Due to the medical applications of products of Dynamic Controls and the size of investment that the company has in this industry, the company decided to improve the design and development process by improving its Lessons Leaned (LL) procedure. Based on academic literature and industry guidelines a LL procedure is a process that allows an organisation to take advantage from its successes and failures. An effective LL process should assist the organisation to repeat its successes and prevent the repetition of previous mistakes. Each LL procedure has three fundamentals: “Culture, Process and Tools”. This improvement assists Dynamic Controls to development of products and services to better meet the customer needs, with higher reliability and lesser in-field failures. It also provides more comprehensive design inputs to reduce development cost and time. The objective of this project was to investigate the current LL process in the business, identify the best practice, investigate enabling processes, technologies and tools for taking the most advantages from both upcoming and previous LL, define appropriate categories for LL, and determine an implementation plan for the company. The project started on 1st October 2012 and was delivered by the 8th of February 2013.

Lessons Learned Programs (LLPs) can be used to acquire knowledge from individual employees for the benefit of the entire organization. The effectiveness of a LLP is highly dependent on the critical components of a LLP and the factors that impede or promote behaviors conducive to a LLP. This study identifies these critical components and the factors that influence the behaviors a LLP requires to succeed. I analyze an existing LLP to identify a process that will simultaneously promote behaviors to execute the LLP and develop the culture where a LLP can succeed. The primary objective of this research is to develop actionable recommendations to improve an existing LLP. / text

This mixed methods study investigates an aspect of learning which is often overlooked: that of gender interaction in one-to-one instrumental music lessons. The gender of teacher and pupil may contribute to differences in behaviour and expectations, which could impact upon teaching and learning processes and outcomes. The study asks the following questions: ‘Do instrumental teachers and pupils hold gendered beliefs about each other and about their lessons, and if so, how do these beliefs affect their interactions, and what might be the consequences for learning?’ Three linked studies - a teachers’ and pupils’ questionnaire study, a lesson observation study, and an interview study - were conducted to offer different perspectives on these research questions. The questionnaire studies found that participants held several stereotypical expectations. Teachers believed that girls were more conscientious than boys; pupils believed that male teachers were more ‘likely to set challenges’ than female teachers, who were more likely to be characterised as ‘patient’. The observation study found many similarities in the ways men and women interacted with boys and girls. Some important variations were identified, however, including the findings that during lessons male teachers were likely to play their instruments more frequently than female teachers, and that boy pupils were less likely than girls to look at their teacher's face. In the interview study, teachers and pupils offered background information and opinions which helped to contextualise the earlier findings. A ‘good’ relationship was seen by all participants as a key factor for successful teaching and learning, but this was defined in different ways. Men and boys were most concerned with the technicalities of playing the instrument well. Women and girls, while valuing skill, also maintained the importance of more affective issues, such as mood, personal likes and dislikes. As well as contributing to educational psychology by exploring an under-researched area, the findings will be of practical use to instrumental teachers and to conservatoires, universities and teacher educators in general education. Awareness of gender issues, and particularly of the need to avoid stereotypical expectations, will help teachers to provide equity for pupils, in order that all can achieve their potential.

abstract: Video conferencing applications, such as Skype, have long been used in classroom settings. Although musicians have been conducting online lessons for years, and institutions such as the Berklee School of Music and the Manhattan School of Music offer online music classes, scholarly research concerning online video conferencing music lessons is limited. Most studies of video conferencing lessons are based on subjective answers, making it difficult to yield conclusive results. As such, the only basis to evaluate the efficacy of video conferencing lessons are those from opinions. This study offers quantitative research on online video conferencing lessons. Between September and December 2017, 22 cello students from Muscatine High School received weekly private online lessons. Students filled out surveys using a Likert scale to rate these lessons and how they felt video and audio quality affected them. Students also received in-person lessons during October 23 or 24 to compare this experience to online lessons. The responses collected throughout the semester were compiled and sorted to reveal data trends. Using information derived from the data, this study concludes that online video conferencing lessons were less productive than in-person lessons but were still effective. In addition, average lesson ratings improved significantly after meeting in-person. In conclusion, this study found that online private lessons are feasible for high school students. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Music 2019

The first coal-fired power plant in Sri Lanka was successfully connected to the national grid in year 2011. The proposal of implementing coal-fired power plants in Sri Lanka has been appearing in power sector master plans since year 1985. It was delayed for many years, mainly due to public protests and indecision of the political leadership of the country. This research analyzes the social and economic barriers faced during the implementation stage. Operation of the plant in terms of system inertia, reliability and stability is discussed. This is the single largest power sector investment in Sri Lanka and returns on the investment were analyzed in this study. As this is the first coal-fired power plant in Sri Lanka, success of this project will create the platform for the public acceptance of future coal-fired power plants. There were some technical failures during the initial years of operation of the plant, and now it records a higher reliability. Furthermore, it is important to summarize the lessons learnt after implementing this project. Future plans of the utility, energy policy of the country and the political agenda of a country should reflect the experience with this project. This is a good example that teaches the lesson; projects which require to be implemented in the national interest should not be postponed or cancelled due to the protest by small groups of people perceived to be affected by the project. It is highlighted that system stability is improved in many cases due to the increase of power system inertia, to which this power plant makes the largest contribution. System inertia is improved in six out of nine scenarios, which were analyzed in this study. Economic benefits gained by the power plant were examined and the study proves that this power plant will have a significant positive effect on the national economy. Loss incurred delaying the project was calculated and it proves the importance of this project.

