Success Profiling: A Methodological Perspective on the Interactive Nature of Success Predictors on Student Performance at an Open and Distance Learning Institution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Muller, Helene; Swanepoel, Elana; De Beer, Andreas

2010-01-01

The drive to improve the academic performance of students at an open and distance learning (ODL) institution has resulted in the incorporation of a blended learning component, namely satellite classes, in the learning strategy to enhance the academic performance of first year diploma students in Business Management and Management. Monitoring this…

Evaluating Usability in a Distance Digital Systems Laboratory Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kostaras, N.; Xenos, M.; Skodras, A. N.

2011-01-01

This paper presents the usability evaluation of a digital systems laboratory class offered to distance-learning students. It details the way in which students can participate remotely in such a laboratory, the methodology employed in the usability assessment of the laboratory infrastructure (hardware and software), and also outlines the main…

A Statistical Analysis of the Effect of the Navy’s Tuition Assistance Program: Do Distance Learning Classes Make a Difference?

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-03-01

ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECT OF THE NAVY’S TUITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM : DO DISTANCE LEARNING CLASSES MAKE A DIFFERENCE? by Jeremy P. McLaughlin March...TYPE AND DATES COVERED Master’s Thesis 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE A Statistical Analysis of the Effect of the Navy’s Tuition Assistance Program : Do...200 words) This thesis analyzes the impact of participation in the Navy’s Tuition Assistance (TA) program on the retention of first-term Navy

Ensemble Clustering Classification compete SVM and One-Class classifiers applied on plant microRNAs Data.

PubMed

Yousef, Malik; Khalifa, Waleed; AbedAllah, Loai

2016-12-22

The performance of many learning and data mining algorithms depends critically on suitable metrics to assess efficiency over the input space. Learning a suitable metric from examples may, therefore, be the key to successful application of these algorithms. We have demonstrated that the k-nearest neighbor (kNN) classification can be significantly improved by learning a distance metric from labeled examples. The clustering ensemble is used to define the distance between points in respect to how they co-cluster. This distance is then used within the framework of the kNN algorithm to define a classifier named ensemble clustering kNN classifier (EC-kNN). In many instances in our experiments we achieved highest accuracy while SVM failed to perform as well. In this study, we compare the performance of a two-class classifier using EC-kNN with different one-class and two-class classifiers. The comparison was applied to seven different plant microRNA species considering eight feature selection methods. In this study, the averaged results show that ECkNN outperforms all other methods employed here and previously published results for the same data. In conclusion, this study shows that the chosen classifier shows high performance when the distance metric is carefully chosen.

Ensemble Clustering Classification Applied to Competing SVM and One-Class Classifiers Exemplified by Plant MicroRNAs Data.

PubMed

Yousef, Malik; Khalifa, Waleed; AbdAllah, Loai

2016-12-01

The performance of many learning and data mining algorithms depends critically on suitable metrics to assess efficiency over the input space. Learning a suitable metric from examples may, therefore, be the key to successful application of these algorithms. We have demonstrated that the k-nearest neighbor (kNN) classification can be significantly improved by learning a distance metric from labeled examples. The clustering ensemble is used to define the distance between points in respect to how they co-cluster. This distance is then used within the framework of the kNN algorithm to define a classifier named ensemble clustering kNN classifier (EC-kNN). In many instances in our experiments we achieved highest accuracy while SVM failed to perform as well. In this study, we compare the performance of a two-class classifier using EC-kNN with different one-class and two-class classifiers. The comparison was applied to seven different plant microRNA species considering eight feature selection methods. In this study, the averaged results show that EC-kNN outperforms all other methods employed here and previously published results for the same data. In conclusion, this study shows that the chosen classifier shows high performance when the distance metric is carefully chosen.

Information Power Goes Online: Teaching Information Literacy to Distance Learners.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parise, Pierina

1998-01-01

Describes how a course, "Information Power," at Marylhurst University (Oregon) was developed into an online version. Presents an overview of Web access in distance learning. Discusses instructional delivery through the WebCT software program; specific components of the online Information Power class; measuring learning outcomes; and pros and cons…

Student Perspectives: Responses to Internet Opportunities in a Distance Learning Environment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saunders, Nancy G.; Malm, Loren D.; Malone, Bobby G.; Nay, Fred W.; Oliver, Brad E.; Thompson, Jay C., Jr.

This study examined student attitudes toward interactions with class members on an Internet site supplementing a multimedia graduate-level distance learning course at Ball State University (Indiana). The course, "Elementary School Curriculum" was taught in a studio classroom (of 13 students) and transmitted to five distant sites…

Teach beyond Your Reach: An Instructor's Guide to Developing and Running Successful Distance Learning Classes, Workshops, Training Sessions, and More. Second Edition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neidorf, Robin

2012-01-01

Distance education is enabling individuals to earn college and graduate degrees, professional certificates, and a wide range of skills and credentials. In addition to the expanding role of distance learning in higher education, all types of organizations now offer web-based training courses to employees, clients, and other associates. In this…

Examining the Relationship among Students' Learning Styles, Technology Acceptance, and Students' Completion Rates in E-Learning and Traditional Class Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schneiderheinze, Douglas D.

2011-01-01

Distance learning is gaining popularity in many education environments. Online classes are on the increase because students need alternatives to traditional face-to-face classroom training. Time constraint on today's students coupled with the need for education to keep up with advances in technology, in all fields, has forced educators to…

Use of FirstClass as a Collaborative Learning Environment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Persico, Donatella; Manca, Stefania

2000-01-01

Describes the use of SoftArc Intranet FirstClass, a collaborative learning environment that uses computer conferencing, and discusses pros and cons of choosing this system for running online courses from a distance. Presents case studies from Italy and presents viewpoints of students, tutors, designers and administrators. (Author/LRW)

Sparse distance-based learning for simultaneous multiclass classification and feature selection of metagenomic data.

PubMed

Liu, Zhenqiu; Hsiao, William; Cantarel, Brandi L; Drábek, Elliott Franco; Fraser-Liggett, Claire

2011-12-01

Direct sequencing of microbes in human ecosystems (the human microbiome) has complemented single genome cultivation and sequencing to understand and explore the impact of commensal microbes on human health. As sequencing technologies improve and costs decline, the sophistication of data has outgrown available computational methods. While several existing machine learning methods have been adapted for analyzing microbiome data recently, there is not yet an efficient and dedicated algorithm available for multiclass classification of human microbiota. By combining instance-based and model-based learning, we propose a novel sparse distance-based learning method for simultaneous class prediction and feature (variable or taxa, which is used interchangeably) selection from multiple treatment populations on the basis of 16S rRNA sequence count data. Our proposed method simultaneously minimizes the intraclass distance and maximizes the interclass distance with many fewer estimated parameters than other methods. It is very efficient for problems with small sample sizes and unbalanced classes, which are common in metagenomic studies. We implemented this method in a MATLAB toolbox called MetaDistance. We also propose several approaches for data normalization and variance stabilization transformation in MetaDistance. We validate this method on several real and simulated 16S rRNA datasets to show that it outperforms existing methods for classifying metagenomic data. This article is the first to address simultaneous multifeature selection and class prediction with metagenomic count data. The MATLAB toolbox is freely available online at http://metadistance.igs.umaryland.edu/. zliu@umm.edu Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Machine Learning with Distances

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-02-16

of training class-wise densities p(x|y) to test input density p′(x). For the fitting of qπ to p ′, we may use the Kullback - Leibler (KL...Problems of Information Transmission, 23(9):95–101, 1987. [103] S. Kullback and R. A. Leibler . On information and sufficiency. The Annals of ...distributions. The Kullback - Leibler (KL) distance is the de-facto standard distance measure in statis- tics and machine learning, because

Formation of a Virtual Professional Learning Community in a Combined Local and Distance Doctoral Cohort

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ford, Lance; Branch, Gracie; Moore, George

2008-01-01

A phenomenological study was conducted with a group of doctoral students preparing to be technology leaders. Students and faculty participated in weekend-intensive course work in which the faculty and some students attended classes on campus, and another group of students attended classes through distance technologies. Using some of these very…

Teaching Russian Via Distance Learning, the EdNet Experience.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zsiray, Stephen W., Jr.; And Others

In Utah, the statewide distance education network (EdNet) enables students from five rural and suburban high schools to learn Russian and earn college credits. Courses in Russian are offered through a partnership involving the Cache County School District, Utah State University, and the Utah State Office of Education. Classes are taught on one…

Modified Video Course Methodology for Distance Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Springer, Stephen B.

In recent years, colleges have made extensive efforts to provide distance learning opportunities for adult students. At Southwest Texas State University, a required course in the Occupational Education program has been delivered in a modified video format. The video was made of an actual class being taught in a production studio. The main…

Kinesthetic Language Learning: How an Accident Led to a Revelation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

West, Travis; Nam, Roger S.; Benckhuysen, Amanda W.

2016-01-01

This essay analyzes a critical incident that took place in a hybrid distance-learning Hebrew language class that was adapting interactive, immersion-style, kinesthetic pedagogy during the week-long face-to-face intensive portion of the class--including Total Physical Response techniques in which students respond to the language with whole-body…

A Web-Based Tutor for Java™: Evidence of Meaningful Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Emurian, Henry H.

2006-01-01

Students in a graduate class and an undergraduate class in Information Systems completed a Web-based programmed instruction tutor that taught a simple Java applet as the first technical training exercise in a computer programming course. The tutor is a competency-based instructional system for individualized distance learning. When a student…

English Business Communication Needs of Mexican Executives in a Distance-Learning Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grosse, Christine Uber

2004-01-01

Many firms within and outside the United States operate in multilingual environments that require executives to do business in English as well as in other languages. Executives for whom English is a second language often face special challenges communicating in such settings. This study examines how 115 executives in a distance-learning business…

The World Bank Rural Development Field Staff Distance Learning and Training Strategy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mortera-Gutierrez, Fernando

The Rural Development Distance Learning and Training Strategy targets locally recruited field staff of the World Bank Rural Sector. Field staff at the bank's mission offices worldwide are heterogeneous in terms of culture, ethnicity, race, gender, social class, and religion. However, they have the following in common: they follow the Bank's work…

Toward a Student-Centered Measure of Learning Management System Utilization

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Malm, Eric; Defranco, Joanna F.

2012-01-01

Colleges and universities have spent significant financial and human resources deploying and promoting educational technologies, including Learning Management Systems (LMS). A large body of research now exists on the impact of technology on student learning, including the roles of blended learning, hybrid classes, and distance learning. Yet,…

Untethering Education: Creating a Pilot Hybrid Class to Enhance Learning in Intercultural Communication

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawton, Bessie; Foeman, Anita; Thompsen, Philip

2014-01-01

Improvements in educational technology in the past couple of decades have led institutions of higher learning to encourage and implement various types of distance education courses. This article reports on the conversion process of a face-to-face Intercultural Communication class at a mid-Atlantic university in the USA. First, the impetus for its…

Interactive Online Distance Learning at the University of Hawai'i-West O'ahu

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Rebecca

2002-01-01

From its beginnings 25 years ago, the University of Hawai'i-West O'ahu (UH-West O'ahu) has strived to provide its students, mostly working adults with an average age of 32 years, with easy access to classes and advising by maintaining flexible class schedules and office hours. When UH-West O'ahu initiated a distance education program in 1981, the…

Effects of College Students' Characteristics, Culture, and Language on Using E-Texts in Distance Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ainsa, Patricia

2015-01-01

E-texts have become a main venue but research has not provided much guidance for practical adaptation, yet. This research query started in the spring of 2014 when an e-text was adopted for an undergraduate distance learning class. The change created some unexpected influence in the students' experiences. It was necessary to assess their…

How Five Newly Created Reports Using Analytics Informed and Surprised One Distance Learning Administrator

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howell, Scott L.; Le, Beihe

2017-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to identify and explain the best practice of using "big data" reports to help distance learning administrators better understand their own programs and represent them to stakeholders. The authors examine five reports: (1) the number and percentage of graduates from the main campus who also take classes at the…

Utilising Learning Environment Assessments to Improve Teaching Practices among In-Service Teachers Undertaking a Distance-Education Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aldridge, Jill; Fraser, Barry; Ntuli, Sipho

2009-01-01

We examined the viability of using feedback from a learning environment instrument to guide improvements in the teaching practices of in-service teachers undertaking a distance-education programme. The 31 teachers involved administered a primary school version of the What Is Happening In this Class? (WIHIC-Primary) questionnaire to their 1,077…

Educating Laboratory Science Learners at a Distance Using Interactive Television

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reddy, Christopher

2014-01-01

Laboratory science classes offered to students learning at a distance require a methodology that allows for the completion of tactile activities. Literature describes three different methods of solving the distance laboratory dilemma: kit-based laboratory experience, computer-based laboratory experience, and campus-based laboratory experience,…

Discriminative components of data.

PubMed

Peltonen, Jaakko; Kaski, Samuel

2005-01-01

A simple probabilistic model is introduced to generalize classical linear discriminant analysis (LDA) in finding components that are informative of or relevant for data classes. The components maximize the predictability of the class distribution which is asymptotically equivalent to 1) maximizing mutual information with the classes, and 2) finding principal components in the so-called learning or Fisher metrics. The Fisher metric measures only distances that are relevant to the classes, that is, distances that cause changes in the class distribution. The components have applications in data exploration, visualization, and dimensionality reduction. In empirical experiments, the method outperformed, in addition to more classical methods, a Renyi entropy-based alternative while having essentially equivalent computational cost.

A regularized approach for geodesic-based semisupervised multimanifold learning.

PubMed

Fan, Mingyu; Zhang, Xiaoqin; Lin, Zhouchen; Zhang, Zhongfei; Bao, Hujun

2014-05-01

Geodesic distance, as an essential measurement for data dissimilarity, has been successfully used in manifold learning. However, most geodesic distance-based manifold learning algorithms have two limitations when applied to classification: 1) class information is rarely used in computing the geodesic distances between data points on manifolds and 2) little attention has been paid to building an explicit dimension reduction mapping for extracting the discriminative information hidden in the geodesic distances. In this paper, we regard geodesic distance as a kind of kernel, which maps data from linearly inseparable space to linear separable distance space. In doing this, a new semisupervised manifold learning algorithm, namely regularized geodesic feature learning algorithm, is proposed. The method consists of three techniques: a semisupervised graph construction method, replacement of original data points with feature vectors which are built by geodesic distances, and a new semisupervised dimension reduction method for feature vectors. Experiments on the MNIST, USPS handwritten digit data sets, MIT CBCL face versus nonface data set, and an intelligent traffic data set show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.

Understanding the Profile, Motivations and Current Status of Academic Graduates through Open and Distance Schooling in India

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jha, Jyotsna; Ghatak, Neha; Mahendiran, Shreekanth

2017-01-01

In India, Open and Distance Learning for secondary and higher secondary level is mainly provided by the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS). Secondary education in India pertains to class 9 and 10 catering to the age group of 15 to 16. Similarly, higher secondary education refers to class 11 and 12 catering to the age group of 17 to 18.…

Creation of Medicinal Chemistry Learning Communities Through Enhanced Technology and Interdisciplinary Collaboration

PubMed Central

Roche, Victoria

2012-01-01

Objectives. To build an integrated medicinal chemistry learning community of campus and distance pharmacy students though the use of innovative technology and interdisciplinary teaching. Design. Mechanisms were implemented to bring distance students into campus-based medicinal chemistry classrooms in real time, stimulate interaction between instructors and various student cohorts, and promote group work during class. Also, pharmacy clinician colleagues were recruited to contribute to the teaching of the 3 medicinal chemistry courses. Assessment. Student perceptions on the value of technology to build community and advance learning were gleaned from course evaluations, in class feedback, and conversations with class officers and student groups. Responses on a survey of second-year students confirmed the benefits of interdisciplinary content integration on engagement and awareness of the connection between drug chemistry and pharmacy practice. A survey of clinician colleagues who contributed to teaching the 3 medicinal chemistry courses found their views were similar to those of students. Conclusions. The purposeful use of technology united learners, fostered communication, and advanced content comprehension in 3 medicinal chemistry courses taught to campus and distance students. Teaching collaboration with pharmacy clinicians enhanced learner interest in course content and provided insight into the integrated nature of the profession of pharmacy. PMID:23129857

Creation of medicinal chemistry learning communities through enhanced technology and interdisciplinary collaboration.

PubMed

Henriksen, Brian; Roche, Victoria

2012-10-12

Objectives. To build an integrated medicinal chemistry learning community of campus and distance pharmacy students though the use of innovative technology and interdisciplinary teaching.Design. Mechanisms were implemented to bring distance students into campus-based medicinal chemistry classrooms in real time, stimulate interaction between instructors and various student cohorts, and promote group work during class. Also, pharmacy clinician colleagues were recruited to contribute to the teaching of the 3 medicinal chemistry courses.Assessment. Student perceptions on the value of technology to build community and advance learning were gleaned from course evaluations, in class feedback, and conversations with class officers and student groups. Responses on a survey of second-year students confirmed the benefits of interdisciplinary content integration on engagement and awareness of the connection between drug chemistry and pharmacy practice. A survey of clinician colleagues who contributed to teaching the 3 medicinal chemistry courses found their views were similar to those of students.Conclusions. The purposeful use of technology united learners, fostered communication, and advanced content comprehension in 3 medicinal chemistry courses taught to campus and distance students. Teaching collaboration with pharmacy clinicians enhanced learner interest in course content and provided insight into the integrated nature of the profession of pharmacy.

Evaluation of Distance Learning in an "Introduction to Biostatistics" Class: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Evans, Scott R.; Wang, Rui; Yeh, Tzu-Min; Anderson, Jeff; Haija, Rammy; McBratney-Owen, Paul Madoc; Peeples, Lynne; Sinha, Subir; Xanthakis, Vanessa; Rajicic, Natasa; Zhang, Jiameng

2007-01-01

Biostatistics is not universally available in colleges/universities and is thus an attractive course to offer via distance education. However, evaluation of the impact of distance education on course enrollment and student success is lacking. We evaluated an "Introduction to Biostatistics" course at Harvard University that offered the distance…

Term Length as an Indicator of Attrition in Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Diaz, David; Cartnal, Ryan

2006-01-01

Distance education cannot escape comparisons to traditional classes, and critics of distance education frequently point to the higher drop rate in distance education as evidence of its lower educational quality. While David Diaz and Ryan Cartnal note that this conclusion is a debatable one, they acknowledge that reducing drop rates in online…

Astronautics Degrees for Space Industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gruntman, M.; Brodsky, R.; Erwin, D.; Kunc, J.

The Astronautics Program (http://astronautics.usc.edu) of the University of Southern California (USC) offers a full set of undergraduate and graduate degree programs in Aerospace Engineering with emphasis in Astronautics. The Bachelor of Science degree program in Astronautics combines basic science and engineering classes with specialized astronautics classes. The Master of Science degree program in Astronautics offers classes in various areas of space technology. The Certificate in Astronautics targets practicing engineers and scientists who enter space-related fields and/or who want to obtain training in specific space-related areas. Many specialized graduate classes are taught by adjunct faculty working at the leading space companies. The Master of Science degree and Certificate are available through the USC Distance Education Network (DEN). Today, the Internet allows us to reach students anywhere in the world through webcasting. The majority of our graduate students, as well as those pursuing the Certificate, work full time as engineers in the space industry and government research and development centers. The new world of distance learning presents new challenges and opens new opportunities. We show how the transformation of distance learning and particularly the introduction of webcasting transform organization of the program and class delivery. We will describe in detail the academic focus of the program, student reach, and structure of program components. Program development is illustrated by the student enrollment dynamics and related industrial trends; the lessons learned emphasize the importance of feedback from the students and from the space industry.

Astronautics degrees for the space industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gruntman, M.; Brodsky, R. F.; Erwin, D. A.; Kunc, J. A.

2004-01-01

The Astronautics Program (http://astronautics.usc.edu) of the University of Southern California (USC) offers a full set of undergraduate and graduate degree programs in Aerospace Engineering with emphasis in Astronautics. The Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degree programs in Astronautics combine basic science and engineering classes with specialized classes in space technology. The Certificate in Astronautics targets practicing engineers and scientists who enter space-related fields and/or who want to obtain training in specific space-related areas. Many specialized graduate classes are taught by adjunct faculty working at the leading space companies. The Master of Science degree and Certificate are available entirely through the USC Distance Education Network (DEN). Today, the Internet allows us to reach students anywhere in the world through webcasting. The majority of our graduate students, as well as those pursuing the Certificate, work full time as engineers in the space industry and government research and development centers while earning their degrees. The new world of distance learning presents new challenges and opens new opportunities. Distance learning, and particularly the introduction of webcasting, transform the organization of the graduate program and class delivery. We describe in detail the program's academic focus, student reach, and structure of program components. Program development is illustrated by the student enrollment dynamics and related industrial trends; the lessons learned emphasize the importance of feedback from the students and from the space industry.

Challenging Hegemonies in Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Godwin-Jones, Robert

2012-01-01

In Western countries today, instructed language learning in higher education normally includes use of the Web: as a resource in face-to-face classes, as an equal partner in instructional delivery in hybrid courses, or as the primary teaching and learning environment in distance learning. Most often today this is enabled through use of a learning…

Virtual Teaching on the Tundra.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McAuley, Alexander

1998-01-01

Describes how a teacher and a distance-learning consultant collaborate in using the Internet and Computer Supported Intentional Learning Environment (CISILE) to connect multicultural students on the harsh Baffin Island (Canada). Discusses the creation of the class's database and future implications. (AEF)

Foreign Language Learning Using E-Mail in a Task-Oriented Perspective: Interuniversity Experiments in Communication and Collaboration.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barson, John; And Others

1993-01-01

Describes collaborations of college French classes using electronic mail. Suggests that this type of task-oriented learning through distance-communication is applicable at many different course levels and has considerable merit as an approach to teaching and learning. (PR)

Academic Attainment in Students with Dyslexia in Distance Education.

PubMed

Richardson, John T E

2015-11-01

This investigation studied attainment in students with dyslexia or other specific learning difficulties who were taking modules by distance learning with the Open University in 2012. Students with dyslexia or other specific learning difficulties who had no additional disabilities were just as likely as nondisabled students to complete their modules, but they were less likely to pass the modules that they had completed and less likely to obtain good grades on the modules that they had passed. Students with dyslexia or other specific learning difficulties who had additional disabilities were less likely to complete their modules, less likely to pass the modules that they had completed and less likely to obtain good grades on the modules that they had passed than were nondisabled students. Nevertheless, around 40% of students with dyslexia or other specific learning difficulties obtained good grades (i.e. those that would lead to a bachelor's degree with first-class or upper second-class honours). Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Competitive Advantage of Online versus Traditional Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peat, Jillian A.; Helland, Katherine R.

2004-01-01

This paper examined attitudes concerning the effectiveness of distance learning, and determined the impact these perceptions had on selection decisions. Results partially supported the hypotheses, demonstrating that individuals believed distance education was of lower quality than traditional classes, and this perception impacted their hiring…

A Survey of Student Attitudes on the Use of Social Networking to Build Learning Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arndt, Timothy

2012-01-01

Post-secondary students are increasingly receiving instruction by distance learning. This mode of learning can result in the students learning in isolation, with bad results in learning outcomes. The same type of isolation can occur for part-time students and those who are working while taking classes. In such circumstances, we believe that it…

Factors Contributing to the Development of Distance Education through Preliminary Online Training and Identifying Various Levels of Technical Competencies by Online Instructors within the University of North Carolina System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tillman, Makia R.

2009-01-01

Distance Education (DE) is one of the well-known methods of instruction and learning at many colleges and universities throughout the United States as well as other countries. Instructors teaching online courses need some form of training prior to teaching online classes. Most higher education institutions use some form of Learning Management…

Leveraging Cognitive Load Theory, Scaffolding, and Distance Technologies to Enhance Computer Programming for Non-Majors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Impelluso, Thomas J.

2009-01-01

Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) was used as a foundation to redesign a computer programming class for mechanical engineers, in which content was delivered with hybrid/distance technology. The effort confirmed the utility of CLT in course design. And it demonstrates that hybrid/distance learning is not merely a tool of convenience, but one, which, when…

Citizenship, Diversity and Distance Learning: Videoconferencing in Connecticut.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sembor, Edward C.

1997-01-01

Profiles a videoconference that brought together two seventh-grade classes in Connecticut. Over several days, white, middle-class, rural students discussed topical issues with urban black students. Topics raised included diversity, politics, gun control and local issues. Includes students' responses to the program. (MJP)

Discriminative least squares regression for multiclass classification and feature selection.

PubMed

Xiang, Shiming; Nie, Feiping; Meng, Gaofeng; Pan, Chunhong; Zhang, Changshui

2012-11-01

This paper presents a framework of discriminative least squares regression (LSR) for multiclass classification and feature selection. The core idea is to enlarge the distance between different classes under the conceptual framework of LSR. First, a technique called ε-dragging is introduced to force the regression targets of different classes moving along opposite directions such that the distances between classes can be enlarged. Then, the ε-draggings are integrated into the LSR model for multiclass classification. Our learning framework, referred to as discriminative LSR, has a compact model form, where there is no need to train two-class machines that are independent of each other. With its compact form, this model can be naturally extended for feature selection. This goal is achieved in terms of L2,1 norm of matrix, generating a sparse learning model for feature selection. The model for multiclass classification and its extension for feature selection are finally solved elegantly and efficiently. Experimental evaluation over a range of benchmark datasets indicates the validity of our method.

Improving the Learning Design of Massive Open Online Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rubens, Wilfred

2014-01-01

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) can be regarded as a promising next step in the evolution of distance education. However, they have been criticised for their poor learning design. This article describes the development of an adequate learning design in a series of nineteen MOOCs (called online master classes). A formative evaluation focuses on…

Active Learning with Interactive Videos: Creating Student-Guided Learning Materials

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baker, Ariana

2016-01-01

Distance learning programs across the country continue to grow and evolve. In order to support these programs, librarians are often expected to convert face-to-face classes and reference sessions to the online environment. Due to the necessity of explaining information literacy concepts and demonstrating the access and use of library resources,…

Expectations of Internet Education: Casper College's Experience.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nelson, Gerald E.

The Internet Based Distance Learning (IBDL) classes provided in Wyoming's Casper College have the potential to benefit all involved. The "Cyber Semester," which began in the spring of 1997, consisted of four typical freshman classes (Physical Geography, Precalculus Algebra, English Composition I, and Political Science) that were offered…

Multi-instance multi-label distance metric learning for genome-wide protein function prediction.

PubMed

Xu, Yonghui; Min, Huaqing; Song, Hengjie; Wu, Qingyao

2016-08-01

Multi-instance multi-label (MIML) learning has been proven to be effective for the genome-wide protein function prediction problems where each training example is associated with not only multiple instances but also multiple class labels. To find an appropriate MIML learning method for genome-wide protein function prediction, many studies in the literature attempted to optimize objective functions in which dissimilarity between instances is measured using the Euclidean distance. But in many real applications, Euclidean distance may be unable to capture the intrinsic similarity/dissimilarity in feature space and label space. Unlike other previous approaches, in this paper, we propose to learn a multi-instance multi-label distance metric learning framework (MIMLDML) for genome-wide protein function prediction. Specifically, we learn a Mahalanobis distance to preserve and utilize the intrinsic geometric information of both feature space and label space for MIML learning. In addition, we try to deal with the sparsely labeled data by giving weight to the labeled data. Extensive experiments on seven real-world organisms covering the biological three-domain system (i.e., archaea, bacteria, and eukaryote; Woese et al., 1990) show that the MIMLDML algorithm is superior to most state-of-the-art MIML learning algorithms. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Using an audience response system (ARS) in a face-to-face and distance education CPT/HCPCS coding course.

PubMed

Harris, Susie T; Zeng, Xiaoming

2010-01-01

We report the use of an audience response system (ARS) in an undergraduate health information management course. The ARS converts a standard PowerPoint presentation into an interactive learning system that engages students in active participation, and it allows instructors to display questions, surveys, opinion polls, and games. We used the ARS in a 2008 course, Health Services Coding, for lecture and test reviews. The class consisted of 15 students; nine were on-campus students and six were distance education students. All of the responding students agreed that the ARS software facilitated learning and made lectures and reviews more interesting and interactive, and they preferred taking a class using an ARS.

Selected Papers from the International Conference on College Teaching and Learning (14th, Jacksonville, Florida, April 1-5, 2003).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chambers, Jack A., Ed.

This collection of conference papers includes: "Building a Pedagogical Model for Synchronous Distance Learning Courses" (Panagiotes S. Anastasiades); "Delivery of Courseware using CD-ROM Media" (Brian Brighouse and Denis Edgar-Nevill); "Lessons Learned from Blended Biology Classes" (Arthur L. Buikema, Jr.); "Everything I Ever Needed to Know I…

Practice and Evaluation of Blended Learning with Cross-Cultural Distance Learning in a Foreign Language Class: Using Mix Methods Data Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sugie, Satoko; Mitsugi, Makoto

2014-01-01

The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) utilization in Chinese as a "second" foreign language has mainly been focused on Learning Management System (LMS), digital material development, and quantitative analysis of learners' grammatical knowledge. There has been little research that has analyzed the effectiveness of…

Global Contexts for Learning: Exploring the Relationship between Low-Context Online Learning and High-Context Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Westbrook, Timothy Paul

2014-01-01

Current research on culture and distance education suggests that cultural variables influence student success online. When online courses are writing-based, they may provide easy information dissemination; however, the low-context medium may restrict the learning experience and class dynamic due to the lack of nonverbal communication. Students who…

Metric Learning for Hyperspectral Image Segmentation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bue, Brian D.; Thompson, David R.; Gilmore, Martha S.; Castano, Rebecca

2011-01-01

We present a metric learning approach to improve the performance of unsupervised hyperspectral image segmentation. Unsupervised spatial segmentation can assist both user visualization and automatic recognition of surface features. Analysts can use spatially-continuous segments to decrease noise levels and/or localize feature boundaries. However, existing segmentation methods use tasks-agnostic measures of similarity. Here we learn task-specific similarity measures from training data, improving segment fidelity to classes of interest. Multiclass Linear Discriminate Analysis produces a linear transform that optimally separates a labeled set of training classes. The defines a distance metric that generalized to a new scenes, enabling graph-based segmentation that emphasizes key spectral features. We describe tests based on data from the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer (CRISM) in which learned metrics improve segment homogeneity with respect to mineralogical classes.

Learning Distance Functions for Exemplar-Based Object Recognition

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-08-08

requires prior specific permission. Learning Distance Functions for Exemplar-Based Object Recognition by Andrea Lynn Frome B.S. ( Mary Washington...fantastic advisor and advocate when I was at Mary Washington College i and has since become a dear friend. Thank you, Dr. Bass, for continuing to stand...Antonio Torralba. 5 Chapter 1. Introduction 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 Number of training examples per class M ea n

Learning Distance Functions for Exemplar-Based Object Recognition

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-01-01

Learning Distance Functions for Exemplar-Based Object Recognition by Andrea Lynn Frome B.S. ( Mary Washington College) 1996 A dissertation submitted...advisor and advocate when I was at Mary Washington College i and has since become a dear friend. Thank you, Dr. Bass, for continuing to stand by my...Torralba. 5 Chapter 1. Introduction 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 Number of training examples per class M ea n re co

Innovating Professional Development for Future Health Care Practitioners.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hamilton, Charlene; Rucinski, Ann; Schakelman, Justin

2001-01-01

Describes a Web-based professional development curriculum that was designed at the University of Delaware for the internship portion of the Registered Dieticians program. Topics include distance learning; technology integration; combining in-class with online instruction; multimedia use for problem-based learning case studies; course management…

Alternative Classroom Management and Instructional Delivery Systems in Business Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Douglas C.; Davis, Diane C.; Everett, Donna R.; Kruger, Diane; McLaren, Constance H.; Morse, H. Pauletta; Nelson, Sandra J.; Smith, Gloria Jean; Yacht, Carol; Yohon, Teresa

Identifies and assesses various nontraditional approaches to business education in high school, university, and graduate school. "Block Scheduling: Considerations for Business Education" (Gloria Jean Smith, Douglas C. Smith) describes ways to maximize learning for high school students by restructuring class time. "Distance Learning: Challenges and…

Adaptation of Different Computerized Methods of Distance Learning to an External PharmD Degree Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaplan, Irene Petzinger; And Others

1996-01-01

A distance education course in drug information, scholarly literature evaluation, and biostatistics, offered as part of a doctoral pharmacy program, incorporates teleconferencing and online critiquing of pharmacy journal literature. Structure of the class, software and hardware, student performance, and student response to the teaching methods are…

Longitudinal analysis of student performance in a dental hygiene distance education program.

PubMed

Olmsted, Jodi L

2002-09-01

The purpose of the study was to determine if learners who receive face-to-face instruction in an educational program performed statistically better on established benchmark assessments (GPA, course averages, and NBDHE) than learners at a distance from the didactic course instructor. A comparative, quasi-experimental, ex-post facto study was conducted. The treatment variable was program type: face-to-face vs. distance. The performance of five consecutive classes was analyzed, from 1997 to 2001. These five classes consisted of 221 learners, 105 of them at the host site and 115 using distance learning. The experimental groups were divided based upon location--host or cooperating college (distance) site learners. Study results identified no significant difference between host and distance learner performance for the entire educational program. The use of interactive television (ITV) for delivery of an educational program using distance education technology provided acceptable results in learner didactic performance. Learners at both the host and cooperating college (distance) sites performed equally well. The results were used to document program outcomes.

Effects of help-seeking in a blended high school Biology class

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deguzman, Paolo

Distance learning provides an opportunity for students to learn valuable information through technology and interactive media. Distance learning additionally offers educational institutions the flexibility of synchronous and asynchronous instruction while increasing enrollment and lowering cost. However, distance education has not been well documented within the context of urban high schools. Distance learning may allow high school students to understand material at an individualized pace for either enrichment or remediation. A successful high school student who participates in distance learning should exhibit high self regulatory skills. However, most urban high school students have not been exposed to distance learning and should be introduced to proper self regulatory strategies that should increase the likelihood of understanding the material. To help facilitate a move into distance learning, a blended distance learning model, the combination of distance learning and traditional learning, will be used. According to O'Neil's (in preparation) revised problem solving model, self regulation is a component of problem solving. Within the Blended Biology course, urban high school students will be trained in help-seeking strategies to further their understanding of genetics and Punnett Square problem solving. This study investigated the effects of help-seeking in a blended high school Biology course. The main study consisted of a help-seeking group (n=55) and a control group (n=53). Both the help-seeking group and the control group were taught by one teacher for two weeks. The help-seeking group had access to Blended Biology with Help-Seeking while the control group only had access to Blended Biology. The main study used a pretest and posttest to measure Genetics Content Understanding, Punnett Square Problem Solving, Adaptive Help-Seeking, Maladaptive Help-Seeking, and Self Regulation. The analysis showed no significant difference in any of the measures in terms of help seeking. However, blended distance learning appeared to work as posttest means increased significantly from the pretest means. Future studies should consider the method of communication for help-seeking and help-giving within a high school distance learning context. Further studies should consider developing instruments to measure the difference in knowing when help is needed versus active choice.

Implementing an Online Writing Assessment Strategy for Gerontology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Pamela S.; Hanks, Roma S.

2008-01-01

Assessment of student learning is a growing concern for programs in gerontology. This report focuses on the conception, design, funding, and implementation of an innovative online workshop to assess and improve writing skills of students enrolled in distance-learning gerontology classes. The approach is multidisciplinary and involves a…

SOS: Observation, Intervention, and Scaffolding towards Successful Online Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ainsa, Trisha

2017-01-01

Research, reflection, and evaluation of online classes indicated a need for graduated scaffolding for first time students experiencing distance learning. In order to promote student engagement in the online learning process, I designed SOS for beginning online students. Sixty-three online students were offered an opportunity to participate in a…

Enhancing traditional, televised, and videotaped courses with Web-based technologies: a comparison of student satisfaction.

PubMed

Sole, M L; Lindquist, M

2001-01-01

Varied distance learning strategies can be used to deliver nursing courses, including interactive television, videotape, and Web-based approaches. (1) To assess student assess student satisfaction with a critical care elective course offered simultaneously via traditional and distance learning formats in which Web-based strategies were added, and (2) to compare satisfaction of students taking the traditional course versus those taking the class via distance technology. Students (n = 113) who took the course during the spring 1998 and 1999 semesters completed a teacher-constructed evaluation at the end of the semester. Mean ratings on the evaluation were positive. Ratings of interaction, communication with instructor, and facilitation of learning were higher from students who took the traditional course. The application of Web-based technologies may be one factor for the overall course satisfaction. However, it is important to continue to evaluate strategies that work best for students taking courses via distance technology.

