Digital Commons Network^™

Leadership Learning: Building On Grounded Theory To Explore The Role Of Critical Reflection In Leadership Learning, George K. Kriflik, Lynda S. Kriflik

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

A study of eight senior managers from different organisations has combined Critical Theory and Grounded Theory approaches. This study builds on the findings of a previous substantive study (Kriflik 2002) which identified the most successful leadership strategies, as perceived by participants. The most successful strategies are those in which leaders focussed on their own behaviours, attitudes and actions. Building on these findings this study explores leadership competencies and the mechanisms which enhance, or enable, leaders’ ability to learn such competencies. Interviews were conducted and transcribed, then analysed, and became the basis for the choice of subsequent participants. The study identified …

Septal Infusions Of The H-Channel Blocker Zd7288 Impair Spontaneous Alternation But Not Inhibitory Avoidance, Ramata Sissoko Cisse

Biology Theses

It is well established that the septo-hippocampal system is involved in memory. The medial septum is connected to the hippocampus via the fimbria fornix, which consists mostly of acetylcholine and ã-aminobutyric acid (GABA) projection neurons. The contributions of the cholinergic projection to memory have been studied extensively; whereas, the role of the GABAergic projection is not well characterized. The present experiment tested whether septal infusions of the selective H-channel blocker ZD7288 would impair spontaneous alternation (SA) and continuous multiple inhibitory avoidance (CMIA). Fifteen minutes prior to assessing SA or CMIA, different groups of male Sprague-Dawley rats were given septal infusions …

Research Through Design Through Research - A Problem Statement And A Conceptual Sketch, Jonas Wolfgang

DRS Biennial Conference Series

This paper re-addresses the issue of a lacking genuine design research paradigm. It tries to sketch an operational model of such a paradigm, based upon a generic design process model, which is derived from basic notions of evolution and learning in different domains of knowing (and turns out to be not very different from existing ones). It does not abandon the scientific paradigm but concludes that the latter has to be embedded into / subordinated under a design paradigm.

The Future Of Learning, Robert B. Reich

New England Journal of Public Policy

As part of UMass Boston’s recent celebration to mark the inauguration of Chancellor Michael F. Collins, M.D., the Division of Corporate, Continuing and Distance Education (CCDE) hosted a “virtual symposium” featuring Robert B. Reich. Between April 24 and May 8, CCDE posted a streaming video and a downloadable audio file of a presentation that Professor Reich had delivered on April 11, 2006 at the national conference of the University Continuing Education Association. This talk was supplemented, on May 3, by a live teleconferencing Q&A session with Professor Reich and about fifty UMass Boston graduate students.

Beliefs About Language Learning Of Foreign Language- Major University Students, Mustapha X. Altan

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Beliefs are a central construct in every discipline which deals with human behavior and learning. Teachers’ beliefs influence their consciousness, teaching attitude, teaching methods and teaching policies. Teachers’ beliefs also strongly influence teaching behavior and, finally, learners’ development. The formation of teachers’ educational beliefs in language teaching/learning process will exert an indiscernible effect on forming effective teaching methods and will bring about the improvement of learners’ language learning abilities (Horwitz, 1985). The Beliefs About Language Learning Inventory (BALLI) was administered to a total of 248 foreign language-major university students at five universities. The participants were in the departments of English, …

A Critical Exploration Of The Rhetoric Of Equity Belied By Practice In Postgraduate Teacher Education, Roisin Donnelly

Articles

This paper presents the initial results of an investigation into the current awareness and perceptions of equity issues amongst academic staff working on a postgraduate learning and teaching course for teachers in tertiary education in the Republic of Ireland. The study is set in the contemporary landscape of discourses around equality, egalitarianism and equity in education generally. The Irish White Paper on Adult Education Learning for Life (2000) recommends that adult education should be underpinned by three core principles, one of which is to promote equality of access, participation and outcome for participants in adult education, with pro-active strategies to …

Variations On U-Shaped Learning, Lorenzo Carlucci, Sanjay Jain, Efim Kinber, Frank Stephen

School of Computer Science & Engineering Faculty Publications

The paper deals with the following problem: is returning to wrong conjectures necessary to achieve full power of algorithmic learning? Returning to wrong conjectures complements the paradigm of U-shaped learning when a learner returns to old correct conjectures. We explore our problem for classical models of learning in the limit from positive data: explanatory learning (when a learner stabilizes in the limit on a correct grammar) and behaviourally correct learning (when a learner stabilizes in the limit on a sequence of correct grammars representing the target concept). In both cases we show that returning to wrong conjectures is necessary to …

An Examination Of Social Presence In An Online Learning Environment., Susan J. Crim

