Utilising student profiles in mathematics course arrangements

This thesis develops a method for identifying students struggling in their mathematical studies at an early stage. It helps in directing support to students needing and benefiting from it the most. Thus, frustration felt by weaker students may decrease and therefore, hopefully, also drop outs of potential engineering students. The research concentrates on a combination of personality and intelligence aspects. Personality aspects gave information on conation and motivation for learning. This part was studied from the perspective of motivation and self-regulation. Intelligence aspects gave information on declarative and procedural knowledge: what had been taught and what was actually mastered. Students answered surveys on motivation and self-regulation in 2010 and 2011. Based on their answers, background information, results in the proficiency test, and grades in the first mathematics course, profiles describing the students were formed. In the following years, the profiles were updated with new information obtained each year. The profiles used to identify struggling students combine personality (motivation, selfregulation, and self-efficacy) and intelligence (declarative and procedural knowledge) aspects at the beginning of their studies. Identifying students in need of extra support is a good start, but methods for providing support must be found. This thesis also studies how this support could be taken into account in course arrangements. The methods used include, for example, languaging and scaffolding, and continuous feedback. The analysis revealed that allocating resources based on the predicted progress does not increase costs or lower the results of better students. Instead, it will help weaker students obtain passing grades.

Quadcopter assistant for a mobile assembly robot

Science has revolutionized the human life. The advance progress in science and research is making human life easier and more comfortable. The new and emerging technology of micro drone is penetrating and widening the scientific research. This thesis is a part of work in which a unique work is carried out, although related research paper and journal are available. Design and development of automatic charging station for a ready to fly quadcopter is rare and unusual work. The work is carried out as an standard engineering process that include requirements gathering, creating the required document (this thesis is a part of required document as well), selection of suitable hardware, configuring the hardware, generate the code for software, uploading code to the microcontroller, troubleshooting and rectification, finalized prototype and testing. Thesis describe how mechatronics engineering is useful in generating a customized and unique project. At the starting phase of this project (before purchasing a ready to fly quadcopter) every single aspect of this work was known. The only unknown alternatives was a battery and charger. Several task was achieved including design and development of automatic charging station, accurate landing and telecast a live video on additional screen. At starting it was decided that quadcopter should follow the mobile robot, during study it was concluded there is no such quadcopter available in market to auto follow a robot indoor. This works starts with a market survey and comparing the different brands of quadcopter that meets all the requirements and specifications of the mobile robot assembly. Selection of quadcopter is a result of discussion and meeting with the team members, supervisor, professor and project manage.

Designing gamification for collaborative learning in group work

Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) is a teaching and learning approach which is widely adopted. However there are still some problems can be found when CSCL takes place. Studies show that using game-like mechanics can increase motivation, engagement, as well as modelling behaviors of players. Gamification is a rapid growing trend by applying the same mechanics. It refers to use game design elements in non-game contexts. This thesis is about combining gamification concept and computer supported collaborative learning together in software engineering education field. And finally a gamified prototype system is designed.

TYÖILMOITUS TYÖNANTAJALUPAUKSIEN JA TYÖARVOJEN VIESTIJÄNÄ Tarkastelussa menestyneitä Great Place to Work -työnantajia

