Digital Commons Network^™

Analysis Of Space Employee Risk Acceptance, Aliya Bostubayeva

Theses

In the summer of 2002, eighty-one students, faculty and staff of RIT took a survey that was aimed at determining the possible employees expectations about the risk compensation if hired to work in space. Every mission in space entails a certain degree of health damage; the length of stay is directly related with more risk involved. The survey results help understand rough estimations of risk acceptance of the future space labor force (cosmonauts and astronauts not included). Three sets of questions described the consequences of space missions (short, month-long and long), where the extent of health damage is directly dependent …

Animal Kingdom "Re-Creation", Rattapol Chaiyarat

Theses

Not provided.

A Multilevel Discontinuous Galerkin Method, Jay Gopalakrishnan, Guido Kanschat

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

A variable V-cycle preconditioner for an interior penalty finite element discretization for elliptic problems is presented. An analysis under a mild regularity assumption shows that the preconditioner is uniform. The interior penalty method is then combined with a discontinuous Galerkin scheme to arrive at a discretization scheme for an advection-diffusion problem, for which an error estimate is proved. A multigrid algorithm for this method is presented, and numerical experiments indicating its robustness with respect to diffusion coefficient are reported.

A Schwarz Preconditioner For A Hybridized Mixed Method, Jay Gopalakrishnan

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this paper, we provide a Schwarz preconditioner for the hybridized versions of the Raviart-Thomas and Brezzi-Douglas-Marini mixed methods. The preconditioner is for the linear equation for Lagrange multipliers arrived at by eliminating the ux as well as the primal variable. We also prove a condition number estimate for this equation when no preconditioner is used. Although preconditioners for the lowest order case of the Raviart-Thomas method have been constructed previously by exploiting its connection with a nonconforming method, our approach is different, in that we use a new variational characterization of the Lagrange multiplier equation. This allows us to …

Providing Character Education Towards Resiliency For An Alternative Education High School, Anita L. Herron

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to address the need to improve the educational profile of an urban alternative education high school that failed to meet one or more of the state's standards for achievement, attendance, and school performance. A character education curriculum holistic case management program was developed to address this problem.

The program provided students with a three-focus educational strand instructional program: Case management intervention, academic diagnostic assessment, and an individualized planning and instructional curriculum to achieve school success. The writer presented a comprehensive intervention service that required all participants to attend a mandatory orientation, community-based involvement, consultation, and …

Achieving School Literacy: The Davis Elementary School Reading Initiative, Emily Walker

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation focused on a schoolwide program of reading interventions that was implemented to increase the reading ability of elementary school students at Edward T. Davis Elementary School in Montgomery, Alabama. These interventions included (a) teacher training in research based reading instruction; (b) the implementation of Direct Instruction (Englemann, 1996); (c) the implementation of additional reading time, (d) a student reward program, and (e) a home-school literacy connection.

The school is a public school with a population of 697 students in Grades Kindergarten through 6. An analysis of formal and informal data such as the Stanford Achievement Test (American …

The Effects Of Home-School Communication On Parental Involvement, Diana L. Watson

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to study the effects of home-school communication on parent involvement by implementing the program Project S.P.E.A.K.: Students, Parents, and Educators Actively Keeping in Touch.

The targeted population consisted of 24 certified general education teachers, 505 students in grades Kindergarten through Grade 5, and 505 parents of students in Kindergarten through Grade 5. The problem to be solved in this applied dissertation was that parents and teachers were not communicating well with each other. At the targeted site, parent involvement and attendance at school functions had dropped drastically over the past 5 years. The data collected …

Building Leadership Capacity: A Case Study Of Standards-Based Staff Development, Geraldine M. Harge

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

A qualitative case study approach was implemented to examine the perception of 13 principals regarding the efficacy and utility of skills using the California Standards of the Teaching Profession (CSTP; California Teaching Commission, 1997) in the supervision and evaluation process. The results of this study showed that the principals had consistent participation and found the skills and tools for observation and evaluation very useful for (a) awareness and understanding of the CSTP for informal observation, (b) commitment to continued use of the CSTP, (c) continued support from the district for sustained implementation, (d) improved teacher capacity at a beginning stage …

Prevention Programs For Reducing At-Risk Behaviors Involving Alcohol Abuse, Substance Usage, And Violence In High School Students Ages 14 To 17, Ismail Z. Jihad

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The problem addressed in the applied dissertation was that high school teenagers enrolled in prevention programs are not decreasing at-risk behaviors. This problem can be answered by focusing on distinct characteristics of teenagers who are enrolled in the after-school mental health and substance abuse prevention program. The at-risk behaviors demonstrated by the teenagers in the prevention program included substance abuse, crime, violence, poor academics, truancy, mental health issues, inappropriate sexual behavior, and teenage pregnancy.

