A scale-model room as a practical teaching experiment

A practical experiment is described which was used to help university students increase their understanding of the effect of construction methods and window design on passive solar heating and electrical heating. A number of one tenth scale model rooms were constructed by students and sited out-of-doors in the late autumn. The models were fabricated to mimic available commercial construction techniques with careful consideration being given to window size and placement for solar access. Each model had a thermostatically controlled electric heating element. The temperatures and electricity use of the models were recorded using data-loggers over a two week period. The performances of the models based on energy consumption and internal temperature were compared with each other and with predictions based upon thermal mass and R-values. Examples of questions used by students to facilitate this process are included. The effect of scaling on thermal properties was analysed using Buckingham’s p-theorem.

The power of practical andragogues

In the tertiary education environment, educators might assume or suggest they should have the most significant influence over the way andragogical theory is translated into online education products. The continuing growth of online education indicates a need to be sure we understand who really does have the greatest influence in this area. This paper introduces a model of the broader development process of online learning resources and the ways educators, learners and resource developers interact in the process. It reveals a backbone of practical andragogy which is currently dominated by resource developers due to their central technological translational expertise. There are implications in this for learners, educators and contractors/financiers of online education products. Understanding the development process reveals at least one critical bearing point where few but the resource developers have andragogical input. This paper examines and analyses the educator-learner-developer triad through the lens of four case study organisations actively applying andragogy in the development of management learning resources in an online format.

A practical condition for migration dynamic recrystallization

A readily evaluated condition for migration dynamic recrystallization is developed. It is based on the postulate that “the distance traversed by the boundary of a hypothetical growing grain in the time taken for the attainment of a recovery steady state must exceed the size of a critical nucleus”. A method for estimating the boundary mobility based on the kinetics of static recrystallization is also developed to facilitate evaluation of the condition. The derivation focuses first on developing an upper limit for the dynamically recrystallized grain size. This upper limit is only slightly higher than experimental values. The critical condition also agrees well with a limited set of experimental data. These data include the occurrence (and, in two cases, suppression) of dynamic recrystallization in Cu, Ni, Mg, α-Fe, γ-Fe and Al.

Sharing good teaching practice: Practical strategies to integrate ICT into the classroom

Situated in regional areas of Victoria, a group of 16 primary and secondary teachers participated in an intensive program of professional development designed to assist them in embedding lCT into their classroom practice. Most teachers made significant changes to their teaching practice becoming risk-takers and problem solvers.This paper reports on the strategic innovations introduced by the teachers including training, preparation, curriculum planning, software evaluation and selection, classroom management strategies, cooperative learning strategies and embedded assessment tasks. The paper will explore the ways these innovations responded to a variety of constraints including limited resources, time and support.

Providing a practical education for off-campus engineering students

This paper considers the provision of laboratory-practicals for distance-education students in engineering degree programmes. The authors discuss the role of laboratory-practical work in the curriculum and reflect on five methods that can be used to ensure off-campus students have an equivalent practical experience as the traditional on-campus cohort. On-campus sessions, videotapes (or ‘on-line’ movie-clips), computer simulations, home experiment kits and laboratories controlled over the internet are covered. Some examples are given to show how these can be incorporated into the curriculum. A case study then discusses the problem of (and an exemplar solution to) delivering the laboratory-practical components of two microcontroller units offered at Deakin University – a leading provider of distance-education in Australia. In doing so, it leads the reader through the solution process and cites some constraints that drive the choice of model - for example, cost considerations and the need for relevant didactic materials.