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1
Lake, Jeremy Paul. "Evaluating a Graduate Professional Development Program for Informal Science Educators." Scholar Commons, 2017. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/6722.
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This study is an examination and evaluation of the outcomes of a series of courses that I helped build to create a graduate certificate. Specifically, I wanted to evaluate whether or not the online iteration of the Informal Science Institutions Environmental Education Graduate Certificate Program truly provided the long term professional development needed to enhance the skills of the formal and informal educators participating so that they could contribute meaningfully to the improvement of science literacy in their respective communities.
My role as an internal evaluator provided an extraordinary opportunity to know the intent of the learning opportunities and why they were constructed in a particular fashion. Through the combination of my skills, personal experiences both within the certificate’s predecessor and as an educator, I was uniquely qualified to explore the outcomes of this program and evaluate its effectiveness in providing a long-term professional development for participants.
After conducting a literature review that emphasized a need for greater scientific literacy in communities across America, it was evident that the formal education enterprise needs the support of informal educators working on the ground in myriad different settings in ways that provide science as both content and process, learning science facts and doing real science. Through a bridging of informal science educators with formal teachers, it was thought each could learn the culture of the other, making each more fluent in accessing community resources to help make these educators more collaborative and able to bridge the classroom with the outside world. This bridge promotes ongoing, lifelong learning, which in turn can help the national goal of greater scientific literacy.
This study provided insight into the thinking involved in the learners’ growth as they converted theory presented in course materials into practice. Through an iterative process of reviewing the course generated content, I was able to piece through the many layers of this two year long program to examine the growth of these individuals over time.
While all participants showed growth completing the certificate program, those who could fully invest themselves in the experiences seemed to have gained the most. These cases indicate the Informal Science Institutions Environmental Education Graduate Certificate Program was effective at enhancing the careers of formal and informal science educators. Additionally, it suggests informal science educators, although busy with their professional obligations and personal lives, can be successful in a formal graduate program designed to meet ISE needs as explicated in Learning Science in Informal Environments: People, Places, and Pursuits (Bell, Lewenstein, Shouse, & Feder, 2009). The emergent model indicating connections among a person’s personal life, professional life, and graduate study may also have implications for other professionals desiring to enroll in graduate school. For example, science teachers in university graduate programs may also benefit from applying this model to their lives.
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Ateskan, Armagan. "Online Professional Development Program For Science Teachers: A Case Study." Phd thesis, METU, 2008. http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12609557/index.pdf.
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The aim of this study was to investigate science teachers&rsquoperceptions about the online teacher professional development (oTPD) program. The research study included two consecutive steps. The first step was related to the design of the oTPD program. With the help of related literature, examples of oTPD programs and expert opinions, an oTPD program was designed. In the second step, ten of the alumni of Bilkent University Graduate School of Education Biology Teacher Education Program participated in a ten week oTPD program. The program consisted of instructional activities such as reading case studies, self reflection, forum discussions, watching videos of a sample lesson, hands-on activity and WebQuest. The study was mainly a qualitative study. The case was a professional development program for in-service science teachers that was offered online via learning management systems (LMS). The data were collected through pre- and post- interviews, online questionnaire, observations and documentation that include weekly assignments, forum discussions, e-mail correspondence, weekly e-journals, detailed notes of phone calls and the researcher&rsquo
s journal. The data were analyzed according to qualitative data analysis techniques with the assistance of Weft QDA software. Data gathered from the participants demonstrated that they were not satisfied with professional development programs that they got before this oTPD program because of the problems about content, process and organization connected with them. They preferred oTPD program, because of its flexibility and versatility, sharing information among colleagues from different parts of the country, and self-paced learning. Some obstacles were also identified, such as technical problems, not having face-to-face sessions and the timing of the program.
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Park, Sun Jung Park S. M. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "Data science strategies for real estate development." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2020. https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/129099.
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Thesis: S.M. in Real Estate Development, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Real Estate Development in conjunction with the Center for Real Estate, September, 2020Cataloged from student-submitted PDF of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 43-45).
Big data and the increasing usage of data science is changing the way the real estate industry is functioning. From pricing estimates and valuation to marketing and leasing, the power of predictive analytics is improving the business processes and presenting new ways of operating. The field of affordable housing development, however, has often lacked investment and seen delays in adopting new technology and data science. With the growing need for housing, every city needs combined efforts from both public and private sectors, as well as a stronger knowledge base of the demands and experiences of people needing these spaces. Data science can provide insights into the needs for affordable housing and enhance efficiencies in development to help get those homes built, leased, or even sold in a new way. This research provides a tool-kit for modern-day real estate professionals in identifying appropriate data to make better-informed decisions in the real estate development process. From public city data to privately gathered data, there is a vast amount of information and numerous sources available in the industry. This research aims to compile a database of data sources, analyze the development process to understand the key metrics for stakeholders to enable decisions and map those sources to each phase or questions that need to be answered to make an optimal development decision. This research reviews the developer's perspective of data science and provides a direction that can be used to orient themselves during the initial phase to incorporate a data-driven strategy into their affordable multi-family housing.
by Sun Jung Park.
S.M. in Real Estate Development
S.M.inRealEstateDevelopment Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Real Estate Development in conjunction with the Center for Real Estate
4
Yuan, Shigui. "THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE WEB BASED CO2SYS PROGRAM." The University of Montana, 2006. http://etd.lib.umt.edu/theses/available/etd-12082006-155225/.
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A web-based version of CO2SYS program has been implemented to replace the current DOS based version system. The user does not have to download anything to a local computer, instead they can run the calculations online freely. For this new designed program, all the user inputs and options are displayed in one single window instead of several small black and white DOS screens. All the calculation results are listed in a single page, as well. The user can change any inputs and constants before and after the data calculation, i.e., recalculation. Much more powerful error checking has been built into this web-based system. It also provides useful directions and guidance for the user. The user can get access to the helpful information for each input and constant. Typographical error information, which is listed separately from their individual reference paper, is incorporated with the reference through the hyperlinks. Moreover, this new system presents an attractive and dynamic appearance to users.
5
Vadaparty, Sirisha Lakshmi. "Semantic tableaux program." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2006. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/2953.
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This project created a program that takes predicate calculus formulas and creates a visual Semantic Tableaux truth tree, thereby proving or disproving a conclusion. Formal methods used in developing and verifying software and hardware are mathematically based techniques for describing and reasoning about system properties. Such formal methods provide frameworks within which people specify, develop, and verify systems in a systematic, rather than ad hoc, manner. Formal methods include the more specific activities of program specification, program verification and hardware verification.
6
Kiehl, Melissa Lynn. "An examination of science teachers' learning in a laboratory-based professional development program." College Park, Md.: University of Maryland, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/1903/8109.
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Thesis (Ed. D.) -- University of Maryland, College Park, 2008.Thesis research directed by: Dept. of Curriculum and Instruction. Title from t.p. of PDF. Includes bibliographical references. Published by UMI Dissertation Services, Ann Arbor, Mich. Also available in paper.
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Sheldon, Daniel K. (Daniel Kenneth) 1974. "Computer assisted group decision making for education program development." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/80120.
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Thesis (S.B. and M.Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 1999.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 48-49).
by Daniel K. Sheldon.
S.B.and M.Eng.
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Barrett, Kirk. "A program development system using an attribute grammar." Thesis, Kansas State University, 1985. http://hdl.handle.net/2097/9821.
