Andrew Walker Copyright (c) 2012 All rights reserved. http://works.bepress.com/andrew_walker Recent documents in Andrew Walker en-us Thu, 22 Nov 2012 23:17:58 PST 3600 Filamentary Hα structure in the milky way http://works.bepress.com/andrew_walker/24 http://works.bepress.com/andrew_walker/24 Tue, 29 Jun 2010 14:59:07 PDT The first part of this thesis presents the first results of a search for new optical supernova remnant candidates and other filamentary objects on films produced by the Anglo-Australian Observatory/UK Schmidt Telescope Hα Survey. Sixty-one fields, or 26 percent of the Galactic plane survey fields, have been visually examined. This resulted in the detection of four new large diameter filamentary structures, and the discovery of extensive new optical emission in two previously known optical supernova remnant candidates. The second part of this thesis presents results of a study we made using the FLAIR instrument on the UK Schmidt Telescope to obtain optical spectra of several filaments in RCW 114, a filamentary nebulae of about 250 arcmin diameter. These confirm that the emission is being produced by the interaction of the shock wave of a supernova remnant with the surrounding interstellar medium. We also obtained narrow-band Hα+[Nii] and [S ii] images to examine the spatial variation in ionisation structure. The third part of this thesis gives the result of a search using films from the UKST Hα Survey where the locations of 86 Galactic supernova remnants were examined for optical emission. From these we had likely detections of 8 objects and possible detections of 4 others. We have discovered a new loop of emission nebulosity, 10° in diameter, which we have named the Coalsack Loop.

]]> Andrew J. Walker Instructional Architect Teacher Professional Development Handouts http://works.bepress.com/andrew_walker/23 http://works.bepress.com/andrew_walker/23 Tue, 29 Jun 2010 14:59:06 PDT Three handouts for the teacher professional development workshops on the Instructional Architect (IA). Starting spring 2009 the face-to-face workshop was changed to be three different days of learning about how to use the IA, inquiry based and problem based learning, evaluation of IA projects with a rubric, and creating IA projects.

]]> Mimi Recker et al. A Problem Based Learning Meta Analysis: Differences Across Problem Types, Implementation Types, Disciplines, and Assessment Levels http://works.bepress.com/andrew_walker/21 http://works.bepress.com/andrew_walker/21 Tue, 29 Jun 2010 14:59:05 PDT Problem based learning (PBL) in its most current form originated in Medical Education but has since been used in a variety of disciplines (Savery & Duffy, 1995) at a variety of educational levels (Savery, 2006). Although recent meta analyses have been conducted (Dochy, Segers, Van den Bossche, & Gijbels, 2003; Gijbels, Dochy, Van den Bossche, & Segers, 2005) that attempted to go beyond medical education, they found only one study in economics and were unable to explain large portions of the variance across results. This work builds upon their efforts as a meta-analysis that crosses disciplines as well as categorizes the types of problems used (Jonassen, 2000), the PBL approach employed (Barrows, 1986), and the level of assessment (Gijbels et al., 2005; Sugrue, 1993, 1995). Across 82 studies and 201 outcomes the findings favor PBL (d = 0.13, +/- .025) with a lack of homogeneity (Q = 954.27) that warrants a closer examination of moderating factors.

]]> Andrew Walker et al. The Competencies and Characteristics Required of an Effective Project Manager: A Web-Based Delphi Study http://works.bepress.com/andrew_walker/22 http://works.bepress.com/andrew_walker/22 Tue, 29 Jun 2010 14:59:05 PDT This study explores the competencies required for a project manager to be effective in the workplace. We used a Web-based Delphi method to lead experienced project managers through an anonymous consensus-building process consisting of two rounds of surveys. The Round I analysis of 147 respondents, all with 20 or more years of project management experience, yielded 117 project management success factors, 78 of which were identified as “trainable” competencies. The Round II analysis confirmed 42 of the 78 competencies (53.8%) as “very important” to “extremely important” to project manager success. Important contributions of this study include: (a) reporting on project manager competencies that can inform the literature and guide the development of educational programs for instructional designers and other professionals and (b) demonstrating the Web-based Delphi technique to be an efficient methodology for conducting a front-end analysis, a core process of instructional design work.

