Description:
As universities embrace new technologies to enhance students’ learning experiences and increase flexibility for student learning, tertiary students are increasingly presented with a wider range of learning resources to support their studies. This study investigates ways in which a diverse group of undergraduate science students use the resources that are provided to them. The majority of these students favoured face-to-face lectures due to the ability to interact with lecturers and other students and the ability to ask questions in real time. Recorded lectures were seen to be useful for clarification and revision, largely because they can be paused and rewound, facilitating review of difficult material. Text-based resources such as study guides remain highly valued and highly used, especially for students working in off-campus mode. On-line discussion forums are not seen as a substitute for face to face interaction; a need for active facilitation of such forums is highlighted.
Description:
As universities embrace new technologies to enhance students’ learning experiences and increase flexibility for student learning, tertiary students are increasingly presented with a wider range of learning resources to support their studies. This study investigates ways in which a diverse group of undergraduate science students use the resources that are provided to them. The majority of these students favoured face-to-face lectures due to the ability to interact with lecturers and other students and the ability to ask questions in real time. Recorded lectures were seen to be useful for clarification and revision, largely because they can be paused and rewound, facilitating review of difficult material. Text-based resources such as study guides remain highly valued and highly used, especially for students working in off-campus mode. On-line discussion forums are not seen as a substitute for face to face interaction; a need for active facilitation of such forums is highlighted.
Description:
The online environment provides great flexibility in teaching and learning. In this chapter, we describe an incremental approach to the development of online biology course, starting with traditional teaching and learning materials. The need for clear course objectives, is highlighted. The ability to tailor the online biology course to provide a student-centered approach, thereby catering to a wide range of student abilities and interests, is discussed. The need to seek out and respond to student feedback to ensure that online courses remain relevant and useful is emphasized.
Description:
Objective:This paper provides evidence of environmental iodine deficiency in the Gippsland region. Design:Quantitative study; water samples were collected from 18 water treatment plants and four rain water tanks across Gippsland and water iodine concentrations were measured. Setting:Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. Main outcome measures:This paper reports on the iodine concentration of drinking water from sources across Gippsland and examines the contribution of iodine from water to the Gippsland diet. This study also briefly examines the relationship between the concentration of iodine in water and distance from the sea. The cut-off value for water iodine concentrations considered to be indicative of environmental iodine deficiency is <2 µg L−1. Results:The mean iodine concentration of water from 18 Gippsland water treatment plants was 0.38 µg L−1 and would therefore make negligible difference to the dietary intake of iodine. This finding also falls well below the suggested dietary intake of iodine from water estimated by the 22nd Australian Total Diet Study. Our study found no linear relationship between the water iodine concentration and distance from the sea. Conclusion:As Gippsland has environmental iodine deficiency there is a greater probability that people living in this region are at higher risk of dietary iodine deficiency than those living in environmentally iodine sufficient regions. Populations living in areas known to have environmental iodine deficiency should be monitored regularly to ensure that problems of iodine deficiency, especially amongst the most vulnerable, are addressed promptly.
Description:
Many face-to-face lecture programs are supplemented by recorded lectures. In this study on-campus students were surveyed regarding their experiences of face-to-face and recorded lectures. The majority of students favoured face-to-face lectures due to the ability to interact with lecturers and other students and the ability to ask questions in real time. Recorded lectures were seen to be useful for clarification and revision, due to the ability to rewind, pause and review.
Description:
Many face-to-face lecture programs are supplemented by recorded lectures. In this study on-campus students were surveyed regarding their experiences of face-to-face and recorded lectures. The majority of students favoured face-to-face lectures due to the ability to interact with lecturers and other students and the ability to ask questions in real time. Recorded lectures were seen to be useful for clarification and revision, due to the ability to rewind, pause and review.
Description:
Nanostructured TiO2 films were prepared on a variety of substrates, including acid frosted soda-lime glass, acid frosted soda-lime glass pre-coated with a SiO2 barrier layer, commercial glazed ceramic tile and 6061 aluminum alloy. For each substrate, the phase and microstructure of the films were determined to be exclusively anatase. However, the growth of the TiO2 crystallites, the film morphology and thickness varied substantially with substrate. Thermal stress, resulting from the difference in the coefficient of thermal expansion between the substrates and the films, contributed to the formation and propagation of cracks. This was most clearly observed on the films deposited on SiO2 barrier layer and aluminum. The photocatalytic activity of the TiO2 films deposited on glass with and without SiO2 barrier layer, ceramic, and aluminum was studied via UV decolorization of methyl orange in aqueous solution. Complete degradation rapidly occurred on the TiO2/glass and TiO2/SiO2 barrier layer films, but not with the ceramic or metal substrates. It appears that the photocatalytic activity of the films deposited on aluminum and ceramic substrates was affected by the quantity and the size of the anatase crystallites. The aluminum substrate promoted the formation of TiO2 films with the largest anatase crystallite size, exhibiting a cracked morphology, where as the ceramic substrate resulted in the formation of TiO2 films with large crystallite size in an island morphology.