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In the early nineties Samoa was hit by two major cyclones, Cyclone Ofa (1990) and Cyclone Val (1991), which caused significant damage and devastation. Although it is more than 15 years since these cyclones, they still factor in people's lives and have impacted on the way individuals and organisations conceptualise disasters in Samoa. The incidence of disasters is increasing globally and Pacific Island nations face ongoing and increasing vulnerability to the impacts of such disasters at both community and national levels. Disasters can result in short and long-term social, economic and environmental consequences and, as Ofa and Val illustrate, entire community survival and livelihood systems can be severely disrupted by a single disaster. As a consequence, disasters continue to pose significant threats to sustainable development in the Pacific region. Villagers from the eastern coast of Savai'i, and Government and NGO agencies in Apia were interviewed during six weeks of fieldwork in Samoa. These interviews and insights gained from participant observation, as well as secondary materials such as maps and official reports are used to explore the ways in which people make sense of disaster and hazard risk in their daily lives and the ways in which their belief-systems (cultural, religious etc.) result in very different understandings of disasters and disaster risk. Building on a growing body of critical disaster literature, this thesis explores the ways in which disasters are more than 'natural' events. It examines the ways in which they are socially constructed, resulting from human actions, rather than 'freak natural events'. This approach challenges dominant understandings of disasters which often underpin disaster planning at both national and regional level, and are often characterised by technical 'fixes'. In contrast, this thesis argues for more locally appropriate understandings of 'disasters' and for the importance of placing disaster events within the context of people's everyday lives and broader development priorities.

Forced resettlement is an issue of great humanitarian concern. The disruption it brings to the lives of the people it affects cannot be fully expressed. Many of such people lose the ability of restoring their lives, never to regain it till they die. What is more alarming is when forced resettlement is not caused by conflict or natural disaster but rather conscious development projects like dams, where it is expected that great energy will be channelled towards reducing and if possible avoid the adverse impacts of such forceful resettlement as a matter of human and citizenship right. Sadly, in many instances this never happen. The aim of this study is to find out how the lessons learnt from the Akosombo forced resettlement in Ghana has been used in planning and implementing the on-going Bui forced resettlement also in Ghana. This study also tries to investigate the impacts of the planning and implementation process of the resettlement on the affected communities and households. In order to achieve the above goals, qualitative research methods were employed. The study used in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, direct and participatory observation techniques in accessing the experiences and feelings of the people involved. The informants include the institutions and professionals which undertook the forced resettlement and the affected people. The modernisation and alternative development theories were reviewed to determine which of these approaches is in practice. However, since Ghana claims it is using the World Bank Operational Policy (4.12), which is following an alternative development approach, concepts such as participation and rights are used. Additionally, concepts such as compensation and forced resettlement are also reviewed. It is discovered that, although many lessons have been learnt from the Akosombo forced resettlement, these lessons have not been effectively translated into action plans in order to undertake successful forced resettlement in Ghana. The challenges and errors in planning the Bui resettlement have therefore marred its successful implementation. This has resulted in more adverse impacts on the affected people than good ones such as infertile lands, low farm yield, poor housing structures and total ban on fishing in the Black Volta without alternative fishing grounds.

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The education reform in Lithuania has had an impact on all – structural spheres and levels. The object of the research :to investigate new educational methods and forms to of physical education teachers to integrated lessons. Scientific problem: Have physical teachers enough knowledge and experience to work with disabled children through physical education lessons. Hypothesis: physical cultural educators have not enough knowledge about disabled children training, when they work with integrated disabled children. (new teaching methods, forms). Main tasks: To analyze of physical education teachers, working and not working with disabled children, subjective knowledge, information about disabled children training through the physical education lessons estimation. To analyze and to rate differences between physical education teachers, working and not working with disabled children, usable physical education lessons organization methods and forms. The results of research proved the hypothesis that physical education teachers have not enough knowledge about disabled children. That physical education teachers needs information about disabled children training. It is more difficult work with mental disorders children and physical disabled children, and it is easer to train hard of hearing children. Disabled children attend in integrated physical education lessons all time, without reference educational lessons tasks. Not a lot of physical educational teachers quest new... [to full text]