The graphic calculator as a thinking tool: perspectives from the classroom

For over a decade the graphic calculator has been promoted not only as a computational tool but also as a thinking tool — for example, as an aid to enhance conceptual understanding, as a problem-solving tool and as a means of enabling students to engage in meaningful investigations. However, research studies focusing on these aspects have shown mixed results and have mostly focused on graphs and functions. This paper reports on one aspect of a case study in a year 10 mathematics classroom — the role of the graphic calculator as a thinking tool. Data from observations of nine statistics lessons and interviews with the teacher and five students are analysed from three perspectives: the teacher’s intentions with respect to the use of the graphic calculator as a tool to promote conceptual understanding as opposed to procedural competence; the opportunities afforded during the lessons for student investigation; and students’ views of how the graphic calculator enhanced conceptual understanding. The results provide insights into ways in which students perceive the graphic calculator as promoting conceptual understanding, as well as some of the difficulties encountered in practice in a classroom.

Automatic refinement of user requirements : a case study in software tool evaluation

This paper presents an assessment of system effectiveness in automatic requirements refinement by comparing results obtained from experts and novices with those achieved by the system. As the investigated system was a combination of a tightly inter-connected methods and a tool, the evaluation framework melded together a number of distinct methodological approaches structured into three empirical studies, which aimed at the construction of a case problem domain, calibrating the system using this defined domain elements and finally using the calibrated system to assess its effectiveness. In consequence, it was concluded that the evaluated methods and tools were effective in supporting requirements refinement.

Investigating the impact of computer conferencing: content analysis as a manageable research tool

Content analysis of computer conferences provides a rich source of data for researching and understanding online learning. However the complexities of using content analysis in a relatively new research field have resulted in researchers avoiding its use as a qualitative or quantitative method and using more familiar methods such as survey and interview instead. Ethical issues are also raised that, though ensuring students’ rights, particularly to privacy and with no fear of coercion, are making it difficult for researchers to access and analyse archives of conference data as a research source. This paper suggests a pragmatic but systematic approach to solving these research issues by using several research strategies that are described in the context of the authors’ research and practice.

Simulation-based support tool for operator performance in batch manufacturing

In industry, the workload and utilization of shop floor operators is often misunderstood. In this paper, we will present several real case studies, using Discrete Event Simulation (DES) models, which allow us to better understand operators in a batch manufacturing environment. The first study investigates labour in a machining plant consisting of multiple identical CNC machines that batch produce parts. The second study investigates labour in an eight station, gravity die casting rotary table. The results from these studies have shown that there can be potential improvements made by the production planners in the current labour configuration. In the first case study, a matrix is produced that estimates what the operator's utilization levels will be for various configurations. From this, the preferred operator to machine ratio over a range of cycle times is presented. In the second study, the results have shown that by reducing the casting cycle time, the operator would be overloaded. A discrete event simulation of these two cases highlighted areas that were misunderstood by plant management, and provided them with a useful decision support tool for production planning.

Environmental design : incorporating a rating tool into the design of commercial buildings

Environmental performance assessment or green building rating tools for commercial buildings are one of the more recent responses to encourage green solutions for commercial buildings. This paper discusses the initial stages of a research project that looks at the impact of a rating tool, such as Green Star, on design. There are numerous ways in which an architect can design commercial buildings, but environmental design solutions have consistently failed to become accepted practice. Therefore, how will this tool be incorporated into the building design process? Developed to assist the designer can the inclusion of a rating tool such as Green Star provide an effective framework to encourage the inclusion of environmental design strategies in commercial buildings? A field study, recording the design process of a commercial building, anticipates that a whole building assessment approach towards design, as proposed through the Green Star Rating Tool, will provide an effective framework to set and monitor design targets in order to optimise the environmental design goals in commercial buildings.

Assessment as a strategic tool for enhancing learning in teacher education: a case study

This small exploratory case study describes an attempt to integrate the academic and practical aspects of a teacher education course in order to promote deep understanding of children's ways of understanding mathematics. The assessment regime of the course was used as a strategic tool for engaging students, and the assessment tasks themselves were used as the means of generating genuine integration, or case knowledge, of the content of the course. The results indicate that the approach was effective in achieving the aims of the course, and student reaction to the approach was extremely positive.

