abstract: The field of education has been immensely benefited by major breakthroughs in technology. The arrival of computers and the internet made student-teacher interaction from different parts of the world viable, increasing the reach of the educator to hitherto remote corners of the world. The arrival of mobile phones in the recent past has the potential to provide the next paradigm shift in the way education is conducted. It combines the universal reach and powerful visualization capabilities of the computer with intimacy and portability. Engineering education is a field which can exploit the benefits of mobile devices to enhance learning and spread essential technical know-how to different parts of the world. In this thesis, I present AJDSP, an Android application evolved from JDSP, providing an intuitive and a easy to use environment for signal processing education. AJDSP is a graphical programming laboratory for digital signal processing developed for the Android platform. It is designed to provide utility; both as a supplement to traditional classroom learning and as a tool for self-learning. The architecture of AJDSP is based on the Model-View-Controller paradigm optimized for the Android platform. The extensive set of function modules cover a wide range of basic signal processing areas such as convolution, fast Fourier transform, z transform and filter design. The simple and intuitive user interface inspired from iJDSP is designed to facilitate ease of navigation and to provide the user with an intimate learning environment. Rich visualizations necessary to understand mathematically intensive signal processing algorithms have been incorporated into the software. Interactive demonstrations boosting student understanding of concepts like convolution and the relation between different signal domains have also been developed. A set of detailed assessments to evaluate the application has been conducted for graduate and senior-level undergraduate students. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S. Electrical Engineering 2013

abstract: This study explored three methods to measure cognitive load in a learning environment using four logic puzzles that systematically varied in level of intrinsic cognitive load. Participants' perceived intrinsic load was simultaneously measured with a self-report measure--a traditional subjective measure--and two objective, physiological measures based on eye-tracking and EEG technology. In addition to gathering self-report, eye-tracking data, and EEG data, this study also captured data on individual difference variables and puzzle performance. Specifically, this study addressed the following research questions: 1. Are self-report ratings of cognitive load sensitive to tasks that increase in level of intrinsic load? 2. Are physiological measures sensitive to tasks that increase in level of intrinsic load? 3. To what extent do objective physiological measures and individual difference variables predict self-report ratings of intrinsic cognitive load? 4. Do the number of errors and the amount of time spent on each puzzle increase as the puzzle difficulty increases? Participants were 56 undergraduate students. Results from analyses with inferential statistics and data-mining techniques indicated features from the physiological data were sensitive to the puzzle tasks that varied in level of intrinsic load. The self-report measures performed similarly when the difference in intrinsic load of the puzzles was the most varied. Implications for these results and future directions for this line of research are discussed. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Educational Technology 2013

abstract: In an effort to stress the benefits of the application of renewable energy to the next generation of science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) professionals, instructional modules on energy and biogas were integrated into a summer camp curriculum that challenged students to apply STEAM concepts in the design and development of chain reaction machines. Each module comprised an interactive presentations and a hands-on component where students operated a manipulative relevant to the content. During summer 2013, this camp was implemented at two high schools in Arizona and one in Trinidad and Tobago. Assessments showed that the overall modules were effective in helping students learn and retain the information presented on energy and biogas production. To improve future implementations of these modules, specifically the module on biogas production, the anaerobic digester was redesigned. In addition, a designed experiment was conducted to determine how to optimize the influent and operational environment that is available in an average high school classroom to generate maximum biogas yield. Eight plug-flow anaerobic digesters made of PVC piping and fixtures were used in a 2x3 factorial design assessing: co-digestion (20mL or 50mL) used cooking oil, temperature (25°C or 40°C), and addition of inoculum (0mL or 200mL). Biogas production was captured at two intervals over a 30-day period, and the experiments were replicated three times. Results showed that temperature at 40°C significantly increased biogas production and should be used over 25°C when using anaerobic digesters. Other factors that may potentially increase biogas production are combination of temperature at 40°C and 50mL of used cooking oil. In the future, the improvements made in the design of the anaerobic digester, and the applications of the finding from the experimental design, are expected to lead to an improved manipulative for teaching students about biogas production. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S. Engineering 2014

M.Ed. (ICT in Education) / Marc Prensky (2009) described the future as being “unimaginably complex”. The rapid development of technology contributes to this complexity of the future and is an integral part of the changing world. Learning technologies should therefore be a vital part of education that is aimed to prepare and equip learners, regardless their age, for the world and the future. I am of the opinion that education should therefore co-evolve with Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). The constant increase in the variety and complexity of available ICTs makes on-going research in the field of learning technologies essential. However the quality of this research is constantly criticised (Jones & Binhui, 2011). Demands for more robust research studies are forcing research to become more complex, difficult and time-consuming but can lead to wisdom (Prensky, 2009). This research project focused on the attainment of digital wisdom to the benefit of adults that who are inexperienced technology users, specifically postgraduate education students who are also teachers. A generational debate regarding the use of ICTs in education, originated around the start of the new millennium when Marc Prensky (2001) made declarations concerning the influence that the presence and use of technology can have on various aspects of peoples’ lives. Prensky (2001) was one of the first to imply a generational division in this regard when he named young people who use digital technology with confidence because they grew up with, and were surrounded by it since the day they were born, “digital natives”. In contrast he called the adult generation “digital immigrants”. He based the distinction between these two generations on the metaphor of language, claiming that a digital immigrant will always retain a “foreign accent” when using technology while digital natives use technology with the same ease that they speak their mother tongue. Prensky proposed that the digital native generation have different expectations of life in general, and also more specifically of learning...

