Due to a variety of reasons, one of the most common types of training found at companies is safety and health training. As part of a comprehensive health and safety training program there is usually an ergonomics training course. These courses are used to empower the employees to identify hazards and set up their workstations with the goal of injury prevention and increasing employee efficiency. Even with their usage, little data exist on the effectiveness of ergonomics training. In addition, no published research is available on the effectiveness of office ergonomics delivered via the web. This research project investigated the effectiveness of office ergonomics training delivered by both an instructor and a web-based program. Using a methodology popularized by Kirkpatrick, this investigation focused on the effects of both training delivery methods for knowledge, behavior, and reaction to training. As a method for comparing results, data was collected for both the knowledge and the behavior prior to and post-training delivery. Data for reaction to training was collected post training. This investigation used multiple methods of comparisons between base pre and post-training data and between the two training delivery methods. These methods include intra-group, inter-group, gain-score, and normalized-scores comparisons. The result form these comparisons showed that for both delivery methods there was a significant increase for knowledge and behavioral changes. Additionally, the group that received web-based training had a significantly greater increase for both behaviors and knowledge. However, there was no difference between the two training methods for reaction to training. For the study population assessed, this investigation shows evidence that both instructor and web-based office ergonomics training is effective at generating behavior change and knowledge gain. However, this study shows that web-based training was more effective at generating a greater change than the instructor delivered course. Additionally, this study provides evidence that the common method of assessing participate reaction to training is not effective at determining the true effectiveness of the training.

The QUIZIT system has been developed to support adaptive and standard testing, along with automatic grading, record keeping, and test administration using the WWW as a delivery vehicle. We have applied QUIZIT in connection with our NSF-supported Education Infrastructure project on Interactive Learning with a Digital Library in Computer Science to help with evaluation in a master's level course as well as a large freshmen level service course. Preliminary testing in these courses has shown us that QUIZIT is a promising supplement to other forms of evaluation in self-paced education. We also conjecture QUIZIT might be a valuable tool in distance learning environment. / Master of Science

Biomass cookstoves are a significant source of various pollutants, such as CO2, CO, and particulate matter (PM). To mitigate the issues surrounding cookstoves, significant research has been undertaken on improved cookstoves (ICS). This research can be performed in a laboratory setting, in the field, or a combination of both. This work concentrates on the purely laboratory testing. Laboratory testing has both advantages and disadvantages when compared to field testing (e.g. decreased cost and increased consistency). However, field applications are variable, environments can be significantly different (for example wind and ambient temperature can be very different in the field vs. a controlled lab environment) and the personal preferences of the users of the cookstove can also be difficult to predict when only using laboratory testing. It is typically preferable to narrow down the possible cookstove choices by using laboratory results before heading to the field. This work concentrated on assessing the limitations of laboratory testing of cookstoves as presently constituted, as well as finding new ways to improve and expand upon the testing methodologies. Sources of error during testing was considered, leading to recommendations on how to adjust testing to decrease that error. Of note, it was found that higher thermal efficiencies led to increased propagated errors, which complicates the comparison of this efficiency among cookstoves. Additionally, a method for estimating the transient thermal efficiency was developed. Further, the effects of changing some of the key testing parameters were explored and the results showed that the overall thermal efficiency was minimally affected by parameter variations within the WBT or ISO 19867-1 guidelines. Finally, two methods were explored and compared for finding kinetic parameters associated with transforming food from the uncooked state to the cooked state. It was found that physical testing was more effective for samples that started in a harder physical state, whereas DSC testing was more effective with samples that had lower water content. This analysis was done with the intention of using transformation kinetics in future applications of cookstove models so that researchers could gain additional insights into which stoves may be best for their target market.

This study applied components of Csikszentmhalyi’s flow theory to the Web-based Training (WBT) environment. Specifically considered were how the equivalence of a learner’s perceived challenges and skills for an activity can effectively predict the emergence of flow in the WBT environment. Also considered was the ability of flow dimensions — defined in flow theory — to predict and model the occurrence of flow during WBT activities. Over a period of about one hour, students (n=43) from a southwestern US university engaged in WBT learning activities pertaining to on-line coursework or self-study. A special Web-based software installed on the students’ computers sporadically reminded them to complete a series of on-line questionnaires which collected data on their flow experience, learning activities, and flow dimensions. The data collection method employed by this study is effectively an electronic, Web-enabled version of, and functionally equivalent to, the Experience Sampling Method (ESM) used in other flow studies. This study employed questionnaires used in prior flow studies to collect data regarding respondents’ flow experiences and flow dimensions, and developed an on-line instrument to collect data on students’ learning experiences based on instructional events found in computer-based lessons from Gagné. Significant findings (p<.05) from this study suggest that, in the WBT environment studied, as the relative level of challenge and skill of a learning activity increases, so does the level of flow experienced by the individual. This study also found that flow dimensions are good predictors of flow experience. The results of this study should have important implications for WBT users and instructional designers. Since flow is a positive experience that most individuals wish to repeat, understanding how to facilitate the occurrence of flow, from both the WBT user’s and instructional designer’s perspective, is likely to be beneficial to the rapidly emerging field of WBT.