The primary solutions for prevention programs to combat the causes of alcohol and substance usage in adolescents is to offer life skills such as: emotional management; …

Development Of A Textbook With A Plan For Its Evaluation For The Acting I Course At Austin Community College, Jamee Kennedy

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The purpose of this dissertation project was two-fold. First, the purpose was to develop a textbook for the Acting I course at Austin Community College that fully supports the required standardized curriculum created in 1999. Second, an evaluation plan for the textbook was developed to help determine the text’s validity.

The effectiveness of the text will be determined by the implementation of this plan. Based on the results of the evaluation plan, the administration at Austin Community College will make a recommendation to either adopt the text as is, modify the text, or to reject the text.

There were three …

Development Of A Curriculum Model For The Senior Adult Program At Paradise Valley Community College With An Implementation And Evaluation Plan, Sylvia Ong

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

In response to the growing number of senior adults attending Paradise Valley Community College (PVCC), the senior adult program (SAP) at PVCC, known as the “Senior College,” has increased its course offerings. The problem is that the Senior College is not maximizing its enrollment by offering courses needed and wanted by this growing market niche. The purpose of this study was to develop a curriculum model to identify such courses.

The five research questions used were (a) What are best practices in selected exemplary senior adult programs (SAPs), (b) What is the appropriate design of a senior adult curriculum model, …

Using The Writing Process And Continuous Assessment To Improve Student Compositions, Constance M. Goines

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This dissertation described an intervention program that was designed to improve the quality of writing in an inner city school in the southwest United States. It was an ethnically and linguistically diverse Title I learning community of about 300. The program targeted 44 second semester 3rd graders who would be first semester 4th graders following the July summer break. Two fourth grade teachers, both with at least four years of experience and extensive writing process training, implemented the program at both grade levels.

The focus was to raise writing scores, as measured by the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) …

Poetry: An Intervention To Improve The Fluency And Comprehension Skills Of Reluctant Readers In The Primary Grades, Monica A. Boyko

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation provided third grade reading students an opportunity to develop reading fluency and comprehension skills. These students had poor literacy skills as evidenced by their scores on standardized reading proficiency exams, report card ratings and reports from their previous instructors. The fluency and comprehension instruction that students received was not effective. Students were not making an emotional connection to the material they read.

Third-grade students were taught ways to apply both comprehension and fluency enhancing strategies to their reading. This was accomplished through weekly lessons focused on the poetry genre that enabled students to practice these skills in …

Development And Validation Of An Action Plan For Recruiting And Retaining Qualified Teachers, Marian S. Lauria-Davis

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Hillsborough County School District (HCSD), which in September 2002 was designated as the 10th largest district in the country, lacked a comprehensive plan to recruit and retain teachers. District staff demographic reports, teacher attrition reports, and continual posted vacancies of all special education subject areas indicated that minority teachers and special education teachers were in high demand but in short supply. The purpose of this applied dissertation project was to develop a teacher recruitment and retention action plan for the district.

Methodologies used to address the research questions included a comprehensive review of literature, focus group discussions with minority and …

Reducing Fighting And Bullying Among Second And Third Grade Students Through Instruction In Peace Education, Cecil W. Scott

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to reduce fighting and bullying among second and third grade students. The behavioral plans used by individual teachers were ineffective. Students were exhibiting deviant behaviors in the form of fighting, bullying, using profanity and name-calling. Children were being placed in time out, and many were internally and externally suspended for antisocial behaviors. Teachers could not help students resolve conflicts using peaceful methods.

