The problem of this study involves identifying and ranking in importance the characteristics of effective teaching assistants in the learning environment of an open physics instructional laboratory.

The aim of the diploma thesis is to propose a teaching text for teaching technical education in elementary school. In the first (theoretical) part is given the reason for the intention to create the teaching material, the historical profile of the topic, the basic theoretical information on the creation of teaching materials are summarized. The second (practical) part of the thesis contains a specific design of worksheets. The work focuses on spaces, environments, aids, and measurement procedures of individual works. And regardless of whether he will later be his or her own choice technically or humanely - and regardless of whether he is a boy or a girl - he should deal with basic technical problems. There are several simple practical tasks for each chapter.

The purpose with this study is to examine the aspects regarding how laboratory education can affect student’s ability to reason and their motivation for the subject.  To perform this study from a qualitative perspective we have used the method participatory observations. This studies empirical data is based on material from one pre-diagnose, six-lectures and question that mimic interview questions. The concerned subject is mathematics in elementary school grades two and five. This study is based on two theory’s, Self-determination theory that shows prerequisites for internal motivation and Mueller, Yankelwitz and Mahers framework that shows how cooperation affects students ability to develop mathematics argument.  The result shows that students ability to reason primarily are used by an investigating work method in the interaction where students get to discuss to come to a foundational idea and then uses reasoning to solve the assignment. Further the result show that students need of autonomy, competence and inherency needs to be satisfied if the students shall see the mathematic subject as interesting and pleasurable. The conclusions from the study show that if students gets their needs in autonomy, belonging and competence satisfied the knowledge requirements can be easier to reach. This study also shows that the designed working method can stimulate practice of the reasoning ability and strengthen students’ knowledge acquisition.

This thesis contributes to the general body of knowledge of research into engineering education. The main scope of the thesis is on enhancing laboratory education. There are three main types of laboratory: virtual, hands-on and remote. The hands-on lab is the oldest and most commonly used medium for experiential education in undergraduate degrees of science and engineering. The literature review of laboratory education has shown that hands-on labs suffer from many disadvantages, which can be overcome by utilizing hybrid laboratory structures that incorporate virtual and/or remote modes. The investigation into enhanced laboratory education is achieved via implementing new technical and pedagogical models of conducting laboratories. The technical model incorporates three access modes (virtual, hands-on and remote) to the laboratory experience in one software package called the TriLab. The TriLab concept has been applied to the Process Control Lab at the Chemical Engineering Department of Loughborough University and has been implemented using LabVIEW. The Joomla web content management system was used to develop an online portal for disseminating the remote component of the TriLab resulting in the first remote lab portal of Loughborough University and one of the few available in the UK. A pedagogical model of laboratory education based on Kolb's experiential learning theory and by the utilization of the TriLab concept is proposed. The model is built on a hypothesis, which states that the poor learning outcomes of hands-on laboratory sessions can be associated with poor activation of the stages of Kolb's experiential learning cycle. It has been proposed that access to a virtual lab in a preparatory session will play a role in activating the stages of Kolb's cycle. To verify this, educational experimentation procedures were designed and applied to two groups, control and experimental. Measurements via pre- and post-lab tests, marks for the laboratory report and the final exam of the module have been performed. The statistical analysis of the measurements has supported the stated hypothesis and solution proposal. The proposed pedagogical model is one of the few that provide a way of conducting laboratory education based on constructivist educational theories. (Continues...).

Syftet med min undersökning var att bidra med ökade kunskaper om vilka uppfattningar som finns bland fjärdeklasselever gällande syftet med NTA i kemi, och om dessa överensstämmer med lärarens syfte. Datainsamlingen har gjorts via gruppintervjuer med femton elever och deras lärare. Intervjusvaren har sedan kategoriserats induktivt. Resultatet har visat att eleverna inte uppfattar syftet med NTA-lådan så som läraren tänkt. Det verkar som att eleverna ser ett mer närliggande syfte och fokuserar på vad som händer. Läraren, å andra sidan, tycks ha ett mer övergripande syfte som utgår från kunskapskraven men som hon inte fullt ut lyckas kommunicera till eleverna. Hon syftar även till att eleverna utvecklar sin resonemangsförmåga genom diskussioner i helklass. Eleverna tycker dessutom att helkassdiskussionerna är intressanta och lärorika. Tid läggs på diskussionerna vilket ger en möjlighet till en naturvetenskaplig literacitet. / The purpose of my study was to contribute with increased knowledge on what ideas fourth grade pupils have about the aims of NTA in chemistry, and if their ideas correspond with the teachers´ aims. The data collection is made through group interviews with fifteen pupils and their teacher. The answers in these interviews have been inductively categorized. The results have shown that pupils don´t see the aims of the NTA-boxes as the teacher have in mind. It seems like the pupils´ see aims in each lesson and focus on what is happening. The teacher, on the other hand, has a much more overall aim that originates from the curriculum, but which she doesn´t manage to fully communicate to the pupils. She also intends that the pupils should develop their capability of reasoning, which they do during classroom discussions. In addition to this, the pupils also find classroom discussions both interesting and educational. Time is given for classroom discussions which gives an opportunity for scientific literacy.