Anacampserotaceae pertence à ordem Caryophyllales, subordem Portulacineae, atualmente constituída por três gêneros (Anacampseros L., Grahamia Gill ex Hook e Talinopsis A. Gray) antes pertencentes à família Portulacaceae. Os representantes de Anacampserotaceae apresentam estruturas axilares lignificadas muito características, como tricomas, escamas (scales) e cerdas (bristles) e também apresentam células do tipo WBT que ocorre somente em mais outras duas famílias de Caryophyllales, Aizoaceae e Cactaceae. Os caracteres axilares são muito informativos para o clado ACPT (Anacampserotaceae, Cactaceae, Portulacaceae e Talinaceae) e vêm revelando importantes dados aos estudos filogenéticos da subordem Portulacineae, no entanto, há uma controvérsia quanto a origem ontogenética das estruturas axilares de Anacampserotaceae, o que pode levar a interpretações equivocadas das relações filogenéticas do grupo. Diante disso, este trabalho realizou um estudo ontogenético das estruturas presentes na região da axila foliar de oito espécies de Anacampserotaceae e analisou as WBTs do caule e de folhas quanto seu tipo de espessamento e medidas quantitativas de seis espécies. Os resultados apontam a 1) origem estipular das escamas e não protodérmica, como mencionado na literatura; 2) primeiro relato de profilos na família e 3) WBTs ocorrem em Anacampseros e estão ausente em Talinopsis, grupo considerado basal na família. / Anacampserotaceae belongs to the order Caryophyllales, suborder Portulacineae, currently consists of three genus (Anacampseros L., Grahamia Gill ex Hook and Talinopsis A. Gray) formerly circumscribed to the family Portulacaceae. Anacampserotaceae\'s representative presents lignified axillary structures very distinctive, like trichomes, scales and bristles and also WBT cells that is presented only by two other families of Caryophyllales, Aizoaceae e Cactaceae. The axillary characters are very informative for the ACPT clade (Anacampserotaceae, Cactaceae, Portulacaceae and Talinaceae) and has been revealing important data for the phylogenetic studies on the Portulacineae suborder, nevertheless, there is a controversy regarding the Anacampserotaceae axillary structures ontogenetic origin, what may lead to misguided interpretations for the ACPT phylogenetic relationships. Before it, this research have accomplished the ontogenetic study of the structures present on the leaf axil of eight Anacampserotaceae species and examined stem and leaf WBTs, as for its secondary thickening type and quantitative measurements of six species. The results points 1) that at least one structure (scale) has leaf origin instead of protodermic origin, as stated by some authors; 2) first report of prophylls for the family and 3) WBTs occur in Anacampseros but they are absent in Talinopsis, a basal group of Anacampserotaceae.

This is a report on research regarding the screen layout of Web-based training (WBT) programs, conducted with an eye toward providing evidence-based guidance for the design and development of WBT interfaces. Specifically, the study investigated the relative instructional benefits of two general types of WBT screen design, full-page and partial-page, in terms of both learner performance and learner satisfaction. The main hypotheses of the study were that the full-page design option would yield significantly better outcomes in both categories of interest.The study employed a mixed-method design, generating both quantitative and qualitative data. The main phase of the study was experimental, following a factorial design to explore the relationships between a single treatment variable (WBT screen design) in two treatment conditions (partial-page WBT design and full-page WBT design) and two dependent variables (learner performance and learner satisfaction). Both a full-page and a partial-page version of the same Web-based tutorial were created, and 129 self-selected undergraduate students who reported having little or no experience with the tutorial subject matter were randomly assigned into the two treatment groups. Performance data were collected as scores on the tutorial's 18-item, multiple choice final exam, and satisfaction data were collected via a 10-item satisfaction survey. In addition, 59 of the study participants were randomly selected to participate in post-study session interviews.The results of the study yielded no significant difference between the two treatment groups for either learner performance or learner satisfaction; thus, making it impossible to reject the null hypothesis for either of the two primary research questions. The conclusion of this study was that the presence or absence of scrolling alone is not a significant factor either in how well a person performs in a WBT program or how satisfied they are with the learning experience . However, while analysis of the post-study session interview data supported this conclusion, the fact that a large majority of the interviewees stated a preference for the full-page, non-scrolling WBT interface design suggests that some elements inherent in the full-page design might warrant further consideration and/or study.