The writer developed a Peace Education curriculum to be used by teachers to reduce deviant behaviors in students. They used daily peace and conflict resolution strategies in their classrooms that assisted children to …

A Plan To Reduce Bullying Behaviors At Coginchaug High School, Steve Wysowski

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

A survey of sophomores taken in 1999 at Coginchaug high School indicated that student harassment was above the national average as established by The Educational Excellence Alliance. Harassment is defined by the Alliance as “being insulted, teased, or made fun of to your face.” Another follow-up survey was administered a year later. The amount of student-reported harassment was greater in the freshman and sophomore years and diminished in the junior and senior years. A survey taken in October 2002 for the New England Association of Schools and Colleges’ self-study indicated that 90% of the 138 respondents do not feel respected …

Behavior Management Classes: A Study Of Control For Students With Conduct Disorders, John W. Vernon Jr

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to provide methods to control anger in students who had records of inappropriate behavior. This study was conducted at Temporary Intervention Program (TIP), which is a school for students with severe behavior problems. This study showed the significant effects that a planned program of anger management had on adolescent children despite socioeconomic status, lack of parent participation, conduct disorders, or other obstacles.

The writer developed specific lesson plans to introduce methods that had proven effective in other institutions. Specific skills, such as relaxation, assertiveness, anticipation, self-instruction, self-evaluation, role playing, and problem solving, were emphasized. Students …

Improving Reading Instruction Through Staff Development At Putnam County Elementary School, Kirk D. Mallette

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The problem addressed was low reading achievement for Grade 2 students at Putnam County Elementary School. Reading comprehension and vocabulary skills were not being demonstrated by Grade 2 students to a satisfactory level according to the test data. Teachers in the school expressed frustration about how to help students achieve higher levels. One variable that impacts reading achievement is teacher instruction. This study addresses that variable.

The intervention was a staff development training program to help Grade 2 teachers at Putnam County Elementary School learn to implement a balanced approach to literacy through guided reading and guided writing. The quasi-experimental …

A Plan For The Development, Implementation, And Evaluation Of A Global Entrepreneurship Adult Credit Program At Suffolk County Community College, Dorothy J. Laffin

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

During an environmental scan Suffolk County Community College’s (SCCC) business faculty determined that employed, adult learners, seeking part-time, flexible academic schedules, were unable to enroll in the limited, traditionally delivered course offerings in entrepreneurship and international business. In order to meet the identified learning need, this project was designed to develop a curriculum plan for an innovative, credit-bearing, international business program for adult students engaged in a variety of small business activities. Additionally, proposed steps for implementing and evaluating the program were included in the project.

The Global Entrepreneurship Program plan was developed around the answers to six research questions. …

Mapping Function To Failure Mode During Component Development, Irem Y. Tumer, Robert B. Stone

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

When designing aerospace systems, it is essential to provide crucial failure information for failure prevention. Failure modes and effect types of analyses and prior engineering knowledge and experience are commonly used to determine the potential modes of failures a product might encounter during its lifetime. When new products are being considered and designed, this knowledge and information is expanded upon to help designers extrapolate based on their similarity with existing products and the potential design tradeoffs. in this work, we aim to enhance this process by providing design-aid tools which derive similarities between functionality and failure modes. Specifically, this paper …

Multidimensional, Time-Accurate Cfd Simulation Of Adsorption/Desorption In A Carbon Canister, Xingyan Bai, Kakkattukuzhy M. Isaac, D. Klein, R. Banerjee, J. Edson, W. Breig, L. Oliver

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Computational fluid dynamics simulations of fixed-bed adiabatic adsorption/desorption processes are presented in this paper. Linear driving force model is used for heat and mass transfer rates. a two-dimensional cylindrical canister and three-dimensional automotive production canister geometry are used to study the adsorption/desorption processes of carbon dioxide in helium carrier gas on Norit B4 activated carbon. the two-dimensional results compare well with the results of Hwang et al. [1]. Computational results as breakthrough curve, adsorption amount and temperature profiles are provided. Results show that non-adiabatic model should be used to fully utilize the activated carbon bed capacity prior to breakthrough. Copyright …

A Study To Determine Which Class Setting And Delivery Method Would Lead To Improved Test Scores In The Computer Information Systems (Cis) Firm At Bethel High School, Deborah G. Vines

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

To answer this problem the following hypothesis was established: There will be a significant difference in CIS Firm students' performance on tests that are taught in a didactic structure when compared to students taught in the simulated-office environment.

A Relationship Between Grades Earned By Sixth Grade Core Science Students And Their End Of Year Grades, Denise Wilda Padrick

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

To solve this problem, the following hypothesis was tested: 1. A relationship does not exist between sixth grade level academic grades earned at the end of a first nine weeks grading period and the year end grades.