Exploring supply chain related graduate programmes in the UK:a view on their structure, content and approaches

Research in skill requirements needed by supply chain/logistics (SCL) managers has been published since the early nineties, however, research on what is really taught (e.g. curriculum, learning philosophies) by universities is scant. This paper's aim is to fill in this gap by analysing SCL graduate teaching in the UK. Data from 50 SCL MSc programmes were collected from 43 universities. Findings indicate that there seems to be a gap emerging between industry's needs and the content of the programmes being offered. This gap concerns employability, problem based learning, international business and the acquisition of softer interpersonal and problem solving skills.

Engineering the future:CDIO as a tool for combating retention difficulties

With the demand for engineering graduates at what may be defined as an unprecedented high, many universities find themselves facing significant levels of student attrition-with high "drop-out levels" being a major issue in engineering education. In order to address this, Aston University in the UK has radically changed its undergraduate engineering education curriculum, introducing capstone CDIO (Conceive, Design, Implement, Operate) modules for all first year students studying Mechanical Engineering and Design. The introduction of CDIO is aimed at making project / problem based learning the norm. Utilising this approach, the learning and teaching in engineering purposefully aims to promote innovative thinking, thus equipping students with high-level problem-solving skills in a way that builds on theory whilst enhancing practical competencies and abilities. This chapter provides an overview of an Action Research study undertaken contemporaneously with the development, introduction, and administration of the first two semesters of CDIO. It identifies the challenges and benefits of the approach and concludes by arguing that whilst CDIO is hard work for staff, it can make a real difference to students' learning experiences, thereby positively impacting retention. © 2012, IGI Global.

How to Elaborate a Demonstrator in Inspiring Science Education Platform

Report published in the Proceedings of the National Conference on "Education and Research in the Information Society", Plovdiv, May, 2016

Menedzsmentképességek és döntéshozatali közelítésmódok longitudinális elemzése a versenyképesség-kutatások alapján (Longitudinal analysis of management capabilities and decision making approaches based on the competitiveness researches)

Számos korábbi kutatás – köztük a szerzők korábbi vizsgálatai is – azt mutatja, hogy a menedzsmentképességek és a vállalatok versenyképessége között pozitív kapcsolat áll fenn, a jobban teljesítő és a proaktívabb vállalatok rendre felkészültebb, jobb vezetői képességekkel bíró, kockázatvállalóbb vezetőkkel rendelkeznek. Az is megfigyelhető, hogy az ebből a nézőpontból sikeresebben működő vállalatok döntéseiben az átlagosnál is erősebben érvényesül a racionális közelítésmód, melynek alkalmazásával a menedzserek az optimális cselekvési alternatíva kiválasztására törekszenek. A cikkben a szerzők az elmúlt 15 év versenyképességi kutatásainak tapasztalatait összegzik, kiemelt hangsúlyt helyezve a legfrissebb felmérés eredményeire. ________________ The article summarizes the main findings of the Competitiveness Research Program with respect to the skills and capabilities of the Hungarian managers and the decision making approaches they use during their work. The results of the four surveys conducted in 1996, 1999, 2004 and 2009 are fairly stable over time: practice minded behavior, professional expertise, and problem solving skills are on the top of the list of the most developed skills of the Hungarian executives. The rational approach is the most popular among the most widespread decision making models in the authors’ sample which is rather alarming since the present turbulent economic environment may demand more adaptive and intuitive approaches.

Ranking of U.S Hospitality Graduate Programs: 2002-2003

Compared to other disciplines, graduate programs in hospitality and tourism management are in their infancy. Rapid changes within the business environment have prompted students in this field to drop a higher level of problem solving skills and scholarship. As the number of graduate programs in hospitality and tourism grows to meet this demand, the need also arises to evaluate each program k resources and contributions to graduate education. This study examines both masters and doctoral degree granting programs in hospitality and tourism management. All institutions were evaluated and ranked based on selected tangible criteria. Rankings of the programs, which were strictly based on their strengths and resources as reported by the surveyed institutions, are reported in this paper.