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Chiang, Yen-Hsi. "Advising module: Graduate application system for the Computer Science Graduate Program." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2005. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/2725.
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The Advising Module: Graduate Application System is a Web-based application system that provides quality advice on coursework for prospective as well as continuing graduate students. It also serves as an improved tracking system for the graduate coordinator. Authorized parties may obtain access to status evaluations, master's options, and permitted course waivers, course listings, personal data, various advisement forms, application usage statistics, and automatic data updating process reports.
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Lewthwaite, Brian. "The development, validation and application of a primary school science curriculum implementation questionnaire." Thesis, Curtin University, 2001. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/432.
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This study focuses on the identification of the broad and complex factors influencing primary science program delivery within the New Zealand context. The study is divided into two phases. In the first phase, the factors influencing science program delivery are identified through (1) a questionnaire survey of 122 teachers in the Central Districts of New Zealand; (2) a questionnaire survey of 155 pre-service teachers at a New Zealand College of Education; (3) a case study of a large intermediate school in the Central Districts; and (4) a review of the research literature pertaining to curriculum, in particular primary science, delivery. Factors influencing science program delivery are identified as being both personal (intrinsic) and environmental (extrinsic). Intrinsic factors identified include teacher professional self-efficacy; interest and motivation; and multidimensional aspects of knowledge. Extrinsic factors influencing science program delivery include multidimensional aspects of time availability and resource adequacy; the availability and adequacy of professional support and leadership; and the priority placed on science as a curriculum area by the school, especially by the administration. The second phase of the study built on this initial phase by focusing on the development of an instrument, the Science Curriculum Implementation Questionnaire, which assists schools in identifying factors influencing science program delivery. The development of the SC1Q initially involved the use of a Focus Group to identify and prioritise items to include in the instrument. Statistical validation involved trialling of the SCIQ amongst 293 teachers representing 43 schools in the Central Districts of New Zealand. Using statistical procedures involving ANOVA, alpha reliability and discriminant validity, a seven-scale, 49-item instrument was developed. On the basis of the strong overlap amongst the intrinsic factors influencing science delivery, a further, shorter five scale, 35-item instrument was developed. The seven-scale SCIQ was further applied at the case study school. Quantitative data collected from the application of the instrument confirmed that several psychosocial and physical aspects of Intermediate School identified in the case study are influencing science program delivery. Implications of this study and the practical applications of the Science Curriculum Implementation Questionnaire are also presented in the context of primary science delivery both within New Zealand and internationally.
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Thair, Micheal J. "The responsiveness of an Australian science teacher professional development program to the needs of local and developing country science educators." Thesis, Curtin University, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/1595.
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Many developing countries do not have in place high quality science education postgraduate programs; consequently, teachers from these countries are enrolling in programs in developed countries such as Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. A number of authors have raised concerns that these programs are not responsive to the professional development needs of developing country teachers, suggesting that participants remain unaffected by their overseas experiences. There are similar concerns about teachers from developed countries also being unable to implement new ideas for teaching in their classrooms. This may be due to a number of reasons including feelings of powerlessness in overly prescriptive programs, high demands on teachers' time, a lack of resources, and a general lack of encouragement. These issues raise a number of questions about the nature of teacher professional development and in particular about appropriate ways to implement these programs.In response to these concerns, this thesis examines the responsiveness of a science education postgraduate program conducted in Australia to the needs of local and developing country participants and the influences of differences between Australian and developing country science teachers in terms of their professional, personal and social development. The assumption being that programs in developed countries are largely orientated towards the needs of home-country students. The conceptual framework for the thesis is a recent approach to science teacher professional development that provides a holistic perspective on science teacher professional development, focusing not only on individual teachers but also on the educational environment in which they operate. This perspective acknowledges the complexities of school environments and considers teachers' beliefs and feelings.The research focuses on participants from Australian and Indonesian who have completed a science education postgraduate program in Western Australia at the Science and Mathematics Education Centre (SMEC) located at Curtin University of Technology in Western Australia. These two groups were chosen because between 1988 and 1995 they were the predominant nationalities participating in SMEC programs. The research methodology and use of quantitative and qualitative research instruments was in keeping with the holistic conceptual framework adopted for the study and follows recent trends in teacher professional development research which have seen a broadening of research methodologies. The instruments used included a postal questionnaire, classroom observation schedule and structured interviews.The research findings indicated that the Indonesians have different needs to their Australian counterparts in terms of their professional, personal and social development. These differences included the Indonesians' strong beliefs in and use of didactic and formal teaching methodologies, limitations in Indonesian classrooms on the introduction of new teaching activities, a more centralised and formal education system in Indonesia in contrast to the increasing autonomy seen in Australia, and a more flexible teacher professional development approach in Australia focussing on personal development, as opposed to the curriculum and assessment focus seen in Indonesia. In addition, there are vast differences between the Indonesian and Australian education systems and these differences were seen to reinforce many of the different beliefs and practices between the Indonesian and Australian participants.The study suggests that the Australian participants are able to implement teaching approaches and theoretical frameworks included in their postgraduate studies at SMEC; however, the conclusions highlight the limitations of expecting that this can occur for developing country participants. In examining approaches in overcoming these limitations, it was concluded that a range of minor interventions or modifications to program design and content would be insufficient and a number of key indicators were identified that point to the responsiveness of programs for developing country participants. These indicators included the need for host institutions to be fully conversant with the classrooms and social contexts of developing country participants, constructivist pedagogical approaches to program design, planning and implementation, and the necessary flexibility to maintain academic rigour in postgraduate science education programs while incorporating unfamiliar education notions and frameworks from developing countries.
12
Luke, Joseph Abraham. "Continuously Collecting Software Development Event Data As Students Program." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/52976.
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Teaching good software development practices is difficult, both in theory and in practice. Time management and project organization are skills often left by the wayside by students too focused on the coding itself. Educational research has been invested in developing strategies to combat these bad habits. In order to provide better support for interventions discouraging bad development habits, more data about student development is needed.
The purpose of this research is to design and implement software to collect data continuously as students work on programming projects and provide it in useful forms to instructors and researchers so that they may make headway in designing new curricula, assignments, and interventions that better help students to succeed.
The DevEventTracker is a software system that interfaces with existing Web-CAT services to track student development data continuously, without any student effort. Development and compilation events are tracked within the Eclipse IDE through a plugin and sent to a Web-CAT server. Code snapshots corresponding to each event are also committed to a server-side repository.
The system provides a dashboard as a set of instructor-visible web pages that display useful data in generated charts and tables. Data are presented in both class overview and individual student summaries.
The system presented will enable future research in education and specifically in intervention development. Particularly, the system can be used to allow instructors to identify students who have a tendency to procrastinate and design more effective interventions.Master of Science
13
BHAT, Kanthila M. "Development of Effective Training Program for the Specialists of Developing Countries in Wood Science." 名古屋大学農学国際教育協力研究センター, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/2237/8921.
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Burgoon, Jacob Noal. "The Development of Elementary and Middle School Teacher Science Knowledge Instruments for the Evaluation of a Professional Development Program." University of Toledo / OhioLINK, 2008. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1209135789.
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Pongchan, Chandayot Fitch Thomas C. "The development of a model doctoral program in science education for Thailand based on the study of programs in the United States." Normal, Ill. Illinois State University, 1989. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/ilstu/fullcit?p8918607.
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Thesis (Ed. D.)--Illinois State University, 1989.Title from title page screen, viewed September 29, 2005. Dissertation Committee: Thomas C. Fitch (chair), Robert L. Fisher, Larry D. Kennedy, Doris R. Brodeur, Robert S. Nelson. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 142-149) and abstract. Also available in print.
