Traditional Mode (traditional + mode)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


A comparative study of student performance in traditional mode and online mode of learning

COMPUTER APPLICATIONS IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION, Issue 1 2007
Qiping Shen
Abstract There has been interest for many decades in comparing the effectiveness of technology-delivered instruction with traditional face-to-face teaching and measurable student outcomes have been an important indicator. Having pointed to salient aspects of the current academic environment and to some of the key literature in this area, this article analyses the performance of two groups of students studying in the traditional mode and the online mode in a masters program delivered by a Department of Computing at a university in Hong Kong. Over 2,000 students have participated in the study between 2000 and 2004. This article includes a comparison of the results between different delivery modes of study each year as well as between different classes over the 4-year period. Although traditional mode students have achieved a slightly better performance in examinations in comparison with online mode students, the article concludes that there are no significant differences in overall performance between the students. With the impact of technologies on higher education and the demands of a complex and rapidly changing society in the 21st century, this Hong Kong study contributes to the literature that finds mode of study is not a key determinant of success. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 15: 30,40, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com); DOI 10.1002/cae.20092 [source]


Making the Transition to a Food Science Curriculum Based on Assessment of Learning Outcomes

JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE EDUCATION, Issue 2 2003
R.W. Hartel
ABSTRACT: Despite the well-documented advantages of switching to instruction based on assessment of learning outcomes, many academic disciplines, including food science, are still based on the traditional mode of instruction. The problems of converting from traditional to assessment-driven instruction are numerous and change in the university setting is slow. However, certain guidelines can be followed to start the process for change and evaluate the effects on student learning. A partnership between the industry being served and academic instructors is needed to ensure that assessment-based instruction is focused on the proper principles. Methods of assessment of learning outcomes need to be carefully chosen and developed to bring industry standards and student learning together. This can be done only if both direct and indirect assessments at the program level provide faculty with means to answer their most pressing questions about what students know and are able to do as a result of Food Science education. [source]


The protective role of country living on skin prick tests, immunoglobulin E and asthma in adults from the Epidemiological study on the Genetics and Environment of Asthma, bronchial hyper-responsiveness and atopy

CLINICAL & EXPERIMENTAL ALLERGY, Issue 3 2002
F Kauffmann
Summary Background Farming environment and traditional lifestyle seem to protect from childhood allergy. Objective The aim is to analyse the relationships of living in the country to asthma, positive skin prick tests and IgE among adults considering various windows of exposure over the life-span. Methods The study concerns 805 adults drawn from the Epidemiological study on the Genetics and Environment of Asthma, bronchial hyper-responsiveness and atopy (EGEA) (asthmatic cases, non-asthmatic controls, and parents of cases with and without asthma). Ever living in the country concerned 55% of the subjects. Early (beginning <,1 years), childhood (beginning , 16 years), prolonged (duration , 10 years) and current life in the country were studied. Results The results based on the case control and family components of the study show that IgE levels were significantly lower in those who ever lived in the country and in particular in those who lived for , 10 years. Positive skin prick tests (SPT) were significantly less prevalent in those who ever lived in the country and in particular in those with childhood (, 16 years) exposure. These associations remained independent of age, sex, smoking or asthma with IgE levels of 64 vs. 88 IU/mL; P = 0.004 for those ever living in the country vs. others and odds ratio for SPT positivity of 0.72 (95% CI [0.53,0.98]). In the more specific group with traditional mode of heating in childhood (use of wood) associations were stronger. The association with asthma, studied in parents of asthmatic probands showed that fathers, but not mothers, of asthmatics were significantly less often asthmatic themselves in relation to country living. Conclusion Country life protects from asthma and adulthood allergy. The protective effect is not restricted to exposure in early childhood. [source]


Facilitating process control teaching and learning in a virtual laboratory environment

COMPUTER APPLICATIONS IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION, Issue 2 2002
T. Murphy
Abstract The rapid pace of technological developments and the high cost of engineering equipment, pose several challenges to traditional modes of engineering education. Innovations in education are desirable. In particular, education on practical aspects of engineering and personnel training can be enhanced through the use of virtual laboratories. Such educative experiences allow a student to better understand the theoretical aspects of the discipline in addition to its integration with practical knowledge. In this work, the development, set-up and application of a virtual twin heat exchanger plant is described. The philosophy and methodology of our approach is described, including the implementation details and our experience in using it. The effectiveness of the platform in educating students and in training industrial personnel is described. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 10: 79,87, 2002; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com.); DOI 10.1002/cae.10011 [source]


Evaluating e-government: learning from the experiences of two UK local authorities

INFORMATION SYSTEMS JOURNAL, Issue 1 2005
Zahir Irani
Abstract. Part of the remit of public sector management includes planning and reflecting on capital expenditure on new technology. With this in mind, the role that information systems play in supporting improvements in e-government service delivery to stakeholder groups continues to attract much attention. The authors of this paper seek to define the scope and role that information systems evaluation plays within the public sector. In particular, the authors assess whether public sector organizations might benefit from the use of established ex-ante evaluation techniques, when applied to analyse the impact of e-government information systems. Following a comprehensive review of the normative literature, an initial conceptual framework for public sector information systems evaluation is proposed, which is then empirically explored within two local government authorities. The conceptual framework is then revised by using the structured case approach, which is dependent on an iterative research cycle where triangulated data are elicited. This then supports the emergence of new concepts during each research cycle that leads to the view that information systems evaluation in the public sector is a process of experiential and subjective judgement, which is grounded in opinion and world views. This leads the authors to challenge the appropriateness of traditional modes of investment appraisal when applied in the public sector. The finalized framework embraces investment decisions, evaluation methods, culture and structure, as well as post hoc evaluation. It emphasizes the importance of situated, interpretive user assessments in evaluating e-government investments. [source]


The Internet and Anti-War Activism: A Case Study of Information, Expression, and Action

JOURNAL OF COMPUTER-MEDIATED COMMUNICATION, Issue 1 2006
Seungahn Nah
This case study examines how traditional and Internet news use, as well as face-to-face and online political discussion, contributed to political participation during the period leading up to the Iraq War. A Web-based survey of political dissenters (N = 307) conducted at the start of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq provides the data used to examine the relationships among informational media use, online and face-to-face political discussion, and political participation among the respondents, who were recruited through blogs, discussion boards, and listservs opposing the Iraq war. Analyses reveal that among these respondents, Internet news use contributed to both face-to-face and online discussion about the situation in Iraq. Online and face-to-face political discussion mediated certain news media effects on anti-war political participation. The study stresses the complementary role of Web news use and online political discussion relative to traditional modes of political communication in spurring political participation. [source]


Institutional pluralism in public administration and politics: applications in Bolivia and beyond

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION & DEVELOPMENT, Issue 2 2001
Harry BlairArticle first published online: 15 MAY 200
In their book Administrative Decentralization: Strategies for Developing Countries, John Cohen and Steven Peterson construct a model they call ,institutional pluralism', which they contend is superior to more traditional modes of decentralization. It is characterized chiefly by multiple channels of service provision, thus inducing accountability into a sphere where previously there has been very little. While they restrict their analysis to the administrative realm, this article argues that the institutional pluralist model makes at least as much sense in political decentralization. Bolivia, which recently launched political reforms offering three separate structures linking citizen to state, serves as an excellent illustration of institutional pluralism in politics. This approach shows considerable promise for implementation in other settings, as can be seen in El Salvador, and a case can be made for its replication potential elsewhere as well. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]