Online education’s potential to “scale-up” the traditional lecture-based, face-to-face course while maintaining or improving the quality of instruction attracts the attention of university administrators, faculty, and policymakers interested in opening access to higher education and expanding access to faculty experts. However, previous research has focused on distance education and not online education offered through campus-based institutions. As such, this dissertation used a qualitative, phenomenological approach to examine the lived experiences of students enrolled in online courses offered through a major research university (MRU). This study employed student engagement and developmental ecology theories to present the perspectives of 11 students through the analysis of student interviews, journals, and questionnaires; course syllabi; and faculty interviews. The significance of this study lies in its capacity to capture student perceptions and behaviors to better understand how online courses, and specific components of such courses, promote or discourage undergraduate student engagement in the modern research university. The interview and journal data indicated that online courses have the capacity to promote active and collaborative learning, academically challenge students, and contribute to a supportive campus environment at an MRU. Students related an enhanced sense of being independent and responsible for their own learning to online courses’ physical and transactional distance. Further, they considered anonymity as crucial to honest interactions with peers and teaching assistants and strengthened their commitment to one another. With regard to student-faculty interactions, students in the synchronous courses tended to form meaningful connections with faculty through intimate, face-to-face interactions rather than through online activities. The study also found that the perception held by some students that online courses equate to an “easy ‘A’” and mandated course enrollment negatively influenced participants’ investment of time and effort in their online courses. Given these findings, this dissertation calls for instructors and policymakers at major research universities to integrate key online and face-to-face components into online course designs and dedicate the necessary resources to engage students across the physical and transactional gap. For their part, students may consider how settings beget certain behaviors in their selection of physical workspaces and strategically utilize in- and out-of-class activities as active and collaborative learners. / text

Diamond thin films on Fe based materials (ferrous alloys) for the purpose of improving their surface properties such as wear and corrosion resistance have been investigated. There are main barriers restricting the quality and adhesion of diamond coatings on Fe based materials. Firstly, the incubation time of diamond nucleation is long due to the high solubility of carbon in Fe. Secondly, graphite soot forms before diamond nucleation due to the catalytic effect of Fe for formation of graphitic carbon. Thirdly, high internal stress remains at the interface which is induced by the large difference in the thermal expansion coefficients of diamond and most of the Fe based materials. Surface modification and interlayers are two important approaches to overcome these problems. In this work, the effect of Cr content in Fe-Cr alloys on diamond nucleation and growth is being studied in order to clarify the mechanisms of Cr in diamond deposition. Furthermore, in order to enhance the adhesion and quality of diamond coatings, Al based interlayers are being investigated on ferrous alloys. Fe-Cr alloys (with 20~80 wt.% Cr) were exposed to a CH4-H2 mixture in a microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD) reactor. Severe metal dusting and carburization were observed on the alloys with low Cr content and diamond did not nucleate on those alloys until a graphite intermediate layer had been formed, which takes a long incubation time. Increasing Cr concentration in the Fe-Cr alloys promotes the formation of a Cr carbide buffer layer, which inhibits metal dusting and the formation of graphite soot. Consequently, diamond nucleation and growth can be greatly enhanced, and continuous diamond films with enhanced adhesion have been deposited on the Fe-80Cr alloys. Al based interlayers including Al and Al/AlN interlayers were deposited on ferrous alloys (SS316 and Kovar: FeNiCo) to enhance diamond deposition. The deposition was carried out in a microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD) reactor using a CH4-H2 mixture. The obtained samples were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman spectroscopy, synchrotron-based X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and indentation testing. The results show that a single Al layer can effectively suppress the formation of graphite at the interface and the inward diffusion of carbon into Fe based substrates, and thereby enhances diamond nucleation and growth. The dual layers of Al/AlN can further enhance the adhesion of diamond coatings comparing with the single Al interlayer.

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Evidence-based practice has resulted in better patient outcomes, higher patient satisfaction, and effective patient-centered care. Leadership of a large teaching hospital determined that new nurses lacked the education and experience to design and implement an evidence-based project at the bedside, which was an expected outcome for completion of the established nurse residency program. The purpose of this project was to develop a design-only project in which Masters of Science in Nursing-prepared mentors were added to the residency program to establish the required evidence-based project. A mentor workshop was developed to guide the mentors in this role using Benner's novice to expert theoretical model. A team of stakeholders, including an expert in the field of nursing education, provided ongoing process evaluation in the development of the outcome products including the Mentor Facilitation Guide, Mentor Workshop Curriculum, Mentoring Toolkit, Pre-and Post-Mentor Workshop Survey Assessment, and Mentor Implementation Plan. Stakeholders completed a summative evaluation on the processes, outcomes, and student leadership of the project. Findings showed that the project met 100% of the stated goals and objectives, as evidenced by the stakeholders' responses to the summative evaluation regarding the degree of effectiveness for the project, process, and leadership skills. Implementation and evaluation of the project, which was developed for use in the hospitals' existing nurse residency program, will occur post-graduation. Social change will occur if new nurses learn to use evidence-based practice to support their nursing actions, resulting in improved patient care outcomes and population health.