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Thair, Micheal J. "The responsiveness of an Australian science teacher professional development program to the needs of local and developing country science educators." Curtin University of Technology, Science and Mathematics Education Centre, 1999. http://espace.library.curtin.edu.au:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=10398.
Full textAbstract:
Many developing countries do not have in place high quality science education postgraduate programs; consequently, teachers from these countries are enrolling in programs in developed countries such as Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. A number of authors have raised concerns that these programs are not responsive to the professional development needs of developing country teachers, suggesting that participants remain unaffected by their overseas experiences. There are similar concerns about teachers from developed countries also being unable to implement new ideas for teaching in their classrooms. This may be due to a number of reasons including feelings of powerlessness in overly prescriptive programs, high demands on teachers' time, a lack of resources, and a general lack of encouragement. These issues raise a number of questions about the nature of teacher professional development and in particular about appropriate ways to implement these programs.In response to these concerns, this thesis examines the responsiveness of a science education postgraduate program conducted in Australia to the needs of local and developing country participants and the influences of differences between Australian and developing country science teachers in terms of their professional, personal and social development. The assumption being that programs in developed countries are largely orientated towards the needs of home-country students. The conceptual framework for the thesis is a recent approach to science teacher professional development that provides a holistic perspective on science teacher professional development, focusing not only on individual teachers but also on the educational environment in which they operate. This perspective acknowledges the complexities of school environments and considers teachers' beliefs and feelings.The research focuses on ++participants from Australian and Indonesian who have completed a science education postgraduate program in Western Australia at the Science and Mathematics Education Centre (SMEC) located at Curtin University of Technology in Western Australia. These two groups were chosen because between 1988 and 1995 they were the predominant nationalities participating in SMEC programs. The research methodology and use of quantitative and qualitative research instruments was in keeping with the holistic conceptual framework adopted for the study and follows recent trends in teacher professional development research which have seen a broadening of research methodologies. The instruments used included a postal questionnaire, classroom observation schedule and structured interviews.The research findings indicated that the Indonesians have different needs to their Australian counterparts in terms of their professional, personal and social development. These differences included the Indonesians' strong beliefs in and use of didactic and formal teaching methodologies, limitations in Indonesian classrooms on the introduction of new teaching activities, a more centralised and formal education system in Indonesia in contrast to the increasing autonomy seen in Australia, and a more flexible teacher professional development approach in Australia focussing on personal development, as opposed to the curriculum and assessment focus seen in Indonesia. In addition, there are vast differences between the Indonesian and Australian education systems and these differences were seen to reinforce many of the different beliefs and practices between the Indonesian and Australian participants.The study suggests that the Australian participants are able to implement teaching approaches and theoretical frameworks included in their postgraduate studies at SMEC; however, the conclusions highlight the ++
limitations of expecting that this can occur for developing country participants. In examining approaches in overcoming these limitations, it was concluded that a range of minor interventions or modifications to program design and content would be insufficient and a number of key indicators were identified that point to the responsiveness of programs for developing country participants. These indicators included the need for host institutions to be fully conversant with the classrooms and social contexts of developing country participants, constructivist pedagogical approaches to program design, planning and implementation, and the necessary flexibility to maintain academic rigour in postgraduate science education programs while incorporating unfamiliar education notions and frameworks from developing countries.
17
Cripe, M. Kathleen Leslie. "A study of teachers' self-efficacy and outcome expectancy for science teaching throughout a science inquiry-based professional development program." Akron, OH : University of Akron, 2009. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc%5Fnum=akron1238273649.
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Dissertation (Ph. D.)--University of Akron, Dept. of Curricular and Instructional Studies-Secondary Education, 2009."May, 2009." Title from electronic dissertation title page (viewed 11/29/2009) Advisor, Katharine D. Owens; Committee members, Catharine C. Knight, Xin Liang, Francis S. Broadway, William J. Donovan; Department Chair, Bridgie A. Ford; Dean of the College, Cynthia F. Capers; Dean of the Graduate School, George R. Newkome. Includes bibliographical references.
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McCartney, William P. "Simplifying Embedded System Development through Whole-Program Compilers." Cleveland State University / OhioLINK, 2011. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=csu1305319887.
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Ackerman, Charlotte Christene. "Providing mechanical support for program development in a weakest precondition calculus." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 1993. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/79317.
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Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 1993.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Formal methods aim to apply the rigour of mathematical logic to the problem ofguaranteeing that the behaviour of (critical) software conforms to predetermined requirements. The application of formal methods during program construction centers around a formal specification of the required behaviour of the program. A development attempt is successful if the resulting program can be formally proven to conform to its specification. For any substantial program, this entails a great deal of effort. Thus, some research efforts have been directed at providing mechanical support for the application of formal methods to software development. E.W. Dijkstra's calculus of weakest precondition predicate transformers [39,38] represents one of the first attempts to use program correctness requirements to guide program development in a formal manner.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Formele metodes poog om die strengheid van wiskundige logika te gebruik om te waarborg dat die gedrag van (kritiese) programmatuur voldoen aan gegewe vereistes. Die toepassing van formele metodes tydens programontwikkeling sentreer rondom a formele spesifikasie van die verlangde programgedrag. 'n Ontwikkelingspoging is suksesvol as daar formee1 bewys kan word dat die resulterende program aan sy spesifikasie voldoen. Vir enige substansiële program, verteenwoordig dit ‘n aansienlike hoeveelheid werk. Verskeie navorsinspoging is gerig op die daarstelling van meganiese ondersteuning vir die gebruik van formele metodes tydens ontwikkeling van sagteware. E. W. Dijkstra se calculus van swakste voorkondisie (“weakest precondition”) predikaattransformators [39,38] is een van die eerste pogings om vereistes vir programkorrektheid op ‘n formele en konstruktiewe wyse tydens programontwikkeling te gebruik.
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Davis, Brian. "Investigating the Experience: A Case Study of a Science Professional Development Program Based on Kolb's Experiential Learning Model." Digital Archive @ GSU, 2008. http://digitalarchive.gsu.edu/msit_diss/33.
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Professional development for educators has been defined as the process or processes by which teachers achieve higher levels of professional competence and expand their understanding of self, role, context and career (Duke and Stiggins, 1990). Currently, there is limited research literature that examines the effect a professional development course, which uses David Kolb’s experiential learning model, has on the professional growth and teaching practice of middle school science teachers. The purpose of this interpretive case study is to investigate how three science teachers who participated in the Rivers to Reef professional development course interpreted the learning experience and integrated the experience into their teaching practice. The questions guiding this research are 1. What is the relationship between a professional development course that uses an experiential learning model and science teaching practice? 2. How do the Rivers to Reef participants reflect on and describe the course as a professional growth experience? The creation of the professional development course and the framework for the study were established using David Kolb’s (1975) experiential learning theory and the reflection process model designed by David Boud (1985). The participants in the study are three middle school science teachers from schools representing varied settings and socioeconomic levels in the southeastern United States. Data collected used the three-interview series interview format designed by Dolbere and Schuman (Seidman, 1998). Data was analyzed for the identification of common categories related to impact on science teaching practice and professional growth. The major finding of this study indicates the years of teaching experience of middle school science teachers significantly influences how they approach professional development, what and how they learn from the experience, and the ways in which the experience influences their teaching practices.
