Education Commons^™

Academics' Views On Personalised E-Learning In Higher Education, Eileen O'Donnell, Mary Sharp, Vincent Wade, Liam O'Donnell

Conference Papers

The challenges for academics in meeting the learning requirements of students are many and varied. This research focuses on the concept of personalised learning, where activities are specifically selected to suit the learning requirements of individual students. The creation of personalised learning activities to suit every student’s learning needs, are not easily achieved. A survey was conducted in June 2012 to determine academics awareness of, and views on, the ‘novel teaching approach’ of personalised e-learning in higher education. Forty academics participated in this study. 60% of academic respondents agreed with the statement: “There is a need to personalise e-learning to …

Diagnosing Weakness In Basic Principles Of Electricity In Motor Apprentice Education In Ireland, Peter Kenny

Conference Papers

Many Motor trade apprentice students enter the later years of their studies ill prepared for the level of material encountered. This is due to several factors including the level and knowledge of basic electricity and electrical/electronic principles.

A lot of basic material in these areas has been covered during earlier years of their training but by the time they reach the final year of their apprenticeship (Phase 6) it is not safe to assume that they have a full grasp of the basics required.

We have developed a diagnostic test to measure the level of preparedness of these students. This …

Sensitivity Studies Of A Low Temperature Low Approach Direct Cooling Tower For Building Radiant Cooling Systems, Medhi Nasrabadi, Donal Finn, Ben Costelloe

Conference Papers

Recent interest in cooling towers as a mechanism for producing chilled water, together with the evolution of radiant cooling, have prompted a review of evaporative cooling in temperate maritime climates. The thermal efficiency of such systems is a key parameter, as a measure of the degree to which the system has succeeded in exploiting the cooling potential of the ambient air. The feasibility of this concept depends largely however, on achieving low approach water temperatures within an appropriate cooling tower, at acceptable levels of energy performance. Previous experimental work for a full scale evaporative cooling system has shown that it …

Improving Core Mathematical Skills In Motor Apprentice Education In Ireland, Peter Kenny

Conference Papers

In order to enter into an apprenticeship in Ireland a qualification in mathematics is not essential. Throughout their apprenticeship many motor trade apprentices find that many past mathematical weakness resurface. In addition to this the level and standard of mathematics increases as apprentices progress through their training.

A maths diagnostic test has been developed and sat by a selection of Motor Mechanic apprentices attending off the job training at the Technological University Dublin during the 2011 to 2012 academic year.

The results of this test indicate that many students experience difficulty with mathematically related subjects. The test was then repeated …

Mathematical Modelling Of A Low Approach Evaporative Cooling Process For Space Cooling In Buildings, Medhi Nasrabadi, Donal Finn, Ben Costelloe

Conference Papers

This paper describes a mathematical model of a low approach open evaporative cooling tower for the production of high temperature indirect cooling water (14-16°C) for use in building radiant cooling and displacement ventilation systems. There are several potential approaches to model evaporative cooling, including: the Poppe method, the Merkel method and the effectiveness-NTU (ε-NTU) method. A common assumption, applied to the Merkel and ε-NTU methods, is that the effect of change in tower water mass flow rate due to evaporation is ignored, which results in a simpler model with reduced computational requirements, but with somewhat decreasedaccuracy. In this paper, a …

Serious Gaming Learning: Supply Chain Multi-Agent Web-Based Simulation Game, Ayman Tobail, John Crowe, Amr Arisha

Conference Papers

High levels of complexity and uncertainty, and various sources of risks, create challenges for supply chain networks in achieving satisfactory performance, but advances in Information Technology can help supply chain decision makers predict the magnitude and impact of the risks related to their decisions. The framework proposed in this paper offers a solution that integrates intelligent-agents, simulation modelling, and optimisation. Its friendly, animated, interactive web-based interface is especially designed to engage the user in a ‘serious game’ environment. Each user plays a specific role in the supply chain network, and encounters the consequences of their decisions. The optimisation engine embedded …

The Use Of Audio Feedback To Develop Deeper Learning In Business Education, Daire Hooper

Conference Papers

It is widely regarded that providing students with feedback is central to their learning (Biggs & Tang, 2007). Traditionally feedback has been given to students either in person or in writing, however, due to advancements in technology, audio is now employed by a small minority of educators in Higher Education (Ice et al., 2007; Merry & Orsmond, 2007; Middleton, 2007; Nortcliffe & Middleton, 2007). Audio feedback is a feedback mechanism whereby feedback is given to students via mp3. To date, research on audio feedback has focused on students’ perceptions of audio as a feedback mechanism, and its ability to increase …