Inquiry-based science education has been a topic of extensive study and discussion. In 2018, the National Science Teaching Association revised their recommendations about inquiry-based teaching, endorsing three-dimensional learning as a more comprehensive approach for students in science classes. This model, known as three-dimensional teaching and learning (3DT), integrates three key dimensions: 1) science and engineering practices, 2) cross-cutting concepts, and 3) disciplinary core ideas. Accordingly, this study investigated the feasibility of developing an observation protocol based on the science and engineering practice "Planning and Carrying Out Investigations." Participants included both science teachers and instructional leaders. Two research questions guided this investigation: (1) Is it feasible to utilize the Science and Engineering Practices as a framework for the development of an observation protocol intended for use by instructional leaders in secondary science classrooms? (2) How do instructional leaders and science teachers assess a science lesson differently, and what are the implications of these potential similarities or differences on the feasibility of the observation protocol outlined in Research Question 1? Data was collected over the course of three sequential phases: 1) soliciting feedback from expert reviewers, 2) conducting a focus group with secondary school science teachers and secondary school administrators, and 3) administering an online pilot study of secondary science teachers and secondary school administrators from Virginia, who tested the observation protocol using video recordings of science lessons. The findings that emerged from this investigation support the idea of using a Science and Engineering Practices-based observation protocol like the one tested in this study. Additionally, the data suggest potential avenues for future research, such as the degree to which administrators would benefit from having subject-specific observation forms. / Doctor of Philosophy / Inquiry-based science education has been a topic of extensive study and discussion. In 2018, the National Science Teaching Association revised their recommendations about inquiry-based teaching, endorsing three-dimensional learning as a more comprehensive approach for students in science classes. This model, known as three-dimensional teaching and learning (3DT), integrates three key dimensions: 1) science and engineering practices, 2) cross-cutting concepts, and 3) disciplinary core ideas. Accordingly, this study investigated the feasibility of developing an observation protocol based on the science and engineering practice "Planning and Carrying Out Investigations." Participants included both science teachers and instructional leaders. Two research questions guided this investigation: (1) Is it feasible to utilize the Science and Engineering Practices as a framework for the development of an observation protocol intended for use by instructional leaders in secondary science classrooms? (2) How do instructional leaders and science teachers assess a science lesson differently, and what are the implications of these potential similarities or differences on the feasibility of the observation protocol outlined in Research Question 1? Data was collected from expert reviewers, secondary school science teachers, and secondary school administrators in Virginia, and involved a focus group as well as rating video recordings of science lessons. Results suggest that using tools based on ideas that are specific to science could be helpful to both school administrators and teachers. There are many potential follow-up research studies that can be done in the future based on the results of this study.

Information integration is considered a source of competitive advantage in the capital projects industry. While it has been broadly implemented, many organizations appear to have achieved only limited benefits from their efforts. This dissertation investigates the complementarity relationship between information technology (IT) use and project execution processes and practices. It asserts that rather than directly improving an organization’s competitive advantage, IT serves instead as a mode to improve existing processes and practices which in turn serve to improve the bottom line. Building from this foundation, the dissertation proceeds to expand its findings to document mechanisms by which various resources influence the complementarity relationship. Topics within this dissertation are investigated with both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Using capital projects data, evidence of complementarity is established quantitatively between general use of IT and best practices. The benefits of complementarity in terms of cost, schedule, and rework project performance measures are documented. Data analyses show that more use of IT is associated with more use of best practice; and, projects that intensively implement IT and best practice tend to show superior project performance. Furthermore, by investigating the use of a specific technology, this dissertation presents a thorough statistical analysis showing that IT use affects the use of practices, which together support improved project performance. Next, this dissertation lists organization resources that may affect complementarity. Using sixteen actual information integration cases, the major resources consistently affecting complementarity are identified. Illustrations of seven case studies present how the resources are managed. The case studies are also used when discussing the interaction of IT use and processes generating complementarity. The primary contribution of this research is to provide a quantitative evidence of IT’s indirect impact on construction project performance via practices. A broad discussion citing the range of resources affecting the complementarity and identifying the major ones in the capital projects industry is another contribution of this research. / text

