Education Commons^™

Facilitating Changes In College Teaching Practices: Instructional Reform, Identity Conflict And Professional Community In A K-20 Partnership, Stacy Olitsky

Stacy Olitsky

In this paper, I explain variation in the adoption of student-centred teaching practices among college faculty members in a program designed to promote K-20 instructional reform. I analyze data from a qualitative study of a Math and Science Partnership in order to understand why some faculty members had undergone extensive changes to their practices whereas others had not, even though both groups had demonstrated changes in their beliefs. Findings show that when collective identities focused on reform become more salient than the role identities associated with their teaching positions, faculty members are able to persist through the loss of self-efficacy …

Suburban Leaders Who Have Made A Difference: Jose Torres, José M. Torres

José M. Torres

This week we are featuring Dr. Jose Torres, the president of Aurora-based Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy. Torres was superintendent of Elgin Area School District U-46 from 2008 to 2014 and has served in various leadership roles, including regional superintendent/area instruction officer in Chicago Public Schools, and as the only superintendent on the Federal Equity and Excellence Commission of the United States Department of Education. Torres was one of three educators nationwide to receive the 2014 Dr. Effie H. Jones Humanitarian Award from the AASA, the school superintendents association.

Pre And Post Survey-Based Prediction Of Results From Student Characteristics, Jared Estad, Michael Kuehn, Jeremy Straub, Eunjin Kim

Jeremy Straub

This study was created to compare a large data set of students class surveys. In this data set, there exist both pre- and post-survey data. A set of knowledge based questions exist at the end of the survey. Our intention is to use the other data with in each survey to predict based on a singular set of pre-survey data a students potential for success throughout the course. As such, we need to account for data on the pre-survey and its knowledge based questions. Then, we need to account for how this data may interact with the data on the …

Course Outcome Prediction Using An Expert System, Michael Kuehn, Jared Estad, Jeremy Straub, Eunjin Kim

Jeremy Straub

Determining how well a student will perform in a course based on their prior knowledge of the course material and other factors may help determine student placement and the need for remedial instruction. This poster presents work on the creation of an expert system that attempts to predict a student’s performance based on a pre-evaluation test and responses to background preparation questions. This work utilizes data from prior students to train and test the system.

Involvement Of Undergraduate Students In Research: A Comparison Of Course Research Components, Paid Research Activities, Student-Led Projects And Independent / Directed Study Courses, Jeremy Straub

Jeremy Straub

Involving undergraduate students in bona fide research can provide multiple types of benefits. Whether students elect to pursue research careers or not, research experiences can be beneficial. Students gain an excellent resume item and interview discussion topic. They also gain experience in team participation dynamics and project management and the opportunity to put techniques that they have learned in the classroom to use. In interdisciplinary projects, they learn to work with those from other disciplines, gain an understanding of the challenges of doing so and gain an understanding of the vernacular of these other disciplines.

This paper presents an overview …

Ahp Application In Subcontractor Selection A Study Of - Shahid Rahnamoon Hospital Project In Yaz, Ata Jahangir Moshayedi

Ata Jahangir Moshayedi

Yazd Hospital project - Shahid Rahnamoon - is being built on a 30,000 square meter infrastructure with the estimated project cost of 100 billion Rails (about 2.8 million Euros).Up to now, the hospital has cost more than 160 billion Rials (about 4.5 million Euros). As it is shown in Figure 1, the project is located in Yazd city center in Iran [1]. Yazd city is the capital of Yazd province in Iran. The city is located at southeast of Isfahan province. At the 2011 census, the population was 1,074,428. The city is known for high quality handicrafts, especially silk weaving …

Assessment Of Educational Expectations, Outcomes And Benefits From Small Satellite Program Participation, Jeremy Straub, Ronald Marsh

Jeremy Straub

This paper begins to characterize the educational outcomes that can be produced from student participation in a small spacecraft development program. We asked students what benefits they expected to receive from program participation and we asked them, at the end of the semester, what benefits they had received. We also characterized student performance through the use of post-participation Likert-like scale questions and the use of a widely-used questionnaire for assessing student research participation outcomes. We compare benefit expectation and attainment, characterize the level of benefits received across multiple types of participation and assess the effect of program participation on subject-specific …