<p> The exponential growth of online and hybrid education is most pressing and rapidly changing, increasing the need for faculty development programs for the traditional and online educator (Herman, 2012; Quinn &amp; Kennedy-Clark, 2015). The students of today are referred to as the digital native student (DNS; Akcayir, Dundar, &amp; Akcayir, 2016). Teaching faculty at dental schools are from the baby boomer and traditionalists&rsquo; generation (ADEA Snapshot, 2017). Additionally, there are many institutions where the teaching faculty are trained in a specific trade or skill and do not understand the need for a teaching pedagogy related to the DNS needs (Behar-Horenstein, Garvan, Catalanotto, Yu, &amp; Xiaoying, 2016).</p><p>

<p> This study explored the experiences of professors and instructional designers as they interact to design and develop a distance learning course. Six professors from several different universities who reported that their pedagogy improved after these interactions during the conversion process were identified and interviewed, along with the instructional designers with whom they collaborated, to determine what elements of the interaction led to the change in their pedagogical practices. The study used a Hermeneutics phenomenology approach employing a universal instructional design model (Merrill, 2013) and a threat regulation model of trust (Williams, 2007) to shape data collection and analysis. Analysis of the data showed that principles from the instructional design model (Merrill, 2013) were used by the instructional designers to communicate good teaching practices. Strategies from the trust-building model (Williams, 2007) were employed by the instructional designers as well as some of the faculty to reduce threats to collaboration. Faculty reported incorporating a more student-centered approach to their subsequent teaching, based primarily on improved student outcomes in these courses, including satisfaction, engagement, and retention of new knowledge. Four conclusions emerged from the findings: (a) Merrill&rsquo;s First Principles (2013) is a useful model for explaining student-centered practices in higher education, particularly the principle of using real-world problems in course design, (b) Williams&rsquo;s trust-building model explains some of the success of the professor/instructional designer interactions, (c) professors valued pedagogical support from experienced instructional designers, who facilitated changes in their thinking about pedagogy, and (d) professors were more likely to make changes in pedagogy when they could anticipate improved learning outcomes. Universities are recommended to implement the use of professional instructional designers and quality frameworks to introduce faculty to student-centered teaching practices. As change agents in the universities, instructional designers should take advantage of the opportunity to impact teaching practices in universities. Further research might explore how faculty incorporate new knowledge acquired as a result of interacting with instructional designers into their teaching. In addition, future studies could examine the incorporation of those features of instructional design that are not reflected in active learning methods, particularly the use of backward design to create connections between learning activities.</p><p>

<p> As technology prices continue to decline, access to devices has become less of a barrier, and public schools are able to implement one-to-one initiatives easier (Ruggiero &amp; Mong, 2015; U.S. Department of Education [USDOE], 2016; Zheng, Warschauer, Lin, &amp; Chang, 2016). It has become vital to support teachers in the area of professional development, but oftentimes these programs have failed to prepare teachers for technology integration (Hunter, 2015; USDOE, 2016). The purpose of this study was to identify key aspects of professional development teachers and administrators have found to be of the utmost value when implementing a one-to-one initiative to further the development of future professional development programs. An online survey was sent to school districts known to have been implementing a one-to-one initiative for a minimum of three years. The population included five public school districts in the southwest Missouri area, and the sample was comprised of 16 administrators and 33 high school teachers. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze quantitative data and to provide a statistical summary of the survey findings. A Mann-Whitney <i>U</i> Test was performed to analyze nonparametric values. This causal-comparative study revealed areas of professional development proven to be the most important when considering a technology initiative as well as differences in perspectives, visions, and values found amongst administrators and teachers. The findings of this study further revealed the importance of creating professional development programs to meet the needs of teachers in accordance to their individual levels of knowledge, thus requiring a differentiated approach to future professional development practices.</p><p>