La presente tesis de investigación se orientó en la aplicación de las Buenas Prácticas de Ingeniería, como herramienta para reducir las mermas dentro de las líneas de producción en el procesamiento de vidrios laminados de la Corporación Miyasato. Para ello se analizaron los síntomas y causas que ocurren dentro de los procesos y se determinó la problemática principal. Se utilizó la metodología de las 5S para mejorar la percepción de la calidad de los trabajadores, se organizaron espacios y se fomentaron programas de capacitación del recurso humano. Como resultado final se obtuvo una reducción de las mermas hasta en 30.8%. This thesis research was aimed at implementing the Good Engineering Practices as a tool to reduce waste in the production lines in the processing of laminated glasses Miyasato Corporation. To do the symptoms and causes occurring within processes and it determined the main problem analyzed. 5S methodology was used to improve the perception of the quality of workers, space programs were organized and training of human resources is encouraged. As a final result in reduced shrinkage was obtained. The final result was the reduced of waste. Was obtained up to 30.8%.

Both distributed work and DevOps are on an upward trend. There is a slight resemblance between the problems that DevOps is trying to find answers to, the solutions, and the common problems that geographically distributed work faces. Mainly, they are related to isolated environments that have difficulties in mutual understanding and communication, collaboration. All this leads to inefficiencies and costs that affect the overall efficiency of companies. This report identifies how DevOps engineering principles and implementations provide solutions to common problems in globally distributed work environments. It uses a literature systematic literature search and review to extract the recent and relevant academic data in the scope of the two research questions. Then, a proof-of-concept is implemented for DevOps, which confirms the literature. In parallel, a survey addressed to Swedish companies provides subject-related data from the professional environment, which largely supports the literature and brings extra knowledge. All of this is considered in data analysis and formulation of conclusions, showing DevOps features that can improve and support work in globally distributed environments and outlining the importance of the tailored organizational culture for the modern need of large-scale distributed work.

In 2013, a new set of science standards was introduced for K-12 science education, called the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), which focused on three dimensions of science learning that work together: disciplinary core ideas, crosscutting concepts, and science and engineering practices. These standards are novel in their emphasis on students needing more than only content knowledge to learn science and engineering. The NGSS science and engineering practices (SEPs) stress the importance of students engaging in the authentic practices of scientists and engineers to help them think like a scientist, practice science themselves, and overcome the misconception that science is a collection of isolated facts (NRC, 2012a). These SEPs include: asking questions and defining problems, developing and using models, planning and carrying out investigations, analyzing and interpreting data, using mathematics and computational thinking, constructing explanations and designing solutions, engaging in argument from evidence, and obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information. We performed a qualitative study to determine the conceptions of undergraduate students, the majority of whom were enrolled in STEM majors, about the SEPs. With a theoretical framework of phenomenography guiding our study's design, we conducted deep, open-ended interviews with 59 undergraduate students. The analysis consisted of transcribing interviews, coding transcriptions, writing descriptions of the codes to identify a limited number of distinct categories that describe how students viewed individual SEPs, and analyzing relationships among these categories to create outcome spaces for the ways students viewed the SEPs. In the current dissertation, we present the students' specific conceptions of each of the SEPs. Although the students had a better understanding of some of the SEPs than others (e.g., they understood planning and carrying out investigations and using mathematics and computational thinking best), we found that undergraduates did not have a high level of understanding of any SEP. This is similar to conceptions of undergraduates in the literature, which mostly consisted of preservice teachers. The undergraduates in this study conflated many of the SEPs, misinterpreted SEPs based on the everyday meaning of terms in the practices (i.e., they discussed an everyday meaning of words like "questions" instead of focusing on the unique meaning of "questions" in a scientific context), and perceived that the structured learning activities in which they engage in their current coursework limit their abilities to engage in the SEPs. These results suggest that STEM students need more opportunities to authentically engage in the SEPs in open-ended environments, coupled with explicit instruction that emphasizes the difference between everyday usages of words in the SEPs and their scientific meanings.

