No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

This investigation examines college success in freshman and sophomore level biology courses for students with biology AP credit by addressing the following questions: One, Does AP biology experience increase academic performance in freshman biology? Do AP students with scores of 3 significantly outperform non-AP students? Do AP students with scores of 5 significantly outperform non-AP students in sophomore level biology courses? Two groups of college freshman and sophomores, those with AP biology scores and those without, were matched in regards to gender and SAT scores and instructor of record. Results suggest that students with biology AP scores of 3 may not, as suggested by the College Board, be adequately prepared to enroll directly into sophomore level biology courses. Results from this dissertation suggest the following implications: (a) AP students with final AP exam scores of 1 and 2 have derived little if any benefit from their yearlong AP biology course and the AP final exam in regards to Freshman Biology I; (b) AP biology students with scores of 3 and 4 on their end-of-the-year biology AP exam appear to be well prepared to be successful, based on mean final grades, in Freshman Biology I; (c) There is no supporting evidence that suggests AP students with AP final exam scores of 3 or 4 are adequately prepared to enroll directly into sophomore level biology courses and be successful; and (d) AP students with scores of 5 who have enrolled directly into sophomore level biology courses did not significantly outperform, based on mean final grades, non-AP students who have taken the two semester sequence of freshman biology courses. Further research needs to be done at each college and university participating in the Advanced Placement program to set appropriate cut off scores for the end-of-the-year AP exam score in regards to awarding college credit. Moreover, a considerable amount of research carried out thus far fails to capture many of the variables known to be associated with college success. Therefore, further research done in this area needs to control for these other variables. / Ed. D.

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / 2999-01-01

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / This study examined the effect of three schedule types on student achievement in Advanced Placement Biology classes. AP Biology test scores from students on three types of full-year schedules were analyzed to assess the impact schedule type had on student achievement. The three schedules included the block and traditional schedules, and the rotating/hybrid, a blend of the former two schedules. The results indicated the variable most closely associated with success on the AP Biology exam was the length of experience the teachers had teaching the course, regardless of schedule type. Although significant differences were seen in mean AP Biology test scores among the three schedule types, this could be explained by the relationship between instructors' experience and schedule type. Regression analysis determined the two strongest predictors of successful performance on the AP Biology exam were instructors' experience and perceived teaching style, regardless of schedule type. It appears that the economically developed suburbs, had teachers with the largest amount of experience teaching AP Biology, and these teachers reported using a direct approach to teaching, using lecture greater than 50% of the time. The results of this study also suggest when restructuring to improve student achievement, educators should examine other variables in addition to the high school schedule. Restructuring the day to allow for longer classes must be accompanied by professional staff development to allow teachers to develop new teaching methods. Most of the teachers in the suNey reported using lecture a great deal of the time, regardless of schedule type. Comments from the teachers from the various schedules revealed that the ability to add student centered, inquiry based activities and labs were dependent on adequate class time. No information on whether or not the teachers were given professional development to expand their repertoire of teaching methods when the school adopted a block or rotating hybrid schedule was obtained. Limitations to this study include the fact that there was no independent verification of teaching style as reported by the teachers in this study. This study involved only Advanced Placement Biology classes, so no generalizations can be made to other science classes. / 2999-01-01

We study an informative path planning problem where the goal is to minimize the time required to learn a spatial field. Specifically, our goal is to ensure that the mean square error between the learned and actual fields is below a predefined value. We study three versions of the problem. In the placement version, the objective is to minimize the number of measurement locations. In the mobile robot version, we seek to minimize the total time required to visit and collect measurements from the measurement locations. A multi-robot version is studied as well where the objective is to minimize the time required by the last robot to return back to a common starting location called depot. By exploiting the properties of Gaussian Process regression, we present constant-factor approximation algorithms that ensure the required guarantees. In addition to the theoretical results, we also compare the empirical performance using a real-world dataset with other baseline strategies. / M. S. / We solve the problem of measuring a physical phenomenon accurately using a team of robots in minimum time. Examples of such phenomena include the amount of nitrogen present in the soil within a farm and concentration of harmful chemicals in a water body etc. Knowing accurately the extent of such quantities is important for a variety of economic and environmental reasons. For example, knowing the content of various nutrients in the soil within a farm can help the farmers to improve the yield and reduce the application of fertilizers, the concentration of certain chemicals inside a water body may affect the marine life in various ways. In this thesis, we present several algorithms which can help robots to be deployed efficiently to quantify such phenomena accurately. Traditionally, robots had to be teleoperated. The algorithms proposed in this thesis enable robots to work more autonomously.