Työilmoitus voi jäädä työnhakijan ja työnantajan välillä ainoaksi viestinnän mahdollisuudeksi, jolloin ratkaisevaa on, kuinka houkuttelevaksi työnantaja työilmoituksensa laatii kilpaillessaan halutuista osaajista. Samalla työilmoitus antaa lupauksia tulevasta työstä ja työyhteisöstä. Tämän tutkimuksen perimmäinen tarkoitus on tutkia, näkyykö työsuhteen kahdenvälinen transaktioluonne työilmoitusten tasolla eli kerrotaanko ilmoituksissa työnantajan osaajatarpeiden lisäksi, mitkä olisivat työntekijän työllistymisellä saavutetut hyödyt. Tarkemmiksi tarkastelun kohteiksi on valittu kaksi työnhakijan päätöksenteon kannalta mielenkiintoista näkökulmaa: viestityt työarvot ja työnantajalupaukset. Teoreettiselta taustaltaan tämä tutkimus liittyy rekrytoinnin kokonaisuuteen, mutta se sivuaa useita muita aihealueita, kuten yksilön ja yrityksen yhteensopivuutta, työnantajamielikuvaa, psykologista sopimusta, informaation prosessointia, suostuttelua ja työnhakupäätöksen syntymekanismin tutkimusta. Tutkimuksen empiirinen aineisto koostuu kolmena peräkkäisenä vuonna (2013−2015) Suomen parhaimmiksi työnantajiksi tituleerattujen yritysten julkaisemista työilmoituksista. Näiden oletettiin olevan kiinnostuneita työnantajakuvastaan ja rekrytoinnistaan keskimääräistä enemmän. Kerätyistä 19 työilmoituksesta tulkittiin arvoilmaisuja ja annettuja esilupauksia kahden teoreettisen luokituksen yhdistelmänä muodostetun analyysirungon avulla. Aineiston lauseita eriteltiin analyysirungon teemojen alle ja niiden vakuuttamiskeinoja analysoitiin retorisella diskurssianalyysillä. Tutkimuksen tuloksena havaittiin, että työnteon puitteista, palkkatiedoista, määräysvallasta ja työn merkityksellisyydestä mainittiin verrattain vähän työilmoituksissa. Sen sijaan aineiston työilmoituksista löytyi runsaasti ilmaisuja, joista työnhakija voi tehdä päätelmiä työilmapiiristä tai potentiaalisten kollegoiden asiantuntijuuden tasosta. Yrittäjähenkisyys- ja suorituspainepuheiden läpi heijastui puolestaan kovemmat arvot. Arvojen ilmaisu tapahtui usein epäsuorasti kuin selkeinä arvolistoina. Konkreettisia lupauksia työnantajalta työnhakijalle tehtiin vähän tai ne olivat ylimalkaisia. Tutkimus antaa aihetta laajemmille kartoituksille. Mitkä ovat syyt tiettyä kaavaa toistavien työilmoitusten taustalla ja mitkä tekijät työilmoituksissa eri kohdeyleisöjä aidosti vaikuttavat?

Democracia e eficiência: a difícil relação entre política e economia no debate contemporâneo

Democracy and efficiency: hard relations between politics and economy. Many economists see politics as an irrational activity. They also think state action usually generates market inefficiencies and democratic institutions, such as elections, often work as obstacles to sound economic measures. Showing that vision has been embedded into the main currents of economic thought since the last century, we also argue those ideas are exported to great part of contemporary political science, including the area of public policies. Examining the literature, we show that rational choice political scientists, as the economists, claim governability and effective decisions will be guaranteed mainly through concentrated arenas or through insulated arrangements able to protect policy makers from political interference. In other words, governability depends on the reduction of the political arenas. On the contrary, we reject this technocratic solution of splitting politics from economy. With the support of classical pluralist thinkers, we stand another conception, arguing politics is the privileged social space for building interests and values in an institutionalized way. The difficulties to surpass current international crises since 2008 reveal this is a crucial problem: reducing politics would prevent societies from improving institutional solutions which are the only ones able to give space to emerging conflicts and, then, reach eventual consensus around them.

Ethical leadership as a way to promote work-related well-being

The purpose of this study was to clarify the connections of ethical leadership with the work-related well-being of employees. Additionally, the role of occupational health care in ethical leadership that promotes work-related well- being was analyzed. The objective of the study was to produce knowledge to support the development of ethical leadership and work-related well-being as well as to find ways for occupational health care to support organizations in these actions. The target groups of this study consisted of the managers (N=43) and employees (N=336) working in one organization in the Finnish energy industry. The population was studied in November 2014 using census. The data was gathered with two different web-based surveys containing structured and open questions. The survey for managers consisted of background questions and statements concerning ethical leadership, work-related well-being and occupational health care. The employee questionnaire consisted of questions about background and statements about work-related well-being and ethical leadership. The structured questions were analyzed with SPSS Statistical Program and the open questions using inductive content analysis. At least 80 % of the managers saw their actions as ethical in all but one part of ethical leadership. The work-related well-being of the employees was found best in the area of ability to work (91 % agreed) and lowest in the area of experience of ethical leadership (67 % agreed). The results showed a strong positive connection between ethical leadership and all the components of work- related well-being. The managers and employees were generally quite happy with the services of occupational health care but managers saw some problems with the collaboration with occupational health care. Several ways to improve work-related well-being and collaboration with occupational health care were found. One of the most important things was thought to be offering ways to maintain ability to work and making these actions visible. Investing in ethical leadership and work-related well-being is extremely important for the success of an organization and the societal benefits cannot be forgotten either. The role of occupational health care in promoting the health and well-being of employees is substantial. Occupational health care should offer managers more tools to recognize difficult situations and acting in them as well as encourage managers to seek help from occupational health care without hesitation in problematic situations of leadership.