Η παρούσα διατριβή αναδεικνύει τα πλεονεκτήματα της διδακτικής στρατηγικής της Μάθησης Βασισμένης σε Προβλήματα (ΜΒΠ), αλλά και των περιορισμών που υπάρχουν στην εφαρμογή της στην εργαστηριακή εκπαίδευση. Τα Εικονικά Περιβάλλοντα Πολλών Χρηστών (Multi-User Virtual Environments - MUVEs) όπως το Second Life (SL) είναι τρισδιάστατα συνεργατικά εικονικά περιβάλλοντα τα οποία θα μπορούσαν να αποτελέσουν συμπληρωματικούς ή και εναλλακτικούς κόσμους για την υλοποίηση εργαστηριακών δραστηριοτήτων ΜΒΠ με χαμηλό κόστος, υψηλή διαθεσιμότητα και ασφάλεια. Ο στόχος της παρούσας διατριβής ήταν ο σχεδιασμός και η εμπειρική αξιολόγηση μιας απλής δραστηριότητας ΜΒΠ τόσο στον εικονικό όσο και στον πραγματικό κόσμο. Η εμπειρική αξιολόγηση περιλάμβανε μια περιγραφική (Ν=30) και μια ημι-πειραματική έρευνα (Ν=150) με φοιτητές Πανεπιστημίου. Τα αποτελέσματα υποδεικνύουν ότι δεν υπάρχουν στατιστικά σημαντικές διαφορές μεταξύ των περιβαλλόντων στο μαθησιακό αποτέλεσμα, την ευχρηστία, την ικανοποίηση από τη συνεργασία και την ευχαρίστηση από την εμπειρία. Ωστόσο υπάρχουν ενδείξεις ότι το SL εκλαμβάνεται ως πιο ευχάριστο και άτυπο περιβάλλον μάθησης. Η ικανοποίηση συσχετίζεται θετικά με την αίσθηση παρουσίας. Η δραστηριότητα διαρκεί περισσότερο στο SL λόγω των διαδικασιών χειρισμού και της μειωμένης μη λεκτικής επικοινωνίας, παράγοντες που φαίνεται να «επιβάλλουν» ένα πιο κατακερματισμένο μοτίβο ομιλίας. / This dissertation identifies the advantages of the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) instructional strategy and acknowledges the limitations of classic laboratory education to support it. Multi-User Virtual Environments (MUVEs) like Second Life (SL) are 3D collaborative virtual environments that could act as complementary or alternative worlds for the implementation of PBL activities offering low cost, safe and always available environments. The aim of this dissertation was to design and empirically evaluate a simple PBL activity in both the real and virtual worlds, by carrying out a descriptive study (N=30) and a quasi-experimental study (N=150) with University students. The results showed that the MUVE provided similar learning outcomes, engagement, usability and satisfaction to the real world condition. SL is perceived as more pleasurable and informal learning environment than reality. Satisfaction is positively correlated with presence. The PBL activity tends to last longer in SL that in real world, mainly due to control procedures and reduced nonverbal communication, that also “impose” a more fragmented pattern of verbal communication.

<div>This dissertation presents a two-phase multiple case study conducted to investigate the faculty</div><div>beliefs regarding the integration of labs into engineering and engineering technology education</div><div>and the relationship between such beliefs and the teaching practices adopted in the labs. In the first</div><div>phase, an exploratory study grounded on a framework of beliefs was conducted to elicit the beliefs</div><div>espoused by the participants. Interviews were used to elicit the participants’ beliefs. The</div><div>transcribed interviews were analyzed through the constant comparative method. Thirteen faculty</div><div>members from the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology participated. In the second</div><div>phase, a triangulation approach was used to investigate the relationships between the participants’</div><div>beliefs and their corresponding teaching practices. The findings from phase one were triangulated</div><div>with the data from interviews, questionnaires, and documents to elicit the relationships between</div><div>beliefs and practices.</div>