Yes / This project investigated the extent to which e-portfolio tools can be applied to final year engineering projects with a view to supporting the experience from the perspective of supervisor and student respectively. E-portfolio tools allow students to generate, store and share evidence, minute meetings and record reflections as well as helping them to develop generic professional engineering skills. The research methodology combined qualitative and quantitative techniques. Semi-structured face-to-face interviews with eight supervisors and online questionnaires completed by 13 supervisors and 31 students provided the basis for the research. Training on the university's e-portfolio tool was provided for 19 members of staff, while a seminar introducing the project to the final year cohort was attended by 33 students. To conclude, an e-portfolio application was made available to students. / Royal Academy of Engineering

Over the past few decades, there has been a push to retain and increase URM student participation in STEM fields. To address this need, there are STEM Summer Bridge programs that specifically target underrepresented minority (URM) students to assist with the transition from high school to college. Summer bridge programs were established as a response to the effort to help with the transition from high school to college for first-time students. There are a number of these programs that specifically target URM students with the goal of increasing the diversity within professions that are related to the STEM areas of study. One of the challenges of establishing these programs involves identifying factors such as academic goals, psychological goals, and departmental goals that help first-time URM students succeed in STEM undergraduate programs. This research includes three studies that analyzes the impact of summer bridge programs on first-time students The first study analyzes program goals of summer bridge programs in the southeastern region of the United States, where there is a need for more published reports. The second study analyzes an engineering-focused summer bridge program’s impact on first year success. The results indicated that participation in the program had a significant association with Calculus I success and first semester GPA. The third study analyzes engineering degree and grad/professional school attainment for engineering students. It was found that participation has a significant association with engineering degree attainment. Overall, this study gives researchers a foundation for how engineering-focused summer bridge programs can affect academic success for first-time students. This type of intervention gives students the foundation needed to successfully transition from high school to college. This research shows that the impact produced by summer bridge programs have long term implications that include diversifying the engineering workforce.

A First Year Writing program is an academic unit that manages the curriculum, budget, teaching faculty, and other aspects of writing classes for first year students as part of a university's general education curriculum. Throughout their daily tasks, the directors of these programs must work with the requirements of their institution, must build relationships with their administrators and campus stakeholders, and must work within the mission and values of their institution. However, as higher education becomes increasingly corporatized, these institutional constraints are sometimes at odds with the research, best practices, and theories of language and learning that these program administrators know and use. In this dissertation, I explore the way these differences in institutional situation and research-based practice affect the writing program. After outlining the way these inputs interact within the writing program and create a condition of tension, I locate the specific strategies of Requesting, Enriching, Learning, Showcasing, Collaborating, and Aligning as value-based forms of action that program administrators take to navigate this tension in positive ways / Ph. D. / A First Year Writing program is an academic unit that manages the curriculum, budget, teaching faculty, and other aspects of writing classes for first year students as part of a university’s general education curriculum. Throughout their daily tasks, the directors of these programs must work with the requirements of their institution, must build relationships with their administrators and campus stakeholders, and must work within the mission and values of their institution. However, as higher education becomes increasingly corporatized, these institutional constraints are sometimes at odds with the research, best practices, and theories of language and learning that these program administrators know and use. In this dissertation, I explore the way these differences in institutional situation and research-based practice affect the writing program. After outlining the way these inputs interact within the writing program and create a condition of tension, I locate the specific strategies of Requesting, Enriching, Learning, Showcasing, Collaborating, and Aligning as value-based forms of action that program administrators take to navigate this tension in positive ways.