21st Century Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fredette, Michelle

2013-01-01

In rural Kansas, five high school students take seats in their school's distance learning classroom for a Mandarin language class they share with students at four other schools around the state. In Atlanta, an entire class of kindergartners sits in front of a big screen, speaking to their teacher in China. The students laugh, raise their hands,…

Tried and True: Springing into Linear Models

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Darling, Gerald

2012-01-01

In eighth grade, students usually learn about forces in science class and linear relationships in math class, crucial topics that form the foundation for further study in science and engineering. An activity that links these two fundamental concepts involves measuring the distance a spring stretches as a function of how much weight is suspended…

Enquiry-Based Learning Online: Course Development and Student Experience of a First-Year Enquiry-Based Learning Seminar

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murray, Jacqueline; Lachowsky, Nathan John; Green, Natalie

2017-01-01

Online courses are increasing in popularity while universities are using first-year seminars to address the challenges of large impersonal classes, lack of student engagement, and increased skills development. Could the learning experience and benefits of an in-person first-year seminar be achieved through an online distance education (DE) format?…

Learning object-to-class kernels for scene classification.

PubMed

Zhang, Lei; Zhen, Xiantong; Shao, Ling

2014-08-01

High-level image representations have drawn increasing attention in visual recognition, e.g., scene classification, since the invention of the object bank. The object bank represents an image as a response map of a large number of pretrained object detectors and has achieved superior performance for visual recognition. In this paper, based on the object bank representation, we propose the object-to-class (O2C) distances to model scene images. In particular, four variants of O2C distances are presented, and with the O2C distances, we can represent the images using the object bank by lower-dimensional but more discriminative spaces, called distance spaces, which are spanned by the O2C distances. Due to the explicit computation of O2C distances based on the object bank, the obtained representations can possess more semantic meanings. To combine the discriminant ability of the O2C distances to all scene classes, we further propose to kernalize the distance representation for the final classification. We have conducted extensive experiments on four benchmark data sets, UIUC-Sports, Scene-15, MIT Indoor, and Caltech-101, which demonstrate that the proposed approaches can significantly improve the original object bank approach and achieve the state-of-the-art performance.

American Government: An Introduction Using MicroCase with Distance Learners.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosberg, William H.

In spring 1997, a project used MicroCase, a computer-based statistical analysis and data retrieval system, to offer an American Government class to distance students at Iowa's Kirkwood Community College (KCC). Students participated in the course at one of the college's 10 learning centers via a statewide fiber-optic network. MicroCase provided the…

Measuring Oral Proficiency in Distance, Face-to-Face, and Blended Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blake, Robert; Wilson, Nicole L.; Cetto, Maria; Pardo-Ballester, Cristina

2008-01-01

Although the foreign-language profession routinely stresses the importance of technology for the curriculum, many teachers still harbor deep-seated doubts as to whether or not a hybrid course, much less a completely distance-learning class, could provide L2 learners with a way to reach linguistic proficiency, especially with respect to oral…

A Comparative Study of Classroom and Online Distance Modes of Official Vocational Education and Training

PubMed Central

López Soblechero, Miguel Vicente; González Gaya, Cristina; Hernández Ramírez, Juan José

2014-01-01

The study discussed in this paper had two principal objectives. The first was to evaluate the distance model of official vocational education and training offered by means of a virtual learning platform. The second was to establish that both on-site classroom and online distance modes of vocational education and training can be seen as complementary in terms of responding to the majority of modern educational needs. We performed a comparative study using data and results gathered over the course of eleven academic years for 1,133 of our students enrolled in an official vocational education and training program, leading to the awarding of a certificate as an Administrative Management Expert. The classes were offered by the Alfonso de Avellaneda Vocational Education and Training School, located in the city of Alcalá de Henares near Madrid, Spain. We offered classes both in traditional classroom mode and through online distance learning. This paper begins with a descriptive analysis of the variables we studied; inferential statistical techniques are subsequently applied in order to study the relationships that help form the basis for the conclusions reached. This study’s results provide evidence that a broad offering of vocational education and training opportunities will facilitate access to such learning for students who require it, regardless of their age, employment status, or personal circumstances, with the online distance mode playing a fundamental role while also yielding results equivalent to those observed for classroom instruction. PMID:24788543

A comparative study of classroom and online distance modes of official vocational education and training.

PubMed

López Soblechero, Miguel Vicente; González Gaya, Cristina; Hernández Ramírez, Juan José

2014-01-01

The study discussed in this paper had two principal objectives. The first was to evaluate the distance model of official vocational education and training offered by means of a virtual learning platform. The second was to establish that both on-site classroom and online distance modes of vocational education and training can be seen as complementary in terms of responding to the majority of modern educational needs. We performed a comparative study using data and results gathered over the course of eleven academic years for 1,133 of our students enrolled in an official vocational education and training program, leading to the awarding of a certificate as an Administrative Management Expert. The classes were offered by the Alfonso de Avellaneda Vocational Education and Training School, located in the city of Alcalá de Henares near Madrid, Spain. We offered classes both in traditional classroom mode and through online distance learning. This paper begins with a descriptive analysis of the variables we studied; inferential statistical techniques are subsequently applied in order to study the relationships that help form the basis for the conclusions reached. This study's results provide evidence that a broad offering of vocational education and training opportunities will facilitate access to such learning for students who require it, regardless of their age, employment status, or personal circumstances, with the online distance mode playing a fundamental role while also yielding results equivalent to those observed for classroom instruction.

Is it an Emergency?

MedlinePlus

... signs by taking a first aid class and learning CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation). Your local hospital, American Red ... employed by paramedics or emergency medical technicians? Would distance or traffic conditions cause a delay in getting ...

Investigating Factors Affecting Group Processes in Virtual Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hazari, Sunil; Thompson, Sandra

2015-01-01

With the widespread popularity of distance learning, there is a need to investigate elements of online courses that continue to pose significant challenges for educators. One of the challenges relates to creating and managing group projects. This study investigated business students' perceptions of group work in online classes. The constructs of…

Economics: A Discriminant Analysis of Students' Perceptions of Web-Based Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Usip, Ebenge E.; Bee, Richard H.

1998-01-01

Users and nonusers of Web-based instruction (WBI) in an undergraduate statistics classes at Youngstown State University were surveyed. Users concluded that distance learning via the Web was a good method of obtaining general information and useful tool in improving their academic performance. Nonusers thought the university should provide…

Using Social Media Technologies to Enhance Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Friedman, Linda Weiser; Friedman, Hershey H.

2013-01-01

Models of distance education have evolved over decades, just in time to collide with modern pedagogies in which communication, interaction, student engagement, and active learning are of critical importance. The number of college students taking online classes continues to grow. Today, nearly 30% of college students are taking at least one online…

Andragogical Model in Language Training of Mining Specialists

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bondareva, Evgeniya; Chistyakova, Galina; Kleshevskyi, Yury; Sergeev, Sergey; Stepanov, Aleksey

2017-11-01

Nowadays foreign language competence is one of the main professional skills of mining engineers. Modern competitive conditions require the ability for meeting production challenges in a foreign language from specialists and managers of mining enterprises. This is the reason of high demand on foreign language training/retraining courses. Language training of adult learners fundamentally differs from children and adolescent education. The article describes the features of andragogical learning model. The authors conclude that distance learning is the most productive education form having a number of obvious advantages over traditional (in-class) one. Interactive learning method that involves active engagement of adult trainees appears to be of the greatest interest due to introduction of modern information and communication technologies for distance learning.

Covering Numbers for Semicontinuous Functions

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-04-29

functions, epi-distance, Attouch-Wets topology, epi-convergence, epi-spline, approximation theory . Date: April 29, 2016 1 Introduction Covering numbers of...classes of functions play central roles in parts of information theory , statistics, and applications such as machine learning; see for example [26...probability theory because there the hypo-distance metrizes weak convergence of distribution functions on IRd, which obviously are usc [22]. Thus, as an

Predicting Student Performance in Web-Based Distance Education Courses Based on Survey Instruments Measuring Personality Traits and Technical Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hall, Michael

2008-01-01

Two common web-based surveys, "Is Online Learning Right for Me?' and "What Technical Skills Do I Need?", were combined into a single survey instrument and given to 228 on-campus and 83 distance education students. The students were enrolled in four different classes (business, computer information services, criminal justice, and…

Immediacy and Distance in Teacher Talk--A Comparative Case Study in German Elementary- and Outdoor School-Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sahrakhiz, Sarah

2017-01-01

This case study examines authentic speech acts by a German primary school teacher in the classroom context and the outdoor learning location of a forest. The study will compare the degree of linguistic immediacy or distance in these two contexts, respectively. Once a week, the class is doing "outdoor school" ["Draußenschule"]…

Instruction on the Go: Reaching out to Students from the Academic Library

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moorefield-Lang, Heather; Hall, Tracy

2015-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to describe how a series of one-shot or single class library instruction webinars were created for on-campus and distance education students at Virginia Tech, a land grant institution in rural southwestern Virginia. Virginia Tech's distance learning department on campus trained in Centra 7.6 software and the lead…

Blackboard Overview by a Technology Coordinator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodgers, Sue

2000-06-01

Have you ever wished you could find an easier way to get course materials and other information to your students? Would you be interested in improving communication between you and your students? Over 1600 colleges, universities, and K-12 schools have discovered and adopted a software package that can do just that: Blackboard's CourseInfo, a Web-based course delivery system (http://www.blackboard.com). At San Jacinto College we are using CourseInfo to facilitate classes taught in a distance learning format and to support classroom-based classes through web-enhanced learning activities.

Virtual Class: Distance Learning for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises in the Spanish Region of Castilla y Leon.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rodriguez, Blanca; Perez, Maria Angeles; Verdu, Maria Jesus; Navazo, Maria Agustina; Lopez, Ricardo; Mompo, Rafael; Garcia, Joaquin

Lifelong learning is becoming a necessity in the new Information Society where everyone, particularly small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), must keep up with new technologies. Education and training are of the most importance in this updating. An interdisciplinary and inter-university work group called "Canalejas" (Spain) has…

Attitudes of Undergraduate Students towards an Online English Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Srichanyachon, A. Napaporn

2013-01-01

Distance online learning has been regarded as a useful learning method, especially when we faced the big flood crisis in Thailand. To solve the lack of classrooms, our university administrators decided to implement WebEx system as an alternative to continue teaching. And, there were some relevant aspects that we needed to consider. Therefore, this…

Learning Their Lesson: The Impact on Recidivism of Providing College Courses to Inmates.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nelson, Steven D.

The University of Great Falls (UGF), in Montana, operated a distance learning system called Telecom, which combined video-taped instruction with weekly scheduled on-line telephone discussions between class members and instructors. At the site at the Montana State Prison for Men, Deer Lodge, Montana, the primary users were inmates. However,…

What do the Numbers Say? The Influence of Motivation and Peer Feedback on Students' Behaviour in Online Discussions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Xie, Kui

2013-01-01

Students' non-posting behaviour in online discussions is often neglected in educational research. However, it can be a potential indicator of student learning. This study examined the relationships between motivation, peer feedback and students’ posting and non-posting behaviours in online discussions in a distance learning class. Fifty-seven…

A Comparison of the Performance of Online versus Traditional On-Campus Earth Science Students on Identical Exams

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Werhner, Matthew J.

2010-01-01

In this paper I compare the performance of online versus traditional on-campus students on identical exams in an earth science class. The number of college level distance learning classes offered online continues to increase as they offer greater scheduling flexibility to students, they appeal to students who like to work independently, and allow…

Distance Interaction through the World Wide Web in Graduate Teacher Education: A Follow-Up Analysis of Student Perceptions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thompson, Jay C., Jr.; Nay, Frederick W.

This study, a follow-up to an earlier study (reported in the 1998 "Mid-Western Educational Researcher" v10 n4) used the World Wide Web and a "Class Page" to evaluate interaction strategies in a distance education setting. This study further examines Lev Vygotsky's social learning theories as they apply to the asynchronous…

The Role of Ethnicity in the Attainment and Experiences of Graduates in Distance Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richardson, John T. E.

2009-01-01

In the UK, the attainment of White graduates (as measured by the class of honours that they have been awarded) tends to be higher than that of graduates from other ethnic groups. This is apparent, in particular, in graduates who have taken courses by distance learning with the Open University. Analysis of data from Open University graduates over…

Predicting Long-Range Traversability from Short-Range Stereo-Derived Geometry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Turmon, Michael; Tang, Benyang; Howard, Andrew; Brjaracharya, Max

2010-01-01

Based only on its appearance in imagery, this program uses close-range 3D terrain analysis to produce training data sufficient to estimate the traversability of terrain beyond 3D sensing range. This approach is called learning from stereo (LFS). In effect, the software transfers knowledge from middle distances, where 3D geometry provides training cues, into the far field where only appearance is available. This is a viable approach because the same obstacle classes, and sometimes the same obstacles, are typically present in the mid-field and the farfield. Learning thus extends the effective look-ahead distance of the sensors.

Exploring Ways of Influencing Transport Behaviors by Using Telecommunications Technologies

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2004-06-01

Information technology can facilitate substitution and modification of transportation behaviors. Distance Learning (DL) can replace library work, meetings, and some traditional face-to-face class meetings. For off-campus full-time students, and for p...

Making distance education accessible for students who are deaf and hard-of-hearing.

PubMed

Erath, Allison S; Larkin, Vivian M

2004-01-01

Distance education is based on providing learning "anytime, anywhere." The design of many distance education courses, however, may actually erect barriers to the full participation of some students with disabilities, particularly those with hearing impairments. Without careful consideration, distance education could become learning anytime, anywhere, but not for anybody. It is not only unethical, but also illegal to ignore the special needs of these learners. The specific impact of such legislation on distance education for those students with hearing impairments will be addressed. Students with disabilities are often faced with a double digital divide that must be bridged. Universal design uses an excellent proactive approach to closing this digital divide caused by inaccessible courses. Each medium of transmission in distance education poses unique access barriers. Even within the same medium, what is best for one student or class may not be the most ideal accommodation in another situation. Individualized accommodation methods will be examined, and specific technologies and software will be discussed.

Manifold Preserving: An Intrinsic Approach for Semisupervised Distance Metric Learning.

PubMed

Ying, Shihui; Wen, Zhijie; Shi, Jun; Peng, Yaxin; Peng, Jigen; Qiao, Hong

2017-05-18

In this paper, we address the semisupervised distance metric learning problem and its applications in classification and image retrieval. First, we formulate a semisupervised distance metric learning model by considering the metric information of inner classes and interclasses. In this model, an adaptive parameter is designed to balance the inner metrics and intermetrics by using data structure. Second, we convert the model to a minimization problem whose variable is symmetric positive-definite matrix. Third, in implementation, we deduce an intrinsic steepest descent method, which assures that the metric matrix is strictly symmetric positive-definite at each iteration, with the manifold structure of the symmetric positive-definite matrix manifold. Finally, we test the proposed algorithm on conventional data sets, and compare it with other four representative methods. The numerical results validate that the proposed method significantly improves the classification with the same computational efficiency.

Distance learning in discriminative vector quantization.

PubMed

Schneider, Petra; Biehl, Michael; Hammer, Barbara

2009-10-01

Discriminative vector quantization schemes such as learning vector quantization (LVQ) and extensions thereof offer efficient and intuitive classifiers based on the representation of classes by prototypes. The original methods, however, rely on the Euclidean distance corresponding to the assumption that the data can be represented by isotropic clusters. For this reason, extensions of the methods to more general metric structures have been proposed, such as relevance adaptation in generalized LVQ (GLVQ) and matrix learning in GLVQ. In these approaches, metric parameters are learned based on the given classification task such that a data-driven distance measure is found. In this letter, we consider full matrix adaptation in advanced LVQ schemes. In particular, we introduce matrix learning to a recent statistical formalization of LVQ, robust soft LVQ, and we compare the results on several artificial and real-life data sets to matrix learning in GLVQ, a derivation of LVQ-like learning based on a (heuristic) cost function. In all cases, matrix adaptation allows a significant improvement of the classification accuracy. Interestingly, however, the principled behavior of the models with respect to prototype locations and extracted matrix dimensions shows several characteristic differences depending on the data sets.

Remote Sensing Tertiary Education Meets High Intensity Interval Training

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joyce, K. E.; White, B.

2015-04-01

Enduring a traditional lecture is the tertiary education equivalent of a long, slow, jog. There are certainly some educational benefits if the student is able to maintain concentration, but they are just as likely to get caught napping and fall off the back end of the treadmill. Alternatively, a pre-choreographed interactive workshop style class requires students to continually engage with the materials. Appropriately timed breaks or intervals allow students to recover briefly before being increasingly challenged throughout the class. Using an introductory remote sensing class at Charles Darwin University, this case study presents a transition from the traditional stand and deliver style lecture to an active student-led learning experience. The class is taught at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, with both on-campus as well as online distance learning students. Based on the concept that active engagement in learning materials promotes 'stickiness' of subject matter, the remote sensing class was re-designed to encourage an active style of learning. Critically, class content was reviewed to identify the key learning outcomes for the students. This resulted in a necessary sacrifice of topic range for depth of understanding. Graduates of the class reported high levels of enthusiasm for the materials, and the style in which the class was taught. This paper details a number of techniques that were used to engage students in active and problem based learning throughout the semester. It suggests a number of freely available tools that academics in remote sensing and related fields can readily incorporate into their teaching portfolios. Moreover, it shows how simple it can be to provide a far more enjoyable and effective learning experience for students than the one dimensional lecture.

Distance learning and toxicology: new horizons for Paracelsus.

PubMed

Huggins, Jane; Morris, John; Peterson, C Erik

2005-09-01

Distance learning offers many advantages to students and teachers of almost any scientific discipline. Toxicology is no exception. For example, should Paracelsus be interested in learning more about toxicology at Drexel University, he would have the opportunity to take two courses in this subject utilizing the content management software, WebCT. The two courses would offer a website from which he could view and/or download his notes for each class. He could correspond with the instructor as well as fellow students, participate in discussions about timely topics, and make presentations to the class, all via electronic communication. Moreover, his examinations would also be computerized. Although he might have the option of attending traditional "face-to-face" lectures with other students in the class, he could also access these lectures at any time from a remote location by using the archive of taped lectures on the class website. Overall, Paracelsus would have access to many tools to enhance his understanding of toxicology, and he probably would never have to worry about parking before class (!). The two WebCT modules in toxicology that we have developed at Drexel represent the successful migration of two courses from a traditional "face-to-face" model of classroom instruction to hybrid models that combine "face-to-face" interaction with online instruction. Student and faculty evaluations of these courses have been very positive. Future plans include linking the two modules together so that students in the advanced class can do "review" or "remedial" work in the basic module. Furthermore, a library of video clips is also planned in which researchers will be discussing their work on various toxicologic topics. Students will be able to access these clips as resources from which to write research papers.

Distance learning and toxicology: New horizons for Paracelsus

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Huggins, Jane; Morris, John; Peterson, C. Erik

2005-09-01

Distance learning offers many advantages to students and teachers of almost any scientific discipline. Toxicology is no exception. For example, should Paracelsus be interested in learning more about toxicology at Drexel University, he would have the opportunity to take two courses in this subject utilizing the content management software, WebCT. The two courses would offer a website from which he could view and/or download his notes for each class. He could correspond with the instructor as well as fellow students, participate in discussions about timely topics, and make presentations to the class, all via electronic communication. Moreover, his examinations wouldmore » also be computerized. Although he might have the option of attending traditional 'face-to-face' lectures with other students in the class, he could also access these lectures at any time from a remote location by using the archive of taped lectures on the class website. Overall, Paracelsus would have access to many tools to enhance his understanding of toxicology, and he probably would never have to worry about parking before class ({exclamation_point}). The two WebCT modules in toxicology that we have developed at Drexel represent the successful migration of two courses from a traditional 'face-to-face' model of classroom instruction to hybrid models that combine 'face-to-face' interaction with online instruction. Student and faculty evaluations of these courses have been very positive. Future plans include linking the two modules together so that students in the advanced class can do 'review' or 'remedial' work in the basic module. Furthermore, a library of video clips is also planned in which researchers will be discussing their work on various toxicologic topics. Students will be able to access these clips as resources from which to write research papers.« less

Off the Shelf and out of the Box: Saving Time, Meeting Outcomes and Reaching Students with Information Literacy Modules

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kelley, Jennifer

2012-01-01

As institutions of higher learning rapidly expand their offerings of online, hybrid and other distance learning opportunities for their students, librarians must adapt, adopt and improve information literacy instruction methods to accommodate instructors they may never meet and classes they may never see. Many responses to these challenges, such…

Implicit Learning of Recursive Context-Free Grammars

PubMed Central

Rohrmeier, Martin; Fu, Qiufang; Dienes, Zoltan

2012-01-01

Context-free grammars are fundamental for the description of linguistic syntax. However, most artificial grammar learning experiments have explored learning of simpler finite-state grammars, while studies exploring context-free grammars have not assessed awareness and implicitness. This paper explores the implicit learning of context-free grammars employing features of hierarchical organization, recursive embedding and long-distance dependencies. The grammars also featured the distinction between left- and right-branching structures, as well as between centre- and tail-embedding, both distinctions found in natural languages. People acquired unconscious knowledge of relations between grammatical classes even for dependencies over long distances, in ways that went beyond learning simpler relations (e.g. n-grams) between individual words. The structural distinctions drawn from linguistics also proved important as performance was greater for tail-embedding than centre-embedding structures. The results suggest the plausibility of implicit learning of complex context-free structures, which model some features of natural languages. They support the relevance of artificial grammar learning for probing mechanisms of language learning and challenge existing theories and computational models of implicit learning. PMID:23094021

Science. [SITE 2001 Section].

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roach, Linda E., Ed.

This document contains the following papers on science from the SITE (Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education) 2001 conference: (1) "Using a Computer Simulation before Dissection To Help Students Learn Anatomy" (Joseph Paul Akpan and Thomas Andre); (2) "EARTH2CLASS: A Unique Workshop/On-Line/Distance-Learning…

A Hierarchy of Needs for a Virtual Class.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beise, Catherine; Wynekoop, Judy

Distance Learning (DL) initiatives are proceeding full speed ahead, both within traditional universities and in "virtual" institutions specializing in on-line course delivery. Much has been written about the virtues and limitations, the obstacles and enablers, and the "Do's" and "Don'ts" of DL. However, considerable…

Educational Challenges and Research Opportunities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gans, Dian Althea

1997-01-01

Suggests that teaching and research should not be antithetical in the undergraduate science classroom. Describes an approach to teaching human nutrition as a distance education class via interactive television (ITV). Reports on a survey that explored similarities and differences in demographics, learning, and/or behavioral change between ITV and…

Designing the Undesignable: Social Software and Control

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dron, Jon

2007-01-01

Social software, such as blogs, wikis, tagging systems and collaborative filters, treats the group as a first-class object within the system. Drawing from theories of transactional distance and control, this paper proposes a model of e-learning that extends traditional concepts of learner-teacher-content interactions to include these emergent…

Time, Space, and Dialogue in a Distance-Learning Class Discussion Board

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kabat, Katalin J.

2014-01-01

The present study investigates the temporal elements affecting asynchronous discussion board messages over a semester, ways in which time is contextualized in space and content, and students' spatio-temporal practices within fixed frames. The theoretical framework uses Lefebvre's rhythm analysis, Bakhtin's chronotope, and…

Learner's Satisfaction: A Case Study on IGNOU's Engineering Diploma Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Venkateshwarlu, Neelam; Agarwal, Ashish

2016-01-01

Open and Distance Learning (ODL) system is different from conventional education system. ODL system imparts education through multiple media and techniques to equalize the class room education. Unlike the conventional system, the distant learners (students, adults, employed persons, etc.) may face some problems during their course of study. In…

Distance Learning as a Training and Education Tool.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hosley, David L.; Randolph, Sherry L.

Lockheed Space Operations Company's Technical Training Department provides certification classes to personnel at other National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Centers. Courses are delivered over the Kennedy Space Center's Video Teleconferencing System (ViTS). The ViTS system uses two-way compressed video and two-way audio between…

Retrieval evaluation and distance learning from perceived similarity between endomicroscopy videos.

PubMed

André, Barbara; Vercauteren, Tom; Buchner, Anna M; Wallace, Michael B; Ayache, Nicholas

2011-01-01

Evaluating content-based retrieval (CBR) is challenging because it requires an adequate ground-truth. When the available groundtruth is limited to textual metadata such as pathological classes, retrieval results can only be evaluated indirectly, for example in terms of classification performance. In this study we first present a tool to generate perceived similarity ground-truth that enables direct evaluation of endomicroscopic video retrieval. This tool uses a four-points Likert scale and collects subjective pairwise similarities perceived by multiple expert observers. We then evaluate against the generated ground-truth a previously developed dense bag-of-visual-words method for endomicroscopic video retrieval. Confirming the results of previous indirect evaluation based on classification, our direct evaluation shows that this method significantly outperforms several other state-of-the-art CBR methods. In a second step, we propose to improve the CBR method by learning an adjusted similarity metric from the perceived similarity ground-truth. By minimizing a margin-based cost function that differentiates similar and dissimilar video pairs, we learn a weight vector applied to the visual word signatures of videos. Using cross-validation, we demonstrate that the learned similarity distance is significantly better correlated with the perceived similarity than the original visual-word-based distance.

Heterogeneous Multi-Metric Learning for Multi-Sensor Fusion

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-07-01

distance”. One of the most widely used methods is the k-nearest neighbor ( KNN ) method [4], which labels an input data sample to be the class with majority...despite of its simplicity, it can be an effective candidate and can be easily extended to handle multiple sensors. Distance based method such as KNN relies...Neighbor (LMNN) method [21] which will be briefly reviewed in the sequel. LMNN method tries to learn an optimal metric specifically for KNN classifier. The

Videoconferencing and other distance education techniques in chemoinformatics teaching and research at Indiana University.

PubMed

Wild, David J; Wiggins, Gary D

2006-01-01

At a time when the demand for people with expertise in chemoinformatics is increasing, there is still only a very small number of academic institutions that offer chemoinformatics-related classes and degrees. The distance education (DE) approach allows both learning and research to be carried out at multiple geographic locations and institutions, thus leveraging the few educational offerings that are available. In this paper, distance education techniques and technologies (with emphasis on videoconferencing) are reviewed, and examples of how they are used to increase the accessibility of chemoinformatics education and research at the Indiana University School of Informatics are presented.

Distance education: The Introduction to College Chemistry course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rice, Lisa A.

The purpose of this study was to compare a group of students in a traditional introductory college chemistry course to their distance learning counterparts. Both of the groups were required to have videotaped lessons and workbooks, but the traditional group met for two and one half hours each week with the instructor, whereas the distance students were not obligated to attend classroom meetings. The same instructor taught both of the groups and both were given equal access opportunities to the instructor beyond class meetings. The literature review included in this study indicated that distance learning has changed from a less popular alternative method for study to the forefront in modern academic institutions. The two target populations for this study were students enrolled in the Edison Community College Introduction to College Chemistry videotaped course and students taking the same course in a traditional setting. The study was conducted over a two consecutive semester interval, from August 2002 through May 2003. These two groups were compared on a number of items including gender, student attitudes about their own learning style, ethnicity, and final course grade. Information regarding attrition and reasons for choosing to take the course was collected. The results of this study found a significant difference in the number of students who withdrew from each course, with the distance students having the greater attrition rate. Gender and ethnicity were not significant in terms of student success when comparing the two groups. The self-reported behavior types showed no significant correlation to success for either the traditional or the distance students. However, many of the distance students felt that meeting occasionally for a face-to-face laboratory course would have been beneficial. Suggested applications of this study include strategies for a more successful distance learning experience for students. Also, laboratory courses such as chemistry have some inherent concerns that institutions must consider before offering such a course in a distance modality.

Smart Classroom: Bringing Pervasive Computing into Distance Learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Yuanchun; Qin, Weijun; Suo, Yue; Xiao, Xin

In recent years, distance learning has increasingly become one of themost important applications on the internet and is being discussed and studied by various universities, institutes and companies. The Web/Internet provides relatively easy ways to publish hyper-linked multimedia content for more audiences. Yet, we find that most of the courseware are simply shifted from textbook to HTML files. However, in ost cases the teacher's live instruction is very important for catching the attention and interest of the students. That's why Real-Time Interactive Virtual Classroom (RTIVC) always plays an indispensable role in distance learning, where teachers nd students located in different places can take part in the class synchronously through certain multimedia communication systems and obtain real-time and mediarich interactions using Pervasive Computing technologies [1]. The Classroom 2000 project [2] at GIT has been devoted to the automated capturing of the classroom experience. Likewise, the Smart Classroom project [3] at our institute is focused on Tele-education. Most currently deployed real-time Tele-education systems are desktop-based, in which the teacher's experience is totally different from teaching in a real classroom.

Teaching and learning experiences in a collaborative distance-education environment.

PubMed

Martin, Peter; Scheetz, Laura Temple

2011-01-01

The Great Plains Distance Education Alliance (Great Plains IDEA) emphasizes the importance of a collaborative environment for instructors and students in distance education. The authors highlight a number of important principles for distance-education programs and point out similarities and differences when compared to traditional face-face-to classes such as communication, classroom management, connectivity, and technical challenges. They summarize general topics concerning the faculty, the syllabus, office hours, the calendar, and announcements. Three essential lesson components are noted: an overview, the lesson itself, and supplemanetary material. The authors also take the student perspective, emphasizing the diversity of students, the importance of computer proficiency, and student interactions. Finally, they summarize a first round of course evaluations in the Great Plains IDEA gerontology master's program.

A Blended Model: Simultaneously Teaching a Quantitative Course Traditionally, Online, and Remotely

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lightner, Constance A.; Lightner-Laws, Carin A.

2016-01-01

As universities seek to bolster enrollment through distance education, faculty are tasked with maintaining comparable teaching/learning standards in traditional, blended, and online courses. Research has shown that there is an achievement gap between students taking courses exclusively offered online versus those enrolled in face-to-face classes.…

The Effectiveness of Interactivity in Multimedia Software Tutorials

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whitman, Lisa

2013-01-01

Many people face the challenge of finding effective computer-based software instruction, including employees who must learn how to use software applications for their job and students of distance education classes. Therefore, it is important to conduct research on how computer-based multimedia software tutorials should be designed so they are as…

Clean Water in the Pacific. [Videotape]. PRELSTAR: A Pacific Islands Distance Learning Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pacific Resources for Education and Learning, Honolulu, HI.

This 11-minute videotape and poster can be used for interactive instruction in grades 6-12 science classes. Issues examined in this videotape include preserving precious water resources, protecting the environment from pollutants caused by urban and agricultural development and industry within changing lifestyles, and ensuring the availability of…

Biology 100: A Task-Centered, Peer-Interactive Redesign

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Francom, Greg; Bybee, David; Wolfersberger, Mark; Merrill, M. David

2009-01-01

Brigham Young University-Hawaii (BYU-Hawaii) has students from over 70 countries attending classes. One of BYU-Hawaii's current aims is to increase the effectiveness of course instruction and help students take more responsibility for their own learning as they look to increase distance education offerings to students in different countries.…

Color Image Classification Using Block Matching and Learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kondo, Kazuki; Hotta, Seiji

In this paper, we propose block matching and learning for color image classification. In our method, training images are partitioned into small blocks. Given a test image, it is also partitioned into small blocks, and mean-blocks corresponding to each test block are calculated with neighbor training blocks. Our method classifies a test image into the class that has the shortest total sum of distances between mean blocks and test ones. We also propose a learning method for reducing memory requirement. Experimental results show that our classification outperforms other classifiers such as support vector machine with bag of keypoints.

Attention Recognition in EEG-Based Affective Learning Research Using CFS+KNN Algorithm.

PubMed

Hu, Bin; Li, Xiaowei; Sun, Shuting; Ratcliffe, Martyn

2018-01-01

The research detailed in this paper focuses on the processing of Electroencephalography (EEG) data to identify attention during the learning process. The identification of affect using our procedures is integrated into a simulated distance learning system that provides feedback to the user with respect to attention and concentration. The authors propose a classification procedure that combines correlation-based feature selection (CFS) and a k-nearest-neighbor (KNN) data mining algorithm. To evaluate the CFS+KNN algorithm, it was test against CFS+C4.5 algorithm and other classification algorithms. The classification performance was measured 10 times with different 3-fold cross validation data. The data was derived from 10 subjects while they were attempting to learn material in a simulated distance learning environment. A self-assessment model of self-report was used with a single valence to evaluate attention on 3 levels (high, neutral, low). It was found that CFS+KNN had a much better performance, giving the highest correct classification rate (CCR) of % for the valence dimension divided into three classes.

Co-Creating a Culturally Responsive Distance Education Cancer Course with, and for, Alaska's Community Health Workers: Motivations from a Survey of Key Stakeholders.

PubMed

Cueva, Katie; Revels, Laura; Kuhnley, Regina; Cueva, Melany; Lanier, Anne; Dignan, Mark

2017-09-01

To gain input on a proposed culturally responsive, distance-delivered cancer education course informed by empowerment theory and adult-learning principles, Alaska's Community Health Aides/Practitioners (CHA/Ps) and CHA/P leadership were invited to take an online survey in February 2015. The proposed course will be developed as part of the "Distance Education to Engage Alaskan Community Health Aides in Cancer Control" project. The results of the survey demonstrate that respondents are both interested in taking the proposed class and engaging in course development. The results also indicate that respondents have the technological comfort and capacity to be engaged in online learning and have primarily positive experiences and perceptions of distance education. This survey is the beginning of the interactive development of the online cancer education course and part of a continuing endeavor to promote wellness with, and for, Alaska's people by empowering Alaska's CHA/Ps and inspiring positive behavioral change to both prevent cancer and support those who feel its burdens.

Utilizing Software Application Tools to Enhance Online Student Engagement and Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andersson, David; Reimers, Karl

2010-01-01

The field of education is experiencing a rapid shift as internet-enabled distance learning becomes more widespread. Often, traditional classroom teaching pedagogical techniques can be ill-suited to the online environment. While a traditional entry-level class might see a student attrition rate of 5-10%, the same teaching pedagogy in an online…

Location Does Not Have to Be Destiny: Student Evaluation and Integrity Controls in a Management Accounting Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldwater, Paul M.; Fogarty, Timothy J.

2012-01-01

As accounting education transitions to more distance-learning formats, the integrity of student evaluation continues to serve as an obstacle to adoption. Greater technological possibilities will be opposed if faculty members believe that testing is compromised. This article investigates whether students taking exams remotely (and under no…

Distance Education in Social Work: An Evaluation of an Undergraduate Course on Family Violence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walsh, Christine Ann; Baynton, Myra

2012-01-01

Social work is a discipline that emphasizes personal contact and has traditionally been taught face-to-face. This paper examines whether online learning is appropriate for educating social workers about family violence. It describes a newly-developed online course in family violence and evaluates its effectiveness. Two surveys of the class and an…

OpenCourseWare Resources for Advanced High School Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carson, Steve

2008-01-01

In 2000, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) faculty first proposed putting the course materials from all 1,800 MIT classes online, free of charge. The idea behind MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW) was to use the Internet for more than just distance learning. When MIT began placing the course materials online in 2002 and 2003, the audience…

Applying Machine Learning to Star Cluster Classification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fedorenko, Kristina; Grasha, Kathryn; Calzetti, Daniela; Mahadevan, Sridhar

2016-01-01

Catalogs describing populations of star clusters are essential in investigating a range of important issues, from star formation to galaxy evolution. Star cluster catalogs are typically created in a two-step process: in the first step, a catalog of sources is automatically produced; in the second step, each of the extracted sources is visually inspected by 3-to-5 human classifiers and assigned a category. Classification by humans is labor-intensive and time consuming, thus it creates a bottleneck, and substantially slows down progress in star cluster research.We seek to automate the process of labeling star clusters (the second step) through applying supervised machine learning techniques. This will provide a fast, objective, and reproducible classification. Our data is HST (WFC3 and ACS) images of galaxies in the distance range of 3.5-12 Mpc, with a few thousand star clusters already classified by humans as a part of the LEGUS (Legacy ExtraGalactic UV Survey) project. The classification is based on 4 labels (Class 1 - symmetric, compact cluster; Class 2 - concentrated object with some degree of asymmetry; Class 3 - multiple peak system, diffuse; and Class 4 - spurious detection). We start by looking at basic machine learning methods such as decision trees. We then proceed to evaluate performance of more advanced techniques, focusing on convolutional neural networks and other Deep Learning methods. We analyze the results, and suggest several directions for further improvement.

Design for learning - a case study of blended learning in a science unit.