Context: Companies adopt many software reuse practices, such as software product line, reuse verbatim, and systematic reuse, to improve their internal software development and maximize the benefits. Contemporary software engineering (SE) practices, such as microservices and InnerSource, influence internal software reuse. Objective: In this thesis, we aim to improve internal software reuse in the context of contemporary SE practices. To do that, we want to 1) understand the state-of-the-art and the state-of-the-practice of software reuse costs and benefits and the challenges that companies are currently facing and 2) identify interventions to improve internal software reuse.  Methods: We conducted a systematic literature review to understand the state-of-the-art of software reuse costs and benefits. We performed two exploratory case studies to understand the state-of-the-practice of software reuse costs and benefits, challenges, and improvement areas in the context of contemporary SE practices.  We performed another follow-up improving case study to investigate the medium-sized case company's readiness of adopting InnerSource for software reuse. Results: Existing literature reported more software reuse benefits than costs. The most reported software reuse benefits are better product quality and improved productivity. Verbatim reuse and systematic reuse result in more reuse benefits. Most of the included primary studies are of moderate quality, with only four having high quality. Practitioners think that software reuse costs in developing reusable assets will be paid off when developers start to reuse them. Challenges in software reuse in the context of contemporary SE practices differ between medium-sized and large-sized companies. Both of the companies perceive that InnerSource can help improve internal software reuse. Asking practitioners about both current and desired InnerSource reuse status helps identify the needed InnerSource improvements, thus helping companies succeed in adopting InnerSource for reuse.   Conclusion: Both existing literature and our two case studies investigating software reuse in the context of contemporary SE practices showed that software reuse improves quality and productivity and has costs in developing and integrating reusable assets. However, the overall benefits outweigh the costs. Both case companies faced challenges in improving their internal reuse, where the most common challenges were about developing and maintaining reusable assets. The results showed that InnerSource helps develop and maintain reusable assets and further improves internal software reuse. / <p>Chapters 2 and 4 are papers submitted to journals and therefore removed from the fulltext file.</p>

The purpose of this study was to characterize a methodological framework for preparing science educators to implement design-based engineering practices to intentionally teach targeted science content. Using a modified Delphi the study looked to answer the following research questions (RQs): RQ1: How should teacher educators prepare K-12 pre-service science teachers to define engineering problems as one of eight NGSS practices all students should acquire through science education?, RQ2: How should teacher educators prepare K-12 pre-service science teachers to design engineering solutions as one of eight NGSS practices all students should acquire through science education? and , RQ3: How should teacher educators prepare K-12 pre-service science teachers to intentionally teach targeted science content using their newly acquired abilities to define engineering problems and design engineering solutions? During Round 1 a panel of 20 (8 science and 12 technology) education experts responded to 5 open-ended questions that focused on identifying the competencies and instructional strategies used to prepare K-12 pre-service science teachers to intently teach science using engineering design. Each question resulted in identifying approximately 50 themes per question. These themes were then used to construct the Round 2 Questionnaire. During Round 2 panelists reached agreement on 283 characteristics of a framework for preparing future science educators. In Round 3, panelists were sent 87 contested Round 2 items. Results of the Round 3 data analysis indicted an additional 31 framework characteristics. The results of this study identify the essential characteristics of a methodological framework that can serve to prepare science educators on the implementation of design-based engineering practices that intentionally teach targeted science content. / Ph. D. / The purpose of this study was to characterize a methodological framework for preparing science educators to implement design-based engineering practices to <i>intentionally</i> teach targeted science content. The rationale for this research was the <i>Next Generation Science Standards</i> necessitate science use engineering practices to teach K-12 science content. According to the National Research Council the implementation of engineering practices will take shape in the form of engineering design. To date science education has focused primarily on defining the content of science education at the expense of its application (NRC, 2013, p.2). Furthermore, studies have shown professional development continues to prepare science teacher in the use of scientific inquiry. This study utilized a modified Delphi and focused on answering the question of how teacher educators should prepare pre-service K-12 science teachers to teach the practice of engineering design to intentionally teach targeted science content. The results of this study identify the essential characteristics of a methodological framework that can serve to prepare science educators on the implementation of design-based engineering practices that <i>intentionally</i> teach targeted science content.

