In this dissertation, the design, implementation, and educational applications of a real-time water and weather monitoring system, developed to enhance water sustainability education and research, are discussed. This unique system, called LabVIEW Enabled Watershed Assessment System (LEWAS), is a real- world extension of various data acquisition modules that were successfully implemented using LabVIEW into a freshman engineering course (Engineering Exploration, ENGE 1024) at Virginia Tech. The outdoor site location measures water quality and quantity data including flow rate, pH, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, and temperature -- as indicators of stream health - for an on-campus impaired stream in real-time. In addition, weather parameters (temperature, barometric pressure, relative humidity and precipitation) are measured at the LEWAS outdoor site. The measured parameters can be accessed by remote users in a real-time through a web-based interface for education and research. LEWAS is solar powered and uses the campus wireless network through a high-gain antenna to transmit data to remote clients in real-time. Its power budget consisting of consumption (14 W), electrical storage, and generation (80 W, peak) is balanced to enable 24/7 operation regardless of weather conditions. An embedded computer with low power consumption and modules for communicating and storing data are installed in the field and it is programmed to process measured environmental parameters to be delivered to remote users. This computer is programmed both using a field programmable gate array (FPGA, for low power consumption and robust operation) and traditional microprocessor programming (for more flexibility). The environmental sensors of the system are routinely calibrated using established procedures. A LEWAS Development Platform was established to develop and test the system and to train and mentor several undergraduate and graduate students who helped in its implementation. A number of design and implementation challenges were overcome including extending campus Internet access to a location not included on the network and integrating hardware and software from three different sensor manufacturers into a unified software platform accessible over the Internet. To study the educational applications of LEWAS, an observational study was conducted as the system was gradually introduced to students in ENGE 1024 between 2009 and 2011. Positive student attitudes on the role of LEWAS to enhance their environmental awareness informed an experimental design implemented to study the motivational outcomes associated with the system. Accordingly, appropriate educational interventions and a hands-on activity on the importance of environmental monitoring were developed for both control and experiment groups, with only the latter given access to LEWAS to retrieve the environmental parameters for the activity. An instrument was developed on the theoretical foundation of the expectancy value theory of motivation and was administered to control and experimental groups in ENGE 1024. Altogether, 150 students participated in the study. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was applied which resulted in factors that group questions together based on interest, importance, real-time access, and cost (feasibility of monitoring). After conducting parametric and nonparametric statistical analyses, it was determined that there exists a statistically significant difference between control and experimental groups in interest, real-time, and cost factors. This finding implies that providing real-time access to environmental parameters can increase student interest and their perception of feasibility of environmental monitoring -- both major components of motivation to learn about the environment. Future extensions and applications of the system at Virginia Tech and beyond are discussed. / Ph. D.

<p dir="ltr"><b>Abstract</b></p><p dir="ltr"><b>Background</b> Previous research has indicated that it is difficult to maintain student motivation in gateway courses when students from multiple majors are taking the same course. Providing students with a choice in assignment is important because it creates a feeling that the students are in charge of their education, that they can tailor their education to their own needs, and it can improve their motivation in a course along with their satisfaction and overall learning. This study looks at the impact of giving students enrolled in an introductory microcontroller gateway course a choice in which assignments they complete in the laboratory portion of the course. The course is comprised of students from various majors such as electrical engineering technology, computer engineering technology, mechanical engineering technology, mechatronics, and robotics to mention a few. Allowing the students to pick their laboratory activities allows the students to take control of their educational experience and make it personal to them.</p><p dir="ltr"><b>Purpose</b> This study examines the impact of providing students with a choice in assignments based on the self-determination framework to determine how choice effects the students’ interest/enjoyment in their education, their perceived value/usefulness of the educational experience, their perceived competence, and their perceived level of effort/importance.</p><p dir="ltr"><b>Design/Methods</b> Students enrolled in an introductory microcontroller gateway course were given a choice of laboratory assignments that they complete during the last third of the semester. Survey data was collected using the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI) before and after the students were given a choice based on a single case pretest/posttest experimental design. A comparative study was then performed to determine the impact of giving the students a choice on the key traits of this study (perceived value/usefulness of the educational experience, perceived competence, and perceived level of effort/importance).</p><p dir="ltr"><b>Results</b> The results of the analysis indicated that there was not a significant change in the key values of interest in education, value of the education, and perceived effort between the pretest and posttest values when the class was analyzed as a whole. However, when the students were analyzed based on their perception of choice: a high level of perceived choice, a neutral level of perceived choice, and a low level of perceived choice, significant changes were detected. The results of this analysis indicated that students with a higher level of perceived choice reported significantly higher levels of interest, value, effort, and perceived competence when compared to students that reported a lower level of perceived choice.</p><p dir="ltr"><b>Conclusions</b> Simply providing or giving students a choice is not enough to change the students’ overall interest/enjoyment in the education, their perception of the value/usefulness of the education, and the importance/effort level the students place on the educational experience. The way the students perceive the option of having a choice has a direct impact on these traits. Generally speaking, students with higher perceptions of choice reported: higher levels of interest in the education, higher value of the educational experience, placed more importance and effort into the educational experience, and showed higher levels of perceived competence when compared to students with lower levels of perception. The results also indicate that students with higher perceptions of choice select activities that they view as interesting and/or fun to do, while students with low perceptions of choice seem to select activities that they perceive to be easier to complete. The results of this research inquiry are important for informing future research and shaping instructional design in the microcontroller space.</p>

