Digital Commons Network^™

Sharing Systems, Sharing Language: Designing And Working In A Virtual Department, Claire Mcavinia, Jane Hughes

Journal Articles

Less widely taught languages present special problems. Often students may be ab initio learners who must progress very rapidly from beginner to highly competent. Appropriate learning materials are scarce. Small student numbers restrict the range of learner tasks. To address these problems, and drawing on research methods from both CALL and Computer Science domains, we investigated the use of a virtual learning environment (WebCT) as a tool for collaborative language teaching and learning. A web-based virtual department was created, bringing students and tutors from different institutions together to practise the target language (students) and share the development of quality resources …

An Online Dilemma: The Pull Of Individuality Pitched Against Peer Collaboration In An Online Problem-Based Learning Group, Roisin Donnelly

Papers, presentations and other resources

In early 2001, a new Postgraduate Diploma in Third Level Learning and Teaching was launched for lecturers from a range of higher education institutions in the Republic of Ireland. This paper describes ongoing research undertaken for the re-design of one module out of the eight offered on the Postgraduate Diploma: the Online Learning (OL) Module delivered using the pedagogical strategy of Problem-based Learning (PBL). This Postgraduate Diploma is entirely voluntary and only lecturers who are keen to implement novel pedagogical approaches in their own subject disciplines apply for a place on the modules. The aim of the OL/PBL module is …

Impact Of Vip And Camp On The Regulation Of Tnf-Alpha And Il-10 Production: Implications For Rheumatoid Arthritis, Ad Foey, S Field, S Ahmed, A Jain, M Feldmann, Fm Brennan, R Williams

School of Biomedical Sciences

No abstract provided.

2003 : Part-Time Programmes, Dublin Institute Of Technology

DIT Publications

Book containing information and full list of part - time courses for 2003 entry.

2003/2004 academic calendar.

Faculty structure and key contacts at DIT.

Selected Influences On The Smoking Behavior Among Female And Male College Students Of The University Of Northern Iowa, Evelyn Adom-Boateng

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study primarily, was to investigate and identify the influence of the four focus areas (media, family, peer, and psychological coping technique) on the smoking behavior among female and male college students of the University of Northern Iowa. A description of differences in the influences of the focus areas on the smoking behavior on gender was included in the study. A non-random (convenient) sample of 100 students was drawn from the various Departments and Schools from five colleges in the University (57% males and 43% females).

The Sample responded to a 44-item self-report (survey) questionnaire. Overall means …

An Analysis Of Physical Activity And Two Forms Of Self Defense Training And Their Impact On Women’S Sense Of Self-Efficacy, Elizabeth Susan Guernsey

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Since the mid-l 970s, incidences of rape in the United States have steadily increased. American females aged 16-24 are at the greatest risk to experience rape. This indicates that college-aged women have a high probability of experiencing a sexual assault during their college years. Women are at particularly high risk of being raped by an acquaintance or a date. This may be due to traditional social gender roles in American society. Rape Aggression Defense Systems is the largest self defense program for women that has become particularly popular on college campuses. Ozer and Bandura (1990) sought to study possible increases …

Relationship Between The Knowledge Of Sexually Transmitted Disease And Sexual Behavior, Kong Chen

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Undergraduate college students, despite widespread prevention and education efforts, still engage in sexual behaviors that place them at risk of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). The hypothesis of the study was that higher levels of knowledge of STDs were associated with positive sexual behavior. Thus, sexual behavior, knowledge of STDs, and the relationship between those two aspects among 103 undergraduate students (70 women and 33 men) at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) were examined in the study.