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Williams, Mark Edmund. "Teacher change during a professional development program for implementation of the Science Writing Heuristic approach." [Ames, Iowa : Iowa State University], 2007.
Find full text
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Evans, Rosemary Sian. "The effect of the Kids’ Science State Professional Development Program on the promotion of scientific literacy." Thesis, Curtin University, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/54.
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This thesis reports a longitudinal study of the impact of the Kids’ Science Stateprofessional development program in primary schools to address the issues involvedin promoting and sustaining a scientifically literate society. The Kids’ Science Stateinitiative in Western Australia is a partnership between Scitech Discovery Centre inPerth and Rio Tinto through the Rio Tinto Western Australia Future Fund. The Kids’Science State initiative is based on the premise that scientific literacy is essential to theeconomic sustainability of Western Australia, with science education the medium foreconomic development. One of the services that the Kids’ Science State offers is a professional development program in science.The research reported in this thesis investigated the contribution of the Kids’Science State professional development program to improving primary schoolteachers’ confidence, pedagogical skills and knowledge, allowing them to plan anddeliver effective science programs that enabled the development of the skills of scientific literacy in primary school students.A mixed-method approach was used in this research. Firstly, PersonalMeaning Mapping (an interview-based technique) was employed to investigate theunderstanding of the term “scientific literacy” among primary school teachers, highschool teachers and the general public. This section of the research provided aframework about people’s perceptions of scientific literacy with which to comparethe views of a smaller sample of primary school teachers in three case study schools that were the main focus of the research.Secondly, research in the three case study schools, Fenchurch, Winchesterand Knightsbridge Primary Schools, provided information about the longer-termimpact of the professional development workshops on teachers. Data were collectedby observation of the professional development workshops, interviews withPrincipals and teachers in the case study schools, surveys of teachers, and intensiveobservation of the classes of a total of five teachers, with a focus on theirunderstanding of scientific literacy, pedagogical skills, knowledge and confidence inteaching science. Additional information from surveys and interviews with the students in the case study classes were also used to inform the research.Personal Meaning Mapping interviews were used in this research to explorepeople’s understanding of scientific literacy and to compare these understanding tothe definition of scientific literacy used in the study. This research found that onlycertain aspects of scientific literacy were understood and that the concept ofscientific literacy must be clearly understood by teachers for it to be successfullyincorporated into a working curriculum. Professional development programs need toassist teachers to incorporate scientific literacy into their regular teaching programby providing opportunities to practice all aspects of scientific literacy. Further,professional development programs should endeavour to increase teachers’confidence and expose teachers to science content knowledge, especially as itpertains to the local curriculum structure, by providing activities that increase teachers’ pedagogical skills in science.Professional development presenters must work with individual schools togain an understanding of the long term aspirations of the school staff to assist themto continue their professional learning. This should be done prior to the professionaldevelopment program to ensure the suitability of the program for the participants andtime for reflection. Finally, the findings indicate that time must be dedicated toteacher collaboration if professional development programs are to be effectively andefficiently sustained at the school level. In this context, it is clear that scienceeducation must be accorded sufficient importance by the relevant educational policymakers to ensure that science is actually taught in primary schools, and that quality professional development can be accessed frequently by primary teachers.
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Pope, Nicolas William. "Supporting the migration from construal to program : rethinking software development." Thesis, University of Warwick, 2011. http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/46969/.
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Creative software design, where there is no theory, no pre-computer precedent, no set of requirements or even necessarily an objective, challenges all existing software development methods. There can be no assumption that end-users know what they want. Each and every situation is unique, unpredictable and due to feedback is continually changing. Fixed solutions developed by non-domain experts are all but impossible in more unconventional systems, and increasingly there may not be domain experts at all. Allowing individuals or groups of non-professionals to program is one approach (End-User Development). However, programming requires a degree of formality, design and specification that cannot co-exist with the most informal pre-theoretical applications which need to be developed by exploratory experimentation to help with problem-solving and sense-making. Instead of programming a finished application from the beginning, there is a need to develop personal, provisional and subjective models and evolve these into public, objective and assured applications. Developing these models \on-line" through interactive experimentation is essential and it is the objective of Empirical Modelling (EM) research to enable the modelling of sense-making artefacts called construals. Whilst existing EM tools are able to support construals there is a need to see how a smooth transition from construals to applications can be made. Such a migration is not one-way as the resulting applications need to remain plastic. The aim of this thesis is to explore and develop ways of enhancing EM principles and tools to better support such migrations from construals to programs. By first identifying key characteristics of construals and associated principles and techniques, along with a critique of the existing EM tool, a new kind of environment for plastic software development is proposed. A major contribution of this thesis is the development of such a prototype environment which is illustrated using a collection of artefacts developed within it. From the prototype, called Cadence, an informal and a formal idealised account was elicited to provide a framework for this kind of development activity. The ideas explored in the thesis have the potential to impact upon the operating systems community and the everyday computer user in radical ways if taken forward. The thesis demonstrates that applications can be developed from construals without a translation step, keeping the resulting applications plastic.
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Batra, Shaurya. "A case for developing life science real estate in New York City." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/108897.
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Thesis: S.M. in Real Estate Development, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Real Estate Development in conjunction with the Center for Real Estate, 2017.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 71-72).
New York City, arguably the world's financial capital and the world's biggest real estate market, and home to some of the finest medical and academic research centers houses a little over a million square feet of life science focused real estate. Despite tremendous academic research potential and financial wherewithal, the life science industry of the city is comparatively much smaller to other New York City industries. In addition, it is much smaller in comparison to life science industry in other parts of the country. This thesis investigates the New York City market as a possible location for developing life science focused real estate assets. As a first step, the research will focus on identifying and analyzing the key demand indicators to establishing the demand for life science focused real estate. Next, the thesis will focus on lab space as a real estate product to understand its main components and value drivers. Upon understanding the market and the product, the research will put forward possible strategies for developing lab buildings in the city. Further, in support of the development strategies the research will look to prove the financial feasibility of developing that life science real estate in the city. This would involve financial analysis and contrasting returns from life science assets against office assets. Lastly, through real options framework the study will go on to demonstrate the benefits of applying flexibility to real assets, while financially valuing this flexibility using the Monte Carlo analysis.
by Shaurya Batra.
S.M. in Real Estate Development
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Alsubhi, Alaa. "Saudi Science Teachers’ Perceptions of the Effectiveness of the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Education’s Professional Development Program." University of Toledo / OhioLINK, 2020. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1595162069501287.
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Fang, Li-Chuan. "Improvement and deployment of the web-based database management system for computer science graduate program." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2006. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/2988.
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In 2005 Mr. Dung Tien Vu completed a master's project for the California State University, San Bernardino Computer Science Department in which he designed a web-based database of department graduate student information. This project was designed to alter the system so that it conforms with current campus regulations, to make some improvements to the system, and to deploy it.
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Lewthwaite, Brian. "The development, validation and application of a primary school science curriculum implementation questionnaire." Curtin University of Technology, Science and Mathematics Education Centre, 2001. http://espace.library.curtin.edu.au:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=13071.