O desenvolvimento desta pesquisa parte do reconhecimento da necessidade de serem delineados princípios orientadores para a atuação do psicólogo no contexto escolar. Para tanto, assumiu-se a Psicologia Histórico-Cultural, em suas bases marxistas, como referencial teórico-metodológico desta investigação. A partir disso, definiu-se como objetivo desta tese propor princípios para a atuação do psicólogo escolar, no contexto do ensino fundamental, visando promover a atividade de estudo, considerando principalmente as relações escolares e familiares. Para a consecução desse objetivo tomou-se como objeto de investigação os determinantes presentes na promoção da atividade de estudo, considerando principalmente como as relações escolares e familiares dos estudantes podem afetar esse processo. A atividade de estudo é definida como uma via a partir da qual esses sujeitos podem se apropriar, ativamente, dos conhecimentos escolares, compreendendo que a efetivação desse processo é essencial para que a escola assuma a sua função humanizadora. A atividade de estudo é entendida como atividade principal dos estudantes nesse momento de sua escolarização por ser a atividade que promove as mudanças psicológicas essenciais na personalidade dos estudantes nesse período de suas vidas. O referente empírico, foi desenvolvido em uma escola pública municipal de ensino fundamental do litoral paulista e envolveu a realização de entrevistas em grupo com: a) profissionais da escola, b) estudantes do 6º ano do ensino fundamental e c) familiares desses estudantes. As reflexões realizadas sobre as relações que se estabelecem entre a atividade de ensino (realizada pelos professores em colaboração com a gestão escolar e demais profissionais da escola), a atividade educativa (objetivada no âmbito familiar) e a atividade do psicólogo escolar evidenciaram como unidade de análise a constituição de relações e condições objetivas que promovam o desenvolvimento da atividade de estudo pelo estudante. Considerando todas as reflexões construídas a partir desta pesquisa, defende-se como tese que: a atuação do psicólogo escolar, no contexto do ensino fundamental, deve favorecer a concretização de ações, tanto no âmbito escolar quanto no âmbito familiar, que promovam o desenvolvimento da atividade de estudo pelo estudante. Tomando a tese como fio condutor, foram propostos alguns princípios orientadores da atuação do psicólogo escolar na promoção da atividade de estudo, considerando a escola e a família. Nesse sentido, delimitou-se como finalidade central da atuação do psicólogo escolar no contexto do ensino fundamental a contribuição para a organização de um ensino que promova o desenvolvimento da atividade de estudo pelo estudante. A relação entre a organização do ensino e a promoção do desenvolvimento psicológico humano foi definida como conteúdo da relação entre Psicologia e Educação. No que diz respeito à forma da atuação do psicólogo, a promoção de ações de estudo junto aos sujeitos que estão inseridos na escola (profissionais da Educação, familiares e estudante) foi identificada como uma importante via para fortalecer o protagonismo desses sujeitos. Como estratégia potente para a articulação da intervenção do psicólogo no contexto escolar identificou-se a constituição de coletivos que envolvam profissionais da escola, familiares e estudantes. Por fim, destacaram-se algumas condições importantes de serem garantidas para que os princípios propostos possam ser objetivados. Como conclusão para a investigação desenvolvida, defende-se que a consideração e promoção da atividade principal dos estudantes, adquire uma dimensão orientadora para uma atuação em Psicologia Escolar que efetivamente colabore para que a escola atinja suas finalidades humanizadoras / The development of this research starts taking into consideration the recognition of the need to be delineated guiding principles for the psychologist performance within the school context. For this purpose, Historical-Cultural Psychology was assumed, in its Marxist bases, as a theoretical-methodological reference for this investigation. Thus, it was defined as the objective of this thesis to propose the principles for the performance of the school psychologist, in the context of fundamental education, aiming to promote the study activity, considering mainly the school and family relations. In order to achieve this objective, the research object was to identify determinants present in the promotion of the study activity, considering mainly how the students\' school and family relations can affect this process. The study activity is defined as a way in which these subjects can actively take ownership of school knowledge, understanding that the implementation of this process is essential for the school to assume its humanizing function. The study activity is understood as the student main activity in their schooling period, and that is the one that promotes the essential psychological changes in the students personality in a certain period of their lives. The empirical referent was developed in a municipal public elementary school on the coast of São Paulo and counted on group interviews with: a) school professionals, b) 6th grade students and c) their families. The reflections carried out from the information gotten concerning the relations between teaching activity (carried out by teachers in collaboration with school management and other school professionals), educational activity (objectified in the family context) and the activity of the school psychologist evidenced as unit of analysis the constitution of relations and objective conditions that promote the development of the study activity by the student. Considering all the reflections built from this research, it is defended as a thesis that: the performance of the school psychologist, in the context of elementary education, should improve the accomplishment of actions, both at school and in the family, that promote the development of study activity by the student. Taking the thesis as a guide, some guiding principles of the school psychologist\'s role in the promotion of study activity were proposed, considering the school and the family. In this sense, the main point of the performance of the school psychologist in the context of the elementary school is the contribution to the organization of a teaching that promotes the development of the study activity by the student. The relation between the organization of teaching and the promotion of human psychological development was defined as content of the relationship between Psychology and Education. Regarding the how psychologist works, the promotion of study actions among the subjects that are inserted in the school (professionals of Education, family and student) was identified as a powerful way to strengthen the protagonism of these subjects. As a powerful strategy to the intervention articulation of the psychologist within the school context, it was identified the constitution of groups that involve school professionals, family members and students. Finally, there are some important conditions to be guaranteed in order that the proposed principles can be objectified are highlighted. As a conclusion for the research developed, it is argued that the consideration of the main activity of the students, acquires a guiding dimension for a performance in School Psychology that effectively collaborates so that the school manage to achieve its humanizing purposes