]]> Jennifer M. Brill et al. A Study of How Online Learning Resource Are Used http://works.bepress.com/andrew_walker/19 http://works.bepress.com/andrew_walker/19 Tue, 29 Jun 2010 14:59:04 PDT Mimi M. Recker et al. Supporting ‘Word-of-Mouth’ Social Networks through Collaborative Information Filtering http://works.bepress.com/andrew_walker/20 http://works.bepress.com/andrew_walker/20 Tue, 29 Jun 2010 14:59:04 PDT Altered Vista is an instructional system that supports a form of ‘contextual’ collaborative learning. Its design incorporates an information filtering technique, called collaborative information filtering, which, through computational and statistical means, leverages the work of individuals to benefit a group of users. Altered Vista is designed to provide, upon request, personalized recommendations of Web sites. It can also provide recommendations of like-minded people, thus setting the stage for future collaboration and communication. An empirical study involving in-service and pre-service teachers was conducted using Altered Vista and presents results from an empirical study. The study examined the feasibility and utility of automating the well-known social feature of propagating word-of-mouth opinions within educational settings. It also examined the impact of Altered Vista’s ability to recommend a social network of potentially unknown people.

]]> Mimi Recker et al. Reciprocal Mentoring "In the Wild": A Retrospective, Comparative Case Study of ICT Teacher Professional Development http://works.bepress.com/andrew_walker/18 http://works.bepress.com/andrew_walker/18 Tue, 29 Jun 2010 14:59:03 PDT For teachers in the 21st century it is become critical that they develop the skills to be able to teach in a world that is being transformed by technological innovations. These skills include effectively teaching in blended learning environments with high-quality online learning resources available on the internet. Chief among the challenges faced by these teachers is that mid- and late career teachers, unlike pre-service teachers, do not have adequate technology knowledge. A challenge for pre-service teachers is that they do not have the pedagogical and content knowledge to be able to effectively implement their technology knowledge in the classroom. This retrospective comparative case study was undertaken to understand reciprocal mentoring (RM) relationships that can occur between in-service teachers and pre-service teachers during implementation of a technology based lesson. The transfer of knowledge between the members of the RM dyad is described through the lens of technological pedagogical content knowledge.

]]> B. Robertshaw et al. Collaborative Information Filtering: A Review and an Educational Application http://works.bepress.com/andrew_walker/17 http://works.bepress.com/andrew_walker/17 Tue, 29 Jun 2010 14:59:03 PDT This paper reviews the literature surrounding an information filtering technique, collaborative information filtering, which supports the discovery of resources in a way that is sensitive to the context of users. Moreover, via statistical clustering techniques, the system supports automated, personalized filtering and recommendation of relevant resources and like-minded users for particular user communities. The paper also describes an educational implementation of this approach, called Altered Vista, and presents results from a 3-month trial use of the system, aimed at evaluating the educational effectiveness and usefulness of the approach.

]]> Andrew E. Walker et al. A Study of Teachers' Use of Online Learning Resources to Design Classroom Activities http://works.bepress.com/andrew_walker/15 http://works.bepress.com/andrew_walker/15 Tue, 29 Jun 2010 14:59:02 PDT While much progress has been made on the technical design and development of digital libraries, much less is known about how and why education digital library content and associated tools can support and enhance the activities of educators in their professional work. This article elaborates a conceptual framework that characterizes teachers' practices when using online learning resources (called 'teaching as design'), and a professional development model aimed at increasing teachers' capacity for designing learning activities in the context of authentic practice. Findings from two workshop implementations showed positive impacts on teachers' knowledge, attitudes, and subsequent behaviours using online learning resources. An analysis of teacher created activities indicates a relationship between the form of design (offload, adaptation, or improvisation) and the granularity of the learning objects utilized in the activity.

]]> Mimi M. Recker et al. Collaboratively Filtering Learning Objects http://works.bepress.com/andrew_walker/16 http://works.bepress.com/andrew_walker/16 Tue, 29 Jun 2010 14:59:02 PDT This chapter describes and discusses the application of collaborative filtering techniques to the design of metadata structures for learning objects, and its implications for instruction. This approach enables context-sensitive discovery and recommendation of learning objects. The discussion is based upon research in developing and evaluating a collaborative filtering system, which enables users to share ratings, opinions, and recommendations about resources on the Web. An additional benefit of this approach is that it also allows a user to locate other users that share similar interests for further communication and collaboration.