PubMed

Gleadow, Roslyn; Macfarlan, Barbara; Honeydew, Melissa

2015-01-01

Making material available through learning management systems is standard practice in most universities, but this is generally seen as an adjunct to the 'real' teaching, that takes place in face-to-face classes. Lecture attendance is poor, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to engage students, both in the material being taught and campus life. This paper describes the redevelopment of a large course in scientific practice and communication that is compulsory for all science students studying at our Melbourne and Malaysian campuses, or by distance education. Working with an educational designer, a blended learning methodology was developed, converting the environment provided by the learning management system into a teaching space, rather than a filing system. To ensure focus, topics are clustered into themes with a 'question of the week', a pre-class stimulus and follow up activities. The content of the course did not change, but by restructuring the delivery using educationally relevant design techniques, the content was contextualised resulting in an integrated learning experience. Students are more engaged intellectually, and lecture attendance has improved. The approach we describe here is a simple and effective approach to bringing this university's teaching and learning into the 21 (st) century.

Acceptance of clickers in a large multimodal biochemistry class as determined by student evaluations of teaching: Are they just an annoying distraction for distance students?

PubMed

Miles, Nathan G; Soares da Costa, Tatiana P

2016-01-01

A student response system (clickers) was introduced into a second year introductory biochemistry class to improve student engagement and performance. The class was delivered in both internal and distance education (DE) modes, with the DE students receiving recordings of the lectures (including clicker activities). However, there was concern over the use of clickers in internal classes as it may be alienating or distracting to DE students while reviewing the recordings of these lectures. In order to examine students' attitudes toward clickers, closed- and open-ended questions were examined in the student evaluations of teaching (SET). Understanding attitudes of internal and DE students is especially important as differences may exist between these groups due to the different learning environments they experience. Approximately 45% of students completed the surveys, of which 88%-91% provided written comments. Of the written comments, 18% of DE students and 22% of internal students provided unsolicited comments about clickers. Interestingly, no difference was observed in the themes identified in the comments between cohorts. The key themes included 1) clickers were beneficial for learning (and increased knowledge), 2) clickers were engaging/fun, and 3) clickers could have been used more widely. Overall, based on this study, it was believed that clicker usage was not seen as negative activity by DE students and it was worth continuing to use clickers in teaching the large multimodal class studied here. However, there is a need to investigate the potential of new and emerging technologies to provide more interactive experiences for DE students. © 2015 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Improving access to services and interactions with clients in Guatemala: the value of distance learning.

PubMed

Brambila, Carlos; Lopez, Felipe; Garcia-Colindres, Julio; Donis, Marco Vinicio

2005-04-01

To develop and test a distance-learning programme to improve the quality and efficiency of family planning services in Guatemala. The setting was rural family planning services in Guatemala. The study design was quasi-experimental with one intervention and one control group and with pre- and post-intervention measures. Two staff members from each of 20 randomly selected health districts were trained as leaders of the training programme. In turn, the 40 trainers trained a total of 240 service providers, under the supervision of four health area facilitators. The results were compared with 20 randomly selected control health districts. The intervention was a distance-learning programme including 40 in-class hours followed by 120 inservice practice hours spread over a 4-month period. Distinctively, the programme used a cascade approach to training, intensive supervision, and close monitoring and evaluation. Patient flow analysis was used to determine number of contacts, waiting times, and the interaction time between service providers and clients. Consultation observations were used to assess the quality and completeness of reproductive health information and services received by clients. The intervention showed a positive impact on reducing the number of contacts before the consultation and client waiting times. More complete services and better quality services were provided at intervention clinics. Some, but not all, of the study objectives were attained. The long-term impact of the intervention is as yet unknown. Distance-learning programmes are an effective methodology for training health professionals in rural areas.

Distance Learning Materials for Elementary Astronomy with Lab

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castle, K. G.

2004-05-01

I have developed a distance learning astronomy course with an integral lab. The materials for this course are available from the site below. Test and quiz contents can be obtained upon request In this distance-learning format, students take quizzes online, tests in person and meet with the instructor for assistance. Student activities include homework, laboratory exercises and observing projects using household and community resources. This course (Astro 128) has been approved to fulfill general education requirements for University of California and the California State University system. Materials include instructions and reference materials for measuring parallax, analyzing radial velocity and light curves, finding ages of star clusters, tracking planets, recording sunrise or sunset time, simulating lunar phases, assessing lunar feature ages, classifying stellar spectra from tracings, and classifying galaxy morphology. Students analyze actual astronomical data from the literature in many cases. A comparatively large number of observational examples allows each student to work with a unique assignment. Course management includes a calendar where students schedule meetings with the instructor and WebCT test, quiz and grade maintenance. Course materials are supplied with links to data sets in PDF. This class was developed with technical assistance from the Instructional Technology Department at Diablo Valley College.

Discriminant projective non-negative matrix factorization.

PubMed

Guan, Naiyang; Zhang, Xiang; Luo, Zhigang; Tao, Dacheng; Yang, Xuejun

2013-01-01

Projective non-negative matrix factorization (PNMF) projects high-dimensional non-negative examples X onto a lower-dimensional subspace spanned by a non-negative basis W and considers W(T) X as their coefficients, i.e., X≈WW(T) X. Since PNMF learns the natural parts-based representation Wof X, it has been widely used in many fields such as pattern recognition and computer vision. However, PNMF does not perform well in classification tasks because it completely ignores the label information of the dataset. This paper proposes a Discriminant PNMF method (DPNMF) to overcome this deficiency. In particular, DPNMF exploits Fisher's criterion to PNMF for utilizing the label information. Similar to PNMF, DPNMF learns a single non-negative basis matrix and needs less computational burden than NMF. In contrast to PNMF, DPNMF maximizes the distance between centers of any two classes of examples meanwhile minimizes the distance between any two examples of the same class in the lower-dimensional subspace and thus has more discriminant power. We develop a multiplicative update rule to solve DPNMF and prove its convergence. Experimental results on four popular face image datasets confirm its effectiveness comparing with the representative NMF and PNMF algorithms.

Discriminant Projective Non-Negative Matrix Factorization

PubMed Central

Guan, Naiyang; Zhang, Xiang; Luo, Zhigang; Tao, Dacheng; Yang, Xuejun

2013-01-01

Projective non-negative matrix factorization (PNMF) projects high-dimensional non-negative examples X onto a lower-dimensional subspace spanned by a non-negative basis W and considers WT X as their coefficients, i.e., X≈WWT X. Since PNMF learns the natural parts-based representation Wof X, it has been widely used in many fields such as pattern recognition and computer vision. However, PNMF does not perform well in classification tasks because it completely ignores the label information of the dataset. This paper proposes a Discriminant PNMF method (DPNMF) to overcome this deficiency. In particular, DPNMF exploits Fisher's criterion to PNMF for utilizing the label information. Similar to PNMF, DPNMF learns a single non-negative basis matrix and needs less computational burden than NMF. In contrast to PNMF, DPNMF maximizes the distance between centers of any two classes of examples meanwhile minimizes the distance between any two examples of the same class in the lower-dimensional subspace and thus has more discriminant power. We develop a multiplicative update rule to solve DPNMF and prove its convergence. Experimental results on four popular face image datasets confirm its effectiveness comparing with the representative NMF and PNMF algorithms. PMID:24376680

[AN EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE BASED ON CLICKERS].

PubMed

García Rodríguez, Jose Juan; Lara Domínguez, Pilar A; Torres Pérez, Luis Francisco

2015-05-01

Active learning or self-learning increases the student's participation and commitment to his studies; these conditions are necessary to improve academic performance. An intervention has been designed based on the experience in the use of clickers in other universities, but without the actual technology. This work has been performed in the School of Nursing affiliated to the University of Malaga (UMA) on students enrolled in their second year of Degree in Adult Nursing Course I. Three sessions of multiple-choice questions were scheduled on the subject "distance learning" in which master classes were not taught. The answers were collected on paper templates. We wanted to determine the degree of relationship between the attendance of sessions and the results obtained by students in the final examination of the subject, as well as, the questions dedicated to assess the "distance learning" matter. The results support a significant statistical difference in the correct answers by students according to the number of sessions attended. These differences are highest among students who did not attend any session and those who attended the three planned sessions.

The diabolo classifier

PubMed

Schwenk

1998-11-15

We present a new classification architecture based on autoassociative neural networks that are used to learn discriminant models of each class. The proposed architecture has several interesting properties with respect to other model-based classifiers like nearest-neighbors or radial basis functions: it has a low computational complexity and uses a compact distributed representation of the models. The classifier is also well suited for the incorporation of a priori knowledge by means of a problem-specific distance measure. In particular, we will show that tangent distance (Simard, Le Cun, & Denker, 1993) can be used to achieve transformation invariance during learning and recognition. We demonstrate the application of this classifier to optical character recognition, where it has achieved state-of-the-art results on several reference databases. Relations to other models, in particular those based on principal component analysis, are also discussed.

Reconstruction based finger-knuckle-print verification with score level adaptive binary fusion.

PubMed

Gao, Guangwei; Zhang, Lei; Yang, Jian; Zhang, Lin; Zhang, David

2013-12-01

Recently, a new biometrics identifier, namely finger knuckle print (FKP), has been proposed for personal authentication with very interesting results. One of the advantages of FKP verification lies in its user friendliness in data collection. However, the user flexibility in positioning fingers also leads to a certain degree of pose variations in the collected query FKP images. The widely used Gabor filtering based competitive coding scheme is sensitive to such variations, resulting in many false rejections. We propose to alleviate this problem by reconstructing the query sample with a dictionary learned from the template samples in the gallery set. The reconstructed FKP image can reduce much the enlarged matching distance caused by finger pose variations; however, both the intra-class and inter-class distances will be reduced. We then propose a score level adaptive binary fusion rule to adaptively fuse the matching distances before and after reconstruction, aiming to reduce the false rejections without increasing much the false acceptances. Experimental results on the benchmark PolyU FKP database show that the proposed method significantly improves the FKP verification accuracy.

Learning in the model space for cognitive fault diagnosis.

PubMed

Chen, Huanhuan; Tino, Peter; Rodan, Ali; Yao, Xin

2014-01-01

The emergence of large sensor networks has facilitated the collection of large amounts of real-time data to monitor and control complex engineering systems. However, in many cases the collected data may be incomplete or inconsistent, while the underlying environment may be time-varying or unformulated. In this paper, we develop an innovative cognitive fault diagnosis framework that tackles the above challenges. This framework investigates fault diagnosis in the model space instead of the signal space. Learning in the model space is implemented by fitting a series of models using a series of signal segments selected with a sliding window. By investigating the learning techniques in the fitted model space, faulty models can be discriminated from healthy models using a one-class learning algorithm. The framework enables us to construct a fault library when unknown faults occur, which can be regarded as cognitive fault isolation. This paper also theoretically investigates how to measure the pairwise distance between two models in the model space and incorporates the model distance into the learning algorithm in the model space. The results on three benchmark applications and one simulated model for the Barcelona water distribution network confirm the effectiveness of the proposed framework.

Symmetrical compression distance for arrhythmia discrimination in cloud-based big-data services.

PubMed

Lillo-Castellano, J M; Mora-Jiménez, I; Santiago-Mozos, R; Chavarría-Asso, F; Cano-González, A; García-Alberola, A; Rojo-Álvarez, J L

2015-07-01

The current development of cloud computing is completely changing the paradigm of data knowledge extraction in huge databases. An example of this technology in the cardiac arrhythmia field is the SCOOP platform, a national-level scientific cloud-based big data service for implantable cardioverter defibrillators. In this scenario, we here propose a new methodology for automatic classification of intracardiac electrograms (EGMs) in a cloud computing system, designed for minimal signal preprocessing. A new compression-based similarity measure (CSM) is created for low computational burden, so-called weighted fast compression distance, which provides better performance when compared with other CSMs in the literature. Using simple machine learning techniques, a set of 6848 EGMs extracted from SCOOP platform were classified into seven cardiac arrhythmia classes and one noise class, reaching near to 90% accuracy when previous patient arrhythmia information was available and 63% otherwise, hence overcoming in all cases the classification provided by the majority class. Results show that this methodology can be used as a high-quality service of cloud computing, providing support to physicians for improving the knowledge on patient diagnosis.

Lunatics in Introductory Physics: Using Collectivized Student Moon Position Observations To Teach Basic Orbital Mechanics In Calculus Based Introductory Physics.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bottorff, Mark

2012-01-01

A large (74 student) calculus based physics class was required to make observations of the moon over two lunar cycles using a small telescope equipped with mechanical setting circles. The data was collectivized and then analyzed in the laboratory to determine the period of the moon and to search for evidence of the eccentricity of the moon's orbit. These results were used in conjunction with the simple pendulum experiment in which the students inferred the acceleration due to gravity. The student inferred lunar orbital period and acceleration due to gravity (augmented with the radius of the Earth) enabled the students to infer the average Earth to moon distance. Class lectures, activities, and homework on gravitation and orbits were tailored to this observational activity thereby forming a learning module. A basic physics and orbital mechanics knowledge questionnaire was administered before and after the learning module. The resulting learning gains are reported here.

Design for learning – a case study of blended learning in a science unit

PubMed Central

Gleadow, Roslyn; Macfarlan, Barbara; Honeydew, Melissa

2015-01-01

Making material available through learning management systems is standard practice in most universities, but this is generally seen as an adjunct to the ‘real’ teaching, that takes place in face-to-face classes. Lecture attendance is poor, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to engage students, both in the material being taught and campus life. This paper describes the redevelopment of a large course in scientific practice and communication that is compulsory for all science students studying at our Melbourne and Malaysian campuses, or by distance education. Working with an educational designer, a blended learning methodology was developed, converting the environment provided by the learning management system into a teaching space, rather than a filing system. To ensure focus, topics are clustered into themes with a ‘question of the week’, a pre-class stimulus and follow up activities. The content of the course did not change, but by restructuring the delivery using educationally relevant design techniques, the content was contextualised resulting in an integrated learning experience. Students are more engaged intellectually, and lecture attendance has improved. The approach we describe here is a simple and effective approach to bringing this university’s teaching and learning into the 21 st century. PMID:26594348

Effects of Seating Location and Stereoscopic Display on Learning Outcomes in an Introductory Physical Geography Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hirmas, Daniel R.; Slocum, Terry; Halfen, Alan F.; White, Travis; Zautner, Eric; Atchley, Paul; Liu, Huan; Johnson, William C.; Egbert, Stephen; McDermott, Dave

2014-01-01

Recently, the use of stereoscopic three-dimensional (3-D) projection displays has increased in geoscience education. One concern in employing 3-D projection systems in large lecture halls, however, is that the 3-D effect is reported to diminish with increased angle and distance from the stereoscopic display. The goal of this work was to study that…

Multiclass Continuous Correspondence Learning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bue, Brian D,; Thompson, David R.

2011-01-01

We extend the Structural Correspondence Learning (SCL) domain adaptation algorithm of Blitzer er al. to the realm of continuous signals. Given a set of labeled examples belonging to a 'source' domain, we select a set of unlabeled examples in a related 'target' domain that play similar roles in both domains. Using these 'pivot samples, we map both domains into a common feature space, allowing us to adapt a classifier trained on source examples to classify target examples. We show that when between-class distances are relatively preserved across domains, we can automatically select target pivots to bring the domains into correspondence.

Fuzziness-based active learning framework to enhance hyperspectral image classification performance for discriminative and generative classifiers

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

Hyperspectral image classification with a limited number of training samples without loss of accuracy is desirable, as collecting such data is often expensive and time-consuming. However, classifiers trained with limited samples usually end up with a large generalization error. To overcome the said problem, we propose a fuzziness-based active learning framework (FALF), in which we implement the idea of selecting optimal training samples to enhance generalization performance for two different kinds of classifiers, discriminative and generative (e.g. SVM and KNN). The optimal samples are selected by first estimating the boundary of each class and then calculating the fuzziness-based distance between each sample and the estimated class boundaries. Those samples that are at smaller distances from the boundaries and have higher fuzziness are chosen as target candidates for the training set. Through detailed experimentation on three publically available datasets, we showed that when trained with the proposed sample selection framework, both classifiers achieved higher classification accuracy and lower processing time with the small amount of training data as opposed to the case where the training samples were selected randomly. Our experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed method, which equates favorably with the state-of-the-art methods. PMID:29304512

Distance learning in academic health education.

PubMed

Mattheos, N; Schittek, M; Attström, R; Lyon, H C

2001-05-01

Distance learning is an apparent alternative to traditional methods in education of health care professionals. Non-interactive distance learning, interactive courses and virtual learning environments exist as three different generations in distance learning, each with unique methodologies, strengths and potential. Different methodologies have been recommended for distance learning, varying from a didactic approach to a problem-based learning procedure. Accreditation, teamwork and personal contact between the tutors and the students during a course provided by distance learning are recommended as motivating factors in order to enhance the effectiveness of the learning. Numerous assessment methods for distance learning courses have been proposed. However, few studies report adequate tests for the effectiveness of the distance-learning environment. Available information indicates that distance learning may significantly decrease the cost of academic health education at all levels. Furthermore, such courses can provide education to students and professionals not accessible by traditional methods. Distance learning applications still lack the support of a solid theoretical framework and are only evaluated to a limited extent. Cases reported so far tend to present enthusiastic results, while more carefully-controlled studies suggest a cautious attitude towards distance learning. There is a vital need for research evidence to identify the factors of importance and variables involved in distance learning. The effectiveness of distance learning courses, especially in relation to traditional teaching methods, must therefore be further investigated.

Discriminant locality preserving projections based on L1-norm maximization.

PubMed

Zhong, Fujin; Zhang, Jiashu; Li, Defang

2014-11-01

Conventional discriminant locality preserving projection (DLPP) is a dimensionality reduction technique based on manifold learning, which has demonstrated good performance in pattern recognition. However, because its objective function is based on the distance criterion using L2-norm, conventional DLPP is not robust to outliers which are present in many applications. This paper proposes an effective and robust DLPP version based on L1-norm maximization, which learns a set of local optimal projection vectors by maximizing the ratio of the L1-norm-based locality preserving between-class dispersion and the L1-norm-based locality preserving within-class dispersion. The proposed method is proven to be feasible and also robust to outliers while overcoming the small sample size problem. The experimental results on artificial datasets, Binary Alphadigits dataset, FERET face dataset and PolyU palmprint dataset have demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Learning about light and optics in on-line general education classes using at-home experimentation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Millspaw, Jacob; Wang, Gang; Masters, Mark F.

2014-07-01

College students are facing a constantly evolving educational system. Some still see mostly the traditional face to face lecture type classes where as others may never set foot on campus thanks to distance learning programs. In between they may enroll in a mix of face-to-face, two-way broadcasted interactive courses, streaming lecture courses, hybrid face-to-face/ on-line courses and the ominous MOOC! A large number of these non-traditional courses are general education courses and play an important role in developing non-science majors' understanding of science in general, and of physics in particular. We have been keeping pace with theses modern modes of instruction by offering several on-line courses such as Physics for Computer Graphics and Animation and Light and Color. These courses cover basic concepts in light, color and optics.

Distance learning ects and flipped classroom in the anatomy learning: comparative study of the use of augmented reality, video and notes.

PubMed

Ferrer-Torregrosa, Javier; Jiménez-Rodríguez, Miguel Ángel; Torralba-Estelles, Javier; Garzón-Farinós, Fernanda; Pérez-Bermejo, Marcelo; Fernández-Ehrling, Nadia

2016-09-01

The establishment of the ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) is one of the pillars of the European Space of Higher Education. This way of accounting for the time spent in training has two essential parts, classroom teaching (work with the professor) and distance learning (work without the professor, whether in an individual or collective way). Much has been published on the distance learning part, but less on the classroom teaching section. In this work, the authors investigate didactic strategies and associated aids for distance learning work in a concept based on flipped classroom where transmitting information is carried out with aids that the professor prepares, so that the student works in an independent way before the classes, thus being able to dedicate the classroom teaching time to more complex learning and being able to count on the professor's help. Three teaching aids applied to the study of anatomy have been compared: Notes with images, videos, and augmented reality. Four dimensions have been compared: the time spent, the acquired learnings, the metacognitive perception, and the prospects of the use of augmented reality for study. The results show the effectiveness, in all aspects, of augmented reality when compared with the rest of aids. The questionnaire assessed the acquired knowledge through a course exam, where 5.60 points were obtained for the notes group, 6.54 for the video group, and 7.19 for the augmented reality group. That is 0.94 more points for the video group compared with the notes and 1.59 more points for the augmented reality group compared with the notes group. This research demonstrates that, although technology has not been sufficiently developed for education, it is expected that it can be improved in both the autonomous work of the student and the academic training of health science students and that we can teach how to learn. Moreover, one can see how the grades of the students who studied with augmented reality are more grouped and that there is less dispersion in the marks compared with other materials.

The Influence of Personality and Chronotype on Distance Learning Willingness and Anxiety among Vocational High School Students in Turkey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Randler, Christoph; Horzum, Mehmet Baris; Vollmer, Christian

2014-01-01

There are many studies related to distance learning. Willingness and anxiety are important variables for distance learning. Recent research has shown that anxiety and willingness towards distance learning are moderated by personality. This study sought to investigate whether distance learning willingness and distance learning anxiety are…

Noise levels of dental equipment used in dental college of Damascus University.

PubMed

Qsaibati, Mhd Loutify; Ibrahim, Ousama

2014-11-01

In dental practical classes, the acoustic environment is characterized by high noise levels in relation to other teaching areas. The aims of this study were to measure noise levels produced during the different dental learning clinics, by equipments used in dental learning areas under different working conditions and by used and brand new handpieces under different working conditions. The noise levels were measured by using a noise level meter with a microphone, which was placed at a distance of 15 cm from a main noise source in pre-clinical and clinical areas. In laboratories, the microphone was placed at a distance of 15 cm and another reading was taken 2 m away. Noise levels of dental learning clinics were measured by placing noise level meter at clinic center. The data were collected, tabulated and statistically analyzed using t-tests. Significance level was set at 5%. In dental clinics, the highest noise was produced by micro motor handpiece while cutting on acrylic (92.2 dB) and lowest noise (51.7 dB) was created by ultrasonic scaler without suction pump. The highest noise in laboratories was caused by sandblaster (96 dB at a distance of 15 cm) and lowest noise by stone trimmer when only turned on (61.8 dB at a distance of 2 m). There was significant differences in noise levels of the equipment's used in dental laboratories and dental learning clinics (P = 0.007). The highest noise level recorded in clinics was at pedodontic clinic (67.37 dB). Noise levels detected in this study were considered to be close to the limit of risk of hearing loss 85 dB.

Noise levels of dental equipment used in dental college of Damascus University

PubMed Central

Qsaibati, Mhd. Loutify; Ibrahim, Ousama

2014-01-01

Background: In dental practical classes, the acoustic environment is characterized by high noise levels in relation to other teaching areas. The aims of this study were to measure noise levels produced during the different dental learning clinics, by equipments used in dental learning areas under different working conditions and by used and brand new handpieces under different working conditions. Materials and Methods: The noise levels were measured by using a noise level meter with a microphone, which was placed at a distance of 15 cm from a main noise source in pre-clinical and clinical areas. In laboratories, the microphone was placed at a distance of 15 cm and another reading was taken 2 m away. Noise levels of dental learning clinics were measured by placing noise level meter at clinic center. The data were collected, tabulated and statistically analyzed using t-tests. Significance level was set at 5%. Results: In dental clinics, the highest noise was produced by micro motor handpiece while cutting on acrylic (92.2 dB) and lowest noise (51.7 dB) was created by ultrasonic scaler without suction pump. The highest noise in laboratories was caused by sandblaster (96 dB at a distance of 15 cm) and lowest noise by stone trimmer when only turned on (61.8 dB at a distance of 2 m). There was significant differences in noise levels of the equipment's used in dental laboratories and dental learning clinics (P = 0.007). The highest noise level recorded in clinics was at pedodontic clinic (67.37 dB). Conclusions: Noise levels detected in this study were considered to be close to the limit of risk of hearing loss 85 dB. PMID:25540655

Distance Training in the European Union. ZIFF Papiere 96.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keegan, Desmond

A study examined distance training in the European Union (EU) countries. First, recent literature on the following topics was reviewed: technology-supported learning, flexible and distance learning, development of open distance learning, and teleconferencing and distance learning. Next, enrollments and trends in distance learning in the EU as a…

Viral peptides-MHC interaction: Binding probability and distance from human peptides.

PubMed

Santoni, Daniele

2018-05-23

Identification of peptides binding to MHC class I complex can play a crucial role in retrieving potential targets able to trigger an immune response. Affinity binding of viral peptides can be estimated through effective computational methods that in the most of cases are based on machine learning approach. Achieving a better insight into peptide features that impact on the affinity binding rate is a challenging issue. In the present work we focused on 9-mer peptides of Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 and Human herpes simplex virus 1, studying their binding to MHC class I. Viral 9-mers were partitioned into different classes, where each class is characterized by how far (in terms of mutation steps) the peptides belonging to that class are from human 9-mers. Viral 9-mers were partitioned in different classes, based on the number of mutation steps they are far from human 9-mers. We showed that the overall binding probability significantly differs among classes, and it typically increases as the distance, computed in terms of number of mutation steps from the human set of 9-mers, increases. The binding probability is particularly high when considering viral 9-mers that are far from all human 9-mers more than three mutation steps. A further evidence, providing significance to those special viral peptides and suggesting a potential role they can play, comes from the analysis of their distribution along viral genomes, as it revealed they are not randomly located, but they preferentially occur in specific genes. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Generalization of cross-modal stimulus equivalence classes: operant processes as components in human category formation.

PubMed Central

Lane, S D; Clow, J K; Innis, A; Critchfield, T S

1998-01-01

This study employed a stimulus-class rating procedure to explore whether stimulus equivalence and stimulus generalization can combine to promote the formation of open-ended categories incorporating cross-modal stimuli. A pretest of simple auditory discrimination indicated that subjects (college students) could discriminate among a range of tones used in the main study. Before beginning the main study, 10 subjects learned to use a rating procedure for categorizing sets of stimuli as class consistent or class inconsistent. After completing conditional discrimination training with new stimuli (shapes and tones), the subjects demonstrated the formation of cross-modal equivalence classes. Subsequently, the class-inclusion rating procedure was reinstituted, this time with cross-modal sets of stimuli drawn from the equivalence classes. On some occasions, the tones of the equivalence classes were replaced by novel tones. The probability that these novel sets would be rated as class consistent was generally a function of the auditory distance between the novel tone and the tone that was explicitly included in the equivalence class. These data extend prior work on generalization of equivalence classes, and support the role of operant processes in human category formation. PMID:9821680

Linear discriminant analysis based on L1-norm maximization.

PubMed

Zhong, Fujin; Zhang, Jiashu

2013-08-01

Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) is a well-known dimensionality reduction technique, which is widely used for many purposes. However, conventional LDA is sensitive to outliers because its objective function is based on the distance criterion using L2-norm. This paper proposes a simple but effective robust LDA version based on L1-norm maximization, which learns a set of local optimal projection vectors by maximizing the ratio of the L1-norm-based between-class dispersion and the L1-norm-based within-class dispersion. The proposed method is theoretically proved to be feasible and robust to outliers while overcoming the singular problem of the within-class scatter matrix for conventional LDA. Experiments on artificial datasets, standard classification datasets and three popular image databases demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed method.

APPLICATION OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES IN MEDICAL EDUCATION

PubMed Central

Al-Tamimi, Dalal M.

2003-01-01

The recognition that information and communication technologies should play an increasingly important role in medical education is a key to educating physicians in the 21st century. Computer use in medical education includes, Internet hypermedia/multimedia technologies, medical informatics, distance learning and telemedicine. Adaptation to the use of these technologies should ideally start from the elementary school level. Medical schools must introduce medical informatics courses very early in the medical curriculum. Teachers will need regular CME courses to prepare and update themselves with the changing circumstances. Our infrastructure must be prepared for the new developments with computer labs, basic skill labs, close circuit television facilities, virtual class rooms, smart class rooms, simulated teaching facilities, and distance teaching by tele-techniques. Our existing manpower including, doctors, nurses, technicians, librarians, and administration personal require hands-on training, while new recruitment will have to emphasize compulsory knowledge of and familiarity with information technology. This paper highlights these subjects in detail as a means to prepare us to meet the challenges of the 21st century. PMID:23011983

Cross-sensor iris recognition through kernel learning.

PubMed

Pillai, Jaishanker K; Puertas, Maria; Chellappa, Rama

2014-01-01

Due to the increasing popularity of iris biometrics, new sensors are being developed for acquiring iris images and existing ones are being continuously upgraded. Re-enrolling users every time a new sensor is deployed is expensive and time-consuming, especially in applications with a large number of enrolled users. However, recent studies show that cross-sensor matching, where the test samples are verified using data enrolled with a different sensor, often lead to reduced performance. In this paper, we propose a machine learning technique to mitigate the cross-sensor performance degradation by adapting the iris samples from one sensor to another. We first present a novel optimization framework for learning transformations on iris biometrics. We then utilize this framework for sensor adaptation, by reducing the distance between samples of the same class, and increasing it between samples of different classes, irrespective of the sensors acquiring them. Extensive evaluations on iris data from multiple sensors demonstrate that the proposed method leads to improvement in cross-sensor recognition accuracy. Furthermore, since the proposed technique requires minimal changes to the iris recognition pipeline, it can easily be incorporated into existing iris recognition systems.

Nursing student perceptions of community in online learning.

PubMed

Gallagher-Lepak, Susan; Reilly, Janet; Killion, Cheryl M

2009-01-01

Nursing faculty need to understand the unique aspects of online learning environments and develop new pedagogies for teaching in the virtual classroom. The concept of community is important in online learning and a strong sense of community can enhance student engagement and improve learning outcomes in online courses. Student perceptions of community in online learning environments were explored in this study. Five focus group sessions were held and online nursing students were asked to give examples of experiences related to sense of community. Fifteen major themes emerged: class structure, required participation, teamwork, technology, becoming, commonalities, disconnects, mutual exchange, online etiquette, informal discussions, aloneness, trepidation, unknowns, nonverbal communication and anonymity. Themes sorted into the categories of structural, processual and emotional factors. Theme descriptions show how sense of community can be enhanced and/or diminished in online courses. This study adds depth and detail to the limited body of research on sense of community in distance education in nursing courses.

Has Distance Learning Become More Flexible? Reflections of a Distance Learning Student

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, Theda

2012-01-01

This paper provides insight into the way in which distance learning had changed over the past 30 years from the perspective of the author as a distance learning student. The question is then asked as to whether current practice is reducing flexibility for distance learning students? The paper starts with a discussion of flexible learning and the…

Training of trainers for community primary health care workers.

PubMed

Cernada, G P

1983-01-01

Training community-based health care workers in "developing" countries is essential to improving the quality of life in both rural and urban areas. Two major obstacles to such training are the tremendous social distance gap between these community workers and their more highly-educated and upper-class trainers (often medical officers) and the didactic, formal educational system. Bridging this gap demands a participant-centered, field-oriented approach which actively involves the trainee in the design, implementation and evaluation of the training program. A description of a philosophic learning approach based on self-initiated change, educational objectives related to planning, organizing, conducting and evaluating training, and specific learning methodologies utilizing participatory learning, non-formal educational techniques, field experience, continuing feedback and learner participation are reviewed. Included are: role playing, story telling, case studies, self-learning and simulation exercises, visuals, and Portapak videotape.

Pedagogical monitoring as a tool to reduce dropout in distance learning in family health.

PubMed

de Castro E Lima Baesse, Deborah; Grisolia, Alexandra Monteiro; de Oliveira, Ana Emilia Figueiredo

2016-08-22

This paper presents the results of a study of the Monsys monitoring system, an educational support tool designed to prevent and control the dropout rate in a distance learning course in family health. Developed by UNA-SUS/UFMA, Monsys was created to enable data mining in the virtual learning environment known as Moodle. This is an exploratory study using documentary and bibliographic research and analysis of the Monsys database. Two classes (2010 and 2011) were selected as research subjects, one with Monsys intervention and the other without. The samples were matched (using a ration of 1:1) by gender, age, marital status, graduation year, previous graduation status, location and profession. Statistical analysis was performed using the chi-square test and a multivariate logistic regression model with a 5 % significance level. The findings show that the dropout rate in the class in which Monsys was not employed (2010) was 43.2 %. However, the dropout rate in the class of 2011, in which the tool was employed as a pedagogical team aid, was 30.6 %. After statistical adjustment, the Monsys monitoring system remained in correlation with the course completion variable (adjusted OR = 1.74, IC95% = 1.17-2.59; p = 0.005), suggesting that the use of the Monsys tool, isolated to the adjusted variables, can enhance the likelihood that students will complete the course. Using the chi-square test, a profile analysis of students revealed a higher completion rate among women (67.7 %) than men (52.2 %). Analysis of age demonstrated that students between 40 and 49 years dropped out the least (32.1 %) and, with regard to professional training, nurses have the lowest dropout rates (36.3 %). The use of Monsys significantly reduced the dropout, with results showing greater association between the variables denoting presence of the monitoring system and female gender.

Long-range dismount activity classification: LODAC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garagic, Denis; Peskoe, Jacob; Liu, Fang; Cuevas, Manuel; Freeman, Andrew M.; Rhodes, Bradley J.

2014-06-01

Continuous classification of dismount types (including gender, age, ethnicity) and their activities (such as walking, running) evolving over space and time is challenging. Limited sensor resolution (often exacerbated as a function of platform standoff distance) and clutter from shadows in dense target environments, unfavorable environmental conditions, and the normal properties of real data all contribute to the challenge. The unique and innovative aspect of our approach is a synthesis of multimodal signal processing with incremental non-parametric, hierarchical Bayesian machine learning methods to create a new kind of target classification architecture. This architecture is designed from the ground up to optimally exploit correlations among the multiple sensing modalities (multimodal data fusion) and rapidly and continuously learns (online self-tuning) patterns of distinct classes of dismounts given little a priori information. This increases classification performance in the presence of challenges posed by anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) sensing. To fuse multimodal features, Long-range Dismount Activity Classification (LODAC) develops a novel statistical information theoretic approach for multimodal data fusion that jointly models multimodal data (i.e., a probabilistic model for cross-modal signal generation) and discovers the critical cross-modal correlations by identifying components (features) with maximal mutual information (MI) which is efficiently estimated using non-parametric entropy models. LODAC develops a generic probabilistic pattern learning and classification framework based on a new class of hierarchical Bayesian learning algorithms for efficiently discovering recurring patterns (classes of dismounts) in multiple simultaneous time series (sensor modalities) at multiple levels of feature granularity.

Student-to-Student Interaction in Distance Education Classes: What Do Graduate Students Want?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, Gary E.; Warner, Wendy J.; Jones, David W. W.

2016-01-01

This research sought to determine if graduate students taking distance education classes desire student-to-student interaction. Over 200 graduate students who completed one or more distance education graduate classes in agricultural and extension education from North Carolina State University during the past three years were surveyed. While some…

A comparative study for chest radiograph image retrieval using binary texture and deep learning classification.

PubMed

Anavi, Yaron; Kogan, Ilya; Gelbart, Elad; Geva, Ofer; Greenspan, Hayit

2015-08-01

In this work various approaches are investigated for X-ray image retrieval and specifically chest pathology retrieval. Given a query image taken from a data set of 443 images, the objective is to rank images according to similarity. Different features, including binary features, texture features, and deep learning (CNN) features are examined. In addition, two approaches are investigated for the retrieval task. One approach is based on the distance of image descriptors using the above features (hereon termed the "descriptor"-based approach); the second approach ("classification"-based approach) is based on a probability descriptor, generated by a pair-wise classification of each two classes (pathologies) and their decision values using an SVM classifier. Best results are achieved using deep learning features in a classification scheme.

Relationships among student attitudes, motivation, learning styles, learning strategies, patterns of learning, and achievement: A formative evaluation of distance education via Web-based courses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shih, Ching-Chun

The World Wide Web (WWW) is the latest in a long line of educational technologies, and the list of courses on it is growing daily. Formative evaluations would help educators enhance teaching and learning in Web-based courses. This study analyzed the relationships between student achievement and the following variables: attitudes, motivation, learning strategies, patterns of learning, learning styles, and selected demographics. It was a population study that included 99 students taking two non-major introductory biology courses offered over the WWW by Iowa State University in the fall of 1997. Seventy-four (75%) students completed a learning style test, an on-line questionnaire, and received a grade by the end of the semester. The learning style test was the Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT), which classified students as either field-dependent or field-independent. The on-line questionnaire consisted of four scales (attitude, motivation, learning strategies, and patterns of learning), whose pilot-test reliabilities ranged from .71 to .91. The selected demographic variables were gender, class level, previous experience in subject area, hours per week studying and working, computer access, and types of students as off-campus, on-campus, or adult students. Over two-thirds of the students taking the Web-based courses were field-independent learners; however, there were no significant differences (.05 level) in achievement by learning style. Also, different backgrounds of students with different learning styles learned equally well in Web-based courses. The students enjoyed the convenience and self-controlled learning pace and were motivated by competition and high expectations in Web-based learning. They used most the learning strategies of finding important ideas from lectures and memorizing key words of important concepts and least the learning strategy of making charts or tables to organize the material. They seemed more interested in checking their grades than in communicating with the class and instructors via e-mail, discussion netforum or chat netforum. Motivation and learning strategies were the two significant factors that explained more than one-third of student achievement measured by class grade. Educators should assist students in mastering different motivational and learning strategies to help them become self-regulated learners.