The study that I detail in the following thesis is a component of a three-part collaborative project to provide the U. S. National Park Service and Cape Cod National Seashore (CCNS) with data needed to inform management decisions for protection of the endangered northwest Atlantic Roseate Tern (ROST) during fall pre-migratory staging. This study was designed to address objectives related to hatch-year (HY) ROST behavior and survival in response to human and non-human activities and environmental variables at CCNS. Behavioral data showed that disturbance, specifically human and non-human activities, were related to increased HY ROST locomotion (flying and walking). We also found that environmental variables, including day of season and time of day were related to increased locomotion. Flock-level HY ROST begging behavior was decreased in the presence of human disturbance, but we did not see the same effect at the individual level. We found no evidence that the observed behavioral effect of disturbance resulted in decreased residency, recruitment, or staging duration of HY ROST at CCNS. Our work demonstrates that disturbance events around staging flocks have behavioral consequences, but it is unknown whether HY ROST behavioral responses to disturbances are great enough to impact survival after departure from CCNS. A conservative and proactive management strategy to minimize the potential for negative carryover effects on survival should limit ROST exposure to disturbance, particularly human activities, by exclosing staging sites between mid-July–mid-September to encompass the period of time when the highest number of ROST use CCNS. / Master of Science / The study that I detail in the following thesis is one component of a three-part collaborative project to inform management decisions for protection and recovery of the endangered northwest Atlantic Roseate Tern (ROST) population while they prepare for southward migration at Cape Cod National Seashore, MA (CCNS). This study was designed to address objectives related to hatch-year (i.e., HY, birds that were just hatched on the breeding grounds and now flying south for the first time) ROST behavior and survival in response to human and non-human activities and environmental variables at CCNS. We found that disturbance, specifically human and nonhuman activities were associated with increased locomotion (walking and flying). We also found that certain environmental variables, including day of season and time of day were related to increased locomotion rates. Additionally, proportions of HY ROST within a flock that engaged in begging behavior decreased in the presence of human disturbance, but we did not see the same effect at the individual level. We found no evidence that the observed behavioral effect of disturbance resulted in decreased residency, or time spent at CCNS by HY ROST. Our work demonstrated that human activity around tern flocks had behavioral consequences, but it is unknown whether HY ROST behavioral response to human disturbances was great enough to impact survival after departure from CCNS staging grounds. A risk-averse management strategy would entail limiting ROST exposure to potential human disturbance by closing off staging sites between mid-July–mid-September to human activity to encompass the period of time when the highest number of ROST use CCNS.

This study examined whether the telementoring program had a positive impact on beginning teacher self-efficacy. Telementoring is an adaptation of mentoring, using telecommunications technology as the means to establish and maintain mentoring relationships between the participants. The program was intended to create an atmosphere of community; to provide expert training in the profession; to retain good teachers; and to offer support for the new teacher in times of self-doubt. A quasi-experimental design and mixed methods measures were used to determine the effect of a telementoring program on beginning teacher self-efficacy. Participants were members of a district induction/mentoring program. An experimental group of 20 first-year teachers that participated in a supplemental telementoring program were compared to 20 first-year teachers who did not. The Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale was used to collect data on beginning teacher self-efficacy. A pretest was administered prior to the treatment and members completed a post-test at the conclusion of the study. Results were analyzed using a one-way analysis of variance. The experimental and control group results from both assessments were measured and compared. No statistically significant differences were found between the experimental group that participated in the telementoring program and those in the control group who did not. Messages posted to a discussion board were analyzed by comparing concerns of beginning teachers in this study to concerns of beginning teachers found in current literature. A compilation of concerns served as a comparison framework. Participants in this study discussed many of the same issues and concerns found in current literature. Although statistically significant results were not found, discussion board postings suggest that telementoring is an effective form of mentoring and provides beginning teachers a forum for collegiality and support, which contributes to self-efficacy.

The aim of this Field Study is to establish the extent to which Year 12 students understand and appreciate the ACT College System of senior secondary and the information which appears on the ACT Year 12 Certificate. In order to provide the reader with a basis for understanding what happens over the final two years of secondary education in the ACT the author has established the historical context that gave rise to the establishment of the Secondary Colleges in the ACT. This brief history outlines the causes and reasons which led to separation from the NSW state system of education and the decision to develop a different approach to the provision of education for students in Year 11 and 12. To provide an idea of how the system works a description of what makes up the College System is provided. This includes an explanation of how the colleges relate to the high schools, their curriculum, the accreditation of courses, assessment and certification. The role of the ACT Schools Accrediting Agency is explained in the way it underpins the credibility of the system and of how it carries the responsibility for the final generation of the ACT Year 12 Certificate. While this study looks at the system some seven years after it began, earlier evaluations had taken place which examined matters linked with the ACT Year 12 Certificate. In writing this report the author reviews two important assessments of the system, one of the role of the ACT Schools Accrediting Agency and the other concerned with the success of the Colleges as educational institutions from a student viewpoint. The author also attempts to compare the changes which came with the ACT College System with recent developments and current thinking about senior secondary education in other Australian states. The major part of the Field Study was a survey of a sample of Year 12 students at the end of 1983 to establish the extent to which they understood the aspects of the system they had been a part of for two years. The data and findings of this survey are presented. The report concludes with an outline of the most recent changes, developments and reactions which in some way affect the system. At the end of the conclusion, the author presents a list of recommendations aimed at overcoming some of the problems pin-pointed in the report.