Considering The Educational Benefits Of A Cubesat Program, Jeremy Straub, Samudra Haque, Christopher K. Dinelli

Jeremy Straub

This presentation will provide an overview of work performed at the University of North Dakota with regards to the characterization of educational benefits from small spacecraft development efforts. We report on efforts to characterize benefits that ensued from participation for personal extracurricular enrichment, as part of a formal class (on project management), as part of multiple senior design projects, for independent study credit and for satisfying class project requirements. This assessment has been performed using a standard questionnaire for student research participation as well as custom questionnaires related to program focus areas. We have also analyzed student course performance, where …

Classroom Polling Software For Use With Mobile And Web-Based Devices, Nick Renford, Jeremy Straub, Scott Kerlin

Jeremy Straub

The goal of this project is to create an interface for Android, iOS, and Win-dows Phone smartphones, as well as a web interface that will act as a “clicker”. The instructors will be able to send out questions, and the students will be able to answer the questions, and get feedback if the instructor wants them to have it. The teacher can decide whether the feedback is instant or manually initiated, and what format the response will be, whether it includes the correct answer, and what type of chart, if any, indicating the most com-monly selected answer(s). There will be …

Towards An Analytical Framework For Evaluating Student Learning In Computer Science Courses, Jeremy Straub, Tom Stokke, Scott Kerlin

Jeremy Straub

This poster presents an overview of ongoing work in the Computer Science Department to assess the learning oc-curring in multiple undergraduate courses in an analytical manner which will facilitate semester-to-semester and in-stitution-to-institution comparisons. It describes the types of assessments created (which are course-specific based on ACM model content areas identified as covered by the instructor), their use, data analysis and the conclu-sions which can be drawn. Limited initial data is also pre-sented.

An Overview Of The Hardware Designs Of The Openorbiter Program, Jeremy Straub

Jeremy Straub

This poster provides an overview of the hardware designs for the OpenOrbiter small spacecraft, including both missions in our two-phase mission design. The first mission will use a limited-configuration, limited-scope CubeSat which will develop and demonstrate UND’s capability to develop and launch a small spacecraft. It will also serve to inform the second mission through problems detected with included components, so that these can be corrected before the more robust phase-two mission is launched. The phase-two mission will feature the complete Open Prototype for Educational NanoSats (OPEN) design and will house a visual-light camera which will serve to collect imagery …

An Overview Of Current Progress On The Openorbiter Project, Jeremy Straub

Jeremy Straub

This poster presents an overview of the work that has occurred over the last year on the OpenOrbiter project. The new two-phase ‘experience-building’ mission strategy is presented and discussed and overviews of the hardware/software configurations applicable to each mission are presented. Highlights from recent work across all areas of the project are included. An overview of student involvement over the course of the last year is also presented. Also discussed are the future plans for the project and a look forward to the next year and what progress and deliverables are expected. The pathway to an orbital launch and the …

Openorbiter Operating System Components: Development Of Software For Communications And Power Management, Michael Hlas, Calvin Littlebina, Dayln Limesand, Christoffer Korvald, Jeremy Straub, Ronald Marsh

Jeremy Straub

This poster presents details on two areas of the development of the OpenOrbiter Operating Software, communications and power management. Communications are an essential part of any satellite. Communications allow us to send commands and receive information from the satellite. However communications presents us with some unique challenges. The satellite is orbiting the earth about every 90 minutes at very high speeds making it difficult to track it through the sky. We also have a very limited window when the satellite is overhead to communicate with it. Bandwidth is also very limited so what is sent and received during that time …

Phone And Web Based Clicker Project, Nick Renford, Jeremy Straub, Scott Kerlin

Jeremy Straub

The goal of this project is to create an interface for Android,

iOS, and Windows Phone smartphones, as well as a web

interface that will act as a “clicker”. The

instructors will be able to send out questions, and the

students will be able to answer the questions, and get

feedback if the instructor wants them to have it. The teacher

can decide whether the feedback is instant or manually

initiated, and what format the response will be, whether it

includes the correct answer, and what type of chart, if any,

indicating the most commonly selected answer(s). There

will be …

Educational Benefits To Participants In Small Spacecraft Development, Jeremy Straub