Description:
As universities attempt to increase enrolments of ‘time-poor’ students, effective teaching strategies that minimise attendance requirements are required. The increasing use of technology to record face-to-face lectures provides a useful alternative for students unable to attend. However, this study indicates that recorded lectures, alone, are inadequate for distant students, who make extensive use of a wide range of materials. Study guides remain the most highly valued and highly used items in the suite of materials available to off-campus students. The importance of contact between off-campus students, their lecturers and their peers is highlighted.
Description:
As universities attempt to increase enrolments of ‘time-poor’ students, effective teaching strategies that minimise attendance requirements are required. The increasing use of technology to record face-to-face lectures provides a useful alternative for students unable to attend. However, this study indicates that recorded lectures, alone, are inadequate for distant students, who make extensive use of a wide range of materials. Study guides remain the most highly valued and highly used items in the suite of materials available to off-campus students. The importance of contact between off-campus students, their lecturers and their peers is highlighted.
Description:
This project investigates the feasibility of combining overburden (OB) produced from an open cut brown coal mine, rejected wood chip waste from a Kraft Paper Mill (KMR), and industrially derived compost. The outcome is an artificial soil that mitigates Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) and enhances soil heath and suitability for rehabilitation. The three separate industries are local to each other, facilitating economical transportation of waste streams. The study identified a suitable artificial soil mixing ratio that would ultimately neutralise AMD and amplify nutrient content (8 parts OB, 1 part KMR and 0.6 parts compost), based on net acid producing potential derived for each component. The pH of the mixtures increased compared with the raw materials eg. from pH 3.24 to pH 6.51, which was well within ideal conditions for plant growth and inhibition of acidophilic bacteria that catalyse AMD reactions. The artificial soil also demonstrated increased water retaining characteristics (field capacity) and enhanced vegetation growth, with an extreme example illustrated by one acid OB sample (pH 1.75, originally unable to support vegetation) effectively supporting grass growth after mixing. Synthetic Precipitation Leaching Procedure (SPLP) results showed no regulatory levels being breached in regards to metals leaching out of the artificial soils. However, in some samples, the artificial soil leachate exhibited higher concentrations of metals than the original samples. Electrical Conductivity values increased on average from 0.8 ds/m to 1.66 ds/m). These soils, once proven safe and effective for use, could be laid over the waste dumps in brown coal mines for reclamations purposes.
Description:
Energy is only really valuable at its point of use and it therefore makes sense that the closer the point of generation is to the point of consumption, the less infrastructure is required for its distribution. This is less of a problem in largely populated areas where economies of scale make infrastructure installation more viable, or where distribution lines are only required to be relatively short due to settlements being close to each other. However, vast unpopulated countries such as Australia or even sparsely populated tracts of land such as in the world‘s deserts require a less capital and resource intensive solution to ensure the populations‘ access to power. All installations require energy, whether it be for digging holes in which to plant power poles, the production of concrete or the smelting of steel; and the less power that is used to make infrastructure to generate or distribute power, the cleaner the energy. It follows that the longer the infrastructure is made to last, the less energy is required for its maintenance and replacement. In some areas small-scale renewable energy production may be the best solution eliminating the need for large scale distribution systems. This chapter investigates, using Australia as the main example, how energy can be made cleaner by using different available renewable generation sources and materials and making those that are currently used last longer for cheaper and more energy efficient power distribution. The cost (and therefore environmental) benefits of using current distribution systems will be compared to those of small-scale renewable alternatives driven by recyclable or reusable materials and wastes. Barriers to implementation of such systems will be discussed with special reference to Australia. In essence, this chapter will discuss the choices that can be made for energy distribution and small-scale energy generation depending.
Description:
Energy is only really valuable at its point of use and it therefore makes sense that the closer the point of generation is to the point of consumption, the less infrastructure is required for its distribution. This is less of a problem in largely populated areas where economies of scale make infrastructure installation more viable, or where distribution lines are only required to be relatively short due to settlements being close to each other. However, vast unpopulated countries such as Australia or even sparsely populated tracts of land such as in the world‘s deserts require a less capital and resource intensive solution to ensure the populations‘ access to power. All installations require energy, whether it be for digging holes in which to plant power poles, the production of concrete or the smelting of steel; and the less power that is used to make infrastructure to generate or distribute power, the cleaner the energy. It follows that the longer the infrastructure is made to last, the less energy is required for its maintenance and replacement. In some areas small-scale renewable energy production may be the best solution eliminating the need for large scale distribution systems. This chapter investigates, using Australia as the main example, how energy can be made cleaner by using different available renewable generation sources and materials and making those that are currently used last longer for cheaper and more energy efficient power distribution. The cost (and therefore environmental) benefits of using current distribution systems will be compared to those of small-scale renewable alternatives driven by recyclable or reusable materials and wastes. Barriers to implementation of such systems will be discussed with special reference to Australia. In essence, this chapter will discuss the choices that can be made for energy distribution and small-scale energy generation depending.