ANNODA: tool for integrating molecular-biological annotation data

Collecting, analyzing, and making Molecularbiological annotation data accessible in different public data sources is still an ongoing project. Integration of such data from these data sources might lead to valuable biological knowledge. There are numerous annotation data and only some of those are structured. The number and contents of related sources are continuously increasing. In addition, the existing data sources have their own storage structure and implementation. As a result, these could lead to a limitation in the combining of annotation. Here, we proposed a tool, called ANNODA, for integrating Molecular-biological annotation data. Unlike the past work on database interoperation in the bioinformatics community, this database design uses web-links which are very useful for interactive navigation and meanwhile it also supports automated large-scale analysis tasks.

A decision support tool for resource allocation in batch manufacturing

A decision support tool for production planning is discussed in this paper to perform the job of machine grouping and labour allocation within a machining line. The production plans within the industrial partner have been historically inefficient because the relationship between the cycle times, the machine group size, and the operator's utilisation hasn't been properly understood. Starting with a simulation model, a rule-base has been generated to predict the operator's utilisation for a range of production settings. The resource allocation problem is then solved by breaking the problem into a series of smaller sized tasks. The objective is to minimise the number of operators and the difference between the maximum and minimum cycle times of machines within each group. The results from this decision support tool is presented for the particular case study.

Practicality of a technological tool for the teaching of the first year psychology students

The current paper discusses the applicability of an online manual for the teaching of first year psychology laboratory programs and compares it with conventional teaching methods. For the first time, in 2001, the manual for the first year program was made available via a website. This method was in contrast to the text manual that was utilised previously. When the text manual was used, students needed to bring it each week to class. However, with the online manual, students were required to be cognisant of several aspects of the week's laboratory agenda prior to attending the class and did not have immediate access to the manual in class. This was quite uncustomary to both students and staff members and therefore necessitated a great amount of time to be spent reviewing the contents of the week's work before attending class. It also caused inconvenience both in terms of students not having ready access to necessary information, and staff having to photocopy bulk information as and when required. What was discovered at the end of the semester was that a technological tool, because of its ability to provide easy access, may not be applicable to teach all subjects, particularly not the psychology lab program, and hence a thorough evaluation of the practicality of the device is required prior to adoption.

Flavour as an analytical tool : an anti-inflammatory compound in olive oil

The chemical senses have been underutilised as analytical instruments, although as detectors of chemicals our senses are highly specialised biological machines. This paper reviews the current state of knowledge of the chemical senses. A novel technique was used to isolate and identify a flavour-active non-steroidal antiinflammatory compound in virgin olive oil.

Critical incident analyses : a practice learning tool for students and practitioners

The development of critical skills in social work students and practitioners has been a major focus of social work education and training in recent years. Critical incident analysis has developed as a tool to aid critical reflection in practice, in health and social work. This paper provides an overview of the use of the tool in these fields. It then reports on a demonstration project which sought to examine how critical incident analysis might be used as a form of assessment and as a supervisory tool by social work students and practice teachers. An evaluation of the project is provided. Completion of critical incident analyses using the framework was found to provide a structured approach to critical reflection. It assisted the integration of theory and practice and the examination of value issues. Students and practice teachers identify its use in supervision and its potential as an assessment tool. The paper concludes with a discussion on the potential uses of critical incident analyses, with particular attention given to its use to develop anti-oppressive practice.

Two-mode overconstrained three-DOFs rotational-translational linear-motor-based parallel-kinematics mechanism for machine tool applications

The paper introduces a family of three-DOFs translational-rotational Parallel-Kinematics Mechanisms (PKMs) as well as the mobility analysis of such family using Lie-group theory. Each member of this family has two-rotational one-translational DOFs. A novel mechanism is presented and analyzed as a representative of that family. The use and the practical value of that modular mechanism are emphasized.

The right tool for the job? Use of the multiple intelligences and Bloom's taxonomy grid

This article explores the tacit understanding of teachers in the field of gifted educational practices after their participation in gifted education professional development. The data for this article are drawn from a single-case qualitative study where semi-structured interviews were held with teachers, administrators and support staff in a metropolitan Victorian primary school. The findings lead to two main arguments: first, that some teachers preserved their deeply entrenched beliefs and assumptions about the gifted, the talented and intelligence[s]; and second, that teachers, without critical examination, eagerly adopted and adapted Gardner's Multiple Intelligences theory, overlaid with Bloom's Revised Taxonomy of Thinking as a means for addressing individual differences in the classroom. The article argues that teachers welcomed the Gardner/Bloom matrix for its 'tick-the-box' simplicity, with little insight into the theoretical models. Whilst the matrix had an immediate value in the mixed ability classrooms, in the long term it did not support the learning needs of gifted students. [Author abstract]