Full textAbstract:
This study focuses on the identification of the broad and complex factors influencing primary science program delivery within the New Zealand context. The study is divided into two phases. In the first phase, the factors influencing science program delivery are identified through (1) a questionnaire survey of 122 teachers in the Central Districts of New Zealand; (2) a questionnaire survey of 155 pre-service teachers at a New Zealand College of Education; (3) a case study of a large intermediate school in the Central Districts; and (4) a review of the research literature pertaining to curriculum, in particular primary science, delivery. Factors influencing science program delivery are identified as being both personal (intrinsic) and environmental (extrinsic). Intrinsic factors identified include teacher professional self-efficacy; interest and motivation; and multidimensional aspects of knowledge. Extrinsic factors influencing science program delivery include multidimensional aspects of time availability and resource adequacy; the availability and adequacy of professional support and leadership; and the priority placed on science as a curriculum area by the school, especially by the administration. The second phase of the study built on this initial phase by focusing on the development of an instrument, the Science Curriculum Implementation Questionnaire, which assists schools in identifying factors influencing science program delivery. The development of the SC1Q initially involved the use of a Focus Group to identify and prioritise items to include in the instrument. Statistical validation involved trialling of the SCIQ amongst 293 teachers representing 43 schools in the Central Districts of New Zealand. Using statistical procedures involving ANOVA, alpha reliability and discriminant validity, a seven-scale, 49-item instrument was developed. On the basis of the ++strong overlap amongst the intrinsic factors influencing science delivery, a further, shorter five scale, 35-item instrument was developed. The seven-scale SCIQ was further applied at the case study school. Quantitative data collected from the application of the instrument confirmed that several psychosocial and physical aspects of Intermediate School identified in the case study are influencing science program delivery. Implications of this study and the practical applications of the Science Curriculum Implementation Questionnaire are also presented in the context of primary science delivery both within New Zealand and internationally.
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Wu, Jichuan. "Web-based e-mail client for computer science." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2003. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/2462.
Full textAbstract:
The project is a web e-mail application to provide a web page interface for all CSCI faculty, staff and students to handle their e-mails. The application is written by JSP, Java Servlets, JavaScript and custom JSP tag libraries. Regular e-mail capabilities have been enhanced by the feature of allowing users to store and manage messages by day (store to daily folders, view in daily folders, append notes for that day).
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McNutt, Ross Theodore. "Reduced DoD product development time : the role of the schedule development process." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1998. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/58866.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, Technology, Management, and Policy Program, February 1999.Includes bibliographical references (p. 539-544).
According to the Packard Commission, "Unreasonably long acquisition cycles -- ten to fifteen years for major weapon systems is a central problem from which most other acquisition Problems stem." Since the commission issued its report in 1986, the time required to develop new military systems has only grown. This research and its recommendations are intended to identify and eliminate the causes of those long development times for military systems. This report addresses a key factor in determining the development time for military projects: the project's initial schedule. Part 1 outlines the current situation, previous efforts to reduce development time, and experiences with cutting development time in the commercial sector. It also documents the military product development process. Part 2 identifies a key area--the schedule development process, and its impact on development time--for in-depth research. Through understanding what is driving the initial project schedule and the impact of the initial project schedule on the eventual development time, the author identifies key drivers of development time. Part 3 presents the results of three surveys and analyzes the processes used to develop a project's initial schedule, the process used to develop a contracted schedule, and the impact of these schedules on actual development time. Part 4 presents observations, draws conclusions, and makes specific recommendations for remedial action. The key barriers to reducing development time for military systems are the lack of importance placed on project schedules; the lack of effective schedule-based information and tools; the lack of schedule-based incentives; and the overriding impact of the funding-based limitations on defense projects. The steps necessary to establish a focus on reducing development time are: 1) recognizing the impact of development time, 2) providing the necessary information for decision makers, 3) providing proper incentives at each organizational level, and finally providing a structure to effectively managce the set of all development projects to ensure that each project can be funded based on its development related requirements. Implementing the recommendations and focusing on reducing development time will force other changes in the acquisition process. The focus on reducing the time to develop and field systems will drive the acquisition system to better meet the needs of our warfighters, more rapidly, and at lower cost. Better, Faster, and Cheaper. Even more importantly, shortening development times is critical to develop and produce with limited resources, the right weapons at the right time to deter or to defeat any potential enemy at any time with the minimum cost to our warfighters.
by Ross McNutt.
Ph.D.
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Walters, Yolinda. "The effects of a perceptual-motor development program on children with Developmental Coordination Disorder." Thesis, Link to the online version, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10019/1302.
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Vu, Dung Tien. "The web-based database management system for the computer science graduate program." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2004. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/2557.
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The purpose of this project is to provide faculty and students a secure access to graduate student resources and it will also cover database design, web development, security, migration, and deployment of the new system.
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Easterly, Anita. "Does the Program of Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences in Medical Sciences atThe University of Toledo Enhance Training for Medical School? A Quantitative Study ofPre-Clinical Medical Students’ Academic Preparation and Perceptions." University of Toledo / OhioLINK, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1575384107073827.
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Page, Stephen Bennett. "The politics of rural development administration : Mexico and the World Bank in the PIDER Program." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1989. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/44259.
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Ball, Lois A. "Member Perceptions of Informal Science Institutions Graduate Certificate Program: Case Study of a Community of Practice." Scholar Commons, 2012. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/3967.
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Abstract
This research attempted to understand the experiences of a cohort of informal and formal science educators and informal science institution (ISI) community representatives during and after completion of a pilot graduate certificate program. Informal science educators (ISEs) find limited opportunities for professional development and support which influence their contributions to America's science literacy and school science education. This emergent design nested case study described how an innovative program provided professional development and enabled growth in participants' abilities to contribute to science literacy. Data were collected through interviews, participant observations, and class artifacts. The program by design and constituency was the overarching entity that accounted for members' experiences. Three principal aspects of the ISI certificate program and cohort which influenced perceptions and reported positive outcomes were (1) the cohort's composition and their collaborative activities which established a vigorous community of practice and fostered community building, mentoring, and networking, (2) long term program design and implementation which promoted experiential learning in a generative classroom, and (3) ability of some members who were able to be independent or autonomous learners to embrace science education reform strategies for greater self-efficacy and career advancement.
This research extends the limited literature base for professional development of informal science educators and may benefit informal science institutions, informal and formal science educators, science education reform efforts, and public education and science-technology-society understanding. The study may raise awareness of the need to establish more professional development opportunities for ISEs and to fund professional development. Further, recognizing and appreciating informal science educators as a diverse committed community of professionals who positively influence science education for everyone is essential.
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Sievers, Eric. "Sustainable development and comprehensive capital : The post-Soviet decline of Central Asia." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2001. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/8670.
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Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Science, Technology and Society, 2001.Includes bibliographical references.
The general post-Soviet decline of the states of Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) mirrors specific declines in the robustness of these states' stocks of financial, physical, natural, human, organizational, and social capital assets. This loss of various kinds of capital assets over the past decade reduces the current potential and capacity of the region to implement reforms for sustainable development. While Central Asia entered the 20th century as a comparatively marginal and underdeveloped area of the world, during the Soviet period it amassed appreciable stocks of capital, especially human, physical, and social capital. The emergence of a vibrant scientific community in Central Asia during the middle of the century marked one of the most rapid expansions of scientific prestige, talent, and institutions in the developing world. With the disassembly of the Soviet Union, development and reform projects within Central Asia and funded by foreign donors have failed to achieve their development and reform goals. Within the environmental sphere, the post-Soviet period, despite a massive investment in environmental aid to the region from the West and Japan, has yielded few environmental benefits and seen the worsening of several environmental conditions, captured in the desiccation of the Aral Sea and the collapse of Caspian Sea fisheries.