No statistical significance was found in terms of college students' knowledge of STDs and their sexual behavior. This study showed that female students …

Breaking The Stereotypes: Influences And Characteristics Of Academically Talented Women, Joy Leigh Daggs

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

I was in fifth grade when I heard the word "gifted" for the first time. I had little idea what it meant, but once I was identified that way, my life as a student began to change. I was suddenly expected to perform at my highest level with very little room for error. I learned about the expectations of my performance from my peers, teachers, and parents. They sent me very clear messages about how I was to perform as an academically talented woman. My experience has shaped my research interest for this thesis. In this thesis, I will explore …

The New Cpss Standards For Accreditation: A Lens For Reflection And Continuous School Improvement, Stanley W. Thompson

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation identified and endorsed an initiative to support the Commission on Public Secondary Schools’(CPSS) new Standards for Accreditation and its new decennial evaluation introduced two years ago to its membership. An analysis of the accreditation status of those member schools that had completed the decennial evaluation in 2000 and 2001 revealed that 70 schools had achieved full accreditation while 31 were either placed on warning or probation.

The researcher used two measurements to determine why certain schools of the 101 received accreditation while others did not: (a) a pre self-study assessment inventory of staff development for schools that …

The Implementation Of Behavior Management Strategies In An Elementary School Setting, Leary B. Adams Jr.

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Action research methods were used to examine the effects of behavior management strategies on the rate of discipline referrals at Twin Lakes Elementary School, an inner-city elementary school in Nevada. A review of archival records revealed that during the 3-year period from 1997 through 2002, the number of discipline referrals at Twin Lakes Elementary School increased from 73 to 170 referrals while enrollment showed no significant increase.

Some possible causes of the large number of discipline referrals were identified as: (a) inconsistencies in the referral process, (b) lack of support for teachers experiencing difficulty with student misbehavior, (c) lack of …

Deterrence Rhetoric In A Post-Cold War Security Environment, Michael D. Griffin

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This thesis examines changes in United States deterrence policy from a communications perspective. The shift in policy was first made public in national strategy documents released in the fall of 2002. Using Kenneth Burke's dramatism, both the Cold War and the current security environment are examined. The pentadic analysis provides a better understanding of how the Bush administration views the world, unmasking motives for the shift in deterrence policy. The new policy of deterrence is examined to determine if it functions effectively as a persuasive argument. This analysis will then look at the implication of the new policy in addressing …

Negotiating Voices: Ethnography Of Interactive Theatre Techniques Within A Classroom, Jana Gymer-Koch

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

During the Spring 2001 semester I had the opportunity to conduct an ethnography of Dr. Karen Mitchell's course "Texts and Contexts: Performance and Social Change" at the University of Northern Iowa. This course is designed to link performance with social change issues, by utilizing personal narrative and Augusto Boal' s Theatre of the Oppressed techniques: forum theatre, image theatre, and invisible theatre. These techniques were chosen by Dr. Mitchell on the basis of their capacity to involve both actors and audiences in the issues to be addressed and because they are based on Paulo Freire' s principles of liberatory education. …

Portrayal Of Women In Magazine Advertisements Targeted Toward Three Age Groups Of Women : A Content Analysis, Stephanie Lynn Cummings

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Prior research has established that women are portrayed in sex roles in magazine advertisements. The purpose of this study was to explore this trend and to examine if the trend appears across audiences of various ages of women. Content analysis was used to analyze advertisements in magazines with female target audiences. Additionally, three categories of magazines, which correspond to the three age groups of women, were explored to see if the advertisements with sex role images of women appear across all three groups of women. The results of the advertisements revealed that teen and young women's magazines contained ads, which …

Effects Of Nitrates/Nitrites On Lymphocyte Proliferation And Cytokine Production, Lu Fang

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Approximately 3 million people may be exposed to high nitrate levels(>10 ppm) in the United States, especially in Iowa and other agricultural states. The concern regarding usage of groundwater with excessive concentrations of nitrates is related to human health effects. The toxicity of nitrate to humans is due to the body's reduction of nitrate to nitrite. Nitrate/nitrite impair public health with consequences such as gastric cancer, methemoglobinemia and other diseases. Currently, based upon human case studies, the drinking water quality standard in the U.S. is 10 ppm nitrate-N (MCL). Little work has been done on the effects of nitrate/nitrite …

A Numerical Investigation Of Interior Resonances In The Hybrid Fem/Mom Method, Yun Ji, Hao Wang, Todd H. Hubing

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The interior resonance problem that can occur when using a hybrid finite-element method/method of moments (FEM/MoM) method to model electromagnetic scattering problems is investigated. Calculations of the bistatic radar cross section of a coated dielectric sphere are presented using different formulations, solution approaches, and solvers. The solutions using the electric-field integral equation have significant errors near an interior resonance frequency. When the combined-field integral equation is employed, satisfactory solutions can be obtained that do not depend on the particular solution approach or solver.