Inclusive Approach to the Psycho-Pedagogical Assistance of Distance Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akhmetova, Daniya Z.

2014-01-01

Author focuses on three groups of problems: quality of distance learning and e-learning; necessity to develop the facilitation skills for teachers who work using distance learning technologies; realization of inclusive approach for the organization of distance learning in inclusive groups where people with disabilities study with people without…

Improving the accuracy of k-nearest neighbor using local mean based and distance weight

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Syaliman, K. U.; Nababan, E. B.; Sitompul, O. S.

2018-03-01

In k-nearest neighbor (kNN), the determination of classes for new data is normally performed by a simple majority vote system, which may ignore the similarities among data, as well as allowing the occurrence of a double majority class that can lead to misclassification. In this research, we propose an approach to resolve the majority vote issues by calculating the distance weight using a combination of local mean based k-nearest neighbor (LMKNN) and distance weight k-nearest neighbor (DWKNN). The accuracy of results is compared to the accuracy acquired from the original k-NN method using several datasets from the UCI Machine Learning repository, Kaggle and Keel, such as ionosphare, iris, voice genre, lower back pain, and thyroid. In addition, the proposed method is also tested using real data from a public senior high school in city of Tualang, Indonesia. Results shows that the combination of LMKNN and DWKNN was able to increase the classification accuracy of kNN, whereby the average accuracy on test data is 2.45% with the highest increase in accuracy of 3.71% occurring on the lower back pain symptoms dataset. For the real data, the increase in accuracy is obtained as high as 5.16%.

The impact of teachers' approaches to teaching and students' learning styles on students' approaches to learning in college online biology courses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hong, Yuh-Fong

With the rapid growth of online courses in higher education institutions, research on quality of learning for online courses is needed. However, there is a notable lack of research in the cited literature providing evidence that online distance education promotes the quality of independent learning to which it aspires. Previous studies focused on academic outcomes and technology applications which do not monitor students' learning processes, such as their approaches to learning. Understanding students' learning processes and factors influencing quality of learning will provide valuable information for instructors and institutions in providing quality online courses and programs. The purpose of this study was to identify and investigate college biology teachers' approaches to teaching and students' learning styles, and to examine the impact of approaches to teaching and learning styles on students' approaches to learning via online instruction. Data collection included eighty-seven participants from five online biology courses at a community college in the southern area of Texas. Data analysis showed the following results. First, there were significant differences in approaches to learning among students with different learning styles. Second, there was a significant difference in students' approaches to learning between classes using different approaches to teaching. Three, the impact of learning styles on students' approaches to learning was not influenced by instructors' approaches to teaching. Two conclusions were obtained from the results. First, individuals with the ability to perceive information abstractly might be more likely to adopt deep approaches to learning than those preferring to perceive information through concrete experience in online learning environments. Second, Teaching Approach Inventory might not be suitable to measure approaches to teaching for online biology courses due to online instructional design and technology limitations. Based on the findings and conclusions of this study, implications for distance education and future research are described.

Distance Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Orey, Michael; Koenecke, Lynne; Snider, Richard C.; Perkins, Ross A.; Holmes, Glen A.; Lockee, Barbara B.; Moller, Leslie A.; Harvey, Douglas; Downs, Margaret; Godshalk, Veronica M.

2003-01-01

Contains four articles covering trends and issues on distance learning including: the experience of two learners learning via the Internet; a systematic approach to determining the scalability of a distance education program; identifying factors that affect learning community development and performance in asynchronous distance education; and…

46 CFR 10.412 - Distance and e-learning.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 46 Shipping 1 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Distance and e-learning. 10.412 Section 10.412 Shipping... CREDENTIAL Training Courses and Programs § 10.412 Distance and e-learning. The Coast Guard may allow the training of mariners by means of distance learning and e-learning in accordance with the standards of...

Self-Regulated Learning Ability of Chinese Distance Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhao, Hong; Chen, Li; Panda, Santosh

2014-01-01

This study reports on self-regulated learning (SRL) of Chinese distance learners by using a structured SRL scale. SRL of adult and lifelong learners is a well-researched area, though its application within distance education is a new area of investigation. Open and distance learning lean heavily on self-learning and self-learning resources, though…

Learning characteristics of veterinary technology students in a distance-education and an on-campus program.

PubMed

Varnhagen, Connie K; Wright, David L

2008-01-01

Distance-education programs have the potential to greatly increase the number of veterinary technicians. The demographic characteristics, readiness for independent and online learning, learning styles, and academic locus of control of a group of distance-education and on-campus veterinary technology students were examined. Distance-education students preferred independent learning and were more internally motivated to learn. Distance-education students with greater degrees of independence and internal motivation participated more fully, were more satisfied with their learning, and achieved higher grades. Students who preferred problem solving and active experimentation were particularly successful in distance education. These findings could have important implications for advising students interested in distance-education programs.

Enrollment in Distance Education Classes Is Associated with Fewer Enrollment Gaps among Nontraditional Undergraduate Students in the US

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pontes, Manuel C. F.; Pontes, Nancy M. H.

2012-01-01

The purpose of this research is to determine whether nontraditional undergraduate students in the US who enroll in distance education classes are less likely to have an enrollment gap (enrollment gap=part year enrollment). Previous research has shown that preference for distance education classes is significantly greater among nontraditional than…

Video-based face recognition via convolutional neural networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bao, Tianlong; Ding, Chunhui; Karmoshi, Saleem; Zhu, Ming

2017-06-01

Face recognition has been widely studied recently while video-based face recognition still remains a challenging task because of the low quality and large intra-class variation of video captured face images. In this paper, we focus on two scenarios of video-based face recognition: 1)Still-to-Video(S2V) face recognition, i.e., querying a still face image against a gallery of video sequences; 2)Video-to-Still(V2S) face recognition, in contrast to S2V scenario. A novel method was proposed in this paper to transfer still and video face images to an Euclidean space by a carefully designed convolutional neural network, then Euclidean metrics are used to measure the distance between still and video images. Identities of still and video images that group as pairs are used as supervision. In the training stage, a joint loss function that measures the Euclidean distance between the predicted features of training pairs and expanding vectors of still images is optimized to minimize the intra-class variation while the inter-class variation is guaranteed due to the large margin of still images. Transferred features are finally learned via the designed convolutional neural network. Experiments are performed on COX face dataset. Experimental results show that our method achieves reliable performance compared with other state-of-the-art methods.

Joint learning of labels and distance metric.

PubMed

Liu, Bo; Wang, Meng; Hong, Richang; Zha, Zhengjun; Hua, Xian-Sheng

2010-06-01

Machine learning algorithms frequently suffer from the insufficiency of training data and the usage of inappropriate distance metric. In this paper, we propose a joint learning of labels and distance metric (JLLDM) approach, which is able to simultaneously address the two difficulties. In comparison with the existing semi-supervised learning and distance metric learning methods that focus only on label prediction or distance metric construction, the JLLDM algorithm optimizes the labels of unlabeled samples and a Mahalanobis distance metric in a unified scheme. The advantage of JLLDM is multifold: 1) the problem of training data insufficiency can be tackled; 2) a good distance metric can be constructed with only very few training samples; and 3) no radius parameter is needed since the algorithm automatically determines the scale of the metric. Extensive experiments are conducted to compare the JLLDM approach with different semi-supervised learning and distance metric learning methods, and empirical results demonstrate its effectiveness.

MO-DE-BRA-04: Hands-On Fluoroscopy Safety Training with Real-Time Patient and Staff Dosimetry

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vanderhoek, M; Bevins, N

Purpose: Fluoroscopically guided interventions (FGI) are routinely performed across many different hospital departments. However, many involved staff members have minimal training regarding safe and optimal use of fluoroscopy systems. We developed and taught a hands-on fluoroscopy safety class incorporating real-time patient and staff dosimetry in order to promote safer and more optimal use of fluoroscopy during FGI. Methods: The hands-on fluoroscopy safety class is taught in an FGI suite, unique to each department. A patient equivalent phantom is set on the patient table with an ion chamber positioned at the x-ray beam entrance to the phantom. This provides a surrogatemore » measure of patient entrance dose. Multiple solid state dosimeters (RaySafe i2 dosimetry systemTM) are deployed at different distances from the phantom (0.1, 1, 3 meters), which provide surrogate measures of staff dose. Instructors direct participating clinical staff to operate the fluoroscopy system as they view live fluoroscopic images, patient entrance dose, and staff doses in real-time. During class, instructors work with clinical staff to investigate how patient entrance dose, staff doses, and image quality are affected by different parameters, including pulse rate, magnification, collimation, beam angulation, imaging mode, system geometry, distance, and shielding. Results: Real-time dose visualization enables clinical staff to directly see and learn how to optimize their use of their own fluoroscopy system to minimize patient and staff dose, yet maintain sufficient image quality for FGI. As a direct result of the class, multiple hospital departments have implemented changes to their imaging protocols, including reduction of the default fluoroscopy pulse rate and increased use of collimation and lower dose fluoroscopy modes. Conclusion: Hands-on fluoroscopy safety training substantially benefits from real-time patient and staff dosimetry incorporated into the class. Real-time dose display helps clinical staff visualize, internalize, and ultimately utilize the safety techniques learned during the training. RaySafe/Unfors/Fluke lent us a portable version of their RaySafe i2 Dosimetry System for 6 months.« less

Distance and Face-to-Face Learning Culture and Values: A Conceptual Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tejeda-Delgado, Carmen; Millan, Brett J.; Slate, John R.

2011-01-01

With distance learning increasing in popularity across the country and the world, a review of the extant literature as it relates to distance learning and face-to-face learning is warranted. In particular, this paper examined distance learning, including a historical overview, prevailing themes in past research, and studies relating the importance…

49 CFR 175.706 - Separation distances for undeveloped film from packages containing Class 7 (radioactive) materials.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 49 Transportation 2 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Separation distances for undeveloped film from... Classification of Material § 175.706 Separation distances for undeveloped film from packages containing Class 7... film. Transport index Minimum separation distance to nearest undeveloped film for various times in...

49 CFR 175.706 - Separation distances for undeveloped film from packages containing Class 7 (radioactive) materials.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 49 Transportation 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Separation distances for undeveloped film from... Classification of Material § 175.706 Separation distances for undeveloped film from packages containing Class 7... film. Transport index Minimum separation distance to nearest undeveloped film for various times in...

49 CFR 175.706 - Separation distances for undeveloped film from packages containing Class 7 (radioactive) materials.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 49 Transportation 2 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Separation distances for undeveloped film from... Classification of Material § 175.706 Separation distances for undeveloped film from packages containing Class 7... film. Transport index Minimum separation distance to nearest undeveloped film for various times in...

49 CFR 175.706 - Separation distances for undeveloped film from packages containing Class 7 (radioactive) materials.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 49 Transportation 2 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Separation distances for undeveloped film from... Classification of Material § 175.706 Separation distances for undeveloped film from packages containing Class 7... film. Transport index Minimum separation distance to nearest undeveloped film for various times in...

Analysing designed experiments in distance sampling

Treesearch

Stephen T. Buckland; Robin E. Russell; Brett G. Dickson; Victoria A. Saab; Donal N. Gorman; William M. Block

2009-01-01

Distance sampling is a survey technique for estimating the abundance or density of wild animal populations. Detection probabilities of animals inherently differ by species, age class, habitats, or sex. By incorporating the change in an observer's ability to detect a particular class of animals as a function of distance, distance sampling leads to density estimates...

49 CFR 175.706 - Separation distances for undeveloped film from packages containing Class 7 (radioactive) materials.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Separation distances for undeveloped film from... Classification of Material § 175.706 Separation distances for undeveloped film from packages containing Class 7... film. Transport index Minimum separation distance to nearest undeveloped film for various times in...

International Perspectives of Distance Learning in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, Joi L., Ed.; Benson, Angela D., Ed.

2012-01-01

This book, written by authors representing 12 countries and five continents, is a collection of international perspectives on distance learning and distance learning implementations in higher education. The perspectives are presented in the form of practical case studies of distance learning implementations, research studies on teaching and…

Internet-Based Distance Learning in Higher Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hofmann, Donald W.

2002-01-01

Suggests that the effectiveness of Internet-based distance learning has increased with its increased popularity. Looks at the differences between the effectiveness of Internet-based distance learning and traditional methods. Indicates that distance learning is more effective because of the necessity for students to become active learners.…

Distance Education and Distance Learning: Some Psychological Considerations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cropley, Arthur J.; Kahl, Thomas N.

1983-01-01

Compares and contrasts distance education and face-to-face education in terms of selected psychological dimensions, i.e., organization and learning, motivation, learning and communication processes, didactic activities and materials, and evaluation and feedback. Psychological aspects of distance education that may be favorable to learning are also…

Evaluation of a distance-learning immunology and pathology module in a postgraduate biomedical science course.

PubMed

Ryan, M T; Mulholland, C W

2005-01-01

An electronic presentation of materials for a distance-learning immunology and pathology module from a postgraduate biomedical science course is evaluated. Two different electronic presentation formats for the delivery of the educational material to distance learners are assessed. Responses from users of this material highlighted a preference for a format that has a design tailored to distance learning. There was no significant difference in learning outcome between those taking the module on campus and by distance learning. This suggests that the prerequisites for entry, learning materials and direction given to the students studying by distance learning are adequate for these students to achieve the learning objectives outlined in the course. The evaluation also gave direction for areas within the (CAL) application that can be improved for future students.

Multimodal Discriminative Binary Embedding for Large-Scale Cross-Modal Retrieval.

PubMed

Wang, Di; Gao, Xinbo; Wang, Xiumei; He, Lihuo; Yuan, Bo

2016-10-01

Multimodal hashing, which conducts effective and efficient nearest neighbor search across heterogeneous data on large-scale multimedia databases, has been attracting increasing interest, given the explosive growth of multimedia content on the Internet. Recent multimodal hashing research mainly aims at learning the compact binary codes to preserve semantic information given by labels. The overwhelming majority of these methods are similarity preserving approaches which approximate pairwise similarity matrix with Hamming distances between the to-be-learnt binary hash codes. However, these methods ignore the discriminative property in hash learning process, which results in hash codes from different classes undistinguished, and therefore reduces the accuracy and robustness for the nearest neighbor search. To this end, we present a novel multimodal hashing method, named multimodal discriminative binary embedding (MDBE), which focuses on learning discriminative hash codes. First, the proposed method formulates the hash function learning in terms of classification, where the binary codes generated by the learned hash functions are expected to be discriminative. And then, it exploits the label information to discover the shared structures inside heterogeneous data. Finally, the learned structures are preserved for hash codes to produce similar binary codes in the same class. Hence, the proposed MDBE can preserve both discriminability and similarity for hash codes, and will enhance retrieval accuracy. Thorough experiments on benchmark data sets demonstrate that the proposed method achieves excellent accuracy and competitive computational efficiency compared with the state-of-the-art methods for large-scale cross-modal retrieval task.

A Delphi Study on Collaborative Learning in Distance Education: The Faculty Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Neill, Susan; Scott, Murray; Conboy, Kieran

2011-01-01

This paper focuses on the factors that influence collaborative learning in distance education. Distance education has been around for many years and the use of collaborative learning techniques in distance education is becoming increasingly popular. Several studies have demonstrated the superiority of collaborative learning over traditional modes…

Distance Learning in Higher Education. CHEA Update Number 3.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Council for Higher Education Accreditation, Washington, DC.

This report discusses issues related to distance learning in higher education. Section 1, "The Expanding Universe of Distance Learning," examines: data from a new national survey on higher education distance learning; Internet access in elementary and secondary schools; the 1999 national survey of information technology in higher…

7 CFR 1700.31 - Distance Learning and Telemedicine Loan and Grant Program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 11 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Distance Learning and Telemedicine Loan and Grant... § 1700.31 Distance Learning and Telemedicine Loan and Grant Program. RUS, through the Telecommunications Program, makes grants and loans to furnish and improve telemedicine services and distance learning...

Tidewater Community College Distance Learning Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tidewater Community Coll., Norfolk, VA.

This study of distance learning at Tidewater Community College (TCC) was conducted to determine enrollment patterns, retention, and success in distance learning courses and student perceptions. Distance learning was defined as students enrolled in one of three modes of course delivery: telecourse, online, and compressed video. The time frame for…

7 CFR 1700.31 - Distance Learning and Telemedicine Loan and Grant Program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 11 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Distance Learning and Telemedicine Loan and Grant... § 1700.31 Distance Learning and Telemedicine Loan and Grant Program. RUS, through the Telecommunications Program, makes grants and loans to furnish and improve telemedicine services and distance learning...

7 CFR 1700.31 - Distance Learning and Telemedicine Loan and Grant Program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 11 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Distance Learning and Telemedicine Loan and Grant... § 1700.31 Distance Learning and Telemedicine Loan and Grant Program. RUS, through the Telecommunications Program, makes grants and loans to furnish and improve telemedicine services and distance learning...

7 CFR 1700.31 - Distance Learning and Telemedicine Loan and Grant Program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 11 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Distance Learning and Telemedicine Loan and Grant... § 1700.31 Distance Learning and Telemedicine Loan and Grant Program. RUS, through the Telecommunications Program, makes grants and loans to furnish and improve telemedicine services and distance learning...

7 CFR 1700.31 - Distance Learning and Telemedicine Loan and Grant Program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 11 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Distance Learning and Telemedicine Loan and Grant... § 1700.31 Distance Learning and Telemedicine Loan and Grant Program. RUS, through the Telecommunications Program, makes grants and loans to furnish and improve telemedicine services and distance learning...

Distance Learning: A Way of Life-Long Learning

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-09-01

promise of future benefits. 15. SUBJECT TERMS training, educational technology , distributed learning , distance learning , collaboration, online instruction...knowledge." - Aristotle Introduction Modern learning technology assumes various names: distance learning , distributed training, computer-based...training, web-based learning , or advanced distributed learning . No matter the name, the basic concept is using computer technology for instruction with no

Classification and recognition of dynamical models: the role of phase, independent components, kernels and optimal transport.

PubMed

Bissacco, Alessandro; Chiuso, Alessandro; Soatto, Stefano

2007-11-01

We address the problem of performing decision tasks, and in particular classification and recognition, in the space of dynamical models in order to compare time series of data. Motivated by the application of recognition of human motion in image sequences, we consider a class of models that include linear dynamics, both stable and marginally stable (periodic), both minimum and non-minimum phase, driven by non-Gaussian processes. This requires extending existing learning and system identification algorithms to handle periodic modes and nonminimum phase behavior, while taking into account higher-order statistics of the data. Once a model is identified, we define a kernel-based cord distance between models that includes their dynamics, their initial conditions as well as input distribution. This is made possible by a novel kernel defined between two arbitrary (non-Gaussian) distributions, which is computed by efficiently solving an optimal transport problem. We validate our choice of models, inference algorithm, and distance on the tasks of human motion synthesis (sample paths of the learned models), and recognition (nearest-neighbor classification in the computed distance). However, our work can be applied more broadly where one needs to compare historical data while taking into account periodic trends, non-minimum phase behavior, and non-Gaussian input distributions.

Deep Correlated Holistic Metric Learning for Sketch-Based 3D Shape Retrieval.

PubMed

Dai, Guoxian; Xie, Jin; Fang, Yi

2018-07-01

How to effectively retrieve desired 3D models with simple queries is a long-standing problem in computer vision community. The model-based approach is quite straightforward but nontrivial, since people could not always have the desired 3D query model available by side. Recently, large amounts of wide-screen electronic devices are prevail in our daily lives, which makes the sketch-based 3D shape retrieval a promising candidate due to its simpleness and efficiency. The main challenge of sketch-based approach is the huge modality gap between sketch and 3D shape. In this paper, we proposed a novel deep correlated holistic metric learning (DCHML) method to mitigate the discrepancy between sketch and 3D shape domains. The proposed DCHML trains two distinct deep neural networks (one for each domain) jointly, which learns two deep nonlinear transformations to map features from both domains into a new feature space. The proposed loss, including discriminative loss and correlation loss, aims to increase the discrimination of features within each domain as well as the correlation between different domains. In the new feature space, the discriminative loss minimizes the intra-class distance of the deep transformed features and maximizes the inter-class distance of the deep transformed features to a large margin within each domain, while the correlation loss focused on mitigating the distribution discrepancy across different domains. Different from existing deep metric learning methods only with loss at the output layer, our proposed DCHML is trained with loss at both hidden layer and output layer to further improve the performance by encouraging features in the hidden layer also with desired properties. Our proposed method is evaluated on three benchmarks, including 3D Shape Retrieval Contest 2013, 2014, and 2016 benchmarks, and the experimental results demonstrate the superiority of our proposed method over the state-of-the-art methods.

Innovation in Open & Distance Learning: Successful Development of Online and Web-Based Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lockwood, Fred, Ed.; Gooley, Anne, Ed.

This book contains 19 papers examining innovation in open and distance learning through development of online and World Wide Web-based learning. The following papers are included: "Innovation in Distributed Learning: Creating the Environment" (Fred Lockwood); "Innovation in Open and Distance Learning: Some Lessons from Experience…

Higher Education through Open and Distance Learning. World Review of Distance Education and Open Learning, Volume 1. A Commonwealth of Learning Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harry, Keith, Ed.

This book reports on the expansion of open and distance learning during the past decade, examining ways in which open and distance learning for higher education has responded to the needs of the new society, and summarizing the lessons of recent practice for policymakers and educators. After an introductory chapter, "Open and Distance…

Distance-Learning for Advanced Military Education: Using Wargame Simulation Course as an Example

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keh, Huan-Chao; Wang, Kuei-Min; Wai, Shu-Shen; Huang, Jiung-yao; Hui, Lin; Wu, Ji-Jen

2008-01-01

Distance learning in advanced military education can assist officers around the world to become more skilled and qualified for future challenges. Through well-chosen technology, the efficiency of distance-learning can be improved significantly. In this paper we present the architecture of Advanced Military Education-Distance Learning (AME-DL)…

Making Distance Learning E.R.O.T.I.C.: Applying Interpretation Principles to Distance Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ross, Anne; Siepen, Greg; O'Connor, Sue

2003-01-01

Distance learners are self-directed learners traditionally taught via study books, collections of readings, and exercises to test understanding of learning packages. Despite advances in e-Learning environments and computer-based teaching interfaces, distance learners still lack opportunities to participate in exercises and debates available to…

Accreditation and Assuring Quality in Distance Learning. CHEA Monograph Series, 2002.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Council for Higher Education Accreditation, Washington, DC.

This report describes the scope and impact of distance learning on higher education and identifies the primary challenges that distance learning poses for accreditation. The responses of the accrediting community designed to assure quality in distance learning are outlined. Data from a variety of sources show that 5,655 institutions are accredited…

Distance Learning and Non-Formal Education: Existing Trends and New Possibilities of Distance Learning Experiences.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Romi, Shlomo

2000-01-01

Reviews the characteristics of non-formal education as expressed in various academic-theoretical definitions, presents the links in this field to distance learning, and recommends future directions for exploring distance learning in non-formal education. Discusses the use of information and communication technology and considers problems with…

Qualitative differences in memory for vista and environmental spaces are caused by opaque borders, not movement or successive presentation.

PubMed

Meilinger, Tobias; Strickrodt, Marianne; Bülthoff, Heinrich H

2016-10-01

Two classes of space define our everyday experience within our surrounding environment: vista spaces, such as rooms or streets which can be perceived from one vantage point, and environmental spaces, for example, buildings and towns which are grasped from multiple views acquired during locomotion. However, theories of spatial representations often treat both spaces as equal. The present experiments show that this assumption cannot be upheld. Participants learned exactly the same layout of objects either within a single room or spread across multiple corridors. By utilizing a pointing and a placement task we tested the acquired configurational memory. In Experiment 1 retrieving memory of the object layout acquired in environmental space was affected by the distance of the traveled path and the order in which the objects were learned. In contrast, memory retrieval of objects learned in vista space was not bound to distance and relied on different ordering schemes (e.g., along the layout structure). Furthermore, spatial memory of both spaces differed with respect to the employed reference frame orientation. Environmental space memory was organized along the learning experience rather than layout intrinsic structure. In Experiment 2 participants memorized the object layout presented within the vista space room of Experiment 1 while the learning procedure emulated environmental space learning (movement, successive object presentation). Neither factor rendered similar results as found in environmental space learning. This shows that memory differences between vista and environmental space originated mainly from the spatial compartmentalization which was unique to environmental space learning. Our results suggest that transferring conclusions from findings obtained in vista space to environmental spaces and vice versa should be made with caution. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A comparison of sonography and radiography student scores in a cadaver anatomy class before and after the implementation of synchronous distance education.

PubMed

Bagley, Jennifer Elaine; Randall, K; Anderson, M P

2015-02-01

Distance education is a solution to expand medical imaging education to students who might not otherwise be able to obtain the education. It can be a mechanism to reduce the health care worker shortage in underserved areas. In some cases, distance education may be a disruptive technology, and might lower student performance. This study compares student scores in a cadaver anatomy course in the four cohorts preceding the implementation of distance education to the first three cohorts that took the course using a multiple campus design. The means and medians of the lecture exam average, the laboratory component score, and the final course score of the nondistance education cohorts were compared with those of the distance education cohorts using nonparametric statistical analysis. Scores in an anatomy course were compared by campus placement among the distance education cohorts, and the independent effect of distance education on the laboratory component, lecture examination average, and final course scores, while controlling for cumulative grade point average and site (originating/distant), was assessed. Students receiving the course in a nondistance education environment scored higher in the anatomy course than the students who took the course in a distance education environment. Students on the distant campus scored lower than students on the originating site. Distance education technology creates new opportunities for learning, but can be a disruptive technology. Programs seeking to implement distance education into their curriculum should do so with knowledge of the advantages and disadvantages.

An Experiment Comparing HBSE Graduate Social Work Classes: Face-to-Face and at a Distance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Woehle, Ralph; Quinn, Andrew

2009-01-01

This article describes a quasi-experimental comparison of two master's level social work classes delivering content on human behavior in the social environment. One class, delivered face-to-face, was largely synchronous. The other class, delivered using distance technologies, was more asynchronous than the first. The authors hypothesized that…

The Leadership Roles of Distance Learning Administrators (DLAs) in Increasing Educational Value and Quality Perceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McFarlane, Donovan A.

2011-01-01

This paper examines the leadership roles of distance learning administrators (DLAs) in light of the demand and need for value and quality in educational distance learning programs and schools. The author explores the development of distance learning using available and emerging technologies in relation to increased demand for education, training,…

Teaching and Learning at a Distance: What it Takes To Effectively Design, Deliver, and Evaluate Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cyrs, Thomas E., Ed.; Menges, Robert J., Ed.; Svinicki, Marilla D., Ed.

1997-01-01

In this volume, experienced distance educators provide insights into new trends in computer-based teaching and learning in postsecondary education. The book is divided into four parts: (1) Issues and Trends; (2) Instructional Design Principles for Distance Learning; (3) Alternative Delivery Systems for Distance Learning; and (4) Administrative…

Facebook Mediated Interaction and Learning in Distance Learning at Makerere University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mayende, Godfrey; Muyinda, Paul Birevu; Isabwe, Ghislain Maurice Norbert; Walimbwa, Michael; Siminyu, Samuel Ndeda

2014-01-01

This paper reports on an investigation of the use of Facebook as a tool to mediate learning amongst distance learners at Makerere University, a dual-mode institution offering both conventional and distance learning programs. While conventional courses take 17 weeks in a semester, the distance learners come in for two residential sessions, each…

Distance Learning 2001: Proceedings of the Annual Conference on Distance Teaching & Learning (17th, Madison, Wisconsin, August 8-10, 2001).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wisconsin Univ. System, Madison.

This document contains 82 papers and 6 workshop presentations from a conference on distance teaching and learning. The following are among the papers included: "Examples and Tools for Building Web-Based Learning Experiences" (Steven A. Ackerman, Thomas Whittaker); "Online Testing in Distance Education" (Tricia Ahern);…

Distance Learning for Food Security and Rural Development: A Perspective from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McLean, Scott; Gasperini, Lavinia; Rudgard, Stephen

2002-01-01

The distance learning experiences of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization led to the following suggestions for applying distance learning strategies to the challenges of food security and rural development: use distance learning for the right reasons, be sensitive to context, use existing infrastructure, engage stakeholders, and…

Topics on Distance Learning Conference Proceedings (Hammond, Indiana, June 5-6, 2001).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Purdue Univ., Hammond, IN. Calumet Campus.

The purpose of this conference was to focus attention on the increasing role of distance learning in academia and industry and to inform and educate the participants in several key aspects of distance learning. In addition, the conference spotlights the accomplishments of technology in education and showcases the many leaders in distance learning.…

The Evolution of Distance Learning: Technology-Mediated Interactive Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dede, Christopher J.

1990-01-01

Summarizes a paper prepared for the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) on the evolution of distance learning which begins by describing technological, the demographic, economic, political, and pedagogical forces involved. A new field is proposed called technology-mediated interactive learning (TMIL), which synthesizes distance learning,…

A Conceptual Model for Effective Distance Learning in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farajollahi, Mehran; Zare, Hosein; Hormozi, Mahmood; Sarmadi, Mohammad Reza; Zarifsanaee, Nahid

2010-01-01

The present research aims at presenting a conceptual model for effective distance learning in higher education. Findings of this research shows that an understanding of the technological capabilities and learning theories especially constructive theory and independent learning theory and communicative and interaction theory in Distance learning is…

Distance Learning: What's Holding Back This Boundless Delivery System?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bruder, Isabelle

1989-01-01

Discusses distance learning, identifies who distance learners may be, and examines issues involved in establishing distance learning systems. Topics discussed include teacher concerns, including job security and certification; curriculum concerns, including state and local requirements and cross-cultural issues; cooperative development,…

Rethinking Lifelong Learning through Online Distance Learning in Chinese Educational Policies, Practices and Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yang, Min

2008-01-01

This paper offers a critique of the Chinese philosophy of online distance learning as a means of building a lifelong learning society. Literature about lifelong learning and its implications for online distance learning is reviewed. Documents, reports and research papers are examined to explore the characteristics of the Chinese philosophy of…

Facilities Offered by the University of Ibadan (Nigeria) Distance Learning Centre towards Learners' Academic Goal--An Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adegbile, J. A.; Oyekanmi, J. O.

2011-01-01

Distance learners in the University of Ibadan, Nigeria unlike other distance learners of different parts of the world are faced with various educational, social and psychological problems associated with the code of distance learning. The facilities offered by the University of Ibadan distance learning centre towards the users' multifarious needs…

New Ways of Learning: Comparing the Effectiveness of Interactive Online Media in Distance Education with the European Textbook Tradition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Krämer, Bernd J.; Neugebauer, Jonas; Magenheim, Johannes; Huppertz, Helga

2015-01-01

Although many innovations exploiting web technologies have been suggested in distance higher education, very little original research exists investigating the impact of web-based learning environments on distance students' learning processes and outcomes. To close this gap, four sets of data have been collected in a distance-learning course:…

Application of Distance Learning Technology to Strategic Education.

DTIC Science & Technology

1996-02-26

service or government agency. STRATEGY RESEARCH PROJECT APPLICATION OF DISTANCE LEARNING TECHNOLOGY TO STRATEGIC EDUCATION BY LIEUTENANT COLONEL...APPLICATION OF DISTANCE LEARNING TECHNOLOGY TO STRATEGIC EDUCATION by Lieutenant Colonel Greig W. Mitchell United States Army Commander David M...distance learning technology can also enhance the functions of research and public service. The purpose of research programs in higher education is

Community of inquiry model: advancing distance learning in nurse anesthesia education.

PubMed

Pecka, Shannon L; Kotcherlakota, Suhasini; Berger, Ann M

2014-06-01

The number of distance education courses offered by nurse anesthesia programs has increased substantially. Emerging distance learning trends must be researched to ensure high-quality education for student registered nurse anesthetists. However, research to examine distance learning has been hampered by a lack of theoretical models. This article introduces the Community of Inquiry model for use in nurse anesthesia education. This model has been used for more than a decade to guide and research distance learning in higher education. A major strength of this model learning. However, it lacks applicability to the development of higher order thinking for student registered nurse anesthetists. Thus, a new derived Community of Inquiry model was designed to improve these students' higher order thinking in distance learning. The derived model integrates Bloom's revised taxonomy into the original Community of Inquiry model and provides a means to design, evaluate, and research higher order thinking in nurse anesthesia distance education courses.

Occasional Papers in Open and Distance Learning, Number 18.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Donnan, Peter, Ed.

Six papers examine innovations and trends in distance learning, frequently drawing upon empirical research or informal observations on distance learning students at Charles Sturt University (Australia). "On-Line Study Packages for Distance Education: Some Considerations of Conceptual Parameters" (Dirk M. R. Spennemann) discusses issues…

Tutors' Influence on Distance Language Students' Learning Motivation: Voices from Learners and Tutors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Xiao, Junhong

2012-01-01

Teachers' influence on students' learning motivation is a well-researched topic. Nevertheless, the majority of such studies are situated in the conventional learning context despite the rapid growth of distance language learning. This study set out to investigate tutors' influence on students' learning motivation in the Chinese distance language…

Challenges Encountered by a Distance Learning Organisation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Malik, Sangeeta

2012-01-01

Distance learning as the name indicates is a learning, learner gets from distant places. In this learning system, learner and educators are separated by space & time. Lots of distance learning organizations are spreading to meet the increased demand of current & future needs of adult education. The rapid spread of these organizations doesn't mean…

Challenges in Delivering Library Services for Distance Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swaine, Cynthia Wright

The first section of this paper on library services for distance education discusses the status of distance learning in higher education. What distance learning means for libraries is addressed in the second section, including considerations related to diverse locations, agreements with participating institutions, delivery limitations, librarian…

Distance Learning: Information Access and Services for Virtual Users.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iyer, Hemalata, Ed.

This volume centers broadly on information support services for distance education. The articles in this book can be categorized into two areas: access to information resources for distance learners, and studies of distance learning programs. Contents include: "The Challenges and Benefits of Asynchronous Learning Networks" (Daphne…

Interactive Distance Learning in Connecticut.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pietras, Jesse John; Murphy, Robert J.

This paper provides an overview of distance learning activities in Connecticut and addresses the feasibility of such activities. Distance education programs have evolved from the one dimensional electronic mail systems to the use of sophisticated digital fiber networks. The Middlesex Distance Learning Consortium has developed a long-range plan to…

Educational technology integration and distance learning in respiratory care: practices and attitudes.

PubMed

Hopper, Keith B; Johns, Carol L

2007-11-01

Educational technologies have had an important role in respiratory care. Distance learning via postal correspondence has been used extensively in respiratory care, and Internet-based distance learning is now used in the training of respiratory therapists (RTs), clinical continuing education, and in baccalaureate degree and higher programs for RTs and educators. To describe the current scope of respiratory care educational technology integration, including distance learning. To investigate online research potential in respiratory care. A probabilistic online survey of United States respiratory care program directors was conducted on educational technology practices and attitudes, including distance learning. A parallel exploratory study of United States respiratory care managers was conducted. One-hundred seventy-seven (53%) program directors participated. One-hundred twenty-eight respiratory care managers participated. For instructional purposes, the respiratory care programs heavily use office-productivity software, the Internet, e-mail, and commercial respiratory care content-based computer-based instruction. The programs use, or would use, online resources provided by text publishers, but there is a paucity. Many program directors reported that their faculty use personal digital assistants (PDAs), often in instructional roles. 74.6% of the programs offer no fully online courses, but 61.0% reported at least one course delivered partially online. The managers considered continuing education via online technologies appropriate, but one third reported that they have not/will not hire RTs trained via distance learning. Neither group considered fully online courses a good match for RT training, nor did they consider training via distance learning of comparable quality to on-campus programs. Both groups rated baccalaureate and higher degrees via distance learning higher if the program included face-to-face instruction. Online distance-learning participatory experience generally improved attitudes toward distance learning. There was a good match between manager RT expectations in office-productivity software and program instructional practices. Educational technologies have an important role in respiratory care. Online distance learning for baccalaureate and higher degrees in respiratory care is promising. Online distance learning in respiratory care must include face-to-face instruction. Distance-learning deployment in respiratory care will require resources. A follow-up probabilistic survey of United States respiratory care managers is needed. Online surveys conducted for respiratory care are promising, but neither less expensive nor easier than conventional means.

A Path-Analytic Study of Some Correlates Predicting Persistence and Student's Success in Distance Education in Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ojokheta, K. O.