Anacampserotaceae pertence à ordem Caryophyllales, subordem Portulacineae, atualmente constituída por três gêneros (Anacampseros L., Grahamia Gill ex Hook e Talinopsis A. Gray) antes pertencentes à família Portulacaceae. Os representantes de Anacampserotaceae apresentam estruturas axilares lignificadas muito características, como tricomas, escamas (scales) e cerdas (bristles) e também apresentam células do tipo WBT que ocorre somente em mais outras duas famílias de Caryophyllales, Aizoaceae e Cactaceae. Os caracteres axilares são muito informativos para o clado ACPT (Anacampserotaceae, Cactaceae, Portulacaceae e Talinaceae) e vêm revelando importantes dados aos estudos filogenéticos da subordem Portulacineae, no entanto, há uma controvérsia quanto a origem ontogenética das estruturas axilares de Anacampserotaceae, o que pode levar a interpretações equivocadas das relações filogenéticas do grupo. Diante disso, este trabalho realizou um estudo ontogenético das estruturas presentes na região da axila foliar de oito espécies de Anacampserotaceae e analisou as WBTs do caule e de folhas quanto seu tipo de espessamento e medidas quantitativas de seis espécies. Os resultados apontam a 1) origem estipular das escamas e não protodérmica, como mencionado na literatura; 2) primeiro relato de profilos na família e 3) WBTs ocorrem em Anacampseros e estão ausente em Talinopsis, grupo considerado basal na família. / Anacampserotaceae belongs to the order Caryophyllales, suborder Portulacineae, currently consists of three genus (Anacampseros L., Grahamia Gill ex Hook and Talinopsis A. Gray) formerly circumscribed to the family Portulacaceae. Anacampserotaceae\'s representative presents lignified axillary structures very distinctive, like trichomes, scales and bristles and also WBT cells that is presented only by two other families of Caryophyllales, Aizoaceae e Cactaceae. The axillary characters are very informative for the ACPT clade (Anacampserotaceae, Cactaceae, Portulacaceae and Talinaceae) and has been revealing important data for the phylogenetic studies on the Portulacineae suborder, nevertheless, there is a controversy regarding the Anacampserotaceae axillary structures ontogenetic origin, what may lead to misguided interpretations for the ACPT phylogenetic relationships. Before it, this research have accomplished the ontogenetic study of the structures present on the leaf axil of eight Anacampserotaceae species and examined stem and leaf WBTs, as for its secondary thickening type and quantitative measurements of six species. The results points 1) that at least one structure (scale) has leaf origin instead of protodermic origin, as stated by some authors; 2) first report of prophylls for the family and 3) WBTs occur in Anacampseros but they are absent in Talinopsis, a basal group of Anacampserotaceae.

Master's thesis contains basic informations about e-learning and describe it by many criteria. It also describes progress and current trends in e-learning and what is needed to create interactive study materials and courses. I analyse most important advantages and disadvantages of these courses. I designed Web-based training system (WBT) for driving school, which is implemented as a program prototype of e-learning system.