An ethnographic study: Becoming a physics expert in a biophysics research group

Expertise in physics has been traditionally studied in cognitive science, where physics expertise is understood through the difference between novice and expert problem solving skills. The cognitive perspective of physics experts only create a partial model of physics expertise and does not take into account the development of physics experts in the natural context of research. This dissertation takes a social and cultural perspective of learning through apprenticeship to model the development of physics expertise of physics graduate students in a research group. I use a qualitative methodological approach of an ethnographic case study to observe and video record the common practices of graduate students in their biophysics weekly research group meetings. I recorded notes on observations and conduct interviews with all participants of the biophysics research group for a period of eight months. I apply the theoretical framework of Communities of Practice to distinguish the cultural norms of the group that cultivate physics expert practices. Results indicate that physics expertise is specific to a topic or subfield and it is established through effectively publishing research in the larger biophysics research community. The participant biophysics research group follows a learning trajectory for its students to contribute to research and learn to communicate their research in the larger biophysics community. In this learning trajectory students develop expert member competencies to learn to communicate their research and to learn the standards and trends of research in the larger research community. Findings from this dissertation expand the model of physics expertise beyond the cognitive realm and add the social and cultural nature of physics expertise development. This research also addresses ways to increase physics graduate student success towards their PhD. and decrease the 48% attrition rate of physics graduate students. Cultivating effective research experiences that give graduate students agency and autonomy beyond their research groups gives students the motivation to finish graduate school and establish their physics expertise.^

A competência global na aula de língua inglesa : como preparar os alunos para viver e agir no mundo atual?

Este estudo teve como principais objetivos compreender os efeitos de um projeto de educação global nos conhecimentos, capacidades e atitudes de um grupo de alunos portugueses do 11.º ano, bem como compreender as potencialidades da aula de língua inglesa no âmbito de uma educação promotora da participação ativa numa sociedade globalizada. Tratando-se de um estudo de tipo investigação-ação, ancorado no paradigma socio-crítico, foram recolhidos dados através de questionários, aplicados aos alunos antes e após o projeto de intervenção, de gravações vídeo de quatro sessões de educação global e de uma entrevista realizada à professora cooperante. Recorreu-se ainda à recolha documental de trabalhos dos alunos, bem como do Programa de Inglês (continuação) dos 10.º, 11.º e 12.º anos. A análise dos dados recolhidos, efetuada segundo diferentes métodos e instrumentos, permitiu concluir que o projeto de educação global teve efeitos mais significativos no desenvolvimento dos conhecimentos dos alunos, sobretudo relacionados com problemas globais específicos, tendo estes compreendido que o que acontece em outros locais tem relevância na vida de cada um. O estudo permitiu ainda verificar que as aulas de língua inglesa são o espaço ideal para se trabalhar a educação global, funcionando como uma porta aberta para outras línguas, culturas e mundivisões. Estes resultados sugerem que é possível e necessário promover o desenvolvimento da competência global na aula de línguas, mobilizando e incorporando saberes e recursos que valorizem capacidades de trabalho colaborativo, de comunicação e de resolução de problemas, bem como atitudes de respeito pelos Outros, imprescindíveis para o exercício da cidadania e para desafiar as injustiças e desigualdades que nos rodeiam.

HPC management and engineering in the hybrid cloud

The evolution and maturation of Cloud Computing created an opportunity for the emergence of new Cloud applications. High-performance Computing, a complex problem solving class, arises as a new business consumer by taking advantage of the Cloud premises and leaving the expensive datacenter management and difficult grid development. Standing on an advanced maturing phase, today’s Cloud discarded many of its drawbacks, becoming more and more efficient and widespread. Performance enhancements, prices drops due to massification and customizable services on demand triggered an emphasized attention from other markets. HPC, regardless of being a very well established field, traditionally has a narrow frontier concerning its deployment and runs on dedicated datacenters or large grid computing. The problem with common placement is mainly the initial cost and the inability to fully use resources which not all research labs can afford. The main objective of this work was to investigate new technical solutions to allow the deployment of HPC applications on the Cloud, with particular emphasis on the private on-premise resources – the lower end of the chain which reduces costs. The work includes many experiments and analysis to identify obstacles and technology limitations. The feasibility of the objective was tested with new modeling, architecture and several applications migration. The final application integrates a simplified incorporation of both public and private Cloud resources, as well as HPC applications scheduling, deployment and management. It uses a well-defined user role strategy, based on federated authentication and a seamless procedure to daily usage with balanced low cost and performance.