Method Development Through Statistical Design For The Dependence Of Viscosity For Solutions Of Carboxymethylcellulose On Temperature, Concentration, And Dilution., Maryann E. Keene

Theses

Statistical method development is useful when expense, quantity of material, or time is limited, as experiment numbers are significantly reduced. The purpose of this study was to create a statistical model that explains the relationship between viscosity, temperature, concentration, and dilution due to bodily fluids in a pharmaceutical context of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) solutions. The Graeco-Latin square design was employed to chose data points and Minitab® statistical software was used for data analysis. It was found in this model that concentration and dilution have the greatest effect on viscosity, while temperature has a lesser effect. It was also found that there …

Prior Subspace Analysis For Drum Transcription, Derry Fitzgerald, Robert Lawlor, Eugene Coyle

Conference papers

This paper introduces the technique of Prior Subspace Analysis (PSA) as an alternative to Independent Subspace Analysis (ISA) in cases where prior knowledge about the sources to be separated is available. The use of prior knowledge overcomes some of the problems associated with ISA, in particular the problem of estimating the amount of information required for separation. This results in improved robustness for drum transcription purposes. Prior knowledge is incorporated by use of a set of prior frequency subspaces that characterise features of the sources to be extracted. The effectiveness and robustness of PSA is demonstrated by its use in …

Review Of The Coast Of Utopia By Tom Stoppard, David Wohl

College of Visual and Performing Arts Faculty Publications

A Review of The Coast of Utopia by Tom Stoppard, performed by the Royal National Theatre, London, UK, July 2002.

The Quest For Identity: A Conversation With John O'Leary, Robert Callahan

Constructing the Past

This article describes a discussion that the author had with John O'Leary, an Irish poet. It discusses the nature of what it means to be "Irish" and "Irish-American" and talks about how many modern people of Irish descent are focusing more on the ancient Irish traditions rather than the stereotypical Irish-American images of famine victims and green beer.

The Possible Role Of Tgf-Beta-Induced Suppressors Of Cytokine Signaling Expression In Osteoclast/Macrophage Lineage Commitment In Vitro, Sw Fox, Sj Haque, Ac Lovibond, Tj Chambers

School of Biomedical Sciences

No abstract provided.

Tgf-Beta-Induced Socs3 Expression Augments Tnf-Alpha-Induced Osteoclast Formation, Ac Lovibond, Sj Haque, Tj Chambers, Sw Fox

School of Biomedical Sciences

No abstract provided.

Involving Engineering With In-Service K-4 Teachers, Theresa M. Swift, Steve Eugene Watkins, Kristine Swenson, Evalee Lasater, Robert Mitchell

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A strong workforce in science and engineering and literate citizens in a technology-based society depends on an educational system that prepares students in science, mathematics, and engineering. Unfortunately, many K-12 students lose interest in such topics early in their school years. Engineering applications can capture the imagination of students and illustrate the concepts in science and mathematics. Level-appropriate resources are as necessary for primary teachers and our young scholars as for teachers and students in higher grades. A model for interaction between engineers and K-4 teachers is proposed. The State of Missouri defines curriculum standards in each subject area and …

Dynamic Nonlinear Effect On Lasing In Random Media, B. Liu, Alexey Yamilov, Y. Ling, J. Y. Xu, Hui Cao

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

We investigate the dynamic effect of nonlinearity on lasing in disordered medium. The third-order nonlinearity not only changes frequency and size of lasing mode, but also modifies laser emission intensity and laser pulse width.