The basic concept of this work is that functional modelling techniques are applicable to and of practical use in, producing a qualitative model of conceptual engineering design. A qualitative function based model of conceptual design has been developed and a computer based implementation has been built and tested. The rationale behind the modelling scheme and the computer implementation are described in detail. In addition to a review of existing models of design the research provides a significant new capability in four main areas: • An ability to generate new concepts with a controlled degree of similarity to existing designs. • A new function based model of engineering conceptual design. • The COncept Design ASsistant (CODAS) system, a computer based implementation of the function based model, has been developed and tested. • A new symbolic representation language. CODAS is a hybrid case-based and function-based modelling system, implemented in the domain of mechanical device design, which demonstrates the practical application of this new model. The CODAS system aims to provide a design support tool which can invent both routine and novel devices based on experience gained from past successful design solutions. Fast and efficient data handling is achieved by utilizing Case Based Reasoning (CBR) technology to store and retrieve past design solutions which are defined in terms of a symbolic representation language. The underlying design model is function based and employs a technique of divergent function to form mapping to produce physical embodiments of the proposed functional solutions.

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) are attractive power sources as they offer high conversion efficiencies with low or no pollution. However, several challenges, especially the sluggish oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and the high cost of Pt catalysts, impede their commercialization. With an aim to search for more active, less expensive, and more stable ORR catalysts than Pt, this dissertation focuses on the development of non-platinum or low-platinum Pd-based nanostructured electrocatalysts and a fundamental understanding of their structure-property-performance relationships. Carbon-supported Pd–Ni nanoalloy electrocatalysts with different Pd/Ni atomic ratios have been synthesized by a modified polyol reduction method, followed by heat treatment in a reducing atmosphere at 500–900 oC. The Pd–Ni sample with a Pd:Ni atomic ratio of 4:1 after heat treatment at 500 °C exhibits the highest electrochemical surface area and catalytic activity. The enhanced activity of Pd80Ni20 compared to that of Pd is attributed to Pd enrichment on the surface and the consequent lattice-strain effects. To improve the catalytic activity and long-term durability of the Pd–Ni catalysts, Pd–Pt–Ni nanoalloys have been synthesized by the same method and evaluated in PEMFC. The Pt-based mass activity of the Pd–Pt–Ni catalysts exceeds that of commercial Pt by a factor of 2, and its long-term durability is comparable to commercial Pt within the testing duration of 180 h. Both the favorable and detrimental effects of Pd and Ni dissolution on the performance of the membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) have been investigated by compositional analysis by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of the MEAs before and after the fuel cell test. The MEAs of the Pd–Pt–Ni catalyst have then been characterized in-situ by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) to better understand the performance changes during cell operation. The surface state change from Pd-enrichment to Pt-enrichment and the consequent decrease in the charge transfer resistance during cell operation is believed to contribute to the activity enhancement. To further improve the MEA performance and durability, the as-synthesized Pd–Pt–Ni catalysts have been pre-leached in acid and Pd–Pt alloy catalysts have been synthesized to alleviate contamination from dissolved metal ions. Compared to the pristine Pd–Pt–Ni catalyst, the preleached catalyst shows improved performance and the Pd–Pt catalyst exhibits similar performance in the entire current density range. Finally, the catalytic activities for ORR obtained from the rotating disk electrode (RDE) and PEMFC single-cell measurements of all the catalysts are compared. The improvement in the activities of the Pd-Pt-based catalysts compared to that of Pt measured by the RDE experiments is much lower than that obtained in single cell test. In other words, RDE tests underestimate the value of the Pd-Pt-based electrocatalysts for real fuel cell applications. Also, based on the RDE data, the Pd–Pt–Cu catalyst exhibits the highest catalytic activity among all the Pd–Pt–M (M = Fe, Ni, Cu) catalysts studied. / text

Consumer acceptance of buying goods and services online via the Internet is growing, although e-ecommerce has been mostly a mirror of traditional methods of pricing transactions – fixed price or auctions. The proliferation of personal mobile devices with pervasive Internet access and localization capability means a richer set of pricing parameters can be used. Allowing buyers and sellers to more explicitly price requests and filter offers, including information about time and place, allows for better transaction results for both parties. This paper examines the impacts of including the time and place of performance of a service as part of the price. A system for implementation is proposed, a simulation of the system is evaluated, and the results presented. / text

published_or_final_version / abstract / Education / Master / Master of Education

published_or_final_version / Medical Sciences / Master / Master of Medical Sciences

published_or_final_version / Medical Sciences / Master / Master of Medical Sciences