2010-01-01

This study examined the influence of some predictors in the enhancement of persistence and students success in distance education in the two most recognised and respected distance learning institutions in Nigeria--the Distance Learning Institute (DLI) of University of Lagos and Distance Learning Centre of University of Ibadan. The need for this…

A Latent Class Approach to Fitting the Weighted Euclidean Model, CLASCAL.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Winsberg, Suzanne; De Soete, Geert

1993-01-01

A weighted Euclidean distance model is proposed that incorporates a latent class approach (CLASCAL). The contribution to the distance function between two stimuli is per dimension weighted identically by all subjects in the same latent class. A model selection strategy is proposed and illustrated. (SLD)

Mineral Physics Educational Modules for Advanced Undergraduates and Graduate Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burnley, P. C.; Thomas, S.; Honn, D. K.

2011-12-01

We are assembling a group of web-based educational modules for a course entitled "Introduction to Mineral Physics". Although the modules are designed to function as part of a full semester course, each module will also be able to stand alone. The modules are targeted at entry level graduate students and advanced undergraduate students. Learning outcomes for the course are being developed in consultation with educators throughout the mineral physics community. Potential users include mineral physicists teaching "bricks and mortar" graduate classes at their own institutions, mineral physicists teaching graduate classes in a distance education setting, mineralogy teachers interested in including supplementary material in their undergraduate mineralogy class, undergraduates doing independent study projects and graduate students and colleagues in other subdisciplines who wish to brush up on mineral physics topics. The modules reside on the Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College web site in the On the Cutting Edge - Teaching Mineralogy collection. Links to the materials will be posted on the Consortium for Materials Properties Research in Earth Sciences website. The modules will be piloted in a graduate level distance education course in mineral physics taught from UNLV during the spring 2012 semester. This course and others like it can address the current problems faced by faculty in state universities where rising minimum enrollments are making it difficult to teach a suitable graduate course to incoming students.

The Challenges of Quality Assurance in a Distance Learning Environment. A Report and Recommendations in a Series on Distance Learning Policy Issues.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Southern Regional Education Board, Atlanta, GA.

The Distance Learning Policy Laboratory of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) and many states and regional organizations are coming to a consensus on the principles and goals that should shape distance learning policies. In the case of quality assurance, the SREB believes there are four guiding principles that states should follow.…

Using Finance Policy To Reduce Barriers to Distance Learning. A Report and Recommendations in a Series on Distance Learning Policy Issues.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Southern Regional Education Board, Atlanta, GA.

This study explored the ways in which state and system financing policies can advance the use of distance learning technologies and the goals outlined in other reports by the Distance Learning Policy Laboratory more effectively. The subcommittee on finance that examined the issue approached the task by establishing a framework that considered:…

The Role of Gender in Distance Learning: A Meta-Analytic Review of Gender Differences in Academic Performance and Self-Efficacy in Distance Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perkowski, Justine

2013-01-01

This meta-analytic review was performed to determine the relationship between gender and two constructs measuring success in distance learning--academic performance and self-efficacy--with a particular interest in identifying whether females or males have an advantage in distance learning environments. Data from 15 studies resulted in 18 effect…

Can you go the distance? Attending the virtual classroom.

PubMed

Bigony, Lorraine

2010-01-01

Distance learning via the World Wide Web offers convenience and flexibility. Online education connects nurses geographically in a manner that the traditional face-to-face learning environment lacks. Delivered in both a synchronous (real time interaction) or asynchronous (delayed interaction) format, distance programs continue to provide nurses with choice, especially in the pursuit of advanced degrees. This article explores the pros and cons of distance education, in addition to the most popular platform used in distance learning today, the Blackboard Academic Suite. Characteristics of the potential enrollee to ensure a successful distance education experience are also discussed. Distance nursing programs are here to stay. Although rigorous, the ease of accessibility makes distance learning a viable alternative for busy nurses.

Effectiveness of Mobile Learning in Distance Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yousuf, Muhammad Imran

2007-01-01

The main aim of this research is to better understand and measure students' attitudes and perceptions towards the importance of mobile learning in distance education. Results of this survey clearly indicate that facilitating mobile learning can improve the entire distance education by enhancing ways of communication among distance learners, tutors…

A Journey to Legitimacy: The Historical Development of Distance Education through Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Casey, Denise M.

2008-01-01

This article demonstrates the parallels between development of technology and the increased acceptance of distance learning. First, definitions of distance learning are provided. Second, the history of distance learning and its use of technological innovations are presented. Third, an overview of the academic institutions that are offering…

Using Multimedia for Distance Learning in Adult, Career, and Vocational Education. Information Series No. 362.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stammen, Ronald M.

This paper explores how educators are using multimedia for distance learning, beginning with definitions of the concepts of multimedia, hypermedia, hypertext, distance education and distance learning. Three types of telecommunications technologies are described: multimedia with broadcast television, multimedia with interactive video (television),…

Learning about the scale of the solar system using digital planetarium visualizations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Ka Chun; Sahami, Kamran; Dove, James

2017-07-01

We studied the use of a digital planetarium for teaching relative distances and sizes in introductory undergraduate astronomy classes. Inspired in part by the classic short film The Powers of Ten and large physical scale models of the Solar System that can be explored on foot, we created lectures using virtual versions of these two pedagogical approaches for classes that saw either an immersive treatment in the planetarium or a non-immersive version in the regular classroom (with N = 973 students participating in total). Students who visited the planetarium had not only the greatest learning gains, but their performance increased with time, whereas students who saw the same visuals projected onto a flat display in their classroom showed less retention over time. The gains seen in the students who visited the planetarium reveal that this medium is a powerful tool for visualizing scale over multiple orders of magnitude. However the modest gains for the students in the regular classroom also show the utility of these visualization approaches for the broader category of classroom physics simulations.

Open Classroom: Distance Learning In and Out of Schools. Open and Distance Learning Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bradley, Jo, Ed.

This collection of essays, which is separated into 4 sections, concerns open and distance learning at school level, or grades K-12. The first section, "The Knowledge Society," includes the following chapters: "Classroom Open Learning: A Case of Old Wine in New Bottles?" (Jenkins); "Living and Learning in the Information…

Supporting Distance Learners for Collaborative Problem Solving.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Verdejo, M. F.; Barros, B.; Abad, M. T.

This paper describes a computer-supported environment designed to facilitate distance learning through collaborative problem-solving. The goal is to encourage distance learning students to work together, in order to promote both learning of collaboration and learning through collaboration. Collaboration is defined as working together on a common…

Distance Learning in British Universities: Is It Possible?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lentell, Helen

2012-01-01

The wider context (political and economic) for developing sustainable distance learning in UK universities is encouraging and new learning technologies promise much improved products and services. But conventional campus-based universities struggle to build and/or expand sustainable distance learning provision. This article identifies the core…

The status of US multi-campus colleges and schools of pharmacy.

PubMed

Harrison, Lauren C; Congdon, Heather Brennan; DiPiro, Joseph T

2010-09-10

To assess the current status of multi-campus colleges and schools of pharmacy within the United States. Data on multi-campus programs, technology, communication, and opinions regarding benefits and challenges were collected from Web sites, e-mail, and phone interviews from all colleges and schools of pharmacy with students in class on more than 1 campus. Twenty schools and colleges of pharmacy (18 public and 2 private) had multi-campus programs; 16 ran parallel campuses and 4 ran sequential campuses. Most programs used synchronous delivery of classes. The most frequently reported reasons for establishing the multi-campus program were to have access to a hospital and/or medical campus and clinical resources located away from the main campus and to increase class size. Effectiveness of distance education technology was most often sited as a challenge. About 20% of colleges and schools of pharmacy have multi-campus programs most often to facilitate access to clinical resources and to increase class size. These programs expand learning opportunities and face challenges related to technology, resources, and communication.

The Status of US Multi-campus Colleges and Schools of Pharmacy

PubMed Central

Harrison, Lauren C.; DiPiro, Joseph T.

2010-01-01

Objective To assess the current status of multi-campus colleges and schools of pharmacy within the United States. Methods Data on multi-campus programs, technology, communication, and opinions regarding benefits and challenges were collected from Web sites, e-mail, and phone interviews from all colleges and schools of pharmacy with students in class on more than 1 campus. Results Twenty schools and colleges of pharmacy (18 public and 2 private) had multi-campus programs; 16 ran parallel campuses and 4 ran sequential campuses. Most programs used synchronous delivery of classes. The most frequently reported reasons for establishing the multi-campus program were to have access to a hospital and/or medical campus and clinical resources located away from the main campus and to increase class size. Effectiveness of distance education technology was most often sited as a challenge. Conclusion About 20% of colleges and schools of pharmacy have multi-campus programs most often to facilitate access to clinical resources and to increase class size. These programs expand learning opportunities and face challenges related to technology, resources, and communication. PMID:21088729

Exploring Cloud Computing for Distance Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

He, Wu; Cernusca, Dan; Abdous, M'hammed

2011-01-01

The use of distance courses in learning is growing exponentially. To better support faculty and students for teaching and learning, distance learning programs need to constantly innovate and optimize their IT infrastructures. The new IT paradigm called "cloud computing" has the potential to transform the way that IT resources are utilized and…

Topics on Distance Learning: Proceedings 2000 (Hammond, Indiana, June 6-7, 2000).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Purdue Univ., Hammond, IN. Calumet Campus.

This proceedings of the 2000 Topics on Distance Learning conference contains summaries of the following presentations: "The ABC's of Distance Learning via Full Motion Video" (Liz Owens); "Assessing the Cost of Technology in Instruction Using an Economic Model" (Joseph Lovrinic); "Collaboration Lessons Learned from the…

A Begrudging, Recalcitrant Academic Observes What She's Learning: Distance Learning in Leadership Formation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hess, Lisa M.

2014-01-01

Neither advocacy nor condemnation of distance learning, this essay offers observations and critical reflection on four years' longitudinal engagement with distance learning pedagogies for formation in higher theological education. Instead, readers are invited to curiosity, communal-institutional discernment, and intense ambivalence.…

Map for Decision Making in Operating Distance Learning System--Research Results.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Offir, Baruch

2000-01-01

Examines decision-making aspects of the introduction of distance learning into university instruction and learning based on experiences in Israel. Discusses the introduction of information technology into the classroom; examines teacher/student interactions; and suggests a model for introducing distance learning that focuses on the role of the…

Greeting You Online: Selecting Web-Based Conferencing Tools for Instruction in E-Learning Mode

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Judy

2014-01-01

Academic distance learning programs have gained popularity and added to the demand for online library services. Librarians are now conducting instruction for distance learning students beyond their traditional work. Technology advancements have enhanced the delivery mode in distance learning across academic disciplines. Online conference tools…

Blended Learning in Distance Education: Sri Lankan Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liyanagunawardena, T. R.; Adams, A. A.; Rassool, N.; Williams, S. A.

2014-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to explore the implementation of online learning in distance educational delivery at Yellow Fields University (pseudonymous) in Sri Lanka. The implementation of online distance education at the University included the use of blended learning. The policy initiative to introduce online for distance education in Sri Lanka…

Transactional Distance and Second Life: The Effects of Video Game Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Atkinson, Mark

2013-01-01

As a subset of distance education, online learning takes place primarily in learning management systems through asynchronous interaction, that can cause transactional distance between instructor and learners. This study investigated how transactional distance may be affected by the use of Second Life, a 3-D virtual world, as a learning environment…

From Add-On to Mainstream: Applying Distance Learning Models for ALL Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zai, Robert, III.; Wesley, Threasa L.

2013-01-01

The use of distance learning technology has allowed Northern Kentucky University's W. Frank Steely Library to remove traditional boundaries between both distance and on-campus students. An emerging model that applies these distance learning methodologies to all students has proven effective for enhancing reference and instructional services. This…

E-Learning and Distance Education in Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ajadi, Timothy Olugbenga; Salawu, Ibrahim Olatunde; Adeoye, Femi Adetunji

2008-01-01

This paper discusses the relevance of e-learning in the position of distance education in Nigeria. It commences by discussing the meaning of e-learning and distance education. It also discusses the historical background of distance education in Nigeria as well as the operations of National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) as the first federal…

Implications of Online Learning for the Conceptual Development and Practice of Distance Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garrison, Randy

2009-01-01

The purpose of this article is to examine the foundational principles and practices of distance education for the purpose of understanding recent developments in the areas of online and blended learning. It is argued that mainstream distance education has not embraced the full collaborative potential of online learning. Distance education…

Measuring Self-Regulation in Self-Paced Open and Distance Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kocdar, Serpil; Karadeniz, Abdulkadir; Bozkurt, Aras; Buyuk, Koksal

2018-01-01

Previous studies have described many scales for measuring self-regulation; however, no scale has been developed specifically for self-paced open and distance learning environments. Therefore, the aim of this study is to develop a scale for determining the self-regulated learning skills of distance learners in selfpaced open and distance learning…

Mobile Distance Learning with PDAs: Development and Testing of Pedagogical and System Solutions Supporting Mobile Distance Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rekkedal, Torstein; Dye, Aleksander

2007-01-01

The article discusses basic teaching-learning philosophies and experiences from the development and testing of mobile learning integrated with the online distance education system at NKI (Norwegian Knowledge Institute) Distance Education. The article builds on experiences from three European Union (EU) supported "Leonardo da Vinci"…

Collaborative distance learning: Developing an online learning community

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stoytcheva, Maria

2017-12-01

The method of collaborative distance learning has been applied for years in a number of distance learning courses, but they are relatively few in foreign language learning. The context of this research is a hybrid distance learning of French for specific purposes, delivered through the platform UNIV-RcT (Strasbourg University), which combines collaborative activities for the realization of a common problem-solving task online. The study focuses on a couple of aspects: on-line interactions carried out in small, tutored groups and the process of community building online. By analyzing the learner's perceptions of community and collaborative learning, we have tried to understand the process of building and maintenance of online learning community and to see to what extent the collaborative distance learning contribute to the development of the competence expectations at the end of the course. The analysis of the results allows us to distinguish the advantages and limitations of this type of e-learning and thus evaluate their pertinence.

A comparison of sonography and radiography student scores in a cadaver anatomy class before and after the implementation of synchronous distance education

PubMed Central

Randall, K; Anderson, MP

2015-01-01

Distance education is a solution to expand medical imaging education to students who might not otherwise be able to obtain the education. It can be a mechanism to reduce the health care worker shortage in underserved areas. In some cases, distance education may be a disruptive technology, and might lower student performance. This study compares student scores in a cadaver anatomy course in the four cohorts preceding the implementation of distance education to the first three cohorts that took the course using a multiple campus design. The means and medians of the lecture exam average, the laboratory component score, and the final course score of the nondistance education cohorts were compared with those of the distance education cohorts using nonparametric statistical analysis. Scores in an anatomy course were compared by campus placement among the distance education cohorts, and the independent effect of distance education on the laboratory component, lecture examination average, and final course scores, while controlling for cumulative grade point average and site (originating/distant), was assessed. Students receiving the course in a nondistance education environment scored higher in the anatomy course than the students who took the course in a distance education environment. Students on the distant campus scored lower than students on the originating site. Distance education technology creates new opportunities for learning, but can be a disruptive technology. Programs seeking to implement distance education into their curriculum should do so with knowledge of the advantages and disadvantages. PMID:27433237

The cluster-cluster correlation function. [of galaxies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Postman, M.; Geller, M. J.; Huchra, J. P.

1986-01-01

The clustering properties of the Abell and Zwicky cluster catalogs are studied using the two-point angular and spatial correlation functions. The catalogs are divided into eight subsamples to determine the dependence of the correlation function on distance, richness, and the method of cluster identification. It is found that the Corona Borealis supercluster contributes significant power to the spatial correlation function to the Abell cluster sample with distance class of four or less. The distance-limited catalog of 152 Abell clusters, which is not greatly affected by a single system, has a spatial correlation function consistent with the power law Xi(r) = 300r exp -1.8. In both the distance class four or less and distance-limited samples the signal in the spatial correlation function is a power law detectable out to 60/h Mpc. The amplitude of Xi(r) for clusters of richness class two is about three times that for richness class one clusters. The two-point spatial correlation function is sensitive to the use of estimated redshifts.

Visual orientation and navigation in nocturnal arthropods.

PubMed

Warrant, Eric; Dacke, Marie

2010-01-01

With their highly sensitive visual systems, the arthropods have evolved a remarkable capacity to orient and navigate at night. Whereas some navigate under the open sky, and take full advantage of the celestial cues available there, others navigate in more difficult conditions, such as through the dense understory of a tropical rainforest. Four major classes of orientation are performed by arthropods at night, some of which involve true navigation (i.e. travel to a distant goal that lies beyond the range of direct sensory contact): (1) simple straight-line orientation, typically for escape purposes; (2) nightly short-distance movements relative to a shoreline, typically in the context of feeding; (3) long-distance nocturnal migration at high altitude in the quest to locate favorable feeding or breeding sites, and (4) nocturnal excursions to and from a fixed nest or food site (i.e. homing), a task that in most species involves path integration and/or the learning and recollection of visual landmarks. These four classes of orientation--and their visual basis--are reviewed here, with special emphasis given to the best-understood animal systems that are representative of each. 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel.

[Fast discrimination of edible vegetable oil based on Raman spectroscopy].

PubMed

Zhou, Xiu-Jun; Dai, Lian-Kui; Li, Sheng

2012-07-01

A novel method to fast discriminate edible vegetable oils by Raman spectroscopy is presented. The training set is composed of different edible vegetable oils with known classes. Based on their original Raman spectra, baseline correction and normalization were applied to obtain standard spectra. Two characteristic peaks describing the unsaturated degree of vegetable oil were selected as feature vectors; then the centers of all classes were calculated. For an edible vegetable oil with unknown class, the same pretreatment and feature extraction methods were used. The Euclidian distances between the feature vector of the unknown sample and the center of each class were calculated, and the class of the unknown sample was finally determined by the minimum distance. For 43 edible vegetable oil samples from seven different classes, experimental results show that the clustering effect of each class was more obvious and the class distance was much larger with the new feature extraction method compared with PCA. The above classification model can be applied to discriminate unknown edible vegetable oils rapidly and accurately.

A Critical Examination of the Teaching Methodologies Pertaining to Distance Learning in Geographic Education: Andragogy in an Adult Online Certificate Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schultz, Richard B.

2012-01-01

Differences between student audiences are an important aspect not only of traditional learning in higher education, but also in the distance learning environment. Facilitators of distance learning coursework must be cognizant of the differences which adult students bring to the classroom and their varying expectations and reasons for learning.…

Machine learning enhanced optical distance sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amin, M. Junaid; Riza, N. A.

2018-01-01

Presented for the first time is a machine learning enhanced optical distance sensor. The distance sensor is based on our previously demonstrated distance measurement technique that uses an Electronically Controlled Variable Focus Lens (ECVFL) with a laser source to illuminate a target plane with a controlled optical beam spot. This spot with varying spot sizes is viewed by an off-axis camera and the spot size data is processed to compute the distance. In particular, proposed and demonstrated in this paper is the use of a regularized polynomial regression based supervised machine learning algorithm to enhance the accuracy of the operational sensor. The algorithm uses the acquired features and corresponding labels that are the actual target distance values to train a machine learning model. The optimized training model is trained over a 1000 mm (or 1 m) experimental target distance range. Using the machine learning algorithm produces a training set and testing set distance measurement errors of <0.8 mm and <2.2 mm, respectively. The test measurement error is at least a factor of 4 improvement over our prior sensor demonstration without the use of machine learning. Applications for the proposed sensor include industrial scenario distance sensing where target material specific training models can be generated to realize low <1% measurement error distance measurements.

Distance Learning With NASA Lewis Research Center's Learning Technologies Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Petersen, Ruth

1998-01-01

The NASA Lewis Research Center's Learning Technologies Project (LTP) has responded to requests from local school district technology coordinators to provide content for videoconferencing workshops. Over the past year we have offered three teacher professional development workshops that showcase NASA Lewis-developed educational products and NASA educational Internet sites. In order to determine the direction of our involvement with distance learning, the LTP staff conducted a survey of 500 U.S. schools. We received responses from 72 schools that either currently use distance learning or will be using distance learning in 98-99 school year. The results of the survey are summarized in the article. In addition, the article provides information on distance learners, distance learning technologies, and the NASA Lewis LTP videoconferencing workshops. The LTP staff will continue to offer teacher development workshops through videoconferencing during the 98-99 school year. We hope to add workshops on new educational products as they are developed at NASA Lewis.

Study of Cost of Distance Education Institutes with Different Size Classes in India.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Datt, Ruddar

A study of the cost of distance education institutes in India with different size classes involved nine institutions. The sample included 47 percent of total enrollment in distance education institutions in India. The study was restricted to recurring costs and examined the shares of different components of costs and the sources of funding. It…

Learning styles and preferences for live and distance education: an example of a specialisation course in epidemiology.

PubMed

Groenwold, Rolf H H; Knol, Mirjam J

2013-07-02

Distance learning through the internet is increasingly popular in higher education. However, it is unknown how participants in epidemiology courses value live vs. distance education. All participants of a 5-day specialisation course in epidemiology were asked to keep a diary on the number of hours they spent on course activities (both live and distance education). Attendance was not compulsory during the course and participants were therefore also asked for the reasons to attend live education (lectures and practicals). In addition, the relation between participants' learning styles (Index of Learning Styles) and their participation in live and distance education was studied. All 54 (100%) participants in the course completed the questionnaire on attendance and 46 (85%) completed the questionnaire on learning styles. The number of hours attending live education was negatively correlated with the number of hours going studying distance learning materials (Pearson correlation -0.5; p < 0.001). The most important reasons to attend live education was to stay focused during lectures (50%), and to ask questions during practicals (50%). A lack of time was the most important reason not to attend lectures (52%) or practicals (61%). Learning styles were not association with the number of hours spent on live or distance education. Distance learning may play an important role in epidemiology courses, since it allows participants to study whenever and wherever they prefer, which provides the opportunity to combine courses with clinical duties. An important requirement for distance learning education appears to be the possibility to ask questions and to interact with instructors.

Assessing the Applicability of 3D Holographic Technology as an Enhanced Technology for Distance Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kalansooriya, Pradeep; Marasinghe, Ashu; Bandara, K. M. D. N.

2015-01-01

Distance learning has provided an excellent platform for students in geographically remote locations while enabling them to learn at their own pace and convenience. A number of technologies are currently being utilized to conceptualize, design, enhance and foster distance learning. Teleconferences, electronic field trips, podcasts, webinars, video…

Automated Categorization Scheme for Digital Libraries in Distance Learning: A Pattern Recognition Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gunal, Serkan

2008-01-01

Digital libraries play a crucial role in distance learning. Nowadays, they are one of the fundamental information sources for the students enrolled in this learning system. These libraries contain huge amount of instructional data (text, audio and video) offered by the distance learning program. Organization of the digital libraries is…

Distance Learning for Mobile Internet Users

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Necat, Beran

2007-01-01

This paper provides an overview on the current state of art in the field of Distance learning for mobile users. It mentions a large range of technologies, services and approaches that may be used to bring distance learning to mobile internet users. These technologies are supposed to considerably increase innovative e-learning solutions for the…

Connecting Multiple Intelligences through Open and Distance Learning: Going towards a Collective Intelligence?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Medeiros Vieira, Leandro Mauricio; Ferasso, Marcos; Schröeder, Christine da Silva

2014-01-01

This theoretical essay is a learning approach reflexion on Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences and the possibilities provided by the education model known as open and distance learning. Open and distance learning can revolutionize traditional pedagogical practice, meeting the needs of those who have different forms of cognitive…

Vocational Education Distance Learning Delivery System. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hardy, Darcy Walsh

A project was conducted to identify criteria and procedures for using a distance learning delivery system at the University of Texas TeleLearning Center to teach Health Occupations II to high school seniors. Another objective was expanding the current distance learning program for health occupations to include between 15 and 20 school districts.…

The Impact of Student Motivation on Participation and Academic Performance in Distance Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pittman, Candice Nicole

2013-01-01

This study investigated the impact of motivation on students' participation and academic performance in distance learning. Distance learning continues to grow in popularity as more and more students enroll in distance education courses. These courses require more responsibility on the part of the student. Some students are unaware of the amount of…

The Solar System Ballet: A Kinesthetic Spatial Astronomy Activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heyer, Inge; Slater, T. F.; Slater, S. J.; Astronomy, Center; Education ResearchCAPER, Physics

2011-05-01

The Solar System Ballet was developed in order for students of all ages to learn about the planets, their motions, their distances, and their individual characteristics. To teach people about the structure of our Solar System can be revealing and rewarding, for students and teachers. Little ones (and some bigger ones, too) often cannot yet grasp theoretical and spatial ideas purely with their minds. Showing a video is better, but being able to learn with their bodies, essentially being what they learn about, will help them understand and remember difficult concepts much more easily. There are three segments to this activity, which can be done together or separately, depending on time limits and age of the students. Part one involves a short introductory discussion about what students know about the planets. Then students will act out the orbital motions of the planets (and also moons for the older ones) while holding a physical model. During the second phase we look at the structure of the Solar System as well as the relative distances of the planets from the Sun, first by sketching it on paper, then by recreating a scaled version in the class room. Again the students act out the parts of the Solar System bodies with their models. The third segment concentrates on recreating historical measurements of Earth-Moon-Sun system. The Solar System Ballet activity is suitable for grades K-12+ as well as general public informal learning activities.

Detailed classification of swimming paths in the Morris Water Maze: multiple strategies within one trial

PubMed Central

Gehring, Tiago V.; Luksys, Gediminas; Sandi, Carmen; Vasilaki, Eleni

2015-01-01

The Morris Water Maze is a widely used task in studies of spatial learning with rodents. Classical performance measures of animals in the Morris Water Maze include the escape latency, and the cumulative distance to the platform. Other methods focus on classifying trajectory patterns to stereotypical classes representing different animal strategies. However, these approaches typically consider trajectories as a whole, and as a consequence they assign one full trajectory to one class, whereas animals often switch between these strategies, and their corresponding classes, within a single trial. To this end, we take a different approach: we look for segments of diverse animal behaviour within one trial and employ a semi-automated classification method for identifying the various strategies exhibited by the animals within a trial. Our method allows us to reveal significant and systematic differences in the exploration strategies of two animal groups (stressed, non-stressed), that would be unobserved by earlier methods. PMID:26423140

Distance learning perspectives.

PubMed

Pandza, Haris; Masic, Izet

2013-01-01

The development of modern technology and the Internet has enabled the explosive growth of distance learning. distance learning is a process that is increasingly present in the world. This is the field of education focused on educating students who are not physically present in the traditional classrooms or student's campus. described as a process where the source of information is separated from the students in space and time. If there are situations that require the physical presence of students, such as when a student is required to physically attend the exam, this is called a hybrid form of distance learning. This technology is increasingly used worldwide. The Internet has become the main communication channel for the development of distance learning.

Open and Distance Learning Today. Routledge Studies in Distance Education Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lockwood, Fred, Ed.

This book contains the following papers on open and distance learning today: "Preface" (Daniel); "Big Bang Theory in Distance Education" (Hawkridge); "Practical Agenda for Theorists of Distance Education" (Perraton); "Trends, Directions and Needs: A View from Developing Countries" (Koul); "American…

Asynchronous interaction, online technologies self-efficacy and self-regulated learning as predictors of academic achievement in an online class

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McGhee, Rosie M. Hector

This research is a correlational study of the relationship among the independent variables: asynchronous interaction, online technologies self-efficacy, and self-regulated learning, and the dependent variable; academic achievement. This study involves an online computer literacy course at a local community college. Very little research exists on the relationship among asynchronous interaction, online technologies self-efficacy and self-regulated learning on predicting academic achievement in an online class. Liu (2008), in his study on student interaction in online courses, concluded that student interaction is a complex issue that needs more research to increase our understanding as it relates to distance education. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between asynchronous interaction, online technologies self-efficacy, self-regulated learning and academic achievement in an online computer literacy class at a community college. The researcher used quantitative methods to obtain and analyze data on the relationships among the variables during the summer 2010 semester. Forty-five community college students completed three web-based self-reporting instruments: (a) the GVU 10th WWW User Survey Questionnaire, (b) the Online Technologies Self-Efficacy Survey, and (c) selected items from the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire. Additional data was obtained from asynchronous discussions posted on Blackboard(TM) Learning Management System. The results of this study found that there were statistically significant relationships between asynchronous interaction and academic achievement (r = .55, p < .05) and between online technologies self-efficacy and academic achievement (r = .50, p < .05). However, there were low correlations between self-regulated learning and academic achievement ( r = -.02, p < .05). The results of this study reflect the constructivist tenants that the student is at the center of the learning experience. Driscoll (2005) said constructivist pedagogy sees the learner as an active participant in their learning experience rather than a passive vessel to be filled with information. This study is beneficial to theorists, administrators, leaders, online instructors, online course designers, faculty, students and others who are concerned about predictors for online students' success. Also, it serves as a foundation for future research and provides valuable information for educators interested in taking online teaching and learning to the next level.

Guidance on the Use of Learning Strategies in Distance Education (DE) as a Function of Age and Gender

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alliprandini, Paula Mariza Zedu; Pavesi, Marilza Aparecida; Dayanne, Vicentini; Sekitani, Juliane Tiemi

2015-01-01

This study aims to determine whether there are differences in the use of learning strategies used by students enrolled in courses offered in the format of Distance Learning (DL) by gender and age of participants. A total of 402 students responded to a range of learning strategies evaluations-version adapted for distance learning, containing 49…

Transactional Distance as a Predictor of Perceived Learner Satisfaction in Distance Learning Courses: A Case Study of Bachelor of Education Arts Program, University of Nairobi, Kenya

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mbwesa, Joyce Kanini

2014-01-01

There is a long history of study and recognition of the critical role of interaction in supporting and even defining distance education. Interaction has been identified as key to the success of distance learning. It is key in fostering, supporting and engaging in the learning process. Moore (1989) posits that the physical distance that exists in…

Distance Education in the U.S.: A Paradox

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Forte, Glenn J.; Schwandt, David R.; Swayze, Susan; Butler, Joan; Ashcraft, Merrill

2016-01-01

Over the last several years distance education (DE) class offerings at U.S. universities and colleges have been increasing at a rate of approximately 10% or more per year (Allen & Seaman, 2014). While the effectiveness of DE classes vis-à-vis that of face-to-face (F2F) classes has been sufficiently documented, there are few studies that…

RITES: Online (Reaching In-Service Teachers With Earth Sciences Online)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baptiste, H.

2002-12-01

The RITES: Online project team (Drs. H. Prentice Baptiste, Susan Brown, Jennifer Villa) believe that the power of technology could not be effectively utilized unless it is grounded in new models of teaching and learning based on a student centered and project based curriculum, that increases opportunities for active, hands-on learning and respect for multiculturalism. We subscribe to an inquiry approach to learning. Specifically, science teaching should actively engage the learners in activities that draw on multiple abilities and learning styles. Recent brain-based research has shown that human beings construct knowledge through actions and interactions within their environment. Learning occurs in communities, and new ideas are linked to previous knowledge and constructed by the learner. Knowledge is acquired by making connections. We believe the aforementioned ideas and points to be equally true for the inservice teachers participating in the RITES: Online project as well as for their students. The ESSEA science courses are delivered by distance learning via the university WebCt distance education system. Teachers are encouraged to use technology in their classrooms and to record their students' involvement in science activities with digital cameras. Teachers involved in the ESSEA courses are engaged in earth science inquiry activities relevant to the four spheres (atmosphere, lithosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere) with the students in their classes. This presentation will highlight the teachers in the roles of designer, researcher, and collaborator. As a result of our courses our teachers attain the following positive outcomes: 1) Teachers experience the inquiry approach to learning about the spheres of our earth. 2) Teachers become confident in using technology. 3) Teachers learn to work cooperatively in-groups and understand what their own students must feel. 4) Teachers find ways to obtain dynamic professional development and not leave their classrooms or homes. 5) Teachers develop relationships with other teachers that have an interest in teaching science and a learning community evolves.

Testing the limits of long-distance learning: Learning beyond a three-segment window

PubMed Central

Finley, Sara

2012-01-01

Traditional flat-structured bigram and trigram models of phonotactics are useful because they capture a large number of facts about phonological processes. Additionally, these models predict that local interactions should be easier to learn than long-distance ones since long-distance dependencies are difficult to capture with these models. Long-distance phonotactic patterns have been observed by linguists in many languages, who have proposed different kinds of models, including feature-based bigram and trigram models, as well as precedence models. Contrary to flat-structured bigram and trigram models, these alternatives capture unbounded dependencies because at an abstract level of representation, the relevant elements are locally dependent, even if they are not adjacent at the observable level. Using an artificial grammar learning paradigm, we provide additional support for these alternative models of phonotactics. Participants in two experiments were exposed to a long-distance consonant harmony pattern in which the first consonant of a five-syllable word was [s] or [∫] ('sh') and triggered a suffix that was either [−su] or [−∫u] depending on the sibilant quality of this first consonant. Participants learned this pattern, despite the large distance between the trigger and the target, suggesting that when participants learn long-distance phonological patterns, that pattern is learned without specific reference to distance. PMID:22303815

Facilitating Distance Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rossman, Mark H., Ed.; Rossman, Maxine E., Ed.

1995-01-01

This collection of articles on distance learning reflects the perspectives and concerns of the learner and the facilitator of learning in distance education setting. Eight chapters are included: (1) "The Evolution and Advantages of Distance Education" (John E. Cantelon) traces the history of distance education and demonstrates how it transcends…

Network-based high level data classification.

PubMed

Silva, Thiago Christiano; Zhao, Liang

2012-06-01

Traditional supervised data classification considers only physical features (e.g., distance or similarity) of the input data. Here, this type of learning is called low level classification. On the other hand, the human (animal) brain performs both low and high orders of learning and it has facility in identifying patterns according to the semantic meaning of the input data. Data classification that considers not only physical attributes but also the pattern formation is, here, referred to as high level classification. In this paper, we propose a hybrid classification technique that combines both types of learning. The low level term can be implemented by any classification technique, while the high level term is realized by the extraction of features of the underlying network constructed from the input data. Thus, the former classifies the test instances by their physical features or class topologies, while the latter measures the compliance of the test instances to the pattern formation of the data. Our study shows that the proposed technique not only can realize classification according to the pattern formation, but also is able to improve the performance of traditional classification techniques. Furthermore, as the class configuration's complexity increases, such as the mixture among different classes, a larger portion of the high level term is required to get correct classification. This feature confirms that the high level classification has a special importance in complex situations of classification. Finally, we show how the proposed technique can be employed in a real-world application, where it is capable of identifying variations and distortions of handwritten digit images. As a result, it supplies an improvement in the overall pattern recognition rate.

Distance Learning '99. Proceedings of the Annual Conference on Distance Teaching and Learning (15th, Madison, Wisconsin, August 4-6, 1999).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wisconsin Univ. System, Madison.

This document contains 71 papers and 11 workshop presentations on distance teaching and learning from a conference on educational research. The following are among the papers included: "Bridging Distances and Differences" (Nancy Anderson); "The Role of Site Directors in Faculty and Student Success" (Edith M. Barnett, Jeanie P.…

What's the Difference, Still? A Follow-Up Review of the Quantitative Research Methodology in Distance Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Randolph, Justus

2005-01-01

A high quality review of the distance learning literature from 1992-1999 concluded that most of the research on distance learning had serious methodological flaws. This paper presents the results of a small-scale replication of that review. From three leading distance education journals, a sample of 66 articles was categorized by study type and…

A Comparative Study of Student Satisfaction Level in Distance Learning and Live Classroom at Higher Education Level

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mahmood, Azhar; Mahmood, Sheikh Tariq; Malik, Allah Bakhsh

2012-01-01

The technology has embraced the innovative learning methodologies. Distance Learning has taken the place of traditional face-to-face educational environment. The purpose of this study was to compare the level of student satisfaction of graduate distance learning educational psychology course to a traditional classroom educational psychology course…

Effectiveness of Computer-Based Educational Technology in Distance Learning: A Review of the Literature.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lesh, Steven G.; Rampp, Lary C.

Learning at a distance has been on the fringe of educational acceptance since the first correspondence course was delivered through the mail system in return for academic credit. As distance learning has matured, elements of enhanced instructional design and advances in educational technology have migrated this medium of learning closer to the…

Teaching and Learning Science in Authoritative Classrooms: Teachers' Power and Students' Approval in Korean Elementary Classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Jeong-A.; Kim, Chan-Jong

2017-09-01

This study aims to understand interactions in Korean elementary science classrooms, which are heavily influenced by Confucianism. Ethnographic observations of two elementary science teachers' classrooms in Korea are provided. Their classes are fairly traditional teaching, which mean teacher-centered interactions are dominant. To understand the power and approval in science classroom discourse, we have adopted Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). Based on CDA, form and function analysis was adopted. After the form and function analysis, all episodes were analyzed in terms of social distance. The results showed that both teachers exercised their power while teaching. However, their classes were quite different in terms of getting approval by students. When a teacher got students' approval, he could conduct the science lesson more effectively. This study highlights the importance of getting approval by students in Korean science classrooms.