]]> Mimi M. Recker et al. Expert versus Novice Tutors: Impacts on student outcomes in problem based learning http://works.bepress.com/andrew_walker/14 http://works.bepress.com/andrew_walker/14 Tue, 29 Jun 2010 14:59:01 PDT Problem based learning (PBL) is well known for the large amount of literature in Medical Education (Savery & Duffy, 1995). An essential part of PBL is the role of the tutor. With inconsistencies in the definition of an effective tutor, a systematic review of the literature in all disciplines is necessary. Meta-analysis (Cooper & Hedges, 1994) was used to investigate both content expertise and facilitator training of PBL tutors as moderators of student learning outcomes.

]]> Heather Leary et al. Problem based learning What Do You Recommend? Implementation and Analyses of Collaborative Information Filtering of Web Resources for Education http://works.bepress.com/andrew_walker/13 http://works.bepress.com/andrew_walker/13 Tue, 29 Jun 2010 14:59:01 PDT This article examines results from one pilotstudy and two empirical studies of acollaborative filtering (CF) system applied ineducational settings. CF is a populartechnology in electronic commerce, whichleverages the interests of entire communitiesto provide targeted, personalizedrecommendations of interesting products orresources to individuals. In electroniccommerce, entertainment, and related domains,CF has proven an accurate and reliable tool;yet educational applications remain limited.From analyses of data from these three studies,we believe that CF holds promise in educationnot only for the purposes of helping learnersand educators find useful resources forlearning, but as a means of bringing togetherpeople with similar interests and beliefs, andpossibly as an aid to the learning processitself.

]]> Mimi M. Recker et al. Expert Versus Novice Tutors: Impacts on Student Outcomes in Problem-Based Learning http://works.bepress.com/andrew_walker/12 http://works.bepress.com/andrew_walker/12 Thu, 09 Apr 2009 19:24:21 PDT The tutor is an essential part of problem based learning (PBL). However, tutor characteristics and role are inconsistent. Meta-analysis was used to investigate both the role and training of PBL tutors as moderators of student learning. Weighted effect sizes were calculated on student outcomes with a modest favorable overall effect size for PBL; a vote count shows favorable results as well. Results indicate a mixture of peers and instructors do best when compared to peers and instructors alone. Tutor training appears to make a difference by itself, but when considered with tutor background, tutor training does not appear to moderate student learning. A framework for study factors and recommendations for future work are provided.

]]> Heather M. Leary et al. Problem Based Learning Assessing the Quality of Doctoral Dissertation Literature Reviews in Instructional Technology http://works.bepress.com/andrew_walker/9 http://works.bepress.com/andrew_walker/9 Thu, 09 Apr 2009 19:24:20 PDT Assessment of the doctoral dissertation literature review provides insight into a student’s preparation for future work as a researcher. In 2004, efforts to assess the quality of literature reviews in doctoral dissertations were pioneered by Boote & Beile. Their work represents an important response to the call for improved research skills among emerging scholars. The purpose of this study is to replicate their work in a focused area of educational research, specifically Instructional Technology, and to examine the inter-rater reliability of the rubric. The findings suggest that dissertation literature reviews in Instructional Technology show the same need for improvement as dissertation literature reviews from education as a whole. Potential avenues of research are identified as well as improvements for rubric.

]]> M. Harrison Fitt et al. Literature Reviews INST5245 - Interactive Multimedia Production, Summer, 2008 http://works.bepress.com/andrew_walker/10 http://works.bepress.com/andrew_walker/10 Thu, 09 Apr 2009 19:24:20 PDT This course uses Flash CS3 (Flash 9)/Actionscript 3.0. You may also be interested in INST 5270, which uses Flash 8/Actionscript 2.0.

This course familiarizes students with Macromedia Flash. Topics to be covered include fundamental programming concepts (variables, variable types, code re-use, commenting code, and basic control structures) in addition to the fundamentals of the flash environment (animation or “tweening”, vector graphics, use of sound and video). Students finishing this course will have at least one completed fully functional Flash project for their portfolios demonstrating a strong knowledge of the tool and a good foundation in the ActionScript language as the tool and the language apply to instructional design.

Technical Requirements:

Option A: Flash 8 [Computer software]. (2006). Adobe. ($249 student/teacher version)

Option B: Studio 8 [Computer software]. (2006) Adobe. ($299 student/teacher version) Has Flash, Dreamweaver, Fireworks, Freehand (Mac and PC) and ColdFusion (PC only);

Option C: Download a free 30-day trial from http://www.adobe.com

Note that you will need to have access to the Flash 8 software in order to complete the work for this class.

