Search results for "Focu"

Equilibrating Glassy Systems with Parallel Tempering

2001

We discuss the efficiency of the so-called parallel tempering method to equilibrate glassy systems also at low temperatures. The main focus is on two structural glass models, SiO2 and a Lennard-Jones system, but we also investigate a fully connected 10 state Potts-glass. By calculating the mean squared displacement of a tagged particle and the spin-autocorrelation function, we find that for these three glass-formers the parallel tempering method is indeed able to generate, at low temperatures, new independent configurations at a rate which is O(100) times faster than more traditional algorithms, such as molecular dynamics and single spin flip Monte Carlo dynamics. In addition we find that t…

Search strategies for ensemble feature selection in medical diagnostics

2003

The goal of this paper is to propose, evaluate, and compare four search strategies for ensemble feature selection, and to consider their application to medical diagnostics, with a focus on the problem of the classification of acute abdominal pain. Ensembles of learnt models constitute one of the main current directions in machine learning and data mining. Ensembles allow us to get higher accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity, which are often not achievable with single models. One technique, which proved to be effective for ensemble construction, is feature selection. Lately, several strategies for ensemble feature selection were proposed, including random subspacing, hill-climbing-based se…

Factors Affecting Student Engagement in Online Collaborative Learning Courses

2018

Student engagement is a crucial precondition for successful learning. However, the discussion of engagement in online learning contexts has been limited. Thus, the main objective of this paper is to contribute to the current understanding of what affects online students’ engagement. The paper reports on a case study conducted in the context of Uganda. A focus group interview was carried out with 14 participants of online collaborative learning courses. I identified four categories of factors affecting online students’ engagement: (1) the online course environment, (2) informal online groups established by students, (3) interactions with co-located peers, and (4) online group dynamics. Thus,…

Management and Human Factors: Exploratory Research With Focus Groups

2018

The article analyzes the training needs of managers belonging to public and private companies in the Region of Sicily, Italy, using focus groups. Fifty-two managers took part in the research—32 executives and 20 employees with intermediate positions in collaboration with senior management. This is a qualitative research with explorative purposes whose approach is part of the symbolic interactionism paradigm. Data analysis, supported by the Atlas.ti software, has permitted the coding of the meanings underlying the text of the narratives and identifying four “code families” as key themes of the observed reality. A managerial profile emerges that, moving between critical issues and resources, …

Managing group work in the classroom: An international study on perceived benefits and risks based on students’ cultural background and gender

2018

Working in groups has become an essential part of success of every organization operating in global economy. Therefore, the business sector has created an imperative for higher education institutions (HEIs) to modify study programs and prepare students to be effective team players. However, while group work has been highly encouraged among university students, their opinions on this practice remain rather neglected. In addition, the role of culture and gender in students’ perceptions of group work has received little attention. The purpose of this study is to examine how university students perceive group work in terms of its benefits and risks and whether their national culture and gender …

University experience of a tutorial action programme during the COVID-19 lockdown in teacher training at a Valencian University (Spain)

2021

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is perceived as the worst modern-times pandemic. This entirely new health situation entailed a new challenge to the education system. To our knowledge, the impact of alternative teaching methods derived from the social distancing imposed by COVID-19 on university student perception in teacher education has not been investigated. The aim of this study was to analyse an educative experience developed in a Faculty of Teaching from March 2020 to July 2020 in order to overcome the challenge imposed by COVID-19. A qualitative approach was used for data collection and analysis using four information sources: (a) The final written documents developed by the worki…

«I Can?t Get the Practical Hours» : Care, Course Choice and Role Conflict Among Student-Mothers in Higher Education in Scotland

2021

Mothers who study at a higher education level face many challenges that traditional students do not. They have less time to study and must negotiate their different commitments and responsibilities, which includes taking care of their children. This article reports on qualitative research conducted with a small group of mothers that study at a prestigious university in Scotland to understand their experiences of belonging to the space of the institution and their perceived learning challenges. Four interviews and one focus group were organised, voice recorded and their transcripts were thematically analysed and engaged with the research questions. It has found that they experience limited s…

2021

Most coaches and instructors would like to teach more than just sport skills to their athletes and children. However, to promote athletes’ or children’s holistic development and teach them to take responsibility and lead, requires the coaches and instructors to first master the skills themselves. Therefore, feasible, high quality leadership training programs where coaches and physical activity instructors are taught to teach and share leadership are needed. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the feasibility of a leadership training program to optimize it and to determine whether to proceed with its evaluation. In the leadership training program, eight Finnish novice physical activ…

Career practitioners' conceptions of competency for social media in career services

2014

This article reports findings from a phenomenographic investigation into career practitioners' understanding of competency for social media in career services. Sixteen Danish and Finnish practitioners with experience using social media in career services were interviewed in focus groups. Competency for social media in career services was conceived as (i) an ability to use social media for delivering information, (ii) an ability to use social media for delivering career services, (iii) an ability to utilise social media for collaborative career exploration and (iv) an ability to utilise social media for co-careering. The findings can be used to develop pre-service and in-service training of …

Adolescent boys with asthma – a pilot study on embodied gendered habits

2012

Thomas Westergren,1 Ulla-Britt Lilleaas21Faculty of Health and Sport Science, Department of Health and Nursing Science, University of Agder, Grimstad, Norway; 2Faculty of Humanities and Education, Centre for Gender and Equality, University of Agder, Kristiansand, NorwayPurpose: Asthma is a common chronic disease with gender differences in terms of severity and quality of life. This study aimed to understand the gendered practices of male asthmatic adolescents in terms of living with and managing their chronic disease. The study applied a sociological perspective to identify the gender-related practices of participants and their possible consequences for health and disease.Patients and metho…