A web-based application for the management and evaluation of tutoring requests in PBL-based massive laboratories

One important steps in a successful project-based-learning methodology (PBL) is the process of providing the students with a convenient feedback that allows them to keep on developing their projects or to improve them. However, this task is more difficult in massive courses, especially when the project deadline is close. Besides, the continuous evaluation methodology makes necessary to find ways to objectively and continuously measure students' performance without increasing excessively instructors' work load. In order to alleviate these problems, we have developed a web service that allows students to request personal tutoring assistance during the laboratory sessions by specifying the kind of problem they have and the person who could help them to solve it. This service provides tools for the staff to manage the laboratory, for performing continuous evaluation for all students and for the student collaborators, and to prioritize tutoring according to the progress of the student's project. Additionally, the application provides objective metrics which can be used at the end of the subject during the evaluation process in order to support some students' final scores. Different usability statistics and the results of a subjective evaluation with more than 330 students confirm the success of the proposed application.

The H5 guide system - the latest innovative guide system at the ILL

The H5 program with the complete rebuild of the guide system and the upgrade or renovation of all instruments leads to a tremendous increase of the instrument performances. The improvement was obtained both in terms of more useful flux and upgrade of the different instruments (e.g. higher field density for IN15). In addition, the industrial application instrument D50 offers an addition to the ILL instrument suite (see p. 27 in this issue). With the commissioning of the new spin echo spectrometer WASP in 2016, the H5 program will be completed and a considerable improvement for the ILL instrument park will be finalized.