Distance Learning: Practice and Dilemmas

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tatkovic, Nevenka; Sehanovic, Jusuf; Ruzic, Maja

2006-01-01

In accordance with the European processes of integrated and homogeneous education, the paper presents the essential viewpoints and questions covering the establishment and development of "distance learning" (DL) in Republic of Croatia. It starts from the advantages of distance learning versus traditional education taking into account…

7 CFR 1703.100 - Purpose.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... RURAL DEVELOPMENT Distance Learning and Telemedicine Loan and Grant Program-General § 1703.100 Purpose. The purpose of the Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) Loan and Grant Program is to encourage and improve telemedicine services and distance learning services in rural areas through the use of...

7 CFR 1703.100 - Purpose.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... RURAL DEVELOPMENT Distance Learning and Telemedicine Loan and Grant Program-General § 1703.100 Purpose. The purpose of the Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) Loan and Grant Program is to encourage and improve telemedicine services and distance learning services in rural areas through the use of...

7 CFR 1703.100 - Purpose.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... RURAL DEVELOPMENT Distance Learning and Telemedicine Loan and Grant Program-General § 1703.100 Purpose. The purpose of the Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) Loan and Grant Program is to encourage and improve telemedicine services and distance learning services in rural areas through the use of...

7 CFR 1703.100 - Purpose.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... RURAL DEVELOPMENT Distance Learning and Telemedicine Loan and Grant Program-General § 1703.100 Purpose. The purpose of the Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) Loan and Grant Program is to encourage and improve telemedicine services and distance learning services in rural areas through the use of...

Distance Learning and the Music Teacher: Before Signing Up for a Distance-Learning Program, It Is Essential to Learn as much about the Program as Possible

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sherbon, James W.; Kish, David L.

2005-01-01

Most music teachers today are accustomed to teaching and learning practices that have undergone little change throughout many decades. Face-to-face instruction in music education has been the norm at all levels, although elements of technology and distance learning have filtered into their personal and professional lives, often in small and…

Adaptive distance metric learning for diffusion tensor image segmentation.

PubMed

Kong, Youyong; Wang, Defeng; Shi, Lin; Hui, Steve C N; Chu, Winnie C W

2014-01-01

High quality segmentation of diffusion tensor images (DTI) is of key interest in biomedical research and clinical application. In previous studies, most efforts have been made to construct predefined metrics for different DTI segmentation tasks. These methods require adequate prior knowledge and tuning parameters. To overcome these disadvantages, we proposed to automatically learn an adaptive distance metric by a graph based semi-supervised learning model for DTI segmentation. An original discriminative distance vector was first formulated by combining both geometry and orientation distances derived from diffusion tensors. The kernel metric over the original distance and labels of all voxels were then simultaneously optimized in a graph based semi-supervised learning approach. Finally, the optimization task was efficiently solved with an iterative gradient descent method to achieve the optimal solution. With our approach, an adaptive distance metric could be available for each specific segmentation task. Experiments on synthetic and real brain DTI datasets were performed to demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed distance metric learning approach. The performance of our approach was compared with three classical metrics in the graph based semi-supervised learning framework.

Adaptive Distance Metric Learning for Diffusion Tensor Image Segmentation

PubMed Central

Kong, Youyong; Wang, Defeng; Shi, Lin; Hui, Steve C. N.; Chu, Winnie C. W.

2014-01-01

High quality segmentation of diffusion tensor images (DTI) is of key interest in biomedical research and clinical application. In previous studies, most efforts have been made to construct predefined metrics for different DTI segmentation tasks. These methods require adequate prior knowledge and tuning parameters. To overcome these disadvantages, we proposed to automatically learn an adaptive distance metric by a graph based semi-supervised learning model for DTI segmentation. An original discriminative distance vector was first formulated by combining both geometry and orientation distances derived from diffusion tensors. The kernel metric over the original distance and labels of all voxels were then simultaneously optimized in a graph based semi-supervised learning approach. Finally, the optimization task was efficiently solved with an iterative gradient descent method to achieve the optimal solution. With our approach, an adaptive distance metric could be available for each specific segmentation task. Experiments on synthetic and real brain DTI datasets were performed to demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed distance metric learning approach. The performance of our approach was compared with three classical metrics in the graph based semi-supervised learning framework. PMID:24651858

Learning styles and preferences for live and distance education: an example of a specialisation course in epidemiology

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Distance learning through the internet is increasingly popular in higher education. However, it is unknown how participants in epidemiology courses value live vs. distance education. Methods All participants of a 5-day specialisation course in epidemiology were asked to keep a diary on the number of hours they spent on course activities (both live and distance education). Attendance was not compulsory during the course and participants were therefore also asked for the reasons to attend live education (lectures and practicals). In addition, the relation between participants’ learning styles (Index of Learning Styles) and their participation in live and distance education was studied. Results All 54 (100%) participants in the course completed the questionnaire on attendance and 46 (85%) completed the questionnaire on learning styles. The number of hours attending live education was negatively correlated with the number of hours going studying distance learning materials (Pearson correlation −0.5; p < 0.001). The most important reasons to attend live education was to stay focused during lectures (50%), and to ask questions during practicals (50%). A lack of time was the most important reason not to attend lectures (52%) or practicals (61%). Learning styles were not association with the number of hours spent on live or distance education. Conclusion Distance learning may play an important role in epidemiology courses, since it allows participants to study whenever and wherever they prefer, which provides the opportunity to combine courses with clinical duties. An important requirement for distance learning education appears to be the possibility to ask questions and to interact with instructors. PMID:23819522

Learning Efficient Spatial-Temporal Gait Features with Deep Learning for Human Identification.

PubMed

Liu, Wu; Zhang, Cheng; Ma, Huadong; Li, Shuangqun

2018-02-06

The integration of the latest breakthroughs in bioinformatics technology from one side and artificial intelligence from another side, enables remarkable advances in the fields of intelligent security guard computational biology, healthcare, and so on. Among them, biometrics based automatic human identification is one of the most fundamental and significant research topic. Human gait, which is a biometric features with the unique capability, has gained significant attentions as the remarkable characteristics of remote accessed, robust and security in the biometrics based human identification. However, the existed methods cannot well handle the indistinctive inter-class differences and large intra-class variations of human gait in real-world situation. In this paper, we have developed an efficient spatial-temporal gait features with deep learning for human identification. First of all, we proposed a gait energy image (GEI) based Siamese neural network to automatically extract robust and discriminative spatial gait features for human identification. Furthermore, we exploit the deep 3-dimensional convolutional networks to learn the human gait convolutional 3D (C3D) as the temporal gait features. Finally, the GEI and C3D gait features are embedded into the null space by the Null Foley-Sammon Transform (NFST). In the new space, the spatial-temporal features are sufficiently combined with distance metric learning to drive the similarity metric to be small for pairs of gait from the same person, and large for pairs from different persons. Consequently, the experiments on the world's largest gait database show our framework impressively outperforms state-of-the-art methods.

Trend of E-Learning: The Service Mashup

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yen, Neil Y.; Shih, Timothy K.; Jin, Qun; Hsu, Hui-Huang; Chao, Louis R.

2010-01-01

With the improvement of internet technologies and multimedia resources, traditional learning has been replaced by distance learning, web-based learning or others' e-learning learning styles. According to distance learning, there are many research organizations and companies who make efforts in developing the relevant systems. But they lack…

Distance education in dental hygiene bachelor of science degree completion programs: As perceived by students and faculty

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsokris, Maureen

This study investigated student and faculty perceptions of their experiences with online learning in dental hygiene Bachelor of Science degree completion programs on the dimensions of: quality of learning, connectedness to the learning environment, technology factors and student satisfaction. The experiences of dental hygiene students who took their core BS dental hygiene (BSDH) courses completely online were compared and contrasted with the perceptions of dental hygiene students who had taken a portion of the BSDH courses online and a portion in a traditional face-to-face classroom setting. Furthermore, this study compared and contrasted the perceptions of faculty on these same four dimensions based on the position held by the faculty member and the course format they are teaching in: online or a combination of online and a traditional face-to-face classroom setting. This study revealed several important differences and similarities between students who had taken their courses online and those who had taken a portion of the BSDH courses online and a portion in a traditional face-to-face classroom setting. The results showed students who had taken their courses online described factors related to the instructor as important to the quality of the learning experience such as: the experience and qualifications of the professor, the examples they provided and the instructors prompt response to questions. Students who had taken courses in both formats described factors related to the amount of effort they put into the course, their classmates' preparedness, the course materials and assignments as important to the quality of the learning experience. Although students who completed courses online reported difficulty participating in group activities, they were more positive regarding the level of interaction they experienced with their classmates online Findings indicated students who had taken their courses in both formats would have liked more opportunities to interact with their classmates. Furthermore, the online students reported participating in class discussions, posting their pictures and biographies, and using the class message board helped them develop a sense of belonging to the class community. While students that had taken classes in both formats believed that knowing their classmates from other classes is what gave them a sense of belonging to the class community. Regarding similarities between the student groups, the study revealed all students reported that not only were the convenience and flexibility of online courses the major factor that impacted their satisfaction; it was the main reason they would take other online courses and would recommend the program to others. An additional similarity between student groups was the students' perceptions of the level of interaction with their instructors. A large majority of the students felt the interaction with professors was very good. Likewise, the study revealed most students reported no issues with technology or the courseware, and that their computer skills had improved greatly after taking online courses. The results of the study indicated students felt they had learned a great deal in their online classes, that the classes were challenging and that they were actively engaged in the learning process. The results of the study showed that overall faculty was well informed regarding the factors that influence the quality of the learning experience. Moreover, they were aware of the significant role they play in developing discourse, and in providing well organized courses that incorporated various instructional techniques. Findings indicated faculty recognized that flexibility and convenience of online classes is a very important aspect of the online environment for students. The data revealed there were no differences found in the faculty's perceptions on the dimensions explored based on the format they taught in or faculty position. The findings of this study showed several important areas where faculty perceptions differed. It was found that differences exist in faculty perceptions related to students' ability to interact with their classmates online, in the degree of opportunity students have to interact with the instructor, and on the type of feedback important to students In addition, the data showed a number of faculty do not believe learning outcomes in online classes are similar to the learning outcomes in traditional classes. Finally, the data indicated that slightly more than two-thirds of the faculty participants had received training in online course development.

Effects of competitor spacing in a new class of individual-tree indices of competition: semidistance-independent indices computed for Bitterlich versus fixed-area plots

Treesearch

Albert R. Stage; Thomas Ledermann

2008-01-01

We illustrate effects of competitor spacing for a new class of individual-tree indices of competition that we call semi-distance-independent. This new class is similar to the class of distance-independent indices except that the index is computed independently at each subsampling plot surrounding a subject tree for which growth is to be modelled. We derive the effects...

Future Directions in Distance Learning and Communication Technologies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shih, Timothy; Hung, Jason

2007-01-01

Future Directions in Distance Learning and Communication Technologies presents theoretical studies and practical solutions for engineers, educational professionals, and graduate students in the research areas of e-learning, distance education, and instructional design. This book provides readers with cutting-edge solutions and research directions…

A Review of Two Distance Learning Books [book review].

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koszalka, Tiffany A.; Spector, J. Michael

2003-01-01

Reviews two books that are representative of the substantive books aimed at those who wish to design effective distance learning. Together these books provide a reasonably complete perspective on how to design effective distance learning. They have many strengths, and few weaknesses. (SLD)

Facilitating and Bridging Out-of-Class and In-Class Learning: An Interactive E-Book-Based Flipped Learning Approach for Math Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hwang, Gwo-Jen; Lai, Chiu-Lin

2017-01-01

Flipped learning is a well-recognized learning mode that reverses the traditional in-class instruction arrangement by delivering learning content outside of the classroom and engaging students in more activities in class. However, it remains a challenge for students to comprehend the learning material by themselves, particularly when learning…

Globalization, Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and Open/Distance Learning in Nigeria: Trends, Issues and Solution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olusola, Akande Joshua; Alaba, Sofowora Olaniyi

2011-01-01

The main thrust of this paper is to discuss the development of open and distance education in Nigeria and the major manifestations of the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in education in open and distance learning. This study further discusses the importance and use of ICTs in open and distance learning in making education…

Blending Face-to-Face and Distance Learning Methods in Adult and Career-Technical Education. Practice Application Brief No. 23.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wonacott, Michael E.

Both face-to-face and distance learning methods are currently being used in adult education and career and technical education. In theory, the advantages of face-to-face and distance learning methods complement each other. In practice, however, both face-to-face and information and communications technology (ICT)-based distance programs often rely…

Dental hygiene students' perceptions of distance learning: do they change over time?

PubMed

Sledge, Rhonda; Vuk, Jasna; Long, Susan

2014-02-01

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences dental hygiene program established a distant site where the didactic curriculum was broadcast via interactive video from the main campus to the distant site, supplemented with on-line learning via Blackboard. This study compared the perceptions of students towards distance learning as they progressed through the 21 month curriculum. Specifically, the study sought to answer the following questions: Is there a difference in the initial perceptions of students on the main campus and at the distant site toward distance learning? Do students' perceptions change over time with exposure to synchronous distance learning over the course of the curriculum? All 39 subjects were women between the ages of 20 and 35 years. Of the 39 subjects, 37 were Caucasian and 2 were African-American. A 15-question Likert scale survey was administered at 4 different periods during the 21 month program to compare changes in perceptions toward distance learning as students progressed through the program. An independent sample t-test and ANOVA were utilized for statistical analysis. At the beginning of the program, independent samples t-test revealed that students at the main campus (n=34) perceived statistically significantly higher effectiveness of distance learning than students at the distant site (n=5). Repeated measures of ANOVA revealed that perceptions of students at the main campus on effectiveness and advantages of distance learning statistically significantly decreased whereas perceptions of students at distant site statistically significantly increased over time. Distance learning in the dental hygiene program was discussed, and replication of the study with larger samples of students was recommended.

Exploring Differences between Self-Regulated Learning Strategies of High and Low Achievers in Open Distance Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Geduld, Bernadette

2016-01-01

Open distance students differ in their preparedness for higher education studies. Students who are less self-regulated risk failure and drop out in the challenging milieu of open distance learning. In this study, the differences between the application of self-regulated learning strategies by low and high achievers were explored. A multi-method…

e-Learning for Expanding Distance Education in Tertiary Level in Bangladesh: Problems and Progress

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al-Masum, Md. Abdullah; Chowdhury, Saiful Islam

2013-01-01

E-learning has broadly become an important enabler to promote distance education (DE) and lifelong learning in most of the developed countries, but in Bangladesh it is still a new successful progressive system for the learning communities. Distance education is thought to be introduced as an effective way of educating people of all sections in…

Learner Agency in Language Learning: The Story of a Distance Learner of EFL in China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Xiao, Junhong

2014-01-01

Learner agency plays a key role in self-regulated learning. Yet, there is a paucity of research into its role in the distance learning context. Using reflective narratives written by a distance learner of English in China, this longitudinal case study aims to investigate the ways in which learner agency mediates the language learning in the…

Pattern classification and recognition of invertebrate functional groups using self-organizing neural networks.

PubMed

Zhang, WenJun

2007-07-01

Self-organizing neural networks can be used to mimic non-linear systems. The main objective of this study is to make pattern classification and recognition on sampling information using two self-organizing neural network models. Invertebrate functional groups sampled in the irrigated rice field were classified and recognized using one-dimensional self-organizing map and self-organizing competitive learning neural networks. Comparisons between neural network models, distance (similarity) measures, and number of neurons were conducted. The results showed that self-organizing map and self-organizing competitive learning neural network models were effective in pattern classification and recognition of sampling information. Overall the performance of one-dimensional self-organizing map neural network was better than self-organizing competitive learning neural network. The number of neurons could determine the number of classes in the classification. Different neural network models with various distance (similarity) measures yielded similar classifications. Some differences, dependent upon the specific network structure, would be found. The pattern of an unrecognized functional group was recognized with the self-organizing neural network. A relative consistent classification indicated that the following invertebrate functional groups, terrestrial blood sucker; terrestrial flyer; tourist (nonpredatory species with no known functional role other than as prey in ecosystem); gall former; collector (gather, deposit feeder); predator and parasitoid; leaf miner; idiobiont (acarine ectoparasitoid), were classified into the same group, and the following invertebrate functional groups, external plant feeder; terrestrial crawler, walker, jumper or hunter; neustonic (water surface) swimmer (semi-aquatic), were classified into another group. It was concluded that reliable conclusions could be drawn from comparisons of different neural network models that use different distance (similarity) measures. Results with the larger consistency will be more reliable.

Reducing the distance: equity issues in distance learning in public education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Campbell, Patricia B.; Storo, Jennifer

1996-12-01

Distance learning and educational equity both began with an emphasis on access, on providing underserved students with an increased access to education. Today definitions of equity have gone beyond simple access to include equal or equivalent treatment and outcomes while definitions of underserved students have expanded to include girls, children of color, children with limited English proficiency and children with disabilities. At the same time the definition of distance learning has expanded to include new technologies, new audiences and new roles. Based on these new definitions and roles, the article raises a number of equity challenges for distance learning educators centering around who is taught, what is taught and how the teaching is done. To answer these challenges, a series of recommendations are suggested that educators can implement to make distance learning a leader in increasing educational equity for all students. The time to act is now.

The use of multimodal strategies for distance education in the GRECCs.

PubMed

Kresevic, Denise; Burant, Christopher; Denton, Jennifer; Heath, Barbara; Kypriotakis, George

2011-01-01

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has found distance education to be particularly valuable as a means to disseminate information to large numbers of busy learners in geographically diverse settings. Specifically, Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Centers (GRECCs) of the VA have used various forms of distance learning to provide geriatrics-focused education to diverse health care providers. Such formats allow programs to be available to audiences regardless of distance or time. Although the distance-learning format has clear benefits, there are also some barriers that have hindered its wider adoption, including technical difficulties and ease of use. Organizers of distance education programs are challenged to overcome these barriers to provide a quality learning experience for the audience. The GRECCs will likely continue to be leaders in exploring innovative distance-learning strategies to accomplish their mission of quality geriatric education.

Results from Two Years of Web-Based Astronomy Teaching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wallin, J.

1996-12-01

During the last two years, course notes, supplemental material, bulletin boards, and an interactive quiz system have been developed for the introductory astronomy course at George Mason University. In this talk, I will present results about the level of Web literacy, Web usage, and educational effectiveness of this system based on in-class surveys and test results. The results presented are based on a 300 person survey course composed primarily of non-science majors. Although this course currently includes a lecture section, we plan to offer this as a web-based distance learning course within six months.

The NASA Radiation Interuniversity Science and Engineering(RaISE) Project: A Model for Inter-collaboration and Distance Learning in Radiation Physics and Nuclear Engineering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Denkins, Pamela S.; Saganti, P.; Obot, V.; Singleterry, R.

2006-01-01

This viewgraph document reviews the Radiation Interuniversity Science and Engineering (RaISE) Project, which is a project that has as its goals strengthening and furthering the curriculum in radiation sciences at two Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), Prairie View A&M University and Texas Southern University. Those were chosen in part because of the proximity to NASA Johnson Space Center, a lead center for the Space Radiation Health Program. The presentation reviews the courses that have been developed, both in-class, and on-line.

Designing Instruction for the Distance Learner

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Asunda, Paul A.

2010-01-01

A changing education landscape, diverse learner needs and technological advancements make this the perfect time for online and distance learning. Distance learning is increasingly becoming a preferred means for individuals to gain access to education and job preparation opportunities; this meets the public's learning needs "and" that of an…

Testing the limits of long-distance learning: learning beyond a three-segment window.

PubMed

Finley, Sara

2012-01-01

Traditional flat-structured bigram and trigram models of phonotactics are useful because they capture a large number of facts about phonological processes. Additionally, these models predict that local interactions should be easier to learn than long-distance ones because long-distance dependencies are difficult to capture with these models. Long-distance phonotactic patterns have been observed by linguists in many languages, who have proposed different kinds of models, including feature-based bigram and trigram models, as well as precedence models. Contrary to flat-structured bigram and trigram models, these alternatives capture unbounded dependencies because at an abstract level of representation, the relevant elements are locally dependent, even if they are not adjacent at the observable level. Using an artificial grammar learning paradigm, we provide additional support for these alternative models of phonotactics. Participants in two experiments were exposed to a long-distance consonant-harmony pattern in which the first consonant of a five-syllable word was [s] or [∫] ("sh") and triggered a suffix that was either [-su] or [-∫u] depending on the sibilant quality of this first consonant. Participants learned this pattern, despite the large distance between the trigger and the target, suggesting that when participants learn long-distance phonological patterns, that pattern is learned without specific reference to distance. Copyright © 2012 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

School practices to promote social distancing in K-12 schools: review of influenza pandemic policies and practices.

PubMed

Uscher-Pines, Lori; Schwartz, Heather L; Ahmed, Faruque; Zheteyeva, Yenlik; Meza, Erika; Baker, Garrett; Uzicanin, Amra

2018-03-27

During an evolving influenza pandemic, community mitigation strategies, such as social distancing, can slow down virus transmission in schools and surrounding communities. To date, research on school practices to promote social distancing in primary and secondary schools has focused on prolonged school closure, with little attention paid to the identification and feasibility of other more sustainable interventions. To develop a list and typology of school practices that have been proposed and/or implemented in an influenza pandemic and to uncover any barriers identified, lessons learned from their use, and documented impacts. We conducted a review of the peer-reviewed and grey literature on social distancing interventions in schools other than school closure. We also collected state government guidance documents directed to local education agencies or schools to assess state policies regarding social distancing. We collected standardized information from each document using an abstraction form and generated descriptive statistics on common plan elements. The document review revealed limited literature on school practices to promote social distancing, as well as limited incorporation of school practices to promote social distancing into state government guidance documents. Among the 38 states that had guidance documents that met inclusion criteria, fewer than half (42%) mentioned a single school practice to promote social distancing, and none provided any substantive detail about the policies or practices needed to enact them. The most frequently identified school practices were cancelling or postponing after-school activities, canceling classes or activities with a high rate of mixing/contact that occur within the school day, and reducing mixing during transport. Little information is available to schools to develop policies and procedures on social distancing. Additional research and guidance are needed to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of school practices to promote social distancing.

Developing Distance Learning Courses in a "Traditional" University.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawton, Sally; Barnes, Richard

1998-01-01

Comparison of distance learning that was developed with a business-planning approach (market research, cost-benefit analysis, feasibility study, strategic marketing) with one that did not use these techniques showed that business planning ensures that distance-learning courses are not viewed as a "cheap" option. The method identifies…

Designing, Developing and Implementing WWW-Based Distance Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Riley, Peter C.

The rapid advancement of communication technologies is resulting in a wide array of design and development choices for distance learning projects. The 58th Special Operations Wing at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, is developing a prototype distance learning project designed to serve geographically separated learner populations. Project staff…

Development of a Framework for Guiding Interaction Design in Distance Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Wei

2015-01-01

As one of the most critical elements in distance learning, interaction has been identified empirically as increasing learner motivation, satisfaction, participation, communication, and achievement. Fostering pedagogically effective interaction is a major challenge for educators in distance learning. In response to this challenge, the goal of this…

An Investigation of Teaching Strategy in the Distance Learning Mathematics Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DePriter, Tiffany

2013-01-01

Distance learning has become increasingly popular among higher learning institutions, and more academic disciplines, such as mathematics, are now being offered at a distance. This experimental study investigated whether an objectivist-based teaching strategy or a constructivist-based teaching strategy yields greater achievement scores for adult…

Language Distance Learning for the Digital Generation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duran-Cerda, Dolores

2010-01-01

The purpose of this article was to shed light on the potential of distance learning to overcome challenges in distance, space, time, and human and economic resources that limit access to language learning opportunities in cultural, literary, historical, geographical, and cross-cultural frames. Language and literature educators collectively have…

Manpower Development for Workers in Tertiary Institutions: Distance Learning Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hassan, Moshood Ayinde

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study is to determine the extent to which workers patronize distance learning approach to further their education. Other purposes include: determine problems facing workers in the process of improving their knowledge and skills through distance learning approach; establish the level of attainment of manpower development…

The Distance Learning of Foreign Languages: A Research Agenda

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, Cynthia

2014-01-01

Research into the distance learning of languages is now established as a significant avenue of enquiry in language teaching, with evident research trajectories in several domains. This article selects and analyses significant areas of investigation in distance language learning and teaching to identify new and emerging gaps, along with research…

Distance Learning in Scientific and Professional Fields of Communication (Interdisciplinary Approach)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Skorikova, Tatyana Petrovna; Khromova, Sergey Sergeevich; Dneprovskaya, Natalia Vitalievna

2016-01-01

Modern level of informational technologies development allows the authors of educational courses to decrease their dependence from technical specialists and to independently develop distance-learning courses and their separate online components, which require special methodical learning. The aim of present study is to develop a distance-learning…

Evaluation of Hybrid and Distance Education Learning Environments in Spain

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ferrer-Cascales, Rosario; Walker, Scott L.; Reig-Ferrer, Abilio; Fernandez-Pascual, Maria Dolores; Albaladejo-Blazquez, Natalia

2011-01-01

This article describes the adaptation and validation of the "Distance Education Learning Environments Survey" (DELES) for use in investigating the qualities found in distance and hybrid education psycho-social learning environments in Spain. As Europe moves toward post-secondary student mobility, equanimity in access to higher education,…

Effects of Distance Learning on Learning Effectiveness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Hong-Cheng; Yen, Jih-Rong

2014-01-01

The development of computers in the past two decades has resulted in the changes of education in enterprises and schools. The advance of computer hardware and platforms allow colleges generally applying distance courses to instruction that both Ministry of Education and colleges have paid attention to the development of Distance Learning. To…

7 CFR 1700.57 - Distance Learning and Telemedicine Loan and Grant Program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 11 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Distance Learning and Telemedicine Loan and Grant Program. 1700.57 Section 1700.57 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued... Authorities § 1700.57 Distance Learning and Telemedicine Loan and Grant Program. (a) Administrator: The...

Nursing Distance Learning Course Comparison of Assignments and Examination Scores

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mundine, Jennifer

2016-01-01

Nursing programs have embraced distance learning in their curricula, but discussion is ongoing about course assignments and grading criteria to increase examination scores in nursing distance learning courses. Because course examinations are a predictor of success on the postgraduate licensing examination (NCLEX-RN), the purpose of this study was…

7 CFR 1700.57 - Distance Learning and Telemedicine Loan and Grant Program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 11 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Distance Learning and Telemedicine Loan and Grant Program. 1700.57 Section 1700.57 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued... Authorities § 1700.57 Distance Learning and Telemedicine Loan and Grant Program. (a) Administrator: The...

7 CFR 1700.57 - Distance Learning and Telemedicine Loan and Grant Program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 11 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Distance Learning and Telemedicine Loan and Grant Program. 1700.57 Section 1700.57 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued... Authorities § 1700.57 Distance Learning and Telemedicine Loan and Grant Program. (a) Administrator: The...

7 CFR 1700.57 - Distance Learning and Telemedicine Loan and Grant Program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 11 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Distance Learning and Telemedicine Loan and Grant Program. 1700.57 Section 1700.57 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued... Authorities § 1700.57 Distance Learning and Telemedicine Loan and Grant Program. (a) Administrator: The...

7 CFR 1700.57 - Distance Learning and Telemedicine Loan and Grant Program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 11 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Distance Learning and Telemedicine Loan and Grant Program. 1700.57 Section 1700.57 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued... Authorities § 1700.57 Distance Learning and Telemedicine Loan and Grant Program. (a) Administrator: The...

Virtual Bioinformatics Distance Learning Suite

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tolvanen, Martti; Vihinen, Mauno

2004-01-01

Distance learning as a computer-aided concept allows students to take courses from anywhere at any time. In bioinformatics, computers are needed to collect, store, process, and analyze massive amounts of biological and biomedical data. We have applied the concept of distance learning in virtual bioinformatics to provide university course material…

Sustainable Assessment and Evaluation Strategies for Open and Distance Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Okonkwo, Charity Akuadi

2010-01-01

This paper first presents an overview of the concepts of assessment and evaluation in Open and Distance Learning (ODL) environment. The large numbers of students and numerous courses make assessment and evaluation very difficult and administrative nightmare at Distance Learning (DL) institutions. These challenges informed exploring issues relating…

Costing Distance Education and Open Learning in Sub-Saharan Africa: Working Group on Distance Education and Open Learning-- A Survey of Policy and Practice. Final Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Commonwealth of Learning, 2004

2004-01-01

Ideological arguments are made for open learning, economic ones for distance education. If it can produce similar results to those of conventional education at a lower cost, then distance education has a powerful appeal. With increasing demand for access to educational opportunities at all levels, and often decreasing budgets in real terms for…

Strategy for a Sustained Quality Delivery Mode of ODL Programmes for Massive Enrollments and E-Learning: The Case for Zimbabwe Open University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kabanda, Gabriel

2014-01-01

The market dynamics in distance education has precipitated phenomenal growth opportunities in enrollments and e-learning. The purpose of the paper was to develop a strategy for sustained quality delivery mode of distance education progammes that precipitate massive enrollments and e-learning in an open and distance learning (ODL) institution using…

Acceptance of Clickers in a Large Multimodal Biochemistry Class as Determined by Student Evaluations of Teaching: Are They Just an Annoying Distraction for Distance Students?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miles, Nathan. G.; Soares da Costa, Tatiana P.

2016-01-01

A student response system (clickers) was introduced into a second year introductory biochemistry class to improve student engagement and performance. The class was delivered in both internal and distance education (DE) modes, with the DE students receiving recordings of the lectures (including clicker activities). However, there was concern over…

Assessing Learning Styles among Students with and without Learning Disabilities at a Distance-Learning University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heiman, Tali

2006-01-01

Differences in the learning styles of students with and without learning disabilities (LD) at a distance-learning university were examined. Two hundred and twelve students answered self-report questionnaires on their learning styles. Results revealed that students with LD preferred to use more stepwise processing, including memorizing and…

E-Learning in Malaysia: Moving forward in Open Distance Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abas, Zoraini Wati

2009-01-01

Many higher education institutions have embarked on e-learning as a means to support their learning and teaching activities. In distance learning institutions, e-learning has enabled them to reach out to students dispersed over a wide geographical area, locally and internationally. In some countries, e-learning has also given students the…

E-Learning and Technologies for Open Distance Learning in Management Accounting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kashora, Trust; van der Poll, Huibrecht M.; van der Poll, John A.

2016-01-01

This research develops a knowledge acquisition and construction framework for e-learning for Management Accounting students at the University of South Africa, an Open Distance Learning institution which utilises e-learning. E-learning refers to the use of electronic applications and processes for learning, including the transfer of skills and…

The Future of Learning: From eLearning to mLearning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keegan, Desmond

The future of electronic learning was explored in an analysis that viewed the provision of learning at a distance as a continuum and traced the evolution from distance learning to electronic learning to mobile learning in Europe and elsewhere. Special attention was paid to the following topics: (1) the impact of the industrial revolution, the…

New Definitions for New Higher Education Institutions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meyer, Katrina A.

2009-01-01

New terms were exploding early in the development of distance learning and virtual universities. Distance learning, online learning, e-learning, and distributed learning were applied to the various new forms of learning using online or Web-based materials and processes. However, largely thanks to the immediate popularity of the Western Governors'…

Integrating E-Learning into the Workplace.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harun, Mohd Hishamuddin

2001-01-01

Discussion of electronic learning and knowledge management in the workplace focuses on learning and training in the medical and health care setting in Malaysia. Highlights include learning and the knowledge economy; just-in-time continuing medical education; distance education; and modular distance learning. (Author/LRW)

Improving Distance Courses: Understanding Teacher Trainees and Their Learning Styles for the Design of Teacher Training Courses and Materials at a Distance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dzakiria, Hisham; Razak, Asmahan Abdul; Mohamed, Abdul Halim

2004-01-01

Literature on distance education and teacher education seems to show that what we do not know about Distance Teacher Trainees (DTT) and their learning process involved exceeds what we know about it. As more DTT enroll in distance education programmes globally, distance education providers and institutions will witness trainees coming with…

Determination of Critical Achievement Factors in Distance Education by Using Structural Equality Model: A Case Study of E-MBA Program Held in Sakarya University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Evirgen, Hayrettin; Cengel, Metin

2012-01-01

Nowadays, distance learning education has started to become familiar in behalf of classical face to face education (F2F) model. Web based learning is a major part of distance education systems. Web based distance learning can be defined shortly as an education type which doesn't force students and educators being into the same mediums. This…

Focusing Teaching on Students: Examining Student Perceptions of Learning Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lumpkin, Angela; Achen, Rebecca; Dodd, Regan

2015-01-01

This study examined undergraduate and graduate students' perceptions of the impact of in-class learning activities, out-of-class learning activities, and instructional materials on their learning. Using survey methodology, students anonymously assessed their perceptions of in-class activities, out-of-class activities, and instructional materials…

Alcohol Pharmacology Education Partnership: Using Chemistry and Biology Concepts To Educate High School Students about Alcohol

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

We developed the Alcohol Pharmacology Education Partnership (APEP), a set of modules designed to integrate a topic of interest (alcohol) with concepts in chemistry and biology for high school students. Chemistry and biology teachers (n = 156) were recruited nationally to field-test APEP in a controlled study. Teachers obtained professional development either at a conference-based workshop (NSTA or NCSTA) or via distance learning to learn how to incorporate the APEP modules into their teaching. They field-tested the modules in their classes during the following year. Teacher knowledge of chemistry and biology concepts increased significantly following professional development, and was maintained for at least a year. Their students (n = 14 014) demonstrated significantly higher scores when assessed for knowledge of both basic and advanced chemistry and biology concepts compared to students not using APEP modules in their classes the previous year. Higher scores were achieved as the number of modules used increased. These findings are consistent with our previous studies, demonstrating higher scores in chemistry and biology after students use modules that integrate topics interesting to them, such as drugs (the Pharmacology Education Partnership). PMID:24803686

Anomaly Detection Using an Ensemble of Feature Models

PubMed Central

Noto, Keith; Brodley, Carla; Slonim, Donna

2011-01-01

We present a new approach to semi-supervised anomaly detection. Given a set of training examples believed to come from the same distribution or class, the task is to learn a model that will be able to distinguish examples in the future that do not belong to the same class. Traditional approaches typically compare the position of a new data point to the set of “normal” training data points in a chosen representation of the feature space. For some data sets, the normal data may not have discernible positions in feature space, but do have consistent relationships among some features that fail to appear in the anomalous examples. Our approach learns to predict the values of training set features from the values of other features. After we have formed an ensemble of predictors, we apply this ensemble to new data points. To combine the contribution of each predictor in our ensemble, we have developed a novel, information-theoretic anomaly measure that our experimental results show selects against noisy and irrelevant features. Our results on 47 data sets show that for most data sets, this approach significantly improves performance over current state-of-the-art feature space distance and density-based approaches. PMID:22020249

A Comparative Analysis of the Academic Performance of Distance and On-Campus Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Magagula, C. M.; Ngwenya, A. P.

2004-01-01

This study examined (1) the profile of the distance and on-campus learners, (2) the academic performance of distance and on-campus learners, (3) the advantages and disadvantages of learning through distance education and on-campus education, and (4) how the disadvantages of learning through distance education could be reduced. The study found that…

Learning across Distance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cowan, Kristina

2009-01-01

A 2008 report, "Keeping Pace with K-12 Online Learning," commissioned by North American Council for Online Learning (NACOL) and others, defines online learning as "teacher-led education that takes place over the Internet, with the teacher and student separated geographically." The term "distance learning" includes online education, but is…

Distance Learning and University Effectiveness: Changing Educational Paradigms for Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howard, Caroline; Schenk, Karen; Discenza, Richard

2004-01-01

"Distance Learning and University Effectiveness: Changing Educational Paradigms for Online Learning" addresses the challenges and opportunities associated with information and communication technologies (ICTs) as related to education. From discussing new and innovative educational paradigms and learning models resulting from ICTs to addressing…

Social Web Content Enhancement in a Distance Learning Environment: Intelligent Metadata Generation for Resources

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

García-Floriano, Andrés; Ferreira-Santiago, Angel; Yáñez-Márquez, Cornelio; Camacho-Nieto, Oscar; Aldape-Pérez, Mario; Villuendas-Rey, Yenny

2017-01-01

Social networking potentially offers improved distance learning environments by enabling the exchange of resources between learners. The existence of properly classified content results in an enhanced distance learning experience in which appropriate materials can be retrieved efficiently; however, for this to happen, metadata needs to be present.…

Distance Learning and the Health Professions: A Synthesis Report of the Literature Investigating Continuing Professional Health Education at a Distance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Curran, Vernon; Noseworthy, Tanya

This synthesis report provides an extensive overview of literature evaluating use and effectiveness of distance learning technologies in delivering continuing education (CE) for health professionals. Chapter 2 discusses advantages and disadvantages of correspondence materials, explores suggestions for improving print-based learning materials, and…

Distance Learning Courses on the Web: The Authoring Approach.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Santos, Neide; Diaz, Alicia; Bibbo, Luis Mariano

This paper proposes a framework for supporting the authoring process of distance learning courses. An overview of distance learning courses and the World Wide Web is presented. The proposed framework is then described, including: (1) components of the framework--a hypermedia design methodology for authoring the course, links to related Web sites,…

A Study of Distance Learning Technology in Utah: A Statewide Overview.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chow, Stanley H. L.; And Others

This report was commissioned by the Utah State Office of Education (USOE) to provide USOE with information about the potential applications of distance learning technology in schools. The study includes: (1) a statewide assessment of instructional, staff development, and administrative needs which may be met by distance learning technology; and…

Distance Learning 2000: Proceedings of the Annual Conference on Distance Teaching & Learning (16th, Madison, Wisconsin, August 2-4, 2000).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wisconsin Univ. System, Madison.