Jeremy Straub

A key focus of the OpenOrbiter project has been identifying possible sources of educational benefit to student participants and ascertaining whether they have been received. To this end, we’ve asked participants what benefits they hope to attain, determined whether they attained them and measured increases in skills and abilities over the period of participation in the project. This poster provides an overview of all of the educational evaluation work performed to-date with regards to the OpenOrbiter project. It considers both the benefit of the particular project as well as the benefits of small spacecraft development work, in general, across a …

A Raspberry Pi-Based 3d Scanner, Cam Peterson, Pann Ajjimaporn, Jiaoni Wang, Jeremy Straub, Scott Kerlin

Jeremy Straub

This poster presents work on building a 3d scanner. A 3d scanner is a device that analyzes a real-world object to collect data on its shape and or appearance. The collected data can then be used to construct digital 3d models. The scanner is made up of 50 Raspberry Pi computer boards and cameras. We will construct 12 arms each holding four cameras per arm. The purpose of this is to be able to scan anything and produce a 3d model that we then would be able to send to the 3d printer or use in a video game or …

The Use Of The Roofsat For Computer Science And Engineering Education, Jeremy Straub, Ronald Marsh

Jeremy Straub

This poster presents an overview of a tool that has been created to provide students with real-world experience in the design, development and operation of control and scientific mission software for a cyber-physical system. The ROOFSAT, developed at UND, is a low-cost analog for a small spacecraft (though in many ways these capabilities also enable similar UAV work). The ROOFSAT was constructed with approximately $1,500 generously provided by the John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences out of commercially-available parts. It includes multiple cameras, a pan-tilt mount and the same space-qualified computer hardware which has been used on both spacecraft …

Interview With Paulo Speller, Brazilian Higher Education Secretary, Marion Lloyd

Marion Lloyd

In an interview, Paulo Speller, Brazil´s secretary for higher education, speaks of the challenges in overseeing sweeping higher education reforms, including federally mandated affirmative action policies and the region´s largest science and technology study-abroad scholarship program.

The Impact Of Teachers’ Knowledge Of Group Theory On Early Algebra Teaching Practices, Nick Wasserman, Julianna Connelly Stockton

Julianna Connelly Stockton

No abstract provided.

Cartooning In Algebra And Calculus, Lauren Jeneva Moseley Ph.D.

Lauren Jeneva Moseley

This article discusses how teachers can create cartoons for undergraduate math classes, such as college algebra and basic calculus. The practice of cartooning for teaching can be helpful for communication with students and for students’ conceptual understanding.

Openorbiter Small Spacecraft Development Program Educational Benefits, Jeremy Straub

Jeremy Straub

No abstract provided.

What Matters In College For Retaining Aspiring Scientists And Engineers From Underrepresented Racial Groups, Mitchell J. Chang, Jessica Sharkness, Sylvia Hurtado, Christopher B. Newman

Christopher B. Newman

This longitudinal study examined factors that contribute to the persistence of underrepresented racial minority (URM) undergraduates in STEM fields. The primary source of data came from the Cooperative Institutional Research Program’s 2004 The Freshman Survey (TFS) and 2008 College Senior Survey (CSS). The sample included 3,670 students at 217 institutions who indicated on the TFS that they intended to major in a STEM field, 1,634 of whom were underrepresented minority (URM) students. Findings indicate that Black and Latino undergraduates were significantly less likely to persist in STEM majors than were their White and Asian American counterparts. Background characteristics and college …

Engaging Youth In Lifelong Outdoor Adventure Activities Through A Nontraditional Public School Physical Education Program, Keri Schwab, Daniel L. Dustin

Keri Schwab

Engaging Youth in Lifelong Outdoor Adventure Activities through a Nontraditional Public School Physical Education Program

Educational Outcomes From The Openorbiter Small Spacecraft Development Program, Jeremy Straub

Jeremy Straub

The OpenOrbiter program [1] is developing a low-cost framework for the creation of space-craft by researchers and educators worldwide [8]. In addition to the technical objectives, ed-ucational assessment [2, 3] has also been a key focus. Students working on development of the spacecraft [4] were asked what types of benefits they sought from their participation [5]. The assessment of the attainment of these benefits is ongoing, in conjunction with continued development in pursuit of the crea-tion of a set of designs that can be used to build a spacecraft with a cost of under $5,000 [13] .