The +Contigo Project in the Voice of Eight-Grade Students

The +Contigo Project is a longitudinal research project based on a multilevel network intervention aimed at promoting mental health and well-being and preventing suicidal behaviors. Students participate in social skills training sessions on the stigma of mental disorders, adolescence, self-esteem, problem-solving skills, and wellbeing. Problem statement: To identify the qualitative impact of the +Contigo Project. Objectives: To identify the importance of the project for students, the problem situations which it helped to solve, and its impact on an individual level. Research methods: Content analysis (Bardin, 2009) with a posteriori categorical identification. Semi-structured interview guide with 5 questions. A convenience sample of 16 students, from three schools of one school cluster in the Center Region of Portugal, was used. The ethical aspects of parental consent, voluntary participation and data confidentiality were addressed. Findings: Fourteen categories emerged from the data analysis. The answers to Question 4 'How was this project important to you?' were particularly relevant. Students mentioned that it improved their self-esteem by increasing self-confidence and interpersonal skills, and that it increased their reflection and awareness on problems with which they learned how to cope during the sessions. Conclusions: All interviewees considered that the +Contigo project helped them to solve problems, improve their interpersonal skills and cope with the adolescence period. Students improved their self-esteem and self-knowledge, and were able to apply what they had learned in the sessions in their daily lives. We concluded that the project had a positive impact on the students' mental health.

Aprendizaje basado en problemas, ABP : una propuesta para transformar la enseñanza-aprendizaje de las aplicaciones de la trigonometría en la solución de triángulos en el grado 10º

El estudio tuvo como propósito determinar la efectividad relativa del ABP, comparado con el método tradicional para desarrollar habilidades de resolución de problemas en el aprendizaje de las aplicaciones de la solución de triángulos en el grado 10º de la Institución Educativa El Progreso, de El Carmen de Viboral, Antioquia. La enseñanza-aprendizaje de las matemáticas sustentadas con la estrategia didáctica Aprendizaje Basado en Problemas permite a los estudiantes y docentes aproximarse al conocimiento de una manera similar a como lo hacen los científicos; el primer paso es una situación de duda, perplejidad del estudiante provocada por la Situación Problema planteada por el docente, el segundo un momento de “sugerencias” en las que la mente salta hacia adelante en busca de una posible solución (Dewey, 1933, p. 102). El tercer paso “intelectualización” de la dificultad que se ha percibido para convertirlo en un problema que debe solucionarse (Dewey, 1933, p. 103). La cuarta es “la idea conductora o hipótesis”, las cuales se basan en la formulación de explicaciones sugeridas o soluciones posibles (Dewey, 1933, p. 104). El quinto paso sería el “razonamiento”, consiste en la elaboración racional de una idea que se va desarrollando de acuerdo a las habilidades de cada persona (Dewey, 1933, p. 105). El paso final es la “comprobación de hipótesis” en situaciones reales. Este proceso se evidenció a través de cuatro Situaciones-Problema enfocadas desde un contexto auténtico “la remodelación del parque principal de El Carmen de Viboral” con el objetivo de motivar a los estudiantes para el aprendizaje de algunos conceptos matemáticos y el desarrollo de habilidades de resolución de problemas. La metodología de la investigación fue un diseño cuasi-experimental con grupo experimental compuesto por 38 estudiantes del grado 10º2 y grupo control con 37 estudiantes del grado 10º1. Se empleó como técnica de recolección de la información una prueba pre-test antes del tratamiento y una prueba post-test que se aplicó después del tratamiento a ambos grupos; se aplicó también una escala de satisfacción de los estudiantes con la metodología tradicional en ambos grupos y una escala de satisfacción con la estrategia didáctica ABP sólo al grupo experimental; la observación directa, y el portafolio que evidenciaba todas las construcciones de los estudiantes. La aplicación de la estrategia didáctica experimental se aplicó durante 4 meses, con una intensidad horaria de cuatro horas semanales, tiempo durante el cual se implementaron las cuatro Situaciones-Problema. Se concluyó entre otros aspectos que el 86,5% de los estudiantes encuentran las clases de matemáticas como interesantes, contextualizadas, aplicables y significativas, mientras que antes del tratamiento sólo el 44,4% se encontraba satisfecho con las clases de matemáticas, con una diferencia en cambio de actitud de 42,1% frente a las clases de matemáticas con la metodología tradicional. En el análisis comparativo de adquisición de competencias específicas se demuestra que el grupo experimental demostró ser matemáticamente más competente con respecto al grupo control en todas las competencias evaluadas: capacidad de modelación, inductiva, comunicativa y habilidad procedimental. Además, el proyecto de investigación tuvo un valor agregado: 10 estudiantes tuvieron la oportunidad de conocer más sobre su cultura ceramista mediante el diseño y construcción de mosaicos que los ofreció la casa de la cultura en forma gratuita.