Under vår utbildning till lärare i tidiga åldrar har vi fått kunskap om läsningens betydelse för språk-, läs- och skrivutveckling. I anslutning till vår verksamhetsförlagda utbildning har vi erfarit att individuell läsning och högläsning är ett vanligt inslag i undervisningen. Vi har sett att lärare oftast har som syfte och mål att generera kunskap när det gäller elevers individuella läsning och högläsning. Vår nyfikenhet på hur elevers läsvanor och upplevelser av litteratur i tidiga skolår uppkom då vi stött på flera studier som behandlar området ur ett lärarperspektiv. Vi fann det dock mer intressant att se ur ett elevperspektiv eftersom man behöver gå till primärkällan, eleven, för att kunna utveckla och utforma undervisningen på ett stimulerande sätt för eleven. Tidigare forskning har bland annat kommit fram till att det är betydelsefullt att elever får läsa individuellt dagligen om sådant som intresserar dem. Även högläsningen är en viktig del i undervisningen, både för äldre och yngre elever. Med utgångspunkt i detta är vårt syfte formulerat; Syftet med vår studie är att undersöka elevers läsvanor och upplevelser av litteratur i tidiga skolår.   Vi har använt oss av en kvantitativ enkätstudie som lade grunden till utformningen av den efterföljande kvalitativa studien där intervju användes som metod. Vår avsikt var att jämföra elevers läsvanor och upplevelser av litteratur utifrån variablerna kön, ålder och läsförmåga. Av resultatet framkom att elever har en positiv inställning till läsning och de vill gärna läsa mer. Studien visar också att högläsning är ett vanligt förekommande i både årskurs 2 och årskurs 5 trots att litteratur visar att högläsning avtar med stigande ålder. Innan vi genomförde vår studie hade vi en föreställning om att individuell läsning (bänkboksläsning) ofta används som tidsutfyllnad. Detta styrks delvis i vår studie då respondenterna i årskurs 5 uppger att de ofta får läsa när de får en stund över. Andra slutsatser som framkom i vår studie är att eleverna läser individuellt flera gånger i veckan men uppföljning av denna läsning är sällsynt. Både i årskurs 2 och årskurs 5 läser läraren högt för eleverna flera gånger i veckan men det är dock vanligare att eleverna i årskurs 5 läser högt för varandra i jämförelse med årskurs 2. I diskussionen lyfter vi bland annat att läraren har en betydande roll för elevers läsvanor då han eller hon är deras läsande förebild i klassrummet. / During our education to become teachers in the early ages we have gained knowledge about the importance of reading for the language development and also for the read - and typing development. In connection to our practical education with children we have seen that individual reading and reading aloud is commonly anticipated when teaching. Most often teachers have a purpose with reading, which is for the pupils to generate knowledge. Our curiosity about children’s reading habits and literature experiences in early ages developed after having encountered several studies about the subject from a teacher’s point of view. Although we found it more interesting to look at it from the pupil’s perspective, since one has to go to the primary source, the pupil, to be able to develop and create the tutoring in a stimulating way. Past research in the area shows among others that it is important for pupils to read individually each day about things that are at interest to them. Reading aloud is an essential part of the tutoring as well, both for younger and older pupils. With these facts in mind, we could form an objective of this study; To research the reading habits and literature experiences of pupils in the early ages at school.   We have used a quantitative questionnaire study that laid the foundation for the design of the subsequent qualitative study where interview was used as a method. Our intention was to compare students' reading habits and experiences of literature based on the variables gender, age and literacy. The results show that students have a positive attitude to reading and they would like to learn more. The study also shows that reading aloud is a common practice in both years 2 and 5 although the literature shows that reading aloud subsides with age. Before we implemented our study, we had an idea of the individual reading (bench book reading) often is used as time filler, and a part of our study confirms this thought since the respondents in year 5 said that they often read when they get a moment over. Some other conclusions that were made from our study are that the pupils do read several times per week, but this reading is rarely followed up.  Both in classes 2 and 5 the teacher reads aloud to the pupils numerous times per week, although it is more common that the pupils in class 5 read aloud to each others compared to the ones in class 2. In the discussion of this study we, among other things, emphasize the role of the teacher when it comes to the reading habits of the pupils, as he or she is their role model of reading in the classroom.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Mississippi State University. Department of Leadership and Foundations. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

