This quasi-experimental study examined the impact of living-learning communities on GPA and fall-to-fall retention rates for college freshmen at Regional University (RU). The specific focus of this study was the effect of these communities on students of different ethnic groups and on the potential of these communities to reduce the academic performance gap. RU was a small public university that offered both undergraduate and graduate degree programs. RU required all freshman students to live on campus in living-learning communities beginning with the 2007-2008 academic year. This study utilized the 343 student freshman cohort class of 2008 in the living-learning communities as the treatment group. This treatment group was compared against the 193 student freshman cohort class of 2008 living off campus and against the 643 student freshman cohort class of 2006 living on campus prior to the implementation of living-learning communities. In addition, the statistics were analyzed by ethnicity to examine the impact of these communities on White, Hispanic, African American, and Native American students and their ability to reduce the academic performance gap. The research revealed that the communities implemented at RU were not statistically significant at improving academic performance or at reducing the achievement gap. The results of this study were not consistent with the literature available on living-learning communities. Current research identifies six fundamental factors critical to the success of living-learning communities: positive working relationship between academic affairs and student affairs, involvement of faculty in the residence halls, appropriate funding, assessment strategies, university wide buy-in to implementing these communities, and commitment from institutional leadership. Examination of the inputs and processes on which these learning communities developed and operated indicated that the majority of these were not well developed to sustain these communities. The divergence of these findings from the literature may be attributed to key departures from the literature regarding the set-up and operation of these communities at RU.

My first task was urbanism of údolní street. Identify positive and negative areas and places. And propose solutions . After a thorough examination and analysis of the street, I found a few negative places. The first is space across the Obilní trh + complex of the ombudsman. In my opinion, this building does not fit here, and I replaced her apartment houses with a business parter, as it was in the history. In recent years, built a garden that connects the park to the Obilní trhy and Špilberk is a wonderful thing, namely how to combine two different types but beautiful parks. It will bring even more life to the area. The second negative place is already outdated hospital on the Obilní trh. In terms of its function I will be sorry it replace ordinary residential house, so I chose a home for the elderly Polyclinic. Why forget to the old people of the city? Some seniors like it. The third point is the area of University at the intersection Street and Úvoz Valley. My main thesis topic. I have long wondered with how this whole area can hold. It is a huge complex in the city center, where there is no life, so I decided to bring him there. And I think the help of students and young people who start their careers, I'll do it. The main function of the complex is education and science. In the old part on the street Údolní relocate Favu. With this relocation already counts as leadership of VUT, because they have fakulty in bad condition. This wing of the building of ports, which is a new modern auditorium, a library, and a new study department with the school. In the second wing of the historic street Úvoz goes something like a new start for students after school. The building has a lettable jobs, meeting rooms or areas for launching your business, or coworking. Simple building on the street Tvrdého is language school. Existing Institute of Forensic Medicine I'd changed his function at the primary art school. And because the area seemed to me a great and difficult to grasp, I decided to separate the bit where I created buildings. The supporting features such as a bistro, patisserie, bakery, minimarket, etc. Opposite the building in the complex construction of me was named the new incubators. On the ground floor of leasable space along with coworking. Three towers that stand out to me above the ground floor, I used to incubators, ie spaces for lease for the team who would love drove his bussines. Incubators and coworking are based on the idea to help young people with their ideas and plans. Enabling them to cheap labor where they could begin to form. The other point is the slope at Kraví hora, which offers a beautiful environment and it would be shame not to use it. Here is complemented by smaller blocks of flats and family houses with a studio. The last area is the building of existing Brněnka in the square. To complement the overall impression of my proposal, I would like to add here deal with a new restaurant. A residential building with commercial partners.

As urban planning demands an active role of public participation, it is important to accommodate participatory methods to the specific urban settings. This research develops community-based planning practices and analyses the needs of residents in student dormitory through the use of experimental workshops and observations conducted while experiencing and addressing the current spatial problems of outdoor areas of Grønjordskollegiet in Copenhagen, which serves as a case study. This paper uses the existing literature and theories that build on the benefits of inclusive public space, participation, social sustainability and liveability in relation to the data that derived from the use of qualitative methods. This research shows that students, as an important citizen group, have unique ways of living and experiencing the city. Thus, this research indicates the need for changes of the participation methods to gather better and more holistic data in such unique urban setting. In addition, while being a participant in external workshops and conducting methods that contain observations and reflections, this paper provides supplementary knowledge to further develop the students’ participation. Data from interviews and focus group discussion is used to address and suggest changes to the current spatial problems of the case study. As a result, community-based planning processes in student dormitories, if applied correctly, can benefit the social interactions and well-being of all groups of citizens.