Online organic chemistry

This is a comprehensive study of the many facets of an entirely online organic chemistry course. Online homework with structure-drawing capabilities was found to be more effective than written homework. Online lecture was found to be just as effective as in-person lecture, and students prefer an online lecture format with shorter Webcasts. Online office hours were found to be effective, and discussion sessions can be placed online as well. A model was created that explains 36.1% of student performance based on GPA, ACT Math score, grade in previous chemistry course, and attendance at various forms of discussion. Online exams have been created which test problem-solving skills and is instantly gradable. In these exams, students can submit answers until time runs out for different numbers of points. These facets were combined effectively to create an entirely online organic chemistry course which students prefer over the in-person alternative. Lastly, there is a vision for where online organic chemistry is going and what can be done to improve education for all.

Child-to-parent violence: the role of exposure to violence and its relationship to social-cognitive processing

Research suggests that child-to-parent violence (CPV) is related to a previous history of violence within the family setting. The current study was aimed to explore the exposure to violence in different settings (school, community, home, and TV) and its relationship to some variables of the social-cognitive processing (hostile social perception, impulsivity, ability to anticipate the consequences of social behaviors and to select the appropriate means to achieve the goals of social behaviors) in a group of juveniles who assaulted their parents. It is also examined how they differ from other young offenders and non-offender adolescents. The sample included 90 adolescents from Jaén (Spain). Thirty of them were juveniles who had been reported by their parents for being violent towards them and 30 were juveniles who had committed other types of offences. The third group was made up of 30 adolescents without any criminal charge. Adolescents answered measures of exposure to violence, perception of criticism/rejection from parents, hostile social perception, and social problem- solving skills. Results revealed that juveniles who abused their parents reported higher levels of exposure to violence at home when comparing to the other groups. In addition, exposure to violence at home was significantly correlated to the hostile social perception of adolescents in CPV cases. Implications for prevention and treatment are discussed

An Ethnographic Study: Becoming a Physics Expert in a Biophysics Research Group

Expertise in physics has been traditionally studied in cognitive science, where physics expertise is understood through the difference between novice and expert problem solving skills. The cognitive perspective of physics experts only create a partial model of physics expertise and does not take into account the development of physics experts in the natural context of research. This dissertation takes a social and cultural perspective of learning through apprenticeship to model the development of physics expertise of physics graduate students in a research group. I use a qualitative methodological approach of an ethnographic case study to observe and video record the common practices of graduate students in their biophysics weekly research group meetings. I recorded notes on observations and conduct interviews with all participants of the biophysics research group for a period of eight months. I apply the theoretical framework of Communities of Practice to distinguish the cultural norms of the group that cultivate physics expert practices. Results indicate that physics expertise is specific to a topic or subfield and it is established through effectively publishing research in the larger biophysics research community. The participant biophysics research group follows a learning trajectory for its students to contribute to research and learn to communicate their research in the larger biophysics community. In this learning trajectory students develop expert member competencies to learn to communicate their research and to learn the standards and trends of research in the larger research community. Findings from this dissertation expand the model of physics expertise beyond the cognitive realm and add the social and cultural nature of physics expertise development. This research also addresses ways to increase physics graduate student success towards their PhD. and decrease the 48% attrition rate of physics graduate students. Cultivating effective research experiences that give graduate students agency and autonomy beyond their research groups gives students the motivation to finish graduate school and establish their physics expertise.

Problems in physics and mathematics contexts with middle and high school classes: vertical and horizontal comparison

My thesis falls within the framework of physics education and teaching of mathematics. The objective of this report was made possible by using geometrical (in mathematics) and qualitative (in physics) problems. We have prepared four (resp. three) open answer exercises for mathematics (resp. physics). The test batch has been selected across two different school phases: end of the middle school (third year, 8\textsuperscript{th} grade) and beginning of high school (second and third year, 10\textsuperscript{th} and 11\textsuperscript{th} grades respectively). High school students achieved the best results in almost every problem, but 10\textsuperscript{th} grade students got the best overall results. Moreover, a clear tendency to not even try qualitative problems resolution has emerged from the first collection of graphs, regardless of subject and grade. In order to improve students' problem-solving skills, it is worth to invest on vertical learning and spiral curricula. It would make sense to establish a stronger and clearer connection between physics and mathematical knowledge through an interdisciplinary approach.

A First Step Towards Synthesising Rubrics and Video for the Formative Assessment of Complex Skills

Abstract. The performance objectives used for the formative assessment of com- plex skills are generally set through text-based analytic rubrics[1]. Moreover, video modeling examples are a widely applied method of observational learning, providing students with context-rich modeling examples of complex skills that act as an analogy for problem solving [1]. The purpose of this theoretical paper is to synthesize the components of video modeling and rubrics to support the formative assessment of complex skills. Based on theory, we argue that application of the developed Video Enhanced Rubrics (VER) fosters learners’ development of mental models, quality of provided feedback by various actors and finally, the learners mastery of complex skills.