The purpose of this document is to design and record a Kindergarten visual arts unit using the Activboard to determine how student achievement, motivation, and interest are impacted. Methods of data collection include both observational recording and student interviews. The Activboard facilitates a highly interactive study of the art curriculum and data collected throughout the unit indicates a positive impact on student achievement, motivation, and interest.

The problem of this study was to determine the extent to which instructors perceived visual media as being valuable in achieving their classroom objectives in predominantly black, state-supported colleges and universities in the State of Louisiana. Questionnaires were mailed to 165 college and university instructors in colleges of education in predominantly black state-supported universities in Louisiana. Of the 165 questionnaires mailed, 139 were returned. All participants used in the study were teaching at least one course in education during the time the questionnaire was administered. The study is descriptive. The data were collected by means of a questionnaire, and analyzed by percentages, means, and standard deviations. One-way analysis of variance was used to test the differences in attitudes among the faculty members in the study. The level of significance was set at .05.

An undergraduate student’s level of engagement in non-academic activities has demonstrated to be a robust predictor of their success in higher education. Previous research indicates positive outcomes associated with student engagement including social benefits and sense of community gained by the students. Little is known about what motivates millennial students to join these activities and what students gain through these types of experiences. This study explores motivations and experiences of 11 undergraduate millennial students involved with student-run organizations at the University Of Victoria. The findings of the study suggest that today’s students are motivated to become engaged in non-academic activities due to professional and social benefits, encouragement from others, and personal interests. Additionally, through their participation, students have a better experience in university and learn about ideas of leadership and leadership skills. The findings from this study provide insight on how universities can create programs and policies to foster student engagement and student success. / Graduate

In this article we will discuss how teachers, principals, student counselors, and other professionals in education, can enhance the quantity and the quality of students' motivation by affecting what students are motivated for (i.e., their academic achievement goals) and the reasons why they strive to reach those goals. Based on Achievement goal theory and on Selfdetermination theory we will discuss these qualitative differences in students' motivation and we will explain why teachers should create a learning environment that fosters these more optimal types of motivation. / En este artículo se discutirá cómo los profesores, directores, consejeros escolares y otros profesionales de la educación pueden mejorar la cantidad y la calidad de la motivación de los estudiantes, trabajando en el “qué” los motiva (metas de logro académico, por ejemplo) y en el “por qué” (razones) ellos luchan por alcanzar estas metas. Con base en la Teoría de las Metas de Logro y en la Teoría de la Autodeterminación, se discutirán las diferencias en la calidad de la motivación de los estudiantes y se explicará por qué los profesores deben crear un ambiente de aprendizaje que promueva formas óptimas de motivación.

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Wondering how to stoke the flames of enthusiasm among your students? In this seminar, we'll explore what factors impact learner motivation, and then put those ideas to work. You'll be provided with practical suggestions for how to create a motivating class, ways to implement these suggestions in an online setting, and opportunities to brainstorm other great ideas with fellow attendees.

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