Impedance Boundary Conditions In A Hybrid Fem/Mom Formulation, Hao Wang, Minjia Xu, Chen Wang, Todd H. Hubing

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

When numerically modeling structures with imperfect conductors or conductors coated with a dielectric material, impedance boundary conditions (IBCs) can substantially reduce the amount of computation required. This paper incorporates the IBC in the finite-element method (FEM) part of a FEM/method of moments (FEM/MoM) modeling code. Properties of the new formulation are investigated and the formulation is used to model three practical electromagnetic problems. Results are compared to either measured data or other numerical results. The effect of the IBC on the condition number of hybrid FEM/MoM matrices is also discussed.

Teachers' Perceptions Of The Application Of Instructional Design Elements In The Distance Teaching Process, Lihua Zheng

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Educators use an instructional design process to improve instruction and to ensure learning. Faculty who teach at a distance must rely heavily on the instructional design process because of constraints in distance instruction. Thus, it is especially important for instructors to know, understand, and apply instructional design elements when planning to teaching at a distance. However, little research has been done in this field. Therefore, additional research has become the focus of this study. This study examines the perceptions of instructors at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI), Cedar Falls, Iowa, regarding how they understood and applied instructional design elements …

Development And Implementation Of The University Of Northern Iowa's “Students First” Capital Campaign: A Case Study, Cornelius Anthony Castain

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

A case study was conducted of The University of Northern Iowa's Students First 100 million-dollar comprehensive capital campaign. This study examined the predominant forces, activities, and participants associated with employing the capital campaign strategy at a public comprehensive university. When, how, and in what sequence did these major forces, activities, and participants converge to develop and implement the capital campaign? The study also describes major challenges incurred during the campaign cycle. The initial interview questionnaire was adapted from a study by Leonard Moisan (1986) of the University of Virginia's capital campaign. Seventeen people were interviewed including the President, development staff, …

Design And Evaluation Of A Pdf Print Estimating System, Mengtsung Tai

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This research consisted of designing and evaluating portable document format (PDF) print estimating system to commercial systems. Taking into account functionality, reliability, standardization, and integration, the conventional design method (Pressman, 1997) was used to develop the print estimating system. Considering the printer's viewpoint, added features make the system function online and offline and compatible with all common computer platforms. After the system was developed, experts and entry-level users evaluated the system for software usability (Nielsen, 2000; Shneiderman, 1998). A total of 26 experts and 38 entry-level users responded to 14 questions about usability in a personal interview survey. Statistical analysis …

Body Image, Eating Disturbance And Estrogen Levels Across The Menstrual Cycle, Mei-Chuan Wang

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The principal interest of the current study was to examine estrogen levels across the menstrual cycle related to body image and eating disturbance. Participants were undergraduate female students at a medium size Midwestern university. There were two phases of this study-a between-subjects aspect (N = 119) followed by a within-subjects aspect (N = 41 ). Multivariate analyses of covariance (MANCO VA) were used to analyze the first phase data. Results showed that when eating disorders were viewed as a whole. eating patterns were stable across the menstrual cycle; but if looked at separately. symptoms of anorexia were worse when estrogen …

Internationalizing Higher Education: A Case Study Of A Midwest Comprehensive University, Irene Tan Ai Lian

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The international component of higher education has faced significant challenges over the past two decades due to the effects of globalization. The realization that international interdependence is not an abstract theory but a reality has prompted institutions of higher education in the United States to internationalize their campuses.

The purpose of this qualitative research study was to examine how and to what extent a Midwest comprehensive university has developed its internationalization process Special focus was placed on understanding and drawing conclusions from the perceptions of administrators and faculty members regarding the importance of internationalizing a campus and the factors that …

Power System Basics For Business Professionals In Our Industry, G. Gross, Peter W. Sauer, Mariesa Crow

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The rapid changes in the business aspects of the electricity industry are making it necessary for engineers to communicate more frequently and more effectively with nontechnical people. With the heightened interest in electric power and energy systems, a broad range of "nonpower" people has expressed a need for a primer on power engineering fundamentals presented in a nontechnical manner. In response, the IEEE Power Engineering Society sponsored the preparation of such a course targeted towards the "business professional." The first offering of this course was in July 2002 as part of the IEEE PES Summer Meeting in Chicago. Power System …