(cont.) Paralleling this trend, democracy and rule of law have not taken strong root in Central Asia; rather authoritarianism and corruption are the norm in national governments. While processes of globalization (especially the free movement of human and financial capital) suggest that Central Asia could not have avoided decline in the 1990s, the severity of declines could have been mitigated by a more robust Western appreciation of the unique endowments of the Soviet era in human (the scientific community) and organizational (Perestroika public dialogues on rule of law, civil society, and democracy) capital.
by Eric Wilhelm Sievers.
Ph.D.
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Svensson, Adam. "Reducing outdated and inconsistent code comments during software development : The comment validator program." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Informationssystem, 2015. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-264235.
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During software development various forms of software documentation can be produced to make the software easier to understand and maintain after the software have been developed. One of these forms of software documentation is code comments, which is a form of software documentation that is produced to make source code easier to read and maintain. Although code comments make the code easier to read and maintain, code comments can become outdated and inconsistent with their corresponding code. Outdated and inconsistent code comments increase the probability for future bugs and when these comments are encountered, developers could lose the confidence for all other comments. In order to reduce the amount of outdated and inconsistent code comments, a program named the comment validator is presented in this study. The comment validator provides developers with the opportunity to manually validate code comments by segmenting code into three segments of code that needs to be manually validated: classes, methods and properties. The comment validator identifies when code segments have been modified after validation, therefore indicating that the code segments corresponding code comments could be outdated and inconsistent. The comment validator were evaluated through functional testing and through a field study in order to test that the comment validator could reduce the amount of outdated and inconsistent code comments. The evaluation showed that the comment validator did remove outdated and inconsistent code comments when it were used according to the description presented in this study, therefore providing a new way to reduce the amount of outdated and inconsistent code comments in software development projects.
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Distin, Kimberly Anne VanHorn. "Evaluation of the Learning Environments of the UTeach Teacher Development Program for Secondary Science and Mathematics Teachers." Thesis, Curtin University, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/57086.
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The UTeach teacher development program, which prepares secondary science and mathematics teachers in numerous universities across the United States, was evaluated by using a modified learning environment questionnaire in three settings. In addition to validating the questionnaire in multiple learning settings with 702 university students, the study revealed that students perceived their learning environments more positively in UTeach and field-experience classes than in STEM content classes.
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Chan, Anita Say. "The promiscuity of freedom : development and governance in the age of neoliberal networks." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/45804.
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Thesis (Ph. D. in History, Anthropology, and Science, Technology and Society (HASTS))--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Science, Technology and Society, 2008.Includes bibliographical references.
This study brings together science and technology studies, political anthropology, and Latin American studies, by studying the practices and political reasoning of neoliberal networks in Peru. It analyses the extension of such networks by studying the relationships and subjectivities cultivated under two contemporary state-led projects: an initiative promoting intellectual property rights among traditional artisans as tools for rural development, and a national effort to encourage the uptake of free/libre and open source software based resources. Promising to modernize government and prepare citizens for the global, information-based economy, these projects frame their reforms as new, contemporary models for economic development. This work demonstrate how key to the success of such projects is the remaking of rural and urban citizens into "free" and modern individuals who are able to independently self- realize using the tools and logics of information networks. It argues that such plans rely on the ability to bring diverse actors - including state planners, transnational corporations, traditional artisans, rural communities, urban technology experts, and transnational activists -- into strategic alliance, or what can become coded as relations of promiscuity. What brings these partnerships together and seduces such disparate actors into alliance isn't so much the promise of increased technology access. It is instead the promise of "freedom" and the opportunity for diversely situated subjects to realize themselves as "modern individuals."
by Anita Say Chan.
Ph.D.in History, Anthropology, and Science, Technology and Society (HASTS
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Lundström, Johanna. "Professional development for inquiry-based science education in a low stake high support environment : The French ASTEP-program." Thesis, Stockholms universitet, Institutionen för matematikämnets och naturvetenskapsämnenas didaktik, 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-146203.
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This work examines the learning outcomes of a French professional development program for science education in primary school, ASTEP. The program is based on a partnership between a primary school teacher on one hand and a subject expert on the other. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that the subject expert is a young university student who is challenged to be assessed on his/her learning for academic credits. Compared to most other professional development programs, ASTEP displays an alternative knowledge hierarchy, it is neither top down nor bottom up, but rather a form of knowledge exchange. Data on students´ and teachers´ reflections on the collaboration were analyzed through a grounded theory approach and subsequently organized within the interconnected model of teacher professional growth (IMTPG). Although the analyses indicated significant changes in the practice of the teachers, the learners who individually seem to benefit the most were the university students. The ASTEP program appears to provide a low stake high support scaffold for the students to refine their values and beliefs about a professional life and develop a professional identity.
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Im, Hyun Gyung. "In sync over distance : flexible coordination through communication in geographically distributed software development work." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/40393.
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Thesis (Ph. D. in History, Anthropology, and Science, Technology and Society (HASTS))--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Science, Technology and Society, 2006.Includes bibliographical references (p. 209-219).
In this dissertation, I examine how the members of a distributed software development team (LC) operating entirely virtually for four and half years developed useful social practices to collaborate across time and space. Based on various communication data from LC, I analyze the communicative structuring of distributed work in members' daily practices. I show that "temporal flexibility," often mentioned as key advantage of virtual organizing, is socially accomplished through "boundary management," as members negotiate different temporal boundaries and learn and adapt to others' temporal patterns. Second, I identify dynamic coordination practices in LC that interweave multiple modes of communication and coordination in evolving work contexts, and demonstrate how these coordination practices facilitate temporal flexibility in LC. Finally, I analyze how members used the asynchronous communication medium of email to coordinate their tasks, using the notion of genre and genre system.
(cont.) My analysis suggests that communicating, coordinating, and temporal structuring are not distinctive activities, but are closely bound up with each other in a local practice; time, communication, and coordination are dynamically reconfigured over time, reflecting evolving work, social relations, and local contexts. Key Words: distribute teams, virtual teams, virtual organizing, technology-mediated communication, temporal flexibility, coordinating, communicating, temporal structuring, social practices, communicative structuring, genre and genre system, reconfiguration of time, communication, and coordination.
by Hyun Gyung Im.
Ph.D.in History, Anthropology, and Science, Technology and Society (HASTS
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Davis, Brian L. "Investigating the experience a case study of a science professional development program based on Kolb's experiential learning model /." unrestricted, 2008. http://etd.gsu.edu/theses/available/etd-02242008-014259/.
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Thesis (Ph. D.)--Georgia State University, 2008.Title from file title page. Lisa Martin-Hansen, committee chair; Geeta Verma, Christine Thomas, Mike Dias, committee members. Electronic text (122 p. ; ill.) : digital, PDF file. Description based on contents viewed August 22, 2008. Includes bibliographical references (p. 195-210).
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Hayes, John. "An Evaluation of Teton Science School's Journeys Place-Based Education Program as Effective Envrionmental Education Teacher Training." DigitalCommons@USU, 2001. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/237.
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This thesis is an analysis of survey research data evaluating Journeys, a placebased environmental education teacher inservice training program developed and administered by Teton Science School. Information gleaned from stakeholder interviews
was used to develop the specific evaluation questions. A self-administered mail survey was then sent to all teachers known to have received Journeys training.