Orientador: Silvia Regina Ricco Lucato Sigolo / Banca: Maria Regina Guarnieri / Banca: Márcia Cristina Argenti Perez / Resumo: Partindo da aprovação da Lei nº 11.114, sancionada em 16/05/2005 - que estabeleceu que crianças de seis anos fossem então matriculadas no ensino fundamental e da Lei nº 11.274, sancionada em 06/02/2006 que amplia a duração do ensino fundamental para nove anos - e considerando que família e escola são os contextos mais relevantes da vida de uma criança - esse trabalho teve por objetivo constatar como se configura o 1º ano do ensino fundamental de nove anos e como os principais envolvidos - crianças, pais e professoras percebem este processo. O estudo, de caráter qualitativo, se fundamenta na abordagem bioecológica de desenvolvimento humano de Bronfenbrenner (1996), cuja ênfase está na interconexão entre vários níveis do sistema ecológico. É uma abordagem que privilegia estudos em ambientes naturais que contemplem a realidade cotidiana vivenciada pelos sujeitos envolvidos - considerando estes em suas particularidades, bem como os ambientes nos quais estão inseridos. Dessa forma, a presente pesquisa possibilitou a inserção da pesquisadora no campo para coletar informações e poder dar ênfase ao olhar de crianças matriculadas no primeiro ano do ensino fundamental, para além da visão de seus pais e professores. Sendo assim, foram realizadas observações e entrevistas semi-estruturadas, com o objetivo principal de constatar situações de práticas e apreender as percepções dos sujeitos envolvidos com o ingresso no ensino fundamental. A pesquisa foi desenvolvida em uma escola municipal de uma cidade do interior paulista, que atende estudantes do ensino fundamental. A coleta de dados ocorreu no período de março a agosto de 2008. Somaram-se trinta e três o número de sujeitos deste estudo: três professoras atuantes no 1º ano do ensino fundamental, quinze crianças deste mesmo ano e quinze responsáveis destas (pais e/ou mães, neste caso). As observações... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: From the approval of the Law 11.114, released in 05/16/05, which established that the sixyear- old children were enrolled in fundamental school - and considering that the family and the school are the most relevant contexts in a child's life - the aim of this work was to notice how the first year of the nine-year fundamental teaching takes place, and also, how the main involved - children, parents and teachers - notice the procedure. The quality study is based in the bioecological approach of Bronfenbrenner's human development, which emphasizes the interconnection among several levels of the ecological system. It's a kind of approach that privileges studies in natural atmospheres that contemplate the daily reality lived by the involved characters - considering them in their features, as well as the atmospheres in which they're inserted. This way, the present research enabled the researcher's inset to get information and be able to emphasize the look at the children who were enrolled in the first year of the fundamental reaching, for a further vision of their parents and teachers. So, remarks and semi-structured interviews were carried out, with the main goal of noticing practical situations and learning the perceiving of the characters involved in the entrance in the fundamental teaching. The research was carried out at a Town hall school in a city in the countryside of São Paulo state, which deals with fundamental teaching students. The data collection happened from March to August in the year 2008. The number of characters in this study was thirty-six: three teachers of the first year of fundamental teaching, fifteen children at the same course, and their fifteen fathers and mothers. The observations inside the classroom were carried out during the research time, and focused the situations in regular classes and other moments that surround the school... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

abstract: My study examined Automated Writing Evaluation tools (AWE) and their role within writing instruction. This examination was framed as a comparison of 4 AWE tools and the different outcomes in the Writing Program Administrators “Outcomes Statement for First Year Composition” (the OS). I also reviewed studies that identify feedback as an effective tool within composition instruction as well as literature related to the growth of AWE and the 2 different ways that these programs are being utilized: to provide scoring and to generate feedback. My research focused on the feedback generating component of AWE and their relationship with helping students to meet the outcomes outlined in the OS. To complete this analysis, I coded the OS, using its outcomes as a reliable indicator of the perspectives of the academic community regarding First Year Composition (FYC). This coding was applied to text associated with two different kinds of feedback related AWEs. Two of the AWE used in this study facilitated human feedback using analytical properties: Writerkey and Eli Review. While the other 2 generated automated feedback: WriteLab and PEG Writing Scholar. I also reviewed instructional documents associated with each AWE and used the coding to compare the features described in each text with the different outcomes in the OS. The most frequently occurring coding from the feedback was related to Rhetorical Knowledge and other outcomes associated with revision, while the most common codes from the instructional documents were associated with feedback and collaboration. My research also revealed none of these AWE were capable of addressing certain outcomes, these were mostly related to activities outside of the actual process of composing, like the act of reading and the various writing mediums. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Composition 2017