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The distance education literature is lacking studies investigating the construct of social presence, the value placed on it by online learners, and whether its existence in text-based environments is necessary for learning, satisfaction, and contributing to course retention. The purpose of this study was to explore learner perceptions and experiences of the learning process within the Web-based online learning medium in terms of social presence. More specifically, it examines the relationship among learners' perceptions of social presence in asynchronous online courses and how it relates to satisfaction with learning, whether course activities perceived as having high levels of social presence …

Learning In Minimalism-Based Language Modeling, Deryle W. Lonsdale

Faculty Publications

The natural language version of the Soar cognitive modeling system (Newell, 1990) has enabled a number of language modeling applications from on-line parsing behavior (Lewis, 1993) to simultaneous interpretation (Lonsdale, 1997, 1998) to robotic control (Benjamin, Lonsdale, & Lyons, 2004). The system supports an integrated approach to incremental comprehension and generation. Learning mechanisms account for processes in language performance from deliberate, explicit reasoning to automatic, recognitional expertise.

Syntactic processing in prior versions of the system followed the Principles and Parameters approach to syntax.

Learning As A Nonlinear Line Of Attraction For Pattern Association, Classification And Recognition, Ming-Jung Seow

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Development of a mathematical model for learning a nonlinear line of attraction is presented in this dissertation, in contrast to the conventional recurrent neural network model in which the memory is stored in an attractive fixed point at discrete location in state space. A nonlinear line of attraction is the encapsulation of attractive fixed points scattered in state space as an attractive nonlinear line, describing patterns with similar characteristics as a family of patterns.

It is usually of prime imperative to guarantee the convergence of the dynamics of the recurrent network for associative learning and recall. We propose to alter …

Location, Relocation, Dislocation Learning Cultures Or Cultures Of Learning?, Paul Armstrong

Adult Education Research Conference

Following a recent organizational relocation, the impact on the teaching and learning became evident. In analyzing the impact of change, the most useful way of understanding the change was to utilize the postmodern concepts of location and (dis)location, and to consider using anthropological research techniques to identify cultures of learning.

Goal Conflicts, Self-Regulation, And Course Completion: A Comparison Of Web-Based Learners To Traditional Classroom Learners, Barbara Moore

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the goal conflicts, self-regulation, and course completion of post-secondary learners and to compare these factors in distance and traditional learners. Participants completed a self-report survey given on-line to those who had Internet access and administered in paper format to students in traditional classrooms. Procrastination, socializing, and employment were the most common goal conflicts reported by participants. Significantly more web-based students than traditional students were employed and were employed more average hours. Web-based students also had more children under the age of 12 than did traditional students. A significantly greater percentage of web-based …

Understanding Student Self-Disclosure Typology Through Blogging, Vernon B. Harper, Erika J. Harper

The Qualitative Report

Significant research indicates that student self-disclosure plays an important role in the learning experience and producing positive learning outcomes. Blogging is an increasingly popular web tool that can potentially aid educators by encouraging student self-disclosure. Both content analysis and focus groups were used to assess whether student self-disclosure reveals in descriptive, topical, and evaluative categories. The results indicate that blogging encourages student self-disclosure, and the implications of these findings are also discussed.

The Incorporation Of Communicative Language Teaching Into The Elaboration Of Interactive Software For Esl/Efl Learning, Vladia Borges

Master's Theses, Dissertations, Graduate Research and Major Papers Overview

Investigates the extent to which currently available ESL/EFL software programs develop language skills according to the principles of Communicative Teaching and an interactive approach to computer use for language learning. An ESL/EFL software evaluation instrument was developed, tested for its reliability and validity, and then used to evaluate fifteen software programs. Results indicated that only two programs incorporated more than seventy percent of the technological, pedagogical, and individualization features associated with the principles of Communicative Language Teaching and an interactive approach to computer use for language learning.

Aesthetic Knowing: Essential To The Development Of Heart And Mind., Laura Howzell-Young, Susan Daniels

Journal of Critical Issues in Educational Practice

Children are biologically wired to experience their world through rich sensory, affective, aesthetic, and imaginal experiences. Children thirst for art, music and movement, and these modes are utilized widely to learn the varied languages of literacy: the alphabet, numbers, vocabulary, body-sense and more. Yet, in response to meeting higher and more prescribed standards at the elementary and secondary levels, there is a tendency to narrow the curriculum, to consider art and music expendable, to view social-emotional development as external to the schoolhouse. This narrowing is happening just as our global culture is moving again toward multiple kinds of communication: toward …

Examination Of The Issues And Scientific Evidence For The Identification Process Of Deaf And Hard Of Hearing Individuals With Learning Disabilities To Enhance Academic Outcomes, Scot Ferre

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Although the identification of learning disabilities (LD) is a viable means to provide appropriate

instructional and support services for students with academic difficulties, there is a limited

knowledge base about the identification, assessment, and intervention of and for LD in deaf and

hard of hearing (D/HH) students. Given the potential consequences of test results, this review

examined current and recent developments in the field of learning disabilities concerning the

conceptualization of learning disability and the validity and empirical support of earlier

identification methods and various assessment identification options with D/HH students.