Nearly all trained teachers go on to use Journeys with their classes, and show a commitment to making Journeys a permanent part of their classroom. Teachers generally agreed that their involvement with Journeys has had positive effects on their teaching
behaviors and attitudes towards teaching. In particular, Journeys increased their enthusiasm for teaching and their effectiveness as teachers. Teachers believe their
involvement with Journeys has increased their students' enthusiasm for learning, helped them learn about their place, and helped them connect to their place. Journeys appears to be an effective interdisciplinary program, helping teachers teach a variety of different subjects. The most significant barriers to implementing Journeys are a lack of time to
conduct activities or to prepare for Journeys activities. Answers for open-ended questions revealed that many of the program support components such as site visits,
materials provided, and additional follow-up workshops are largely responsible for the popularity of Journeys. Journeys teachers show a strong affinity for the program's philosophy, though it is unclear what specifically is attractive about this philosophy.
Journeys appears to be most effective with K-3 teachers.
This thesis supports the notion that place-based approaches to environmental education teacher inservice training are effective. This thesis also provides information that can be used to further develop the Journeys program, and contributes to the literature on place-based education and teacher training in Environmental Education.
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Weissenbacher, Georg. "Program analysis with interpolants." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2010. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:6987de8b-92c2-4309-b762-f0b0b9a165e6.
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This dissertation discusses novel techniques for interpolation-based software model checking, an approximate method which uses Craig interpolation to compute invariants of programs. Our work addresses two aspects of program analyses based on model checking: verification (the construction of correctness proofs for programs) and falsification (the detection of counterexamples that violate the specification). In Hoare's calculus, a proof of correctness comprises assertions which establish that a program adheres to its specification. The principal challenge is to derive appropriate assertions and loop invariants. Contemporary software verification tools use Craig interpolation (as opposed to traditional predicate transformers such as the weakest precondition) to derive approximate assertions. The performance of the model checker is contingent on the Craig interpolants computed. We present novel interpolation techniques which provide the following advantages over existing methods. Firstly, the resulting interpolants are sound with respect to the bit-level semantics of programs, which is an improvement over interpolation systems that use linear arithmetic over the reals to approximate bit-vector arithmetic and/or do not support bit-level operations. Secondly, our interpolation systems afford us a choice of interpolants and enable us to fine-tune their logical strength and structure. In contrast, existing procedures are limited to a single ad-hoc choice of an interpolant. Interpolation-based verification tools are typically forced to refine an initial approximation repeatedly in order to achieve the accuracy required to establish or refute the correctness of a program. The detection of a counterexample containing a repetitive construct may necessitate one refinement step (involving the computation of additional interpolants) for each iteration of the loop. We present a heuristic that aims to avoid the repeated and computationally expensive construction of interpolants, thus enabling the detection of deeply buried defects such as buffer overflows. Finally, we present an implementation of our techniques and evaluate them on a set of standardised device driver and buffer overflow benchmarks.
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Kumar, Richa Ph D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "The Yellow Revolution in Malwa : alternative arenas of struggle and the cultural politics of development." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/47825.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (Ph. D. in History, Anthropology, and Science, Technology and Society (HASTS))--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Science, Technology and Society, 2009.Includes bibliographical references (p. 319-331).
This dissertation engages with two analytical frameworks to explore questions of social transformation and structures of power in rural society in India. The first is a specific critique of various types of development discourse and development projects that have been elaborated by national and international elites during the last forty years, focusing on the dry land Malwa region in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. This includes a project to introduce soyabean cultivation to the region in the 1970s, which has been post-facto labeled as a yellow revolution, and a discourse which argues that providing market information through new information and communication technologies is empowering farmers. I argue that these projects and discourse have mostly steered away from engaging with the structures of power framing rural society, and thus, have failed to bring about much change in the condition of rural people in central India. The second analytical framework is a recovery and foregrounding of alternate arenas of struggle that rural people in the Malwa region have been participating in. The platform of democratic politics is one such avenue that marginalized groups have used to make demands upon the state to provide them with support and allows them to hold the state accountable for the same. Participating in cultural projects that question and subvert the forms of caste and gender based exclusion that frame the lives of people is another such arena which provides women and adivasis (tribals) with a language of empowerment. This research argues that for the language and practice of development to have more relevance to the lives of the poor and for it to engage with the deeper aspirations in their lives, the role of these political and cultural projects as vital platforms for rural people to exercise agency and bring about change, must be recognized.
by Richa Kumar.
Ph.D.in History, Anthropology, and Science, Technology and Society (HASTS
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Rabelo, Laudemira Silva. "Sustainability Science: an assessment of Postgraduate Programs of Brazil." Universidade Federal do CearÃ, 2014. http://www.teses.ufc.br/tde_busca/arquivo.php?codArquivo=11893.
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CoordenaÃÃo de AperfeiÃoamento de Pessoal de NÃvel SuperiorO Desenvolvimento SustentÃvel surge como uma alternativa ao atual modelo de desenvolvimento, mas para ser efetivo precisa adentrar nos diversos setores da sociedade, sobretudo nas InstituiÃÃes de Ensino Superior (IES). Para isto, as Universidades devem inserir teorias e prÃticas da sustentabilidade que possam compreender as variÃveis que influenciam a transiÃÃo à sustentabilidade, dentre elas o avanÃo cientÃfico que reduza as incertezas e uma melhor comunicaÃÃo de anÃlises cientÃficas para a sociedade. No Brasil a ciÃncia nÃo à desvinculada das InstituiÃÃes de Ensino Superior (IES), pelo contrÃrio, sÃo por meio de seus Programas de PÃs-GraduaÃÃo que geram e difundem conhecimentos, alÃm de qualificarem recursos humanos de alta qualidade. A CiÃncia da Sustentabilidade solicita uma visÃo holÃstica para encontrar soluÃÃes aos problemas existentes, multiplicidade de mÃtodos, interdisciplinaridade, estÃmulo ao processo participativo na tomada de decisÃo e sua aplicabilidade do local para o global, formando-se assim profissionais conectados com uma realidade multifacetada que influencia a transiÃÃo à sustentabilidade. Neste caminhar a Universidade, ao longo dos anos, tem inovado, quanto a essa necessidade, ao inserir Programas de PÃs-GraduaÃÃo voltados ao estudo do desenvolvimento sustentÃvel, em uma perspectiva interdisciplinar, contribuindo assim para a consolidaÃÃo da CiÃncia da Sustentabilidade no Brasil. Essa pesquisa partiu do pressuposto que esses avanÃos da CiÃncia da Sustentabilidade nos Programas de PÃs-GraduaÃÃo brasileiros sÃo melhor visualizados, inclusive de forma comparativa, quando se utiliza um conjunto de Ãndices e indicadores. Para tal, foi proposta uma sequÃncia de indicadores e Ãndices que revelasse a contribuiÃÃo dos Programas de PÃs-GraduaÃÃes brasileiros pioneiros em interdisciplinaridade no avanÃo da CiÃncia da Sustentabilidade. Foram analisados doze Programas de PÃs-GraduaÃÃo, por meio de um conjunto de nove dimensÃes e quarenta e dois indicadores a comporem o Ãndice CiÃncia da Sustentabilidade (ICS). O conjunto de indicadores e Ãndices cumpriu com o seu papel: refletiu os avanÃos e limites obtidos pelos Programas referentes à CiÃncia da Sustentabilidade, tornando-se uma ferramenta importante aos gestores. Dois foram os principais resultados encontrados. O primeiro apresentou a necessidade de reestruturaÃÃo dos designs dos Programas, principalmente com a inserÃÃo de maior ligaÃÃo entre Ãrea de concentraÃÃo, linhas de pesquisas e competÃncias formadas. O segundo revelou a importÃncia desses Programas melhor trabalharem suas informaÃÃes comunicadas necessitando haver uma uniformidade e valorizaÃÃo de seus principais produtos â teses e dissertaÃÃes. Sugere-se uma melhor parceria entre os grupos de pesquisas desses doze Programas analisados, afinal por ser a Universidade tambÃm parte interessada nesse processo, bem como formadora de grande parte dos tomadores de decisÃes, possui uma parcela significativa de responsabilidade na transiÃÃo à sustentabilidade.