Τα σύγχρονα πληροφοριακά συστήματα μάθησης τα οποία υποστηρίζουν εξ’ αποστάσεως εκπαίδευση, επιτρέπουν τη συστηματική διαχείριση του εκπαιδευτικού υλικού και υποστηρίζουν τις εκπαιδευτικές διαδικασίες των μαθημάτων. Τα συστήματα αυτά έχουν λειτουργικότητες όπως: η ανάρτηση ψηφιακού υλικού, η διεξαγωγή συζητήσεων, η ανάρτηση ασκήσεων-εργασιών, η πραγματοποίηση εξετάσεων και πολλές άλλες. Στόχος της συγκεκριμένης εργασίας είναι η διερεύνηση του χώρου των συστημάτων μάθησης τα οποία υποστηρίζουν εξ’ αποστάσεως εκπαίδευση καθώς επίσης και η παρουσίαση και η εφαρμογή μεθόδου αξιολόγησης τους, αξιολογώντας τα συστήματα σύμφωνα με μια λίστα λειτουργικών απαιτήσεων. Στο 1ο κεφάλαιο της διπλωματικής εργασίας γίνεται μια περιγραφή των βασικών εννοιών της εξ’αποστάσεως εκπαίδευσης καθώς επίσης και έννοιες που αφορούν τα συστήματα υποστήριξης μάθησης όπως:CBT, VLE, LMS, LCMS, CMS, Mobile Learning. Στο 2ο κεφάλαιο γίνεται μια επισκόπηση του χώρου των Συστημάτων Μάθησης Learning Course Management Systems (LCMS). Συγκεκριμένα γίνεται μία καταγραφή των χαρακτηριστικών των πιο δημοφιλών συστημάτων τόσο των εμπορικών όσο και των συστημάτων ανοικτού κώδικα με τη χρήση ενός κοινού template όπου καταγράφονται τα εξής στοιχεία: Κατασκευαστής, Σύντομη περιγραφή Λογισμικού, Πλεονεκτήματα (Δυνατά Σημεία ), Μειονεκτήματα (Αδυναμίες, Ελλείψεις), Πελατολόγιο, Τρέχουσα Έκδοση έτσι ώστε να μπορεί κάποιος εύκολα να τα συγκρίνει και να τα αξιολογήσει. Στο 3ο κεφάλαιο πραγματοποιείται ανάλυση απαιτήσεων ενός σύγχρονου συστήματος μάθησης έτσι ώστε να μπορεί να εφαρμοστεί η μεθοδολογία αξιολόγησης σε μια λίστα από χαρακτηριστικά-απαιτήσεις για τα συστήματα που παρουσιάζονται στο κεφάλαιο 2. Στο 4ο κεφάλαιο παρουσιάζεται η μεθοδολογία Αξιολόγησης των συστημάτων μάθησης η οποία στηρίζεται στη θεωρία της ασαφούς λογικής. Η συγκεκριμένη μεθοδολογία εφαρμόστηκε σαν μελέτη περίπτωσης για την αξιολόγηση συστημάτων εκπαιδευτικών δραστηριοτήτων προκειμένου να βρεθεί το πλέον κατάλληλο σύστημα για τις ανάγκες του Ελληνικού Ανοικτού Πανεπιστημίου. Τέλος στο κεφάλαιο 5 πραγματοποιείται η εφαρμογή της μεθοδολογίας αξιολόγησης μεταξύ των συστημάτων μάθησης και παρουσιάζονται τα αποτελέσματα- συμπεράσματα που εξάγονται από την εφαρμογή της μεθόδου ενώ στο τελευταίο κεφάλαιο (6ο ) παρουσιάζονται τα συμπεράσματα της εργασίας. / Modern learning information systems are designed to support distance education and have many features to support learning sequence such as: management of educational material, tools for uploading projects in several kinds (documents, multimedia files), many kinds of quizzes, grades management, forums, reports wiz and many others. The aim of this master thesis is the investigation of available learning course management systems(LCMS), requirements analysis for LCMS and presentation and implementation of an evaluation methodology for LCMS based on a requirements list. In the first chapter of this thesis, we describe the basic concepts and definitions of e-Learning, as well as concepts relating to learning support systems such as: CBT(Computer Based Training), VLE(Virtual Learning Environment), LMS(Learning Management Systems), LCMS(Learning Course Management Systems), CMS (Course Management Systems), Mobile Learning etc. The second chapter contains an investigation in the area of Learning Course Management Systems (LCMS). We used a common template in order to describe the features of the most popular LCMS (either Open Source or Commercial). The template contains features like: Small Description of any LCMS (Software Manufacturer and History, Active Users and Installations, Database Requirements, Web Server, Manufacturer Clients, Current Stable Version), Strengths of the Software, Weaknesses of the Software, Available Mobile Version. This features have been chosen in order to become easy the comparison and after that the evaluation of the systems. The third chapter contains requirements analysis of a modern learning course management system so that the evaluation methodology can be applied to a specified list of features-requirements for the systems presented in chapter 2. In the fourth chapter there is the presentation of the evaluation methodology which uses a multicriteria technical analysis which belongs to the field of methods of Multi-Criteria Group-based Decision Making Techniques, while uses methods of (intuitionistic) fuzzy logic. This method exports the results using a technique TOPSIS(Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution). In this chapter there is the theoretical description of the methodology which has been implemented as a case study for evaluating learning management systems in order to find the most suitable system for the needs of the Hellenic Open University(HOU). In Chapter 5 we will find the implementation steps of the methodology in order to exclude the most suitable LCMS for HOU and the final results(list of Systems). We will also find the conclusions of the implementation of this method. Finally the last chapter (6th) presents the final conclusions of the whole thesis and the added value this thesis offers in this field of research .