The functional fit between collaborative software and work systems:Qualification of work system needs to software functionality

The study develops an approach that tries to validate software functionality to work systems needs in SMEs. The formulated approach is constructed by using a SAAS based software i.e., work collaboration service (WCS), and SMEs as the elements of study. Where the WCS’s functionality is qualified to the collaboration needs that exist in operational and project work within SMEs. For this research constructivist approach and case study method is selected because the nature of the current study requires an in depth study of the work collaboration service as well as a detailed study of the work systems within different enterprises. Four different companies are selected in which fourteen interviews are conducted to gather data pertaining. The work systems method and framework are used as a central part of the approach to collect, analyze and interpret the enterprises work systems model and the underlying collaboration needs on operational and project work. On the other hand, the functional model of the WCS and its functionality is determined from functional model analysis, software testing, documentation and meetings with the service vendor. The enterprise work system model and the WCS model are compared to reveal how work progression differs between the two and make visible unaddressed stages of work progression. The WCS functionality is compared to work systems collaboration needs to ascertain if the service will suffice the needs of the project and operational work under study. The unaddressed needs provide opportunities to improve the functionality of the service for better conformity to the needs of enterprise and work. The results revealed that the functional models actually differed in how operational and project work progressed within the stages. WCS shared similar stages of work progression apart from the stages of identification and acceptance, and progress and completion stages were only partially addressed. Conclusion is that the identified unaddressed needs such as, single point of reference, SLA and OLA inclusion etc., should be implemented or improved within the WCS at appropriate stages of work to gain better compliance of the service to the needs of the enterprise an work itself. The developed approach can hence be used to carry out similar analysis for the conformance of pre-built software functionality to work system needs with SMEs.

The Pricing of Customized Industrial Products

The main objective of this study was to examine the pricing of customized industrial products in international markets, and to understand what pricing decision making consists of. Another purpose of the study was to identify the main factors that affect the pricing decisions of industrial companies, as well as the different pricing strategies industrial companies may choose when pricing customized products. The research was conducted as a qualitative single case study, and a Finnish industrial company specializing in indoor environment solutions, Halton Marine Oy, was used as the case company in the study. The primary data was collected through semi-structured theme interviews with the key management personnel of the company, and the results were discussed and analyzed in the light of the existing literature. The results of this study indicate that the pricing of customized industrial products consists of several dimensions, and is influenced by a large variety of factors that are both internal and external to the firm. In addition, it was found that the choice of a pricing strategy is largely dependent on the chosen segment, the product category, and the stage in the product life cycle. The results also suggest that customizing companies should consider using the value-based pricing orientation, since customization is closely linked to customer value.