Sustainable Development is an alternative to the c urrent model of development, but to be effective it must be inside in the several sectors of society, especially in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). However, for this, the universities have to internalize theories and practices of sustainability that can be able to understand the each one of the variables that influence in the process of transition to sustainability, among them: the scientific breakthrough that reduces uncertainties and a better communication of scientific analysis to society. In Brazi l, the science is not decoupled of the Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), on the contrary, are through their Graduate Programs that knowledge are generated and disseminated, besides this it's the place where human resources are qualified with quality. The Sustainability Science calls for a holistic point of view to find solutions to the existing problems, multiplicity of methods, interdisciplinarity, stimulating participatory process in decision making and its applicability of the local to the global, thus forming connected professionals witha a multifaceted reality that influences the transition to sustainability.The journey to University, over the years, has enabled innovations as this need to insert Postgraduate Programs geared to the study of sustainability in an interdisciplinary perspective contributing to consolidate the Sustainability Science in Brazil. This research assumed that these advances in Sustainability Science in the Brazilian Postgraduate Programs are best viewed, including a comparative way, when is used a set of indices and indicators. To fulfill this goal it was proposed a methodological sequence of indicators and indices that reveal the contribution of Brazilian Postgraduate Programs pioneers in the interdisciplinary to the advancement of Sustainability Science. Were analyzed twelve Postgraduate programs through a set of nine dimensions and forty-two indicators, resulting in the Index of Sustainability Science (ISS).The set of indicators and indices comply with its role: reflected the advances and limits obtained by programs related to Sustainability Science, becoming an important tool for managers. There were found two main results. The first showed the need for restructuring the designs of the programs, especially with the inclusion of a greater connection between concentration area, and formed lines of research skills.The second revealed the importance of these programs improve their communication and the need to have an uniformity of such information and especially an appreciation o f its main products: Thesis and Dissertations. It is suggested a better partnership between the research groups of these twelve programs analysed, after all is the the University a stakeholder in these proceedings, as well as trainer of a large part of the decision makers, so the University has a great responsibility in this transition to sustainability.
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Lotter, Christine. "The influence of an inquiry professional development program on secondary science teachers' conceptions and use of inquiry teaching." [Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2005. http://wwwlib.umi.com/dissertations/fullcit/3178430.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Currulum and Instruction, 2005.Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 66-06, Section: A, page: 2159. Adviser: William Harwood. "Title from dissertation home page (viewed Nov. 27, 2006)."
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Brooks, Clare M. "Enhancing science teaching in an elementary school : a case study of a school-initiated teacher professional development program." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1998. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/ftp02/NQ34534.pdf.
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Wylie, Sara Ann. "Corporate bodies and chemical bonds : an STS analysis of natural gas development in the United States." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/69453.
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Thesis (Ph. D. in History, Anthropology, and Science, Technology and Society (HASTS))--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Science, Technology and Society, 2011.Page 689 blank. Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 652-688).
Natural gas extraction in the United States in the early 21st century has transformed social, physical, legal and biological landscapes. The technique of hydraulic fracturing, which entails the high-pressure injection into subsurface shale formations of synthetic chemical mixtures, has been viewed by the natural gas industry as a practice of great promise. But there is another side to the story. The first half of this dissertation explores an innovative scientific approach to studying the possible deleterious impacts on human health and the environment of the release of chemicals used in gas extraction. Via participant-observation within a small scientific advocacy organization, The Endocrine Disruption Exchange (TEDX), I follow the development of a database of chemicals used in natural gas extraction, a database that seeks to document not only what these chemicals are (many are proprietary), but also what sorts of bodily and ecological effects these substances may have. I analyze ethnographically how TEDX transformed an information vacuum around fracturing and generated fierce regional and national debates about the public health effects of this activity. The second portion of the dissertation expands TEDX's databasing methodology by reporting on a set of online user-generated databasing and mapping tools developed to interconnect communities encountering the corporate forces and chemical processes animating gas development. Shale gas extraction is an intensive technological practice and requires the delicate calibration of corporate, governmental, and legal apparatuses in order to proceed. The industry operates at county, state, and federal levels, and has in many instances been able to organize regulatory environments suited to rapid and lucrative gas extraction. In the midst of such multi-scalar deterritorializing forces, communities may have little legal or technical recourse if they think that they have been subject to chemical and corporate forces that undermine their financial, bodily, and social security. ExtrAct, a research group I co-founded and directed with artist and technologist Chris Csikszentmihalyi, sought to intervene in these processes by developing a suite of online mapping and databasing tools through which "gas patch" communities could share information, network, study and respond to industry activity across states. Using ExtrAct as an example this dissertation explores how social sciences and the academy at large can invest in developing research tools, methods, and programs designed for non-corporate ends, perhaps redressing in the process the informational and technical imbalances faced by communities dealing with large-scale multinational industries whose infrastructure and impacts are largely invisible to public scrutiny. The dissertation describes one potential method for such engaged scientific and social scientific research: an iterative, ethnographically informed process that I term "STS in Practice."
by Sara Ann Wylie.
Ph.D.in History, Anthropology, and Science, Technology and Society (HASTS
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Zaleski, Patrick J. "An assessment of the leadership education and development program at the United States Naval Academy." Thesis, Monterey, Calif. : Springfield, Va. : Naval Postgraduate School ; Available from National Technical Information Service, 2003. http://library.nps.navy.mil/uhtbin/hyperion-image/03Jun%5FZaleski.pdf.
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Thesis (M.S. in Leadership and Human Resource Development)--Naval Postgraduate School, June 2003.Thesis advisor(s): Alice Crawford, Gail Fann Thomas. Includes bibliographical references (p. 71-72). Also available online.
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Faitelson, David. "Program synthesis from domain specific object models." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2008. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:0c5a992e-dad4-435c-a576-e3ed504bcdbd.
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Automatically generating a program from its specification eliminates a large source of errors that is often unavoidable in a manual approach. While a general purpose code generator is impossible to build, it is possible to build a practical code generator for a specific domain. This thesis investigates the theory behind Booster — a domain specific, object based specification language and automatic code generator. The domain of Booster is information systems — systems that consist of a rich object model in which the objects refer to each other to form a complicated network of associations. The operations of such systems are conceptually simple (changing the attributes of objects, adding or removing new objects and creating or destroying associations) but they are tricky to implement correctly. The thesis focuses on the theoretical foundation of the Booster approach, in particular on three contributions: semantics, model completion, and code generation. The semantics of a Booster model is a single abstract data type (ADT) where the invariants and the methods of all the classes in the model are promoted to the level of the ADT. This is different from the traditional view that considers each class as a separate ADT. The thesis argues that the Booster semantics is a better model of object oriented systems. The second important contribution is the idea of model completion — a process that augments the postconditions of methods with additional predicates that follow from the system’s invariant and the method’s original intention. The third contribution describes a simple but effective code generation technique that is based on interpreting postconditions as executable statements and uses weakest preconditions to ensure that the generated code refines its specification.