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This qualitative study investigated the attitudes and perceptions of the role of Residence Life Professionals in attending to the spiritual needs of undergraduate college students at Ball State University. This study examined how undergraduate college students view the role of Residence Life Professionals in attending to spiritual needs. The results of this study have particular significance for those who are responsible for the well being of college students on a daily basis and benefit the Residence Life system by allowing a better understanding of where Professionals and students stand on this issue. This in turn will help Residence Life Professionals and students establish realistic expectations of each other in the spiritual arena. The researcher conducted 12 interviews with undergraduate student at Ball State University and analyzed the data by coding themes. / Department of Secondary, Higher, and Foundations of Education

Past research has shown that natural ventilation can be used to satisfy upwards of 98% of the yearly cooling demand when utilized in the appropriate climate zone. Yet widespread implementation of natural ventilation has been limited in practice. This delay in market adoption is mainly due to lack of effective and reliable control. Historically, control of natural ventilation was left to the occupant (i.e. they are responsible for opening and closing their windows) because occupants are more readily satisfied when given control of the indoor environment. This strategy has been shown to be effective during summer months, but can lead to both over and under ventilation, as well as the associated unnecessary energy waste during the winter months. This research presents the development and evaluation of a model-based control algorithm for natural ventilation. The proposed controller is designed to modulate the operable windows based on ambient temperature, wind speed, wind direction, solar radiation, indoor temperature and other building characteristics to ensure adequate ventilation and thermal comfort throughout the year without the use of mechanical ventilation and cooling systems. A midrise student dormitory building, located in Portland OR, has been used to demonstrate the performance of the proposed controller. Simulation results show that the model-based controller is able to reduce under-ventilated hours to 6.2% of the summer season (June - September) and 2.5% of the winter (October - May) while preventing over-heating during 99% of the year. In addition, the model-based-controller reduces the yearly energy cost by 33% when compared to a conventional heat pump system. As a proactive control, model-based control has been used in a wide range of building control applications. This research serves as proof-of-concept that it can be used to control operable windows to provide adequate ventilation year-round without significantly affecting thermal comfort. The resulting control algorithm significantly improves the reliability of natural ventilation design and could lead to a wider adoption of natural ventilation in appropriate climate zones.

The diploma thesis deals with project of a new building of university dormitories in the city center of Brno. It is detached building with basement and four above-ground floors with the irregular rectangular shape. Dormitories can be divided into three fundamental parts. The underground garages can be considered as the first part. Parking places are designed only for students, occasional visitors, and employees. In the underground floor, technical rooms and large warehouse can be found. The second part is designed to the general public including association areas such as reception, coffee-house with outdoor terrace, copy center and tobacco shop. Rooms for students, manager offices, repairman’s room, and laundry can be found in the third part. In total there are 44 two-person rooms and one room for a disabled person on the second floor. The structural system of the building is a cast-in-place concrete frame with a filling of ceramic fittings. The external wall is insulated with mineral wool with a ventilated facade and fiber-cement facade tiles. The building is based on base piles with a pile under each pillar. Vegetation covers a flat roof as well as a part of the north side of the facade. There will also be a public park and two volleyball fields in the area.

Diploma thesis describes the design of plumbing systems in student dormitories. The theoretical part discusses the types of waste water, focusing on gray water and its subsequent use. The experimental part is focused on measurement drinking water consumption and drinking water discharge in existing buildings student dormitories and apartment building. The work also contains other variants of possible installation solutions. The project is part of the selected solutions developed a variant form of project documentation for construction.

This diploma thesis deals with the processing of project documentation of student housing in the city of Olomouc. The building is located near the university dormitory accommodation of Palacky University. It is designed to complement the missing type of accommodation. Building is a L-shaped five-storey, without a basement and with a flat roof. Structural system is mostly brick, only part of first floor is solved by columns. The building is divided into three building complexes. Two wings for the accommodation have 4 floors. The connector block has five floors, where the 5th floor is only the engine room. Foundation structures are concrete strips and foundation pads. South side of the building is protected from the sun by sunscreens, on which in a future could be installed photovoltaics. The building is divided into three parts in terms of functionality. 1.NP consists of commercial premises in the southern block and private rooms for accommodated in the eastern block. 2nd-4th floor forms spaces designed to accommodate students. Accommodation capacity is 105 people.