Challenges to the process and the need for additional …

Research As Teaching And Teaching As Research: Reflections On A Virtual Team Project, Cherie Noteboom, Chi Zhang, Halbana Tarmizi, Matt Payne, Lucas Steinhauser, Gert-Jan De Vreede

Faculty Research & Publications

In the academic world, the transition from student to researcher is often a difficult step. Novice researchers are often hindered by a lack of mentorship and lack of awareness of the demands of research. The challenges are especially interesting in the study of collaboration and virtual teams, given the added layer of technology and tools that are an essential part of conducting such research. To address these issues, we designed and implemented an experiential doctoral seminar for advanced students in Information Technology. This paper describes the seminar, which focused on the research topic of virtual teams. The paper provides supporting …

Making High School Grades Meaningful, Thomas R. Guskey

Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology Faculty Publications

Most teachers base students' grades on more than one factor. The difficulty is figuring out how to weight and combine the different pieces that go into the final mark. Mr. Guskey suggests a system that not only avoids those problems but gives a better overall picture of a student's performance than the traditional single letter grade.

Clarifying The Role Of Self-Efficacy And Metacognition As Indicators Of Learning: Construct Development And Test, Trevor T. Moores, Jerry Cha-Jan Chang, Deborah K. Smith

Management, Entrepreneurship and Technology Faculty Publications

We propose extending our understanding of self-efficacy by comparing self-efficacy with a related construct called metacognition. Metacognition involves the monitoring and control of one's thought processes and is often related, as is self-efficacy, to performance on a task. We develop an instrument that attempts to measure both self-efficacy and metacognition with respect to one's performance on a test covering declarative and procedural knowledge (knowing that, and knowing how) of DFDs and ERDs. With data collected from a sample of 124 students, we use partial least squares (PLS) to show that self-efficacy and metacognition are distinct yet related constructs. While self-efficacy …

Bifurcation And Singularity Analysis Of A Molecular Network For The Induction Of Long-Term Memory, Hao Song, Paul Smolen, Evyatar Av-Ron, Douglas A. Baxter, John H H. Byrne

Journal Articles

Withdrawal reflexes of the mollusk Aplysia exhibit sensitization, a simple form of long-term memory (LTM). Sensitization is due, in part, to long-term facilitation (LTF) of sensorimotor neuron synapses. LTF is induced by the modulatory actions of serotonin (5-HT). Pettigrew et al. developed a computational model of the nonlinear intracellular signaling and gene network that underlies the induction of 5-HT-induced LTF. The model simulated empirical observations that repeated applications of 5-HT induce persistent activation of protein kinase A (PKA) and that this persistent activation requires a suprathreshold exposure of 5-HT. This study extends the analysis of the Pettigrew model by applying …

Academic Libraries In Transition: Current Trends, Future Prospects, Gregory A. Smith

Faculty Publications and Presentations

Academic libraries are in transition because of changes in the context of higher education. Changes in the world of information are even more radical: the displacement of paper, the primacy of the search engine, the emergence of the digital lifestyle, and innovative patterns of scholarly communication. Decreasing reliance on local collections is transforming the library as a physical destination. Traditional measures of library success have begun to be replaced. Given the superiority of other information professionals' data management skills, the role of academic librarians will shift toward the enablement of learning. This environment of upheaval will pose both opportunities and …

Dewey's Epistemology: An Argument For Warranted Assertions, Knowing, And Meaningful Classroom Practice, Deron R. Boyles

Educational Policy Studies Faculty Publications

In an effort to navigate the treacherous path between professionalism and social relevancy, this essay takes up an area of professional philosophy - epistemology - with the intention of reclaiming the integrative role John Dewey held for philosophy and classroom practice. Deron Boyles asserts that epistemology can and should represent an area of inquiry that is relevant and useful for philosophy of education, especially as it develops classroom practices that foster inquiry. He specifically seeks to revive Dewey’s conception of warranted assertibility in an effort to show the value of fallibilist epistemology in practical and social teaching and learning contexts. …

The Forward Premium In A Model With Heterogeneous Prior Beliefs, Eric O'N. Fisher

Economics

This paper explores a model of bond prices where agents have diverse prior beliefs about domestic and foreign inflation. In the long run, the foreign exchange forward premium reflects expected differences in inflation, but in the short run, it depends upon the diversity of prior beliefs. If some people have diffuse priors about a country's inflation process, then its currency commands a forward premium that is eventually dissipated. Using data on the dollar–mark premium from the 1980s, it shows that this kind of diversity really matters. Thus models with a single representative agent give an inadequate description of the data.