These proceedings contain 75 papers from information sessions that address important human factors in distance education from several perspectives, including implementation planning, management and policy, instructional design, teaching methods, faculty development, learning environments, learner supports, and evaluation. Among the papers are:…

Characteristics and Activities of Teachers on Distance Learning Programs That Affect Their Ratings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stanišic Stojic, Svetlana M.; Dobrijevic, Gordana; Stanišic, Nemanja; Stanic, Nenad

2014-01-01

This paper presents an analysis of teachers' ratings on distance learning undergraduate study programs: 7,156 students enrolled in traditional and 528 students enrolled in distance learning studies took part in the evaluation questionnaire, assessing 71 teachers. The data were collected from the Moodle platform and from the Singidunum University…

Distance Education in the United States: From Correspondence Courses to the Internet

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caruth, Gail D.; Caruth, Donald L.

2013-01-01

Online learning is a descendant of distance education. Online education has a shared history with correspondence learning. In 1873, Anna Eliot Ticknor founded the Society to Encourage Studies at Home. Ticknor's Society established one of America's first correspondence schools, a distance learning option conducted through the mail. This Society was…

Incorporating Distance Learning into Counselor Education Programs: A Research Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wantz, Richard A.; Tromski, Donna M.; Mortsolf, Christina Joelle; Yoxtheimer, Greggory; Brill, Samantha; Cole, Alison

The purpose of this study is to determine the number of counselor education programs that utilize distance learning, to identify the distance learning software delivery products used, and to identify features of software used. The researchers also attempt to identify faculty perceptions related to and experience with the importance of distance…

Bibliometric and Social Network Analysis of Doctoral Research: Research Trends in Distance Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Skinner, Jason Kirtland

2015-01-01

The study investigated research topics of doctoral dissertations that examined issues in distance learning from 2000-2014. Twelve reviews of research on distance learning, spanning from 1997-2015, were identified. It was found that only one of these reviews of research (Davies, Howell, & Petri, 2010) looked at doctoral dissertations. The…

The Open College of the North West, Distance Learning, and the "Open Tech" Programme.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Percy, Keith; Saunders, Murray

1982-01-01

A regional program of pre-university courses in northwestern England open to adults with no entry qualifications is discussed. It uses some distance learning techniques but is investigating expansion to technical education through distance learning. The complexities and potential costs of such a substantial directional change are examined. (MSE)

Effectiveness of Asynchronous Reference Services for Distance Learning Students within Florida's Community College System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Profeta, Patricia C.

2007-01-01

The provision of equitable library services to distance learning students emerged as a critical area during the 1990s. Library services available to distance learning students included digital reference and instructional services, remote access to online research tools, database and research tutorials, interlibrary loan, and document delivery.…

NASA Langley/CNU Distance Learning Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caton, Randall; Pinelli, Thomas E.

NASA Langley Research Center and Christopher Newport University (CNU) provide, free to the public, distance learning programs that focus on math, science, and/or technology over a spectrum of education levels from K-adult. The effort started in 1997, and currently there are a suite of five distance-learning programs. This paper presents the major…

Digital Competence Model of Distance Learning Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

da Silva, Ketia Kellen A.; Behar, Patricia A.

2017-01-01

This article presents the development of a digital competency model of Distance Learning (DL) students in Brazil called CompDigAl_EAD. The following topics were addressed in this study: Educational Competences, Digital Competences, and Distance Learning students. The model was developed between 2015 and 2016 and is being validated in 2017. It was…

Distance-Learning Programs. Case Studies in TESOL Practice Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Henrichsen, Lynn E., Ed.

The 14 cases in this book show how distance learning takes a variety of forms in teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL). The 15 chapters include the following: (1) "Beyond Adding Telecommunications to a Traditional Course: Insights into Human and Instructional Factors Affecting Distance Learning in TESOL" (Lynn E.…

Implementing a Learning Model for a Practical Subject in Distance Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weller, M. J.; Hopgood, A. A.

1997-01-01

Artificial Intelligence for Technology, a distance learning course at the Open University, is based on a learning model that combines conceptualization, construction, and dialog. This allows a practical emphasis which has been difficult to implement in distance education. The course uses commercial software, real-world-based assignments, and a…

Adding Interactivity to Web Based Distance Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cafolla, Ralph; Knee, Richard

Web Based Distance Learning (WBDL) is a form of distance learning based on providing instruction mainly on the World Wide Web. This paradigm has limitations, especially the lack of interactivity inherent in the Web. The purpose of this paper is to discuss some of the technologies the authors have used in their courses at Florida Atlantic…

Student Support Gaps in an Open Distance Learning Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arko-Achemfuor, Akwasi

2017-01-01

Studying through distance education can be problematic for any student, but it can be worse for rural students for diverse reasons. To ensure that students studying through the open distance learning (ODL) system have an enduring learning experience, ODL builds student support as one of its components. The University of South Africa (Unisa)…

The Effects of Videoconferenced Distance-Learning Instruction in a Taiwanese Company

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Chin-Hung; Yang, Shu-Ching

2011-01-01

Distance learning, where instruction is given to students despite wide separations of students and teachers, is increasingly popular. Videoconferencing, which is examined in this study, is a distance learning mode of featuring real-time interaction of students and teachers and provides sequence, real-time, vision, and actual interaction. This…

Assessment of Readiness to Participate in Distance Learning of the Certified Florida Behavioral Workforce

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baston, George R.

2011-01-01

This research study explored perceptions of readiness to participate in distance learning among the certified behavioral workforce in Florida. The study sought to determine if there were significant differences in perception of readiness to participate in distance learning between certified behavioral health professionals at the administrator…

Distance Learning and Jihad: The Dark Side of the Force

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bates, Rodger; Mooney, Mara

2014-01-01

The ability to reach a variety of audiences in diverse environments has made distance learning a major form of education and training in the 21st century. Though traditionally encountered in the educational and business communities, distance learning has proven an important resource for a variety of other constituencies. Terrorist groups have…

Factors Affecting Corporate Image from the Perspective of Distance Learning Students in Public Higher Education Institutions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

da Costa, Fábio Reis; Pelissari, Anderson Soncini

2016-01-01

New information technologies enable different interactions in the educational environment, affecting how the image of educational institutions adopting distance-learning programmes is perceived. This article identifies factors affecting the perception of corporate image from the viewpoint of distance-learning students at public higher education…

Distance Learning for Gifted Students: Outcomes for Elementary, Middle, and High School Aged Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wallace, Patricia

2009-01-01

Although distance learning often is cited as a potentially useful strategy to provide appropriately challenging academic coursework to gifted students, little research has been conducted on its use or effectiveness with this population, particularly with younger students in elementary school. In this study, distance learning outcomes for gifted…

Access and Success in Learning: Technologies for Scaling Up Open and Distance Learning Programme in the Institute of Distance Learning, KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Essel, Rebecca; Owusu-Boateng, William

2011-01-01

ODL (Open and Distance Learning) has come to stay. In recent years, there has been some extra-ordinary increasing international interest in it and Ghana is no exception. Currently, new ways of providing education are inevitable and ODL provides an effective alternate way. It represents approaches that focus on opening access to education and…

Teaching health assessment in the virtual classroom.

PubMed

Lashley, Mary

2005-08-01

Health assessment skills are vital to professional nursing practice. Health assessment has traditionally been taught using lecture, teacher-developed tests, practice and live demonstration, and interactive and computer-based learning materials. Rapid advances in information technology during the past decade have greatly expanded distance learning options in higher education. Although much nursing education now uses the Internet, there has been limited use of the Web to teach psychomotor and clinical skills. This article describes how online instruction can be integrated into a health assessment course to teach physical examination skills. The development of instructional videos that can be digitally streamed onto the Web for ready and repeated access can also enhance online learning of technical and clinical skills. Student evaluation of this Web-enhanced course revealed that online assignments enabled them to pace their learning, thereby promoting greater flexibility and independence. Students were able to master the technical skills of working online with minimal difficulty and reported that working online was no more stressful than attending class. The most helpful aspect of the online course was the instructor-developed video that was digitally streamed online.

College Students Attitudes toward Learning Process and Outcome of Online Instruction and Distance Learning across Learning Styles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nguyen, Dat-Dao; Zhang, Yue

2011-01-01

This study uses the Learning-Style Inventory--LSI (Smith & Kolb, 1985) to explore to what extent student attitudes toward learning process and outcome of online instruction and Distance Learning are affected by their cognitive styles and learning behaviors. It finds that there are not much statistically significant differences in perceptions…

Designing, delivering and evaluating a distance learning nursing course responsive to students needs.

PubMed

Sowan, Azizeh K; Jenkins, Louise S

2013-06-01

The majority of available studies in distance learning in nursing and health lack the sufficient details of course design and delivery processes which greatly affect the learning outcomes. Also, little is available about the fairness of this method of education to students with limited access to course resources. We describe the design and delivery processes and experience, in terms of satisfaction and achievement, of undergraduate nursing students in a distance course. The difference in achievement between the distance students and a comparable cohort of hybrid students is also examined. We also demonstrate the possibility of providing accessible education to students with limited technological resources. Participants included all undergraduate nursing students who were enrolled in a distance and a hybrid section of a communication skills course offered at a School of Nursing in Jordan. The distance course was created using Blackboard and Tegrity learning management systems. The design and delivery processes of the distance course incorporated three pedagogical principles that enhance: (a) course access and navigation; (b) communication and interaction; and (c) active and collaborative learning experiences. After course completion, distance students completed a 27-item satisfaction questionnaire. Achievement in the course and correlates of satisfaction were measured. The final sample included 25 students in the distance section and 35 in the hybrid section (N=60). The mean score of overall satisfaction in the distance section was 4.14 (0.32) out of a 5-point scale, indicating a high satisfaction. Results revealed significant associations between total satisfaction score and achievement in the distance course, grade expected in the course, and frequency of accessing the course materials (p<.05). All distance students, including students with limited technological resources available at home, managed to successfully complete the course. Major concerns reported by distance students were related to lack of time management skills and negative attitudes toward group assignments. The mean final course grade of the distance section (80±8.2) was significantly higher than the hybrid section (72.2±9.5), (t=3.5, p<.05). The use of effective instructional strategies resulted in delivering successful distance learning, even for students with limited resources. Institutions have to make strategic decisions on how to optimize the use of technology to fit their individualized learning environments. Instructors need to become familiar with the characteristics of students cohort served by the course and design the course accordingly. In addition, students should be guided on how to manage their time in distance learning environments and work effectively in group assignments. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Machine Learning Classification of Heterogeneous Fields to Estimate Physical Responses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McKenna, S. A.; Akhriev, A.; Alzate, C.; Zhuk, S.

2017-12-01

The promise of machine learning to enhance physics-based simulation is examined here using the transient pressure response to a pumping well in a heterogeneous aquifer. 10,000 random fields of log10 hydraulic conductivity (K) are created and conditioned on a single K measurement at the pumping well. Each K-field is used as input to a forward simulation of drawdown (pressure decline). The differential equations governing groundwater flow to the well serve as a non-linear transform of the input K-field to an output drawdown field. The results are stored and the data set is split into training and testing sets for classification. A Euclidean distance measure between any two fields is calculated and the resulting distances between all pairs of fields define a similarity matrix. Similarity matrices are calculated for both input K-fields and the resulting drawdown fields at the end of the simulation. The similarity matrices are then used as input to spectral clustering to determine groupings of similar input and output fields. Additionally, the similarity matrix is used as input to multi-dimensional scaling to visualize the clustering of fields in lower dimensional spaces. We examine the ability to cluster both input K-fields and output drawdown fields separately with the goal of identifying K-fields that create similar drawdowns and, conversely, given a set of simulated drawdown fields, identify meaningful clusters of input K-fields. Feature extraction based on statistical parametric mapping provides insight into what features of the fields drive the classification results. The final goal is to successfully classify input K-fields into the correct output class, and also, given an output drawdown field, be able to infer the correct class of input field that created it.

Enhancing SCORM Metadata for Assessment Authoring in E-Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chang, Wen-Chih; Hsu, Hui-Huang; Smith, Timothy K.; Wang, Chun-Chia

2004-01-01

With the rapid development of distance learning and the XML technology, metadata play an important role in e-Learning. Nowadays, many distance learning standards, such as SCORM, AICC CMI, IEEE LTSC LOM and IMS, use metadata to tag learning materials. However, most metadata models are used to define learning materials and test problems. Few…

An Assistive Computerized Learning Environment for Distance Learning Students with Learning Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klemes, Joel; Epstein, Alit; Zuker, Michal; Grinberg, Nira; Ilovitch, Tamar

2006-01-01

The current study examines how a computerized learning environment assists students with learning disabilities (LD) enrolled in a distance learning course at the Open University of Israel. The technology provides computer display of the text, synchronized with auditory output and accompanied by additional computerized study skill tools which…

A distance learning model in a physical therapy curriculum.

PubMed

English, T; Harrison, A L; Hart, A L

1998-01-01

In response to the rural health initiative established in 1991, the University of Kentucky has developed an innovative distance learning program of physical therapy instruction that combines classroom lecture and discussion via compressed video technology with laboratory experiences. The authors describe the process of planning, implementing, and evaluating a specific distance learning course in pathomechanics for the professional-level master's-degree physical therapy students at the University of Kentucky. This presentation may serve as a model for teaching distance learning. Descriptions of optimal approaches to preclass preparation, scheduling, course delivery, use of audiovisual aids, use of handout material, and video production are given. Special activities that may enhance or deter the achievement of the learning objectives are outlined, and a problem-solving approach to common problems encountered is presented. An approach to evaluating and comparing course outcomes for the distance learnere is presented. For this particular course, there was no statistically significant difference in the outcome measures utilized to compare the distance learners with the on-site learners.

Measuring the Accuracy of Simple Evolving Connectionist System with Varying Distance Formulas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al-Khowarizmi; Sitompul, O. S.; Suherman; Nababan, E. B.

2017-12-01

Simple Evolving Connectionist System (SECoS) is a minimal implementation of Evolving Connectionist Systems (ECoS) in artificial neural networks. The three-layer network architecture of the SECoS could be built based on the given input. In this study, the activation value for the SECoS learning process, which is commonly calculated using normalized Hamming distance, is also calculated using normalized Manhattan distance and normalized Euclidean distance in order to compare the smallest error value and best learning rate obtained. The accuracy of measurement resulted by the three distance formulas are calculated using mean absolute percentage error. In the training phase with several parameters, such as sensitivity threshold, error threshold, first learning rate, and second learning rate, it was found that normalized Euclidean distance is more accurate than both normalized Hamming distance and normalized Manhattan distance. In the case of beta fibrinogen gene -455 G/A polymorphism patients used as training data, the highest mean absolute percentage error value is obtained with normalized Manhattan distance compared to normalized Euclidean distance and normalized Hamming distance. However, the differences are very small that it can be concluded that the three distance formulas used in SECoS do not have a significant effect on the accuracy of the training results.

Distance Education and Open Learning in Sub-Saharan Africa: Criteria and Conditions for Quality and Critical Success Factor-- Working Group on Distance Education and Open Learning. A Survey of Policy and Practice. Final Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Commonwealth of Learning, 2004

2004-01-01

Both of these "Surveys of policy and practice" were conducted on behalf of COL by the South African Institute for Distance Education (SAIDE) as part of COL's partnership agreement with the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) Working Group on Distance Education and Open Learning. The first report identifies…

Improve Outcomes Study subjects Chemistry Teaching and Learning Strategies through independent study with the help of computer-based media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sugiharti, Gulmah

2018-03-01

This study aims to see the improvement of student learning outcomes by independent learning using computer-based learning media in the course of STBM (Teaching and Learning Strategy) Chemistry. Population in this research all student of class of 2014 which take subject STBM Chemistry as many as 4 class. While the sample is taken by purposive as many as 2 classes, each 32 students, as control class and expriment class. The instrument used is the test of learning outcomes in the form of multiple choice with the number of questions as many as 20 questions that have been declared valid, and reliable. Data analysis techniques used one-sided t test and improved learning outcomes using a normalized gain test. Based on the learning result data, the average of normalized gain values for the experimental class is 0,530 and for the control class is 0,224. The result of the experimental student learning result is 53% and the control class is 22,4%. Hypothesis testing results obtained t count> ttable is 9.02> 1.6723 at the level of significance α = 0.05 and db = 58. This means that the acceptance of Ha is the use of computer-based learning media (CAI Computer) can improve student learning outcomes in the course Learning Teaching Strategy (STBM) Chemistry academic year 2017/2018.

A Strategic Planning Process Model for Distance Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pisel, Kenneth P.

2008-01-01

As more institutions seek to implement or expand distance learning programs, it becomes critical to integrate distance learning programs into broader strategic visions and plans. Using the informed opinion from a panel of peer-nominated experts via iterative Delphi questionnaires, a 10-phased strategic planning process model for distance education…

Quality Assurance, Open and Distance Learning, and Australian Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reid, Ian C.

2005-01-01

Open and distance education has integrated quality assurance processes since its inception. Recently, the increased use of distance teaching systems, technologies, and pedagogies by universities without a distance education heritage has enabled them to provide flexible learning opportunities. They have done this in addition to, or instead of,…

Quality Assurance in Distance Learning Libraries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tripathi, Manorama; Jeevan, V. K. J.

2009-01-01

Purpose: The paper aims to study how the present distance learning libraries can improve upon their existing services and introduce new ones to enhance quality of services to distance learners. Design/methodology/approach: The paper includes a review of literature on quality assurance in open and distance education in general and student support…

Distance Education and Distributed Learning. Current Perspectives on Applied Information Technologies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vrasidas, Charalambos, Ed.; Glass, Gene V., Ed.

This book describes the current state of developments in distance education and distributed learning. The volume brings together some of the leading contemporary contributors in the areas of educational technology and distance education. Topics covered include research and evaluation in distance education, online communities, faculty productivity,…

Strategic Plan for the Academic Component of the Army National Guard Distance Learning Demonstration.

DTIC Science & Technology

1998-07-01

II - Directed study on Distance Learning Technologies - Action Memorandum. a reserve unit where they perform the same job as they did as full-time...a virtual learning community and provide a classroom without walls. The harnessing of appropriate technology to meet the training needs offers...its force through training, the Distance Learning capabilities also becomes part of community resources that advance the education of local residents

Burnout Syndrome in Students of a Distance Learning Program: The Open University of Cyprus Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pavlakis, Andreas; Kaitelidou, Dafni

2012-01-01

Introduction: Distance learning seems to have a crucial impact on the social and emotional life of students. Within the framework of distance learning at the Open University of Cyprus, the "Healthcare Management" department conducted a study regarding the levels of stress, anxiety and depression reported by the student population. The…

From Radio, to Satellite, to M-Learning: Interactive Distance Education in Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crump, Stephen

2013-01-01

This paper provides reflections on M-learning as a form of "distance education," based on a summary of the findings of the Interactive Distance e-Learning (IDL) research project in rural and remote Australia under an Australian Research Council Linkage grant. This project was a joint undertaking between 3 government agencies and an…

Distance Learning Course Design Expectations in China and the United Kingdom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Xu, Jingjing; Rees, Terri

2016-01-01

This article provides insight into different expectations between Chinese and British academic culture for distance learning. The article is based on a pedagogic research project, a case study, and is centered on a distance learning course in maritime law proposed by a British university for a university in China. Some important commonalities and…

The Development of a Survey Instrument to Measure Transactional Distance in Secondary Blended Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lane, Dennis Glenn

2017-01-01

The goal of this study was to develop a survey instrument to measure transactional distance in secondary blended learning environments. This study resulted in a 35-item survey instrument, the Blended Learning Assessment Scale of Transactional Distance (BLASTD), which was tested using a convenience sample of secondary students (n = 222) at a…

Automated Inattention and Fatigue Detection System in Distance Education for Elementary School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hwang, Kuo-An; Yang, Chia-Hao

2009-01-01

Most courses based on distance learning focus on the cognitive domain of learning. Because students are sometimes inattentive or tired, they may neglect the attention goal of learning. This study proposes an auto-detection and reinforcement mechanism for the distance-education system based on the reinforcement teaching strategy. If a student is…

Distance Training: How Innovative Organizations Are Using Technology To Maximize Learning and Meet Business Objectives. Jossey-Bass Business and Management Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schreiber, Deborah A.; Berge, Zane L.

This book contains 19 papers examining ways in which innovative organizations are using distance learning technology to maximize learning and meet business objectives. The following papers are included: "Preface" (Deborah A. Schreiber, Zane L. Berge); "Organizational Technology and Its Impact on Distance Training" (Deborah A.…

What Is the Role of Distance Learning in the State University System? Information Brief. Volume 6, Issue 2

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Florida Board of Governors, State University System, 2008

2008-01-01

Distance learning is the term used when the delivery of instruction involves the separation of student(s) and the instructor by time and/or space. Some forms of distance learning include correspondence, telecourses, online instruction, computer assisted instruction, and instructional delivery that relies upon satellite, cable, broadcast (TV or…

Supporting Students in Open and Distance Learning. Open and Distance Learning Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simpson, Ormond

This book, which is intended for individuals involved in recruiting and teaching students in open and distance learning (ODL) situations, examines academic and nonacademic student support issues in ODL. The following are among the topics discussed in the book's 14 chapters: (1) models and definitions of ODL systems; (2) rationale for student…

The Resonance Factor: Probing the Impact of Video on Student Retention in Distance Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Geri, Nitza

2012-01-01

Teaching and instructing is one of the challenging manifestations of informing, within which distance learning is considered harder than face-to-face instruction. Student retention is one of the major challenges of distance learning. Current innovative technologies enable widespread use of video lectures that may ease the loneliness of the…

Perspectives on Distance Education and Social Media

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Powers, Lisa; Alhussain, Ruqaya; Averbeck, Clemens; Warner, Andre

2012-01-01

There is a dramatic shift in the tools that are used in today's technology-based distance education. While distance education is not new, there are new types of socially rich, mobile technologies that empower learners to be more in control of what they learn, when they learn it, and how they learn it. Students are taking more responsibility for…

A Framework for Developing Competencies in Open and Distance Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arinto, Patricia B.

2013-01-01

Many open universities and distance education institutions have shifted from a predominantly print-based mode of delivery to an online mode characterised by the use of virtual learning environments and various web technologies. This paper describes the impact of the shift to open and distance e-learning (ODeL), as this trend might be called, on…

Transactional Distance among Open University Students: How Does it Affect the Learning Process?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kassandrinou, Amanda; Angelaki, Christina; Mavroidis, Ilias

2014-01-01

This study examines the presence of transactional distance among students, the factors affecting it, as well as the way it influences the learning process of students in a blended distance learning setting in Greece. The present study involved 12 postgraduate students of the Hellenic Open University (HOU). A qualitative research was conducted,…

Survey on Uses of Distance Learning in the U.S.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Downing, Diane E.

A December 1983 survey queried the chief state school officers of the 50 states on the extent to which distance learning techniques are used in public education in their states. Respondents were asked to focus on interactive forms of distance learning, such as audio and video teleconferencing. A total of 28 states (56%) responded, with the…

Cross-Sectional Evaluation of Distance Education Students' Learning Styles and Critical Thinking Dispositions in Turkey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yüksel, Ismail; Türkses, Ercüment

2015-01-01

This study aims to examine distance education students' learning styles and critical thinking dispositions. This cross sectional survey was conducted on 114 Turkish distance education students from various departments in a state university. The data of the study were collected through Grasha-Riechmann Student Learning Style Scale (GRSLSS) and…

China's Radio and TV Universities: Reflections on Theory and Practice of Open and Distance Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wei, Runfang

2010-01-01

Distance education and open learning are western innovations, representing the educational concepts, cultures and societies of western countries. The introduction of distance education and the adoption of open learning in China's radio and TV universities are by no means an indication that they will and can be copied wholesale. Open and distance…

High School Students in the New Learning Environment: A Profile of Distance E-Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kirby, Dale; Sharpe, Dennis

2010-01-01

The relative ubiquity of computer access and the rapid development of information and communication technology have profoundly impacted teaching and learning at a distance. Relatively little is currently known about the characteristics of those students who participate in distance e-learning courses at the secondary school level. In an effort to…

Attitudes and Perceptions of Students to Open and Distance Learning in Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ojo, David Olugbenga; Olakulehin, Felix Kayode

2006-01-01

In the West African Region of Africa, the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) is the first full fledged university that operates in an exclusively open and distance learning (ODL) mode of education. NOUN focuses mainly on open and distance teaching and learning system, and delivers its courses materials via print in conjunction with…

An Analysis of the Market Potential for Distance Learning Opportunities in Transportation Professional Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Durkop, Brooke R.; Jasek, Debbie; Kuhn, Beverly T.

The feasibility and sustainability of a distance learning program at the Texas Transportation Institute, which is part of the Texas A&M University system, was investigated. A literature review and online survey of current transportation professionals were conducted to examine the market potential for a distance learning program and to identify…

Curriculum Integration in Distance Learning at Primary and Secondary Educational Levels on the Example of eTwinning Projects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gajek, Elzbieta

2018-01-01

Curriculum integration is one of the concepts which has been discussed for years. Telecollaborative projects, which employ elements of distance learning, provide opportunities for putting the idea into practice. Analysis of eTwinning projects undertaken in Polish schools aims at demonstrating the integrative role of distance learning approaches…

Survey of Distance Learning Provision in Continuing Health Professional Education in Canada

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Curran, Vernon; Kirby, Fran; Fleet, Lisa

2003-01-01

In Canada, the trend is towards greater use of distance learning technologies in the provision of continuing professional education in the health professions. Lack of access to professional development is a common deterrent to practice in rural and remote areas. Distance learning technologies have an important role to play in addressing the…

Application of the Classification Tree Model in Predicting Learner Dropout Behaviour in Open and Distance Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yasmin, Dr.

2013-01-01

This paper demonstrates the meaningful application of learning analytics for determining dropout predictors in the context of open and distance learning in a large developing country. The study was conducted at the Directorate of Distance Education at the University of North Bengal, West Bengal, India. This study employed a quantitative research…

Analysis of Risks in a Learning Management System: A Case Study in the Spanish National University of Distance Education (UNED)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vázquez-Cano, Esteban; Sevillano García, Ma. Luisa

2015-01-01

This article presents a research that examines the university students' risk perception when using a Learning Management System called "aLF" and implemented by the Spanish National University of Distance Education (UNED) for the development of its university distance studies. The development of comprehensive Learning Management Systems…

Television and Learning Systems (Distance Education). Papers on Information Technology No. 245.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bates, A. W.

Arguing that television has a very important role to play in distance education courses, this paper outlines some of the unique roles that television can play and gives examples of how television can provide learning material not otherwise available to distance learners and help in the development of thinking and learning. Examples of how…

A Flow Theory Perspective on Learner Motivation and Behavior in Distance Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liao, Li-Fen

2006-01-01

Motivating learners to continue to study and enjoy learning is one of the critical factors in distance education. Flow theory is a useful framework for studying the individual experience of learning through using computers. In this study, I examine students' emotional and cognitive responses to distance learning systems by constructing two models…

Science Practical Work Instructional Technologies and Open Distance Learning in Science Teacher Training: A Case Study in Zimbabwe

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bhukuvhani, Crispen; Mupa, Mathew; Mhishi, Misheck; Dziva, Daimond

2012-01-01

The practical work component offers unique challenges for university science courses. This is even more pertinent in an Open and Distance Learning (ODL) environment like the Bindura University of Science Education's Virtual and Open Distance Learning (VODL) programme. Effective ODL education should be flexible enough to accommodate science…

Empirical Investigation into Motives for Choosing Web-Based Distance Learning Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alkhattabi, Mona

2016-01-01

Today, in association with rapid social and economic changes, there is an increasing level of demand for distance and online learning programs. This study will focus on identifying the main motivational factors for choosing a web-based distance-learning program. Moreover, it will investigate how these factors relate to age, gender, marital status…

Class size as related to the use of technology, educational practices, and outcomes in Web-based nursing courses.

PubMed

Burruss, Nancy M; Billings, Diane M; Brownrigg, Vicki; Skiba, Diane J; Connors, Helen R

2009-01-01

With the expanding numbers of nursing students enrolled in Web-based courses and the shortage of faculty, class sizes are increasing. This exploratory descriptive study examined class size in relation to the use of technology and to particular educational practices and outcomes. The sample consisted of undergraduate (n = 265) and graduate (n = 863) students enrolled in fully Web-based nursing courses. The Evaluating Educational Uses of Web-based Courses in Nursing survey (Billings, D., Connors, H., Skiba, D. (2001). Benchmarking best practices in Web-based nursing courses. Advances in Nursing Science, 23, 41--52) and the Social Presence Scale (Gunawardena, C. N., Zittle, F. J. (1997). Social presence as a predictor of satisfaction within a computer-mediated conferencing environment. The American Journal of Distance Education, 11, 9-26.) were used to gather data about the study variables. Class sizes were defined as very small (1 to 10 students), small (11 to 20 students), medium (21 to 30 students), large (31 to 40 students), and very large (41 students and above). Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. There were significant differences by class size in students' perceptions of active participation in learning, student-faculty interaction, peer interaction, and connectedness. Some differences by class size between undergraduate and graduate students were also found, and these require further study.

Using a Learning Activity Sequence in Large-Enrollment Physical Geology Classes: Supporting the Needs of Underserved Students While Motivating Interest, Learning, and Success

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pun, A.; Smith, G. A.

2011-12-01

The learning activity sequence (LAS) strategy is a student-focused pedagogy that emphasizes active classroom learning to promote learning among all students, and in particular, those with diverse backgrounds. Online assessments both set the stage for active learning and help students synthesize material during their learning. UNM is one of only two Carnegie Research University Very High institutions also designated as Hispanic-serving and the only state flagship university that is also a majority-minority undergraduate institution. In 2010 Hispanics comprised 40% of 20,655 undergraduates (and 49% of freshmen), 37% of undergraduates were Pell Grant recipients (the largest proportion of any public flagship research university; J. Blacks Higher Ed., 2009) and 44% of incoming freshmen were first-generation students. To maximize student learning in this environment rich in traditionally underserved students, we designed a LAS for nonmajor physical geology (enrollments 100-160) that integrates in-class instruction with structured out-of-class learning. The LAS has 3 essential parts: Students read before class to acquire knowledge used during in-class collaborative, active-learning activities that build conceptual understanding. Lastly, students review notes and synthesize what they've learned before moving on to the next topic. The model combines online and in-class learning and assessment: Online reading assessments before class; active-learning experiences during class; online learning assessments after class. Class sessions include short lectures, peer instruction "clickers", and small-group problem solving (lecture tutorials). Undergraduate Peer-Learning Facilitators are available during class time to help students with problem solving. Effectiveness of the LAS approach is reflected in three types of measurements. (1) Using the LAS strategy, the overall rate of students earning a grade of C or higher is higher than compared to the average for all large-enrollment department sections taught during the same period. (2) Anonymous student surveys show that: 97% of students do at least some of the assigned reading before class while 58% indicate they would not do the reading if online reading assessments were not assigned; 72% indicate post-lecture online assessments prepare them for exams; greater than 80% of students feel that they learn more in the LAS approach than with traditional instruction; 90% favor active learning in the classroom to only lecture; learning opportunities motivate 82% to attend class to participate in peer instruction and in-class exercises, even if these assignments did not contribute at all to their grade. Notably, first-generation students show disproportionately greater preference for active in-class learning. (3) Learning gains were assessed with the geoscience concept inventory (GCI) of Libarkin and Anderson (2005, J Geo Ed 53(4):395-401). Paired pre- and post-test scores (n=404) in 5 classes show an improvement from 46% to 52% (11% normalized gain), within the target goal that McConnell et al. (2008, GSA Abst Prog 41(1):49) propose for introductory geology courses that produce improved conceptual geoscience learning.

Development of observational learning during school formation in jack mackerel Trachurus japonicus juveniles.

PubMed

Takahashi, Kohji; Masuda, Reiji; Yamashita, Yoh

2014-03-01

We assessed whether the development of observational learning in jack mackerel Trachurus japonicus juveniles corresponds with that of their schooling behaviour. Schooling behaviour was quantitatively analyzed by nearest neighbour distance and separation angle in two size classes of fish, 20-mm and 40-mm in body length. Observer and non-observer fish with matching sizes were conditioned to pellets by temporarily stopping aeration. Observer fish were provided with five observation trials of other individuals feeding near an air stone when aeration was stopped. After the observation trial, fish were conditioned to pellets with the stop of aeration, and then the learning process was evaluated by the increase in the association with the feeding area when aeration was stopped. In 20-mm fish, which were at an immature stage of schooling behaviour, there was no difference in the learning process between observer and non-observer fish. In contrast, 40-mm fish were confirmed to have a well-developed schooling behaviour, and the observer learnt the feeding area more efficiently than the non-observer. This study provides evidence that observational learning develops along with the development of the social interaction. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Pulmonary emphysema classification based on an improved texton learning model by sparse representation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Min; Zhou, Xiangrong; Goshima, Satoshi; Chen, Huayue; Muramatsu, Chisako; Hara, Takeshi; Yokoyama, Ryujiro; Kanematsu, Masayuki; Fujita, Hiroshi

2013-03-01

In this paper, we present a texture classification method based on texton learned via sparse representation (SR) with new feature histogram maps in the classification of emphysema. First, an overcomplete dictionary of textons is learned via KSVD learning on every class image patches in the training dataset. In this stage, high-pass filter is introduced to exclude patches in smooth area to speed up the dictionary learning process. Second, 3D joint-SR coefficients and intensity histograms of the test images are used for characterizing regions of interest (ROIs) instead of conventional feature histograms constructed from SR coefficients of the test images over the dictionary. Classification is then performed using a classifier with distance as a histogram dissimilarity measure. Four hundreds and seventy annotated ROIs extracted from 14 test subjects, including 6 paraseptal emphysema (PSE) subjects, 5 centrilobular emphysema (CLE) subjects and 3 panlobular emphysema (PLE) subjects, are used to evaluate the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed method. The proposed method is tested on 167 PSE, 240 CLE and 63 PLE ROIs consisting of mild, moderate and severe pulmonary emphysema. The accuracy of the proposed system is around 74%, 88% and 89% for PSE, CLE and PLE, respectively.

Going the Distance: A National Distance Learning Initiative.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dubois, Jaques R.

1996-01-01

Going the Distance is a Public Broadcasting Service project through which over 130 colleges and universities are offering telecourses for adults seeking associate degrees. It is the beginning of a global learning community. (SK)

Student outcomes of distance learning in nursing education: an integrative review.

PubMed

Patterson, Barbara J; Krouse, Anne M; Roy, Linda

2012-09-01

Distance learning offers a distinctive environment to educate nursing students. While there is a significant body of evidence in the literature related to course, program, and faculty outcomes of distance education, little attention has been given by researchers to evaluate student outcomes, with the exception of student satisfaction. There is a need to evaluate and translate findings related to student outcomes in distance learning into educational practice. Integrative reviews offer one strategy to contribute to evidence-based teaching practice initiatives. A search of available published qualitative and quantitative research on student outcomes of distance learning from 1999 to 2009 was conducted using a number of databases. Astin's Input-Environment-Output conceptual model provided a framework for this review. Thirty-three studies met the inclusion criteria. Bothcognitive and affective student outcomes emerged. The cognitive outcomes were student learning, learning process, and technology proficiency. Affective outcomes included personal and professional growth, satisfaction, and connectedness. Implications, recommendations, and future research are discussed.

Truck Platooning Evaluations | Transportation Research | NREL

Science.gov Websites

, following distances, and gross vehicle weights. While platooning improved fuel economy at all speeds, travel fleet operational characteristics. Refer to the report for details. Publications The following documents Consumption of Class 8 Vehicles over a Range of Speeds, Following Distances, and Mass Posters Class 8 Tractor

Active Learning and Cooperative Learning in the Organic Chemistry Lecture Class

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paulson, Donald R.