Increasing National Space Engineering Productivity And Educational Opportunities Via Intrepreneurship, Entrepreneurship And Innovation, Jeremy Straub

Jeremy Straub

Research and educational efforts related to space engineering or requiring access to space face significant startup costs. The cost of developing a 1-U (10 cm × 10 cm × 11 cm) CubeSat from scratch can be approximately $250,000. Those buying a kit must pay amortized vendor development costs on a per-mission basis, creating a lower per-mission barrier. Kit users are also constrained by being unable to make changes to vendor subsystems without incurring substantial redevelopment costs or vendor charges. The Open Prototype for Educational NanoSats (OPEN) is changing this by providing freely available design documents for a 1-U CubeSat class …

The Road To A Space Solar Power Cubesat In North Dakota, Corey Bergsrud, Jeremy Straub, Sima Noghanian

Jeremy Straub

Presents current work at the University of North Dakota related to the long-term development of a Solar Power Satellite (SPS).

Openorbiter: Analysis Of A Student-Run Space Program, Jeremy Straub

Jeremy Straub

Students at the University of North Dakota, as part of faculty-mentored teams in a student-lead program, are working to broaden participation in humanity's exploration of space. The OpenOrbiter Small Spacecraft Development Initiative (OSSDI) is demonstrating two complementary paradigm-changers. First, the initiative facilitates student involvement in all aspects of a space program, without the preconceptions present in established space activities. Second, it is demonstrating a low-cost framework for small spacecraft development. These combined activities are poised to demonstrate a new way forward for space exploration: combined, they allow risk-taking exuberance and a cost of entry that makes risk-taking exuberance acceptable, even …

Using Plankton Imaging Technology And Computer Science For Biological Oceanographic Advancement And Education, Adam T. Greer

Adam T. Greer

Oceanography is an inherently interdisciplinary subject that combines observations of physics, biology, chemistry, and their interactions. While most physical and chemical measurements can be made on small scales (cm to m) through the use of sensors (temperature, salinity, pH, etc.), traditional tools to understand the biology of the ocean have only allowed for coarse sampling resolution (i.e., plankton nets sample large portions of the water column). New imaging technology enables the biological component of the ocean to be sampled on the same scale as the physical and chemical, allowing scientists to finally address the interactions among different oceanographic processes. Image …

An Open Prototype For Educational Nanosats: Increasing National Space Engineering Productivity Via A Low-Cost Platform, Jeremy Straub

Jeremy Straub

The Open Prototype for Educational NanoSats (OPEN) is poised to allow a dramatic increase in the number of students, worldwide, that have the opportunity to participate in hands-on spacecraft development. It is designed to facilitate the formation of CubeSat development programs via providing a publically-available set of spacecraft design documents, implementation and testing plans. These documents should allow the creation of a 1-U CubeSat with a parts budget of approximately $ 5,000. This allows spacecraft development to be incorporated in regular curriculum and supported from teaching (as opposed to research) funds.

The Openorbiter Program: Intrepreneurship, Entrepreneurship And Innovation, Jeremy Straub

Jeremy Straub

The University of North Dakota’s OpenOrbiter program is providing an interdisciplinary learning experience for students from numerous STEM and non-STEM fields. OpenOrbiter allows student participants to experience not just the engineering and other technical aspects of the space program, it also involves students from diverse, non-STEM fields (including communications, entrepreneurship, management, visual arts, public policy and English). Traditional STEM fields such as mathematics, physics, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, computer science and technology are also well represented. Students from specially programs at the University of North Dakota including atmospheric sciences, Earth System Sciences and Policy, aviation, Space Studies and Air Traffic …