]]> Andrew Walker Developing a Review Rubric for Learning Resources in Digital Libraries http://works.bepress.com/andrew_walker/6 http://works.bepress.com/andrew_walker/6 Thu, 09 Apr 2009 19:24:19 PDT This paper describes the development of a review rubric for learning resources in the context of the Instructional Architect (IA), a web-based authoring tool. We describe the motivation for developing a review rubric, the process for creating it by synthesizing the rubrics of other education-related digital libraries, and the results of testing the rubric with teachers. Analysis of usability and reliability indicates that the review rubric influences how teachers design online learning resources.

]]> Heather Leary et al. Digital Libraries INST5270 - Flash, Fall 2006 http://works.bepress.com/andrew_walker/8 http://works.bepress.com/andrew_walker/8 Thu, 09 Apr 2009 19:24:19 PDT This course uses Flash 8/Actionscript 2.0. You may also be interested in INST 5245, which uses Flash CS3 (Flash 9)/Actionscript 3.0.

This course familiarizes students with Macromedia Flash. Topics to be covered include fundamental programming concepts (variables, variable types, code re-use, commenting code, and basic control structures) in addition to the fundamentals of the flash environment (animation or “tweening”, vector graphics, use of sound and video). Students finishing this course will have at least one completed fully functional Flash project for their portfolios demonstrating a strong knowledge of the tool and a good foundation in the ActionScript language as the tool and the language apply to instructional design.

Technical Requirements:

Option A: Flash 8 [Computer software]. (2006). Adobe. ($249 student/teacher version)

Option B: Studio 8 [Computer software]. (2006) Adobe. ($299 student/teacher version) Has Flash, Dreamweaver, Fireworks, Freehand (Mac and PC) and ColdFusion (PC only)

Option C: Download a free 30-day trial from http://www.adobe.com

Note that you will need to have access to the Flash 8 software in order to complete the work for this class.

]]> Andrew Walker An investigation into the competencies required of an effective project manager: A Web-based Delphi study http://works.bepress.com/andrew_walker/7 http://works.bepress.com/andrew_walker/7 Thu, 09 Apr 2009 19:24:19 PDT This study explores the competencies required for a project manager to be effective in the workplace. We used a Web-based Delphi method to lead experienced project managers through an anonymous consensus-building process consisting of two rounds of surveys. The Round I analysis of 147 respondents, all with 20 or more years of project management experience, yielded 117 project management success factors, 78 of which were identified as “trainable” competencies. The Round II analysis confirmed 42 of the 78 competencies (53.8%) as “very important” to “extremely important” to project manager success. Important contributions of this study include: (a) reporting on project manager competencies that can inform the literature and guide the development of educational programs for instructional designers and other professionals and (b) demonstrating the Web-based Delphi technique to be an efficient methodology for conducting a front-end analysis, a core process of instructional design work.

]]> Jennifer M. Brill et al. The Underutilization of Internet and Communication Technology-assisted Collaborative Project-Based Learning Among International Educators: A Delphi Study http://works.bepress.com/andrew_walker/5 http://works.bepress.com/andrew_walker/5 Thu, 09 Apr 2009 19:24:18 PDT This study explores the barriers associated with teachers implementing Internet and Communication Technology-assisted Collaborative Project-based Learning (ICTCPrjBL) as a classroom teaching methodology with students. We used a Web-based Delphi method to engage experienced educators in anonymous consensus building consisting of three rounds of surveys. The Round 1 analysis yielded 51 barriers. The Round 2 analysis produced descriptive statistics (range, mean, and standard deviation) on the importance of each barrier. The Round 3 analysis confirmed 16 of the 51 (31.4%) barriers as “moderately significant” to “very significant” to implementing ICTCPrjBL. Important contributions of this study include: (a) identification of barriers to implementing ICTCPrjBL that can inform the literature and promote greater utilization throughout the educational community and (b) a cross comparison of barriers between North America, Eastern Europe, and Africa to examine regional differences.

]]> Barry S. Kramer et al. From isolation to legitimate peripheral participation: Encouraging a community of practice among teacher education students through a web resource database http://works.bepress.com/andrew_walker/4 http://works.bepress.com/andrew_walker/4 Thu, 09 Apr 2009 19:24:18 PDT Jennifer M. Brill et al.