Settling-Time Improvements In Positioning Machines Subject To Nonlinear Friction Using Adaptive Impulse Control, Tim Hakala

Theses and Dissertations

A new method of adaptive impulse control is developed to precisely and quickly control the position of machine components subject to friction. Friction dominates the forces affecting fine positioning dynamics. Friction can depend on payload, velocity, step size, path, initial position, temperature, and other variables. Control problems such as steady-state error and limit cycles often arise when applying conventional control techniques to the position control problem. Studies in the last few decades have shown that impulsive control can produce repeatable displacements as small as ten nanometers without limit cycles or steady-state error in machines subject to dry sliding friction. These …

Verbal Learning And Memory Abilities In Children With Brain Tumors: The Role Of The Third Ventricle Region, Jackie L. Micklewright

Psychology Theses

The third ventricle region houses several neuroanatomical structures that are primary components of the human memory system, and provides pathways through which these brain regions communicate with critical regions of the frontal and medial temporal lobes. Archival data was obtained for 42 children with cerebellar or third ventricle tumors, and was examined for tumor and treatment related confounds. Children with third ventricle tumors were hypothesized to exhibit; 1) better performance on a measure of auditory attention, 2) greater impairment in learning across trials, 3) greater memory loss over a 20-minute delay, and 4) greater impairment across delayed memory tests than …

Context Effects On Subjective Workload Assessments Using The Multi-Attribute Task Battery Tracking Task: An Extension Of Voorheis, Michael A. Petkosek

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Grammatica Avanzata Della Lingua Italiana: Chapter Seven, Roberto Tartaglione, Susanna Nocchi

Books/Book Chapters

Tutto quello che uno studente straniero dovrebbe sapere sulla lingua italiana e non ha mai osato chiedere! Grammatica avanzata della lingua italiana si rivolge infatti a studenti già in possesso di una buona conoscenza dell'italiano che vogliano perfezionare la loro competenza della lingua (dal livello B1 al livello C1 del Quadro Comune Europeo).

Presenta forme, costrutti sintattici, stilemi di livello medio e avanzato, anche della lingua parlata, molto diffusi ma generalmente poco trattati nei testi d'italiano per stranieri: quando e come usare l'articolo, la posizione dell'aggettivo, l'uso di parole particolari (anzi, magari, mica, addirittura, macché), l'alterazione dei …

Effects Of Lesions Of The Bed Nucleus Of The Stria Terminalis, Laterual Hypothalamus, Or Insular Cortex On Conditioned Taste Aversion And Conditioned Odor Aversion, Christopher T. Roman, Nino Nebieridze, Aristides Sastre, Steve Reilly

Scholarship and Professional Work – COPHS

The effects of permanent forebrain lesions on conditioned taste aversions (CTAs) and conditioned odor aversions (COAs) were examined in 3 experiments. In Experiment 1, lesions of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis had no influence on CTA or COA acquisition. Although lesions of the lateral hypothalamus induced severe hypodipsia in Experiment 2, they did not prevent the acquisition of CTAs or COAs. Finally, in Experiment 3, lesions of the insular cortex retarded CTA acquisition but had no influence on COA acquisition. The implications of these findings are discussed with regard to the forebrain influence on parabrachial nucleus function during …

Students’ Race And Participation In Classroom Discussion In Introductory Sociology: A Preliminary Investigation, Jay R. Howard, Aimee Zoeller, Yale Pratt

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

This study utilizes observation, survey and interview methodologies to investigate the impact of student race on participation in discussion in introductory sociology courses at a large Midwestern US university with a minority enrollment of approximately 15 percent. While results are mixed there is some evidence that white students participated at a higher rate than minority students. However, in certain circumstances (e.g., discussion of racism), minority students became the “experts” during particular class sessions and participated at a greater rate than did white students. Key Words: Discussion, College Students, Race, Learning, Interaction

Barriers And Benefits: The Impact Of Learning Art Songs And Spirituals By African-American Composers On Voice Students From All Racial Backgrounds, Emery Stephens

Music Faculty Research Publications

An investigation into the barriers faced by singers of all racial backgrounds when performing spirituals and African American art songs and suggests ways to eliminate those barriers.

Presented at the 2006 International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSOTL), Washington, DC.