Yes / Simulation-based education (SBE) partially replaced the clinical placement learning for a cohort of first year students on a BSc (Hons) Diagnostic Radiography programme. This was in response to the pressures on hospital-based training caused by increasing student numbers and following increased capability and positive outcomes for student learning in delivering SBE as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. A survey was distributed to diagnostic radiographers, across five NHS Trusts, involved in the clinical education of first year diagnostic radiography students at one UK university. The survey sought radiographers' perception of student performance in undertaking radiographic examinations, safety procedures, knowledge of anatomy, professionalism, and the impact of embedding simulation-based education through multichoice and free text questions. Descriptive and thematic analysis of the survey data was undertaken. Twelve survey responses from radiographers across four Trusts were collated. Responses indicated the majority of radiographers perceived students to require the expected level of assistance in undertaking appendicular examinations, applying infection control and radiation safety measures, and had the expected level of radiographic anatomy knowledge. Students also interacted appropriately with service users, demonstrated increased confidence in coming into the clinical environment and were receptive to feedback. Some variation was noted, particularly in professionalism and engagement, though not always attributed to SBE. Replacement of clinical placement with SBE was perceived to have provided appropriate learning opportunities and some additional benefits, however it was felt by some radiographers that SBE could not replace the experience of the real imaging environment. Embedding simulated-based education requires a holistic approach and close collaboration with placement partners to ensure complimentary learning experiences in the clinical placement setting, and support achievement of the learning outcomes.

Process planning is an important and integral part of operating a printed circuit board (PCB) assembly system effectively. The focus of this research is to develop a new solution approach to determine the component placement sequence and feeder assignment for a turret style Chip Shooter machine often used in PCB assembly systems. This solution approach can be integrated into a process planning system to reduce assembly time and improve productivity. The Chip Shooter machine consists of three primary mechanisms: the turret head, a moving table, and the feeder carriage. These mechanisms move simultaneously in a cyclic manner to mount the components on the PCB. The mechanism with the longest movement time determines the placement time of a component. Therefore, the placement sequence of the components and the arrangement of the feeders in the feeder carriage directly affect the time required to mount all the components on a PCB. A placement time estimator function that accounts for the functional characteristic of the Chip Shooter machine is developed and is used to evaluate the performance of the solution approach presented in this research. The solution approach consists of a construction algorithm that uses a set of knowledge-based rules to construct an initial placement sequence and feeder assignment, and an improvement procedure to improve the initial solution. A case study is presented to validate the proposed solution approach. A Fuji CP4-3 machine and actual PCB data are used to test the performance of the proposed solution approach for different machine setup scenarios. The solutions obtained using the proposed solution approach are compared to those obtained using state of the art PCB assembly process optimization software. For all PCBs in the case study, the proposed solution approach yielded lower placement times than the commercial software, thus generating additional valuable production capacity. / Master of Science

This paper explores fantasy brands and product placement in order to determine which method serves to be more effective to a targeted audience. A fantasy brand exists only in a virtual or fictional world. Reverse product placement is the process of transforming brands in a virtual world into products or services in the physical world. Common fictional brands include Willy Wonka Chocolate (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), Duff Beer (The Simpsons), Dunder Mifflin Paper (The Office), Bubba Gump Shrimp Company (Forrest Gump), Central Perk (Friends), and Stay Puft Marshmallows (Ghost Busters). Previous research has suggested that people who are fans of a television show or movie are more likely to purchase a fantasy brand than those who are unfamiliar with the show or movie. Additionally previous research indicates that some people believe product placement is invasive and results in negative brand image. However, no previous research directly compared product placement to fantasy brands, and which a consumer might prefer. This paper will explore the advantages and disadvantages of both product placement and fantasy brands. The study conducted tested 175 subjects in a moderated laboratory setting to discover which form of advertising was more likely to drive a purchase interaction. This study goes on to provide evidence that consumers are more likely to purchase a fantasy brand when there is a high level of “fandom”. However, if they have a low level of “fandom” they are more likely to purchase the item in the form of product placement. This paper contributes to the idea of branding, experiential consumption, and advertising in an overcrowded era.