With the growing emphasis on integrating engineering practices into science education, many science teachers are underprepared to meet these demands due to limited training and resources (Katehi et al., 2009; Brophy et al., 2008). Teachers often lack confidence in their ability to teach engineering concepts, making it difficult for them to incorporate these practices effectively (Hammack and Ivey, 2017; Christian et al., 2021). Self-efficacy, defined as a belief in one's ability to succeed in specific tasks, and outcome expectancy, the belief that certain actions will lead to desired results, both play crucial roles in professional development (Bandura, 2006). When teachers possess high self-efficacy and positive outcome expectancy, they are more likely to adopt new teaching practices and engage students in more meaningful ways (Tschannen-Moran and McMaster, 2009; Allinder, 1994). This study aimed to explore the impact of an online professional development module on science teachers' self-efficacy and outcome expectancy for teaching engineering practices. The intervention module was designed to provide mastery experiences, vicarious learning, social persuasions, and emotional/affective support to improve these beliefs. Quantitative results showed no statistically significant changes between the treatment and control groups, but statistically significant improvements in self-efficacy and outcome expectancy for teaching engineering practices in science curricula as a participant cohort overall. Qualitative data revealed that participants in the treatment group reflected more deeply on their teaching practices and reported increased confidence in integrating engineering practices into their curricula. / Doctor of Philosophy / As STEM education increasingly emphasizes the integration of engineering into science curricula, many teachers feel unprepared due to a lack of training and resources. A teacher's belief in their ability to teach engineering concepts (self-efficacy) and the expectation that their teaching will result in positive student outcomes (outcome expectancy) are critical factors in their willingness to adopt new instructional methods. This study examined whether an online professional development course could improve science teachers' confidence and expectations for teaching engineering. The course aimed to enhance self-efficacy by providing practical experiences that focused on factors that may increase self-efficacy or outcome expectancy for teaching engineering concepts. While survey results showed no significant changes between teachers who took the enhanced course and those who took a course that did not focus on self-efficacy and outcome expectancy, combined cohort data and qualitative reflections revealed that course participants significantly improved their self-efficacy and outcome expectancy beliefs as a group and felt more prepared and engaged in integrating engineering concepts into their teaching.

Object-oriented languages have made a shift towards incorporating functional concepts such as lambdas. Lambdas are anonymous functions that can be used within the scope of other functions. In C++ lambdas are considered difficult to use for inexperienced developers. This implies that there may be problems with lambdas in C++. However, studies about lambdas in C++ repositories are scarce, compared to other object-oriented languages such as Java. This study aims to address a knowledge gap regarding how lambdas are used by developers in C++ repositories. Furthermore, examine how developer experience and software engineering practices, such as unit testing and in-code documentation, correlates with the inclusion of lambdas. To achieve this we create a set of tools that statically analyse repositories to gather results. This study gained insight into the number of repositories utilising lambdas, their usage areas, and documentation but also how these findings compare to similar studies’ results in Java. Further, it is shown that unit testing and developer experience correlates with the usage of lambdas. / Objektorienterade språk har gjort en förskjutning mot att integrera funktionella begrepp som lambdas. Lambdas är anonyma funktioner som kan användas inom ramen för andra funktioner. I C ++ anses lambdas vara svåra att använda för oerfarna utvecklare. Detta innebär att det kan vara problem med lambdas i C ++. Emellertid är studier på lambdas i C ++ repositorier mindre vanliga jämfört med andra objektorienterade språk som Java. Denna studie syftar till att ta itu med ett kunskapsgap beträffande hur lambdas används av utvecklare i C++ repositorier. Dessutom undersöks hur utvecklarvanor och sedvänjor i programvaruutveckling, till exempel enhetstestning och dokumentation, korrelerar med inkluderingen av lambdas. För att uppnå detta skapar vi en uppsättning verktyg som statiskt analyserar repositorier för att samla resultat. Denna studie fick inblick i antalet repositorier som använder lambdas, deras användningsområden och dokumentation men också hur dessa resultat jämför sig med liknande studieresultat i Java. Vidare har det visats att enhetstestning och utvecklaren erfarenhet korrelerar med användningen av lambdas.