<p> This qualitative case study examined the perceptions of former students who are economically disadvantaged from a poor, rural district in central Pennsylvania who left their traditional school to enroll in one of the three biggest cyber-charter schools in the state. Through extensive interviews with the students and their learning coaches, the study attempted to see the experience through the eyes of those who lived it. Particular emphasis was placed on supports students and their learning coaches received from their schools and teachers and in their homes. Also, the researcher attempted to understand the perceptions of students and their learning coaches about the advantages and disadvantages of enrolling in a for-profit cyber-charter school as opposed to remaining in their traditional schools. </p><p> The results of this study, based on the experiences of five students and their learning coaches, imply that support from home is critical for student success in cyber-charter schools. Support from family members or loved ones was found to be more effective than support from social agents or acquaintances, and support from home was found to be more important than support from school. The study also implies that not all students are suited to work in the online environment. Some students in the study reported a sense of isolation as they worked in their cyber-charter schools. Some students in the study also had difficulty adapting to this new way of learning. Finally, the study determined that students who are not capable of functioning in a public school environment may feel more comfortable and be better served in a cyber-charter program. The study provides recommendations for improving the cyber-charter school experience. The improvements suggested included opening local satellite offices around the state staffed by a teacher to provide more face-to-face interaction with students, offering social opportunities in more local venues so students can connect in a sustainable way, and finally, developing a more rigorous screening process that would give all potential students and their learning coaches a realistic view of the expectations required in the cyber environment.</p><p>

<p> The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) call upon K-12 science teachers to provide authentic science and engineering practices which deepen understanding of core ideas and crosscutting concepts (NGSS Lead States, 2013). Probeware technology provides exposure to these scientific practices; however, there is a disconnect between the frequency of teacher probeware use and these current mandates. Additional research is needed to study how probeware is used to improve learning outcomes.</p><p> This descriptive mixed method case study focused on the pedagogical practices of middle school science teachers in one department, identified conditions of deep learning in probeware lessons and examined whether probeware creates a learning advantage on a state science assessment. The qualitative findings of this case study indicate that probeware provides an affordance over traditional lab equipment and allows more time for deep learning as shown in the artifacts of instruction and teacher narrative. Quantitative methods were used to compare student performance scores on the 2016 8^th Grade Science Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA): this metric allowed for the comparison in performance between students of the participating teachers who use probeware (<i>n</i> = 349) and students in the same district who do not use probeware (<i>n</i> = 332). An attempt was made to control socioeconomic and demographic variables to make a valid comparison between students exposed to the same curriculum from two middle schools within the same district. The employed methodology was the first of its kind to correlate student use of probeware technology to performance on specific sections of a state-wide science assessment.</p><p> This study found that students who use probeware had slightly higher mean scores in the Nature of Science reporting category and its three sub-sections; however, statistical differences were revealed in only one sub-section: Reasoning &amp; Analysis. This is the section where students are required to explain, interpret and apply knowledge presented in graphical form. These findings are relevant because they suggest that the use of probeware provided a learning advantage on questions requiring an understanding of graphs. Statistical differences in mean scores were also noted in the Physical Science and Biology reporting categories, while no statistical differences were recorded in the Earth &amp; Space reporting category.</p><p> The results of this case study benefit science teachers, science supervisors, curriculum developers, and researchers who are tasked with aligning curricula to the NGSS. The correlation between the use of probeware and higher student performance scores supports the inclusion of this technology in elementary and secondary science.</p><p>

<p> Wireless communication is a central aspect of our everyday lives. Currently, the main goal in wireless communication research, is to find efficient methods to improve signal transmission by improving the Bit Error Rate (BER) performance of mobile communication systems. To improve the BER performance, the Inter-Carrier Interference (ICI) during signal transmission must be mitigated. The ICI can be caused by conditions such as residual carrier frequency offset, time variations because of the Doppler shift or phase noise; these conditions destroy the orthogonality at the receiver and subsequently degrade the BER performance of mobile communication systems. </p><p> This thesis work involves the implementation of a 4x2 Space-Time Conjugate Cancellation-Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (STCC-OFDM) system to mitigate ICI and compares its BER performance to a previously established 4x1 STCC-OFDM system. The 4x1 STCC-OFDM system employs four transmitting antennas and one receiving antenna whereas the 4x2 STCC-OFDM system employs four transmitting antennas and two receiving antennas. The auxiliary antenna employed in the 4x2 STCC-OFDM system provides spatial diversity and redundant data at the receiver side. Results show that the 4x2 STCC-OFDM system has better BER performance compared to the 4x1 STCC-OFDM system. Additionally, all the simulations are performed on MATLAB R2015b software. These simulations show the BER variation at different Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) values for the 4x1 STCC-OFDM and the 4x2 STCC-OFDM systems, with code rates 1 and 0.5 in COS 207 channel. Simulations indicate that as the value of SNR increases the BER value comes down. BER values of the 4x2 STCC-OFDM system are significantly lower than the 4x1 STCC-OFDM system for both the code rates 1 and 0.5. Finally, the result of the simulations shows that the 4x2 STCC-OFDM system is more efficient than the 4x1 STCC-OFDM system.</p><p>