1999-08-01

Faculty in the physical sciences are one of the academic groups least receptive to the use of active learning strategies and cooperative learning in their classrooms. This is particularly so in traditional lecture classes. It is the objective of this paper to show how effective these techniques can be in improving student performance in classes. The use of active learning strategies and cooperative learning groups in my organic chemistry lecture classes has increased the overall pass rate in my classes by an astounding 20-30% over the traditional lecture mode. This has been accomplished without any reduction in "standards". The actual methods employed are presented as well as a discussion of how I came to radically change the way I teach my classes.

A New Distance Metric for Unsupervised Learning of Categorical Data.

PubMed

Jia, Hong; Cheung, Yiu-Ming; Liu, Jiming

2016-05-01

Distance metric is the basis of many learning algorithms, and its effectiveness usually has a significant influence on the learning results. In general, measuring distance for numerical data is a tractable task, but it could be a nontrivial problem for categorical data sets. This paper, therefore, presents a new distance metric for categorical data based on the characteristics of categorical values. In particular, the distance between two values from one attribute measured by this metric is determined by both the frequency probabilities of these two values and the values of other attributes that have high interdependence with the calculated one. Dynamic attribute weight is further designed to adjust the contribution of each attribute-distance to the distance between the whole data objects. Promising experimental results on different real data sets have shown the effectiveness of the proposed distance metric.

Melding Service Learning and Leadership Skills Development: Keys to Effective Course Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lester, Scott W.

2015-01-01

The author presents keys to designing a class that successfully melds service learning and student leadership development. These prescriptions are based on the lessons learned over 8 years of teaching a class titled "Community Leadership." This class emphasizes experiential learning and revolves around service learning projects. The…

Local CD-ROM in interaction with HTML documents over the Internet.

PubMed

Mattheos, N; Nattestad, A; Attström, R

2000-08-01

The internet and computer assisted learning have enhanced the possibilities of providing quality distance learning in dentistry. The use of multimedia material is an essential part of such distance learning courses. However the Internet technology available has limitations regarding transmission of large multimedia files. Therefore especially when addressing undergraduate students or geographically isolated professionals, large download times make distance learning unattractive. This problem was technically solved in a distance learning course for undergraduate students from all over Europe. The present communication describes a method to bypass the problem of transmitting large multimedia files by the use of a specially designed CD-ROM. This CD-ROM was run locally on the students' PC interacting with HTML documents sent over the Internet.

Distance Learning as a Tool for Poverty Reduction and Economic Development: A Focus on China and Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Larson, Richard C.; Murray, M. Elizabeth

2008-04-01

This paper uses case studies to focus on distance learning in developing countries as an enabler for economic development and poverty reduction. To provide perspective, we first review the history of telecottages, local technology-equipped facilities to foster community-based learning, which have evolved into "telecenters" or "Community Learning Centers" (CLCs). Second, we describe extensive site visits to CLCs in impoverished portions of China and Mexico, the centers operated by premier universities in each respective country. These CLCs constitute the core of new emerging systems of distance education, and their newness poses challenges and opportunities, which are discussed. Finally, we offer 12 points to develop further the concept and reality of distance learning in support of economic development.

E-Learning and North-South collaboration: the experience of two public health schools in France and Benin.

PubMed

Edouard, Guévart; Dominique, Billot; Moussiliou, Paraïso Noël; Francis, Guillemin; Khaled, Bessaoud; Serge, Briançon

2009-10-14

Distance learning (e-learning) can facilitate access to training. Yet few public health E-learning experiments have been reported; institutes in developing countries experience difficulties in establishing on-line curricula, while developed countries struggle with adapting existing curricula to realities on the ground. In 2005, two schools of public health, one in France and one in Benin, began collaborating through contact sessions organised for Nancy University distance-learning students. This experience gave rise to a partnership aimed at developing training materials for e-Learning for African students. The distance-learning public health course at Nancy teaches public health professionals through a module entitled "Health and Development." The module is specifically tailored for professionals from developing countries. To promote student-teacher exchanges, clarify content and supervise dissertations, contact sessions are organized in centres proximate and accessible to African students. The Benin Institute's main feature is residential team learning; distance-learning courses are currently being prepared. The two collaborating institutions have developed a joint distance-learning module geared toward developing countries. The collaboration provides for the development, diffusion, and joint delivery of teaching modules featuring issues that are familiar to African staff, gives the French Institute credibility in assessing research work produced, and enables modules on specific African issues and approaches to be put online. While E-learning is a viable educational option for public health professionals, periodic contact can be advantageous. Our analysis showed that the benefit of the collaboration between the two institutions is mutual; the French Institute extends its geographical, cultural and contextual reach and expands its pool of teaching staff. The Benin Institute benefits from the technical partnership and expertise, which allow it to offer distance learning for Africa-specific contexts and applications.

Lifelong Learning & Distance Higher Education. Perspectives on Distance Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McIntosh, Christopher, Ed.

2005-01-01

Reflecting a common objective of ensuring quality Education for All, this book is a joint initiative of UNESCO and COL and jointly published. Lifelong Learning in Distance Higher Education brings together a diverse group of experts from many countries. The book provides a clear picture of the challenges, problems and potential of distance higher…

Use of Distance Education by Christian Religion to Train, Edify and Educate Adherents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Satyanarayana, P.; DK Meduri, Emmanuel

2013-01-01

Distance Education has been growing fast, in a marvelously diverse fashion. The efficiency, effectiveness, validity and utility of distance teaching-learning are on increase. All communities and religious groups are making use of distance learning methodology to upgrade their knowledge, skills and attitudes. Christian educational institutions in…

A Basic Hybrid Library Support Model to Distance Learners in Sudan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abdelrahman, Omer Hassan

2012-01-01

Distance learning has flourished in Sudan during the last two decades; more and more higher education institutions offer distance learning programmes to off-campus students. Like on-campus students, distance learners should have access to appropriate library and information support services. They also have specific needs for library and…

The Knowledge Base as an Extension of Distance Learning Reference Service

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Casey, Anne Marie

2012-01-01

This study explores knowledge bases as extension of reference services for distance learners. Through a survey and follow-up interviews with distance learning librarians, this paper discusses their interest in creating and maintaining a knowledge base as a resource for reference services to distance learners. It also investigates their perceptions…

Implications of the University of South Africa's (UNISA) Shift to Open Distance e-Learning on Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ngubane-Mokiwa, Sindile A.

2017-01-01

This conceptual and exploratory article seeks to explore the implications of the University of South Africa's (Unisa) shift from open distance learning (ODL) to open distance e-learning (ODeL) on Teacher Education. In addition, the article problematizes the shift as a policy imperative. Unisa's mandate to provide teacher education opportunities to…

An Evolution of Distance Learning Issues: From Exporting to Enhancing the Classroom Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnstone, Sally M.

2004-01-01

There are many different formats being used for distance learning and each has implications for institutional and public policies. With almost 90% of U.S. public colleges and universities offering distance learning courses, it is important for all members of the academy to be aware of these implications as they consider their own involvement in…

Increasing Access to Higher Education through Open and Distance Learning: Empirical Findings from Mzuzu University, Malawi

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chawinga, Winner Dominic; Zozie, Paxton Andrew

2016-01-01

Slowly but surely, open and distance learning (ODL) programmes are being regarded as one of the most practical ways that universities across the world are increasingly adopting in order to increase access to university education. Likewise, Mzuzu University (MZUNI) set up the Centre for Open and Distance Learning (CODL) to oversee the running of…

The Place of Multiple Intelligence in Achieving the Objectives and Goals of Open and Distance Learning Institutions: A Critical Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ojo, Olugbenga David; Olakulehin, Felix Kayode

2006-01-01

This paper examined the nature of open and distance learning institutions as organizations where synergy of efforts of all personnel is required in order to achieve the aims and objectives of the institution. It explored the huge infrastructural and personnel requirements of distance learning institutions, especially at inception, and the…

Building Capacity for Open and Distance Learning (ODL) in West Africa Sub-Region: The Pivotal Role of RETRIDAL

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Amini, Clifford; Oluyide, Oluwaseun

2016-01-01

The paper posits the Regional Training and Research Institute for Distance and Open Learning (RETRIDAL) as an institution established for the purpose of enhancing Open and Distance Learning in the West African sub-region. The institute has pursued this mandate with an unparalleled vigour since its establishment in 2003--a partnership of the…

Quality Assurance in Open and Distance Learning. Knowledge Series. A Topical, Start-Up Guide to Distance Education Practice and Delivery

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kirkpatrick, Denise

2005-01-01

Assuring the quality of education provision is a fundamental aspect of gaining and maintaining credibility for programmes, institutions and national systems of higher education worldwide. Despite a long and generally successful track record, open and distance learning (ODL) is still required to prove that the quality of student learning is at…

Factors Affecting Student Success in Distance Learning Courses at a Local California Community College: Joint Governance Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gonzalez, Luis A.

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the perspectives of staff and faculty regarding factors affecting student success in distance learning at a California community college (CCC). Participants were members of the leadership group known as the distance learning committee. Data were collected through in-depth interviews using open-ended…

A boosting framework for visuality-preserving distance metric learning and its application to medical image retrieval.

PubMed

Yang, Liu; Jin, Rong; Mummert, Lily; Sukthankar, Rahul; Goode, Adam; Zheng, Bin; Hoi, Steven C H; Satyanarayanan, Mahadev

2010-01-01

Similarity measurement is a critical component in content-based image retrieval systems, and learning a good distance metric can significantly improve retrieval performance. However, despite extensive study, there are several major shortcomings with the existing approaches for distance metric learning that can significantly affect their application to medical image retrieval. In particular, "similarity" can mean very different things in image retrieval: resemblance in visual appearance (e.g., two images that look like one another) or similarity in semantic annotation (e.g., two images of tumors that look quite different yet are both malignant). Current approaches for distance metric learning typically address only one goal without consideration of the other. This is problematic for medical image retrieval where the goal is to assist doctors in decision making. In these applications, given a query image, the goal is to retrieve similar images from a reference library whose semantic annotations could provide the medical professional with greater insight into the possible interpretations of the query image. If the system were to retrieve images that did not look like the query, then users would be less likely to trust the system; on the other hand, retrieving images that appear superficially similar to the query but are semantically unrelated is undesirable because that could lead users toward an incorrect diagnosis. Hence, learning a distance metric that preserves both visual resemblance and semantic similarity is important. We emphasize that, although our study is focused on medical image retrieval, the problem addressed in this work is critical to many image retrieval systems. We present a boosting framework for distance metric learning that aims to preserve both visual and semantic similarities. The boosting framework first learns a binary representation using side information, in the form of labeled pairs, and then computes the distance as a weighted Hamming distance using the learned binary representation. A boosting algorithm is presented to efficiently learn the distance function. We evaluate the proposed algorithm on a mammographic image reference library with an Interactive Search-Assisted Decision Support (ISADS) system and on the medical image data set from ImageCLEF. Our results show that the boosting framework compares favorably to state-of-the-art approaches for distance metric learning in retrieval accuracy, with much lower computational cost. Additional evaluation with the COREL collection shows that our algorithm works well for regular image data sets.

Expanding Learning Opportunities for High School Students with Distance Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beese, Jane

2014-01-01

The purpose of the Synchronous Interactive Video Conference Distance Learning pilot program was to use emerging technologies to expand learning opportunities for students at an urban public high school. Through grant funding, students were able to enroll in Advanced Placement and foreign language courses through an online learning provider. Using…

New Learning Design in Distance Education: The Impact on Student Perception and Motivation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martens, Rob; Bastiaens, Theo; Kirschner, Paul A.

2007-01-01

Many forms of e-learning (such as online courses with authentic tasks and computer-supported collaborative learning) have become important in distance education. Very often, such e-learning courses or tasks are set up following constructivist design principles. Often, this leads to learning environments with authentic problems in ill-structured…

Increased Technology Provision and Learning: Giving More for Nothing?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Quillerou, Emmanuelle

2011-01-01

The development of new communication technologies has led to a push for greater technology use for teaching and learning. This is most true for distance learning education, which relies heavily on new technologies. Distance learning students, however, seem to have very limited time available for studying and learning because of work and/or family…

Determinants of Student Satisfaction in Online Tutorial: A Study of A Distance Education Institution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harsasi, Meirani; Sutawijaya, Adrian

2018-01-01

Education system nowadays tends to utilize online learning, including in higher education. Online learning system becomes a major requirement in implementing learning process, including in Indonesia. Universitas Terbuka has implemented online learning system known as online tutorials to support the distance learning system. One interesting issue…

Enhancing Online Teaching and Learning from Students' Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edwards, Francisca

2014-01-01

The vast growth of technology has brought about new ways of learning. Distance learning has evolved over the years and, due to the growth of the Internet, has presented itself to be a growing phenomenon. Distance learning changed the way educational institutes and organizations train, learn, and do research. Past studies have shown academia's…

A position paper of the EFLM Committee on Education and Training and Working Group on Distance Education Programmes/E-Learning: developing an e-learning platform for the education of stakeholders in laboratory medicine.

PubMed

Gruson, Damien; Faure, Gilbert; Gouget, Bernard; Haliassos, Alexandre; Kisikuchin, Darya; Reguengo, Henrique; Topic, Elizabeta; Blaton, Victor

2013-04-01

The progress of information and communication technologies has strongly influenced changes in healthcare and laboratory medicine. E-learning, the learning or teaching through electronic means, contributes to the effective knowledge translation in medicine and healthcare, which is an essential element of a modern healthcare system and for the improvement of patient care. E-learning also represents a great vector for the transfer knowledge into laboratory practice, stimulate multidisciplinary interactions, enhance continuing professional development and promote laboratory medicine. The European Federation of Laboratory Medicine (EFLM) has initiated a distance learning program and the development of a collaborative network for e-learning. The EFLM dedicated working group encourages the organization of distance education programs and e-learning courses as well as critically evaluate information from courses, lectures and documents including electronic learning tools. The objectives of the present paper are to provide some specifications for distance learning and be compatible with laboratory medicine practices.

Adventure Learning: Transformative Hybrid Online Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doering, Aaron

2006-01-01

Adventure learning (AL) is a hybrid distance education approach that provides students with opportunities to explore real-world issues through authentic learning experiences within collaborative learning environments. This article defines this online distance education approach, outlines an AL framework, and showcases an AL archetype. In AL…

In a year, memory will benefit from learning, tomorrow it won't: distance and construal level effects on the basis of metamemory judgments.

PubMed

Halamish, Vered; Nussinson, Ravit; Ben-Ari, Liat

2013-09-01

Metamemory judgments may rely on 2 bases of information: subjective experience and abstract theories about memory. On the basis of construal level theory, we predicted that psychological distance and construal level (i.e., concrete vs. abstract thinking) would have a qualitative impact on the relative reliance on these 2 bases: When considering learning from proximity or under a low-construal mindset, learners would rely more heavily on their experience, whereas when considering learning from a distance or under a high-construal mindset, they would rely more heavily on their abstract theories. Consistent with this prediction, results of 2 experiments revealed that temporal distance (Experiment 1) and construal level (Experiment 2) affected the stability bias--the failure to predict the benefits of learning. When considering learning from proximity or using a low-construal mindset, participants relied less heavily on their theory regarding the benefits of learning and were therefore insensitive to future learning. However, when considering learning from temporal distance or using a high-construal mindset, participants relied more heavily on their theory and were therefore better able to predict the benefits of future learning, thus overcoming the stability bias. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.

Distance Learning Can Be as Effective as Traditional Learning for Medical Students in the Initial Assessment of Trauma Patients.

PubMed

Farahmand, Shervin; Jalili, Ebrahim; Arbab, Mona; Sedaghat, Mojtaba; Shirazi, Mandana; Keshmiri, Fatemeh; Azizpour, Arsalan; Valadkhani, Somayeh; Bagheri-Hariri, Shahram

2016-09-01

Distance learning is expanding and replacing the traditional academic medical settings. Managing trauma patients seems to be a prerequisite skill for medical students. This study has been done to evaluate the efficiency of distance learning on performing the initial assessment and management in trauma patients, compared with the traditional learning among senior medical students. One hundred and twenty senior medical students enrolled in this single-blind quasi-experimental study and were equally divided into the experimental (distance learning) and control group (traditional learning). All participants did a written MCQ before the study. The control group attended a workshop with a 50-minute lecture on initial management of trauma patients and a case simulation scenario followed by a hands-on session. On the other hand, the experimental group was given a DVD with a similar 50-minute lecture and a case simulation scenario, and they also attended a hands-on session to practice the skills. Both groups were evaluated by a trauma station in an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) after a month. The performance in the experimental group was statistically better (P=0.001) in OSCE. Distance learning seems to be an appropriate adjunct to traditional learning.

LEARNING EFFICIENCY AS A FUNCTION OF DEPICTION, VERBALIZATION, GRADE AND SOCIAL CLASS.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

ROHWER, WILLIAM D., JR.; AND OTHERS

LEARNING EFFICIENCY AS A FUNCTION OF DEPICTION, VERBALIZATION, GRADE LEVEL, AND SOCIAL CLASS WAS EXPLORED BY ASKING 384 KINDERGARTEN, FIRST-, THIRD-, AND SIXTH-GRADE CHILDREN FROM BOTH MIDDLE-CLASS AND LOWER-CLASS AREAS TO LEARN A LIST OF 24 PAIRED ASSOCIATES. ALL PAIRS WERE PRESENTED PICTORIALLY BY A STUDY-TEST METHOD FOR TWO LEARNING TRIALS. THE…

Beliefs and Out-of-Class Language Learning of Chinese-Speaking ESL Learners in Hong Kong

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wu, Manfred Man-fat

2012-01-01

Background: There has been a lack of research on exploring how beliefs about language learning (BALLs) and out-of-class language-learning activities are related. BALLs and out-of-class language-learning activities play an important role in influencing the learning behaviours of learners and learning outcomes. Findings of this study provide useful…

Chinese Education and Learning Activities outside of Class: What Lies beyond Basic Education?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lu, Jinjin; Jiang, Han

2016-01-01

A considerable number of studies have investigated students' learning in class and outside of class across subjects such as English, mathematics, and physical education in China and other countries. Scholars have found that students' activities in class and outside of class are closely related to their learning outcomes, self-regulated learning…

Rapid Learning of Syllable Classes from a Perceptually Continuous Speech Stream

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Endress, Ansgar D.; Bonatti, Luca L.

2007-01-01

To learn a language, speakers must learn its words and rules from fluent speech; in particular, they must learn dependencies among linguistic classes. We show that when familiarized with a short artificial, subliminally bracketed stream, participants can learn relations about the structure of its words, which specify the classes of syllables…

Internet-based instruction in college teaching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flickinger, Kathleen Anne

Distance education and Internet instruction are increasingly being used in college science teaching. In an effort to reach more students, Iowa State University's Human Anatomy and Physiology course was offered via Internet as well as via traditional lecture format. To assess the educational ramifications of this offering, three studies were conducted. In the first study, a collective case study approach was utilized to describe the learning environment created by an Internet-based college science course. In this study, three students were followed as they worked their way through the course. Collective case study methodologies were used to provide a rich description of the learning environment experienced by these students. Motivation, computer savvy, and academic and personal self-confidence appeared to impact the satisfaction level of the students enrolled in the class. To evaluate the effectiveness of the learning environment offered through the Internet-based science course, a quantitative comparison study was undertaken. In this study a comparison of achievement scores and study habits between students enrolled in the Internet-based class and those enrolled in the traditional section was made. Results from this study indicated that content understanding and retention did not appear to be effected by the type of instruction. Desirable study habits were reportedly used more frequently in the Internet section of the class than in the traditional class. To complete the description of the Internet course experience, a qualitative examination of Internet instructors' time commitment and level of teaching satisfaction was conducted. Data for this study consisted of interviews and researcher observations. Instructor time-on-task was initially quite high, and remained above the average spent on average face-to-face instruction in subsequent semesters. Additionally the role of the faculty member changed dramatically, causing some lessening of job satisfaction. Taken as a whole, these three approaches to understanding the phenomenon of Internet science instruction reveal that the experience of learning science on the Internet can be a viable alternative for diverse learners. Students can learn science on-line at an achievement level that is equal to or better than students in a traditional course. Moreover, such courses may stimulate increased student interest in science and on-line learning. The results of this research indicate that Internet-based courses change the nature of instructional tasks. Instructors spend more time preparing for Internet-based courses than traditional courses; however, the majority of course preparation is associated with technical issues. These technical issues and changes in the nature of instructional tasks will have to be addressed by higher educational institutions.

The impact of blended learning on student performance in a cardiovascular pharmacotherapy course.

PubMed

McLaughlin, Jacqueline E; Gharkholonarehe, Nastaran; Khanova, Julia; Deyo, Zach M; Rodgers, Jo E

2015-03-25

To examine student engagement with, perception of, and performance resulting from blended learning for venous thromboembolism in a required cardiovascular pharmacotherapy course for second-year students. In 2013, key foundational content was packaged into an interactive online module for students to access prior to coming to class; class time was dedicated to active-learning exercises. Students who accessed all online module segments participated in more in class clicker questions (p=0.043) and performed better on the examination (p=0.023). There was no difference in clicker participation or examination performance based on time of module access (prior to or after class). The majority of participants agreed or strongly agreed that foundational content learned prior to class, applied activities during class, and content-related questions in the online module greatly enhanced learning. This study highlights the importance of integrating online modules with classroom learning and the role of blended learning in improving academic performance.

Self-Learning through Programmed Learning in Distance Mode.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rao, D. Prakasa; Reddy, B. Sudhakar

2002-01-01

Presents the characteristics and development of self-learning material (SLM) in distance education. Discusses teaching with programmed learning; structure of SLM; and how SLM helps in self-study. Discusses the advantages of print materials as accompanying programmed instruction, because they are portable, well-structured, compact, and easily…

Cooperative Learning in Distance Learning: A Mixed Methods Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kupczynski, Lori; Mundy, Marie Anne; Goswami, Jaya; Meling, Vanessa

2012-01-01

Distance learning has facilitated innovative means to include Cooperative Learning (CL) in virtual settings. This study, conducted at a Hispanic-Serving Institution, compared the effectiveness of online CL strategies in discussion forums with traditional online forums. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 56 graduate student…

A Question of Questions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fenwick, John; McMillan, Rod

In a conventional teaching situation, a lecturer may use a wide range of questioning techniques aimed at helping students to become active learners. In distance learning, students are often isolated and have limited opportunities for interaction in a social learning environment. Hence, learning strategies in distance learning need to be structured…

Combining Feminist Pedagogy and Transactional Distance to Create Gender-Sensitive Technology-Enhanced Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herman, Clem; Kirkup, Gill

2017-01-01

In this paper, we argue for a new synthesis of two pedagogic theories: feminist pedagogy and transactional distance, which explain why and how distance education has been such a positive system for women in a national distance learning university. We illustrate this with examples of positive action initiatives for women. The concept of…

Going the Distance: Are There Common Factors in High Performance Distance Learning? Research Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hawksley, Rosemary; Owen, Jane

Common factors among high-performing distance learning (DL) programs were examined through case studies at 9 further education colleges and 2 nonsector organizations in the United Kingdom and a backup survey of a sample of 50 distance learners at 5 of the colleges. The study methodology incorporated numerous principles of process benchmarking. The…

Assessment of the Effectiveness of Internet-Based Distance Learning through the VClass e-Education Platform

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pukkaew, Chadchadaporn

2013-01-01

This study assesses the effectiveness of internet-based distance learning (IBDL) through the VClass live e-education platform. The research examines (1) the effectiveness of IBDL for regular and distance students and (2) the distance students' experience of VClass in the IBDL course entitled Computer Programming 1. The study employed the common…

Distance Teaching of Environmental Engineering Courses at the Open University.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Porteous, Andrew; Nesaratnam, Suresh T.; Anderson, Judith

1997-01-01

Describes two integrated distance learning environmental engineering degree courses offered by the environmental engineering group of the Open University in Great Britain. Discusses admission requirements for courses, advantages offered by distance learning, professional accreditation, site visits, and tutors. (AIM)

Embracing Change: Adapting and Evolving Your Distance Learning Library Services to Meet the New ACRL Distance Learning Library Services Standards

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marcum, Brad

2016-01-01

This article examines the update and revision of the current Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Distance Learning Standards that has been proposed and submitted to the ACRL Standards Committee. An in-depth analysis of the update is included, along with some comparisons between the old and new. Practical advice detailing…

Open and Distance Learning: Case Studies from Industry and Education. Open and Distance Learning Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Stephen C., Ed.

This book contains 14 case studies, written by those involved in the teaching and training initiatives, that illustrate the use of open and distance learning strategies. The case studies, drawn from many parts of the world (but mostly British based), feature efforts in large and small companies in a variety of industries. The first part of the…

Exploring Distance Learning Experiences of In-Service Music Teachers from Puerto Rico in a Master's Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vega-Martinez, Juan Carlos

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of in-service music teachers who chose to pursue a master's degree in music education through distance learning. In this study, I examined the motivations of in-service music teachers for choosing to pursue a master's degree in music education through distance learning; the benefits teachers…

Increasing health worker capacity through distance learning: a comprehensive review of programmes in Tanzania.

PubMed

Nartker, Anya J; Stevens, Liz; Shumays, Alyson; Kalowela, Martin; Kisimbo, Daniel; Potter, Katy

2010-12-31

Tanzania, like many developing countries, faces a crisis in human resources for health. The government has looked for ways to increase the number and skills of health workers, including using distance learning in their training. In 2008, the authors reviewed and assessed the country's current distance learning programmes for health care workers, as well as those in countries with similar human resource challenges, to determine the feasibility of distance learning to meet the need of an increased and more skilled health workforce. Data were collected from 25 distance learning programmes at health training institutions, universities, and non-governmental organizations throughout the country from May to August 2008. Methods included internet research; desk review; telephone, email and mail-in surveys; on-site observations; interviews with programme managers, instructors, students, information technology specialists, preceptors, health care workers and Ministry of Health and Social Welfare representatives; and a focus group with national HIV/AIDS care and treatment organizations. Challenges include lack of guidelines for administrators, instructors and preceptors of distance learning programmes regarding roles and responsibilities; absence of competencies for clinical components of curricula; and technological constraints such as lack of access to computers and to the internet. Insufficient funding resulted in personnel shortages, lack of appropriate training for personnel, and lack of materials for students.Nonetheless, current and prospective students expressed overwhelming enthusiasm for scale-up of distance learning because of the unique financial and social benefits offered by these programs. Participants were retained as employees in their health care facilities, and remained in their communities and supported their families while advancing their careers. Space in health training institutions was freed up for new students entering in-residence pre-service training. A blended print-based distance learning model is most feasible at the national level due to current resource and infrastructure constraints. With an increase in staffing; improvement of infrastructure, coordination and curricula; and decentralization to the zonal or district level, distance learning can be an effective method to increase both the skills and the numbers of qualified health care workers capable of meeting the health care needs of the Tanzanian population.

Increasing health worker capacity through distance learning: a comprehensive review of programmes in Tanzania

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Tanzania, like many developing countries, faces a crisis in human resources for health. The government has looked for ways to increase the number and skills of health workers, including using distance learning in their training. In 2008, the authors reviewed and assessed the country's current distance learning programmes for health care workers, as well as those in countries with similar human resource challenges, to determine the feasibility of distance learning to meet the need of an increased and more skilled health workforce. Methods Data were collected from 25 distance learning programmes at health training institutions, universities, and non-governmental organizations throughout the country from May to August 2008. Methods included internet research; desk review; telephone, email and mail-in surveys; on-site observations; interviews with programme managers, instructors, students, information technology specialists, preceptors, health care workers and Ministry of Health and Social Welfare representatives; and a focus group with national HIV/AIDS care and treatment organizations. Results Challenges include lack of guidelines for administrators, instructors and preceptors of distance learning programmes regarding roles and responsibilities; absence of competencies for clinical components of curricula; and technological constraints such as lack of access to computers and to the internet. Insufficient funding resulted in personnel shortages, lack of appropriate training for personnel, and lack of materials for students. Nonetheless, current and prospective students expressed overwhelming enthusiasm for scale-up of distance learning because of the unique financial and social benefits offered by these programs. Participants were retained as employees in their health care facilities, and remained in their communities and supported their families while advancing their careers. Space in health training institutions was freed up for new students entering in-residence pre-service training. Conclusions A blended print-based distance learning model is most feasible at the national level due to current resource and infrastructure constraints. With an increase in staffing; improvement of infrastructure, coordination and curricula; and decentralization to the zonal or district level, distance learning can be an effective method to increase both the skills and the numbers of qualified health care workers capable of meeting the health care needs of the Tanzanian population. PMID:21194417

The Development of Online Tutorial Program Design Using Problem-Based Learning in Open Distance Learning System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Said, Asnah; Syarif, Edy

2016-01-01

This research aimed to evaluate of online tutorial program design by applying problem-based learning Research Methods currently implemented in the system of Open Distance Learning (ODL). The students must take a Research Methods course to prepare themselves for academic writing projects. Problem-based learning basically emphasizes the process of…

Language Learning Strategies Used by Distance Learners of English: A Study with a Group of Turkish Distance Learners of EFL

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Altunay, Dilek

2014-01-01

Use of language learning strategies is important for language learning. Some researchers state that language learning strategies are important because their use affects the development of communicative competence (Lessard-Clouston, 1997 & Oxford, 1990). Effective use of language learning strategies has particular importance for distance…

Integrated methods for teaching population health.

PubMed

Sistrom, Maria Gilson; Zeigen, Laura; Jones, Melissa; Durham, Korana Fiol; Boudrot, Thomas

2011-01-01

The Institute of Medicine recommends reforms to public health education to better prepare the public health workforce. This study addresses the application of two of the recommended reforms in the population health nursing curriculum at one university: use of an ecological model and distance learning methods. Using interdisciplinary faculty, integrated teaching and learning methods, and a multimedia curriculum, this study examined the following question: can distance learning be designed to support learning goals and outcomes specific to an ecological approach and population health concepts in general? Course content was evaluated using students' perception of practice utility and understanding of population health concepts. Integrated teaching methods were evaluated using a scale as well as comparison to other student distance learning experiences within the university. Findings demonstrated that both the ecological model and distance learning methods were successfully used to teach population health to a large nursing student cohort. 2011, SLACK Incorporated.

Bridging the Learning Gap: Cross-Cultural Learning and Teaching through Distance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mullings, Delores V.

2015-01-01

This project engaged students, practitioners, and educators from University of Labor and Social Affairs, Cau Giay District, Hanoi and Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, in a cross-cultural distance learning and teaching collaboration. Two groups met simultaneously through Skype videoconferencing to discuss and learn about field supervision and…

The Effect of Professor's Attractiveness on Distance Learning Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Jeanny; Tomasi, Stella D.

2015-01-01

Technology enabled learning is becoming more popular and pervasive in education. While the effectiveness of distance learning versus traditional classroom education is strongly debated, human factors such as students' perception of their professors can influence their desire to learn. This research examines the perceptual effect of attractive…

Online Collaborative Learning in Health Care Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Westbrook, Catherine

2012-01-01

At our University, the Faculty of Health, Social Care and Education has delivered a variety of undergraduate and postgraduate courses via flexible distance learning for many years. Distance learning can be a lonely experience for students who may feel isolated and unsupported. However e-learning provides an opportunity to use technology to…

Mobile Learning: From Single Project Status into the Mainstream?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zawacki-Richter, Olaf; Brown, Tom; Delport, Rhena

2009-01-01

During recent years, many distance teaching as well as residential institutions have started to experiment with mobile learning through pilot projects as part of their e-learning and technology enhanced learning environments. The practical experience gained with the employment of strategies and approaches within distance education can assist with…

A "Virtual Fieldtrip": Service Learning in Distance Education Technical Writing Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soria, Krista M.; Weiner, Brad

2013-01-01

This mixed-methods experimental study examined the effect of service learning in a distance education technical writing course. Quantitative analysis of data found evidence for a positive relationship between participation in service learning and technical writing learning outcomes. Additionally, qualitative analysis suggests that service learning…

Exploring Moodle Functionality for Managing Open Distance Learning E-Assessments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koneru, Indira

2017-01-01

Current and emerging technologies enable Open Distance Learning (ODL) institutions integrate e-Learning in innovative ways and add value to the existing teaching-learning and assessment processes. ODL e-Assessment systems have evolved from Computer Assisted/Aided Assessment (CAA) systems through intelligent assessment and feedback systems.…

Flipping Quantitative Classes: A Triple Win

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swart, William; Wuensch, Karl L.

2016-01-01

In the "flipped" class, students use online materials to learn what is traditionally learned by attending lectures, and class time is used for interactive group learning. A required quantitative business class was taught as a flipped classroom in an attempt to improve student satisfaction in the course and reduce the "transactional…

Oceanography in Second Life: Use of a Virtual Reality to Enhance Undergraduate Education in Marine Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Villareal, T. A.; Jarmon, L.; Triggs, R.

2009-12-01

Shipboard research is a fundamental part of oceanography, but has numerous legal and practical constraints virtually eliminate it as a regular part of large-enrollment programs in marine science. The cost of a properly equipped research vessel alone can prevent student access. While much can be learned by active exploration of archived data by students, the limitations placed on real oceanographic programs by distance, vessel speed, and time are difficult to reproduce in exercises. Pre-cruise planning and collaboration between investigators are likewise a challenge to incorporate. We have used design students in the College of Liberal Arts to construct a oceanographic expedition in Second Life for use in a marine science course (Fall 2009). Second Life is a highly collaborative environment with a variety of tools that allow users to create their own environment and interact with it. Second LIfe is free, highly portable, and inherently amenable to distance or remote teaching. In our application, the research vessel exists as an moving platform with sampling abilities. Software code queries an external MySQL database that contains information from the World Ocean Atlas for the entire ocean, and returns strings of data from standard depths. Students must plan the cruise track to test hypothesis about the ocean, collaborate with other teams to develop the big picture and use standard oceanographic software (Ocean Data Viewer; ODV) to analyze the data. Access to the entire database in ODV then allows comparison to the actual properties and distributions. The effectiveness of this approach is being evaluated by a pre- and post-class surveys and post semester focus group interviews. Similar surveys of the design students that created the environment noted that use of Second Life created a learning experience that was both more immersive and process oriented than traditional college courses. Initial impressions in the marine science class indicate that the strong social networking presence captures these digital native undergraduates rapidly, and that this is a strong positive motivation for working on assigned class activities in Second Life.

[Distance learning in postgraduate training of professionals. Example of occupational medicine specialization].

PubMed

Marcinkiewicz, Andrzej; Cybart, Adam; Chromińska-Szosland, Dorota

2002-01-01

The rapid development of science, technology, economy and the society has one along with the wide recognition of lifelong education and learning society concepts. Scientific centres worldwide conduct research how the access to the information and multimedia technology could bring about positive changes in our lives including improvement in education and the learning environment. Mankind development in conformity with social progress and sustainable development faces a new educational concept of learning society and open education in the information age, supported with multimedia and data processing technology. Constrains in resources availability for broadening the access to education had led to search for alternative, more time and cost-effective systems of education. One of them is distance learning, applied with success in many countries. The benefits of distance learning are well proven and can be extended to occupational medicine. Major advantages include: the integration of studies with work experience, flexibility, allowing studies to be matched to work requirements, perceived work and leisure timing, continuity of career progression. Likewise is in Poland this form of education becomes more and more popular. The distance education systems have been seen as an investment in human resource development. The vast variety of courses and educational stages makes possible the modern method of knowledge to be easily accessible. Experience of the School of Public Health in Łódź in distance learning had shown remarkable benefits of the method with comparable quality of intramural and distance learning in respect of the knowledge and experience gained by students.

Person re-identification over camera networks using multi-task distance metric learning.

PubMed

Ma, Lianyang; Yang, Xiaokang; Tao, Dacheng

2014-08-01

Person reidentification in a camera network is a valuable yet challenging problem to solve. Existing methods learn a common Mahalanobis distance metric by using the data collected from different cameras and then exploit the learned metric for identifying people in the images. However, the cameras in a camera network have different settings and the recorded images are seriously affected by variability in illumination conditions, camera viewing angles, and background clutter. Using a common metric to conduct person reidentification tasks on different camera pairs overlooks the differences in camera settings; however, it is very time-consuming to label people manually in images from surveillance videos. For example, in most existing person reidentification data sets, only one image of a person is collected from each of only two cameras; therefore, directly learning a unique Mahalanobis distance metric for each camera pair is susceptible to over-fitting by using insufficiently labeled data. In this paper, we reformulate person reidentification in a camera network as a multitask distance metric learning problem. The proposed method designs multiple Mahalanobis distance metrics to cope with the complicated conditions that exist in typical camera networks. We address the fact that these Mahalanobis distance metrics are different but related, and learned by adding joint regularization to alleviate over-fitting. Furthermore, by extending, we present a novel multitask maximally collapsing metric learning (MtMCML) model for person reidentification in a camera network. Experimental results demonstrate that formulating person reidentification over camera networks as multitask distance metric learning problem can improve performance, and our proposed MtMCML works substantially better than other current state-of-the-art person reidentification methods.