Kaksoiskäämitty hybridibussin kestomagneettiajomoottori

Tämä työ on tehty Lappeenrannan teknilliselle yliopistolle, joka on suunnitellut ja toteuttanut hybridibussin. Hybridibussin ajomoottorissa käytetään kaksoiskäämitystä, joka mahdollistaa bussin ajamisen vikatilanteessa, jossa toinen käämityksistä on epäkunnossa. Työn tavoitteena on selvittää, millainen kaksoiskäämitys toimii parhaiten tämän hybridibussin kestomagneettiajomoottorissa. Työssä tutustutaan ajomoottoreihin ja niiltä vaadittaviin ominaisuuksiin sekä vikasietoisiin sähkömoottoreihin. Tutkimuksessa löydettyihin vikasietoisiin ajomoottoreihin perustuen päädyttiin neljään kaksoiskäämitysvaihtoehtoon. Näitä kaksoiskäämityksiä tutkittiin FE-analyysiä hyödyntäen. Kaksoiskäämitysten toimintaa simuloitiin nimellis- ja vikatilanteessa. Simuloinnin tuloksista selvisi, että kaksoiskäämitys, jossa jokaisessa urassa oli puolet yhtä käämitystä ja puolet toista (kaksoiskäämitys 1), ei toiminut kunnolla nimellistilanteessa eikä vikatilanteessa. Suurin ongelma oli vikatilanteessa aiheutuva suuri oikosulkuvirta. Kaksoiskäämitys, jossa kaksi napaa oli samaa käämitystä (kaksoiskäämitys 2), toimi moitteettomasti nimellistilanteessa. Vikatilanteen toiminnassa kuitenkin havaittiin epäjaksollisuutta magneettivuontiheydessä, mikä on haitallista moottorin käynnille ja vaaraksi roottorille. Kaksoiskäämityksiä, joista ensimmäisessä oli neljäsosa konetta samaa käämitystä (kaksoiskäämitys 3) ja toisessa puolet koneesta samaa käämitystä (kaksoiskäämitys 4), tutkittiin vikatilanteessa vain magneettivuontiheyden osalta. Puolet ja puolet käämityn koneen osalta magneettivuontiheys osottautui epäjaksolliseksi kuten oli odotettu. Neljäsosiksi käämityn koneen magneettivuontiheys oli säännöllisen jaksollinen. Nimellispisteessä kaksoiskäämityksillä 3 ja 4 havaittiin suuri vääntöväre verrattuna kaksoiskäämityksiin 1 ja 2. Johtopäätöksenä kaksoiskäämitys 3 vaikuttaa lupaavalta, mikäli suuri nimellispisteen vääntöväre saadaan hallintaan käyttämällä uravinoutta staattorissa.

Ethical leadership as a way to promote work-related well-being

The purpose of this study was to clarify the connections of ethical leadership with the work-related well-being of employees. Additionally, the role of occupational health care in ethical leadership that promotes work-related well- being was analyzed. The objective of the study was to produce knowledge to support the development of ethical leadership and work-related well-being as well as to find ways for occupational health care to support organizations in these actions. The target groups of this study consisted of the managers (N=43) and employees (N=336) working in one organization in the Finnish energy industry. The population was studied in November 2014 using census. The data was gathered with two different web-based surveys containing structured and open questions. The survey for managers consisted of background questions and statements concerning ethical leadership, work-related well-being and occupational health care. The employee questionnaire consisted of questions about background and statements about work-related well-being and ethical leadership. The structured questions were analyzed with SPSS Statistical Program and the open questions using inductive content analysis. At least 80 % of the managers saw their actions as ethical in all but one part of ethical leadership. The work-related well-being of the employees was found best in the area of ability to work (91 % agreed) and lowest in the area of experience of ethical leadership (67 % agreed). The results showed a strong positive connection between ethical leadership and all the components of work- related well-being. The managers and employees were generally quite happy with the services of occupational health care but managers saw some problems with the collaboration with occupational health care. Several ways to improve work-related well-being and collaboration with occupational health care were found. One of the most important things was thought to be offering ways to maintain ability to work and making these actions visible. Investing in ethical leadership and work-related well-being is extremely important for the success of an organization and the societal benefits cannot be forgotten either. The role of occupational health care in promoting the health and well-being of employees is substantial. Occupational health care should offer managers more tools to recognize difficult situations and acting in them as well as encourage managers to seek help from occupational health care without hesitation in problematic situations of leadership.

Arrangements faits par M de Beaumon pour les différentes fournitures nécessaires aux troupes du camp de Gray

Ancien possesseur : Argenson, Antoine-René de Voyer (1722-1787 ; marquis de Paulmy d')

Construction Work

Construction at the Glenridge Campus.

Entrance Work

Work underway at the entrance of the Glenridge Campus.

Interior Work

Construction work taking place inside the Glenridge Campus.