become functional, environmentally sensitive and aesthetic land uses, characterized by: • sites that do not conflict with an Official Community Plan; • land fill sites reclaimed into a working recreational land use with native vegetation and wildlife; • chemical turf care management plans; • comprehensive construction plans to protect against erosion and plant damage; • protection zones for sensitive on-site habitats; • mixtures of native turf grass, plants, shrubs, and trees within the site; • nearby secondary sewage treatment plant to provide effluent for irrigation; • drainage systems that feed excess water into retention ponds for re-use; • designs that provide park and recreation space (where feasible) within the site; • proper setbacks or buffering spaces between the playing areas and nearby housing (where applicable); • multi-teed target-style golf course design layout for all skill levels. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) sind darauf ausgelegt, im tertiären Bildungsbereich den Wissenserwerb zu fördern, ohne dass die formalen Strukturen einer Ausbildungseinrichtung relevant sind. Dazu werden die Teilnehmer nicht persönlich von Dozenten betreut, sondern sind selbstgesteuert, oder werden durch kollaborative Lernmethoden aktiviert. Der Leistungszwang ist daher geringer, die Anzahl derjenigen, die Kurse abbrechen, jedoch ungleich höher. Durchschnittlich schließen maximal 10% der Teilnehmer ihren MOOC-Kurs ab.