James D. Allert

Learning Styles of Computer Programming Students: A Middle Eastern and American Comparison

Although there are many studies addressing the relationship of learning style to outcomes in engineering courses, few have attempted direct cross-cultural comparisons. This study investigates similarities and differences in the learning styles of computer science and engineering students at a Middle Eastern institution and an American university in the Midwestern United States. Comparative data on student learning style profiles and course outcomes suggest that, despite vast cultural differences, strong similarities exist between learning styles of these students. Seemingly, a consistent pattern in how these students learn across cultures also exists. These findings have significant implications for the creation of globally effective teaching materials

Learning style and factors contributing to success in an introductory computer science course

An introductory course in computer science (CSI) is required of virtually all engineering majors at the University of Minnesota Duluth. From 2001-present an extensive battery of visualization software was developed for this course. Students consistently ranked the visualization software as more important to their learning than any other element of the course. However, these rankings were not highly correlated with actual outcomes. This study of learning style determined that reflective and verbal learners outperformed active and visual ones. Student opinions of the value of programming projects and lectures rank highest and seem to cut across learning style preference. Background familiarity with computers and software was not a strong correlate, although involvement in computer and video gaming was found to be negatively correlated with course success.

Acid deposition and watershed characteristics in relation to lake chemistry in northeastern Minnesota

Abstract The relationship between lake sensitivity to atmospheric acidic inputs and the neutralization capacity of watersheds is examined for 267 lakes in northeastern Minnesota. Three water chemistry/sensitivity measures (color, sulfate, and alkalinity) are correlated with variables representative of precipitation and sulfate inputs, hydrology, and the acid neutralization capacity of various watershed components. An ordinal scale for ranking bedrock and surficial deposit neutralization capacity is presented. The watershed variables found to account for the largest percentages of the variability in measured color, sulfate, and alkalinity levels are determined. Color is strongly related to the presence of peat or marsh and hydrologic renewal time, whereas sulfate is primarily related to atmospheric deposition, evaporative concentration, bedrock type, and the presence of coniferous forest. Variation in alkalinity is the most difficult of the water chemistry measures to explain; for headwater lakes, atmospheric sulfate input, water renewal time, the presence of deciduous forest, and the weatherability of underlying bedrock determine much of its variability. The results illustrate important averaging properties of watersheds from small headwater systems to large drainages and the difficulty in obtaining correlations for some water quality measures (e.g., alkalinity) when some variables, such as soils and land cover, are available only as large-area averages.

A companion technology approach to CS1: handheld computers with concept visualization software

All incoming freshmen majoring in computer science at the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) are required to purchase a handheld computer with wireless capability (HP/Compaq IPAQ). The integration of these devices into the CSI curriculum was primarily achieved by authoring and distributing a number of applications written to allow students to interact with visualizations of key concepts using their handheld computers. Downloadable from the campus wireless network and used in class (large lecture and discussion) the contribution of these applications to the course was substantial. The handheld computers and accompanying visualization software served as course companions, instantly providing meaningful content and engaging instruction anywhere the student went, on campus or off. Students rated the concept visualization software as the most useful aspect of the course. The success of this initiative leads to several important conclusions about the relationship of handhelds to laptops as learning tools, the importance of visualization software and the successfull integration of companion technology into the CS1 curriculum.

Geologic and atmospheric input factors affecting watershed chemistry in upper michigan

The relationships between watershed variables and lakewater chemistry were examined for 53 lakes in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to identify factors influencing lake sensitivity to atmospheric inputs. The lakes lie in three distinct geologic/geomorphic regions. Acid neutralization capacity (ANC), sulfate, and color were correlated with parameters related to atmospheric loading, watershed area and relief, hydrology, geology, and land use for the entire 53-lake set and for lower alkalinity subsets. Acid-neutralizing capacity was related to atmospheric acidic inputs and, in the southern portion of the Upper Peninsula, to the presence of mineralized groundwater inputs. In the north, ANC is correlated with hydrologic lake type and surficial deposits. Results show the highest density of acidified lakes in the northern region, which is underlain by noncalcareous sedimentary rocks. Color was related to lake size and the presence of organic soils in the watershed, whereas lake sulfate concentration was mainly influenced by atmospheric or groundwater inputs, surficial deposits, and soil type.

Hand‐held computers in the classroom and the library: teaching and learning resource issues resulting from widespread deployment at the University of Minnesota Duluth

The University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) began requiring all incoming freshmen in computer science and engineering disciplines to purchase hand‐held computers in the Fall of 2001. This article describes how the initiative was implemented and the effects it had on the structure of the teaching and learning environment at UMD. Special attention is paid to its impact on library concerns and the evolution of the relationship between hand‐held computers and electronic reference material.

Role of Precipitation Chemistry Versus Other Watershed Properties in Wisconsin Lake Acidification

Data for over 100 watershed properties, including aspects of topography, hydrology, geology, soils, vegetation, lake morphometry and input precipitation chemistry, have been developed since 1980 for 316 watersheds in northern Wisconsin. The hypothesis being evaluated for this lake population is that the observed water chemistry, can be accounted for as a function of antecedent water and chemical inputs, after considering exchange processes in the lake and watershed and the lake/groundwater interactions. The variables found by regression analysis to explain observed variability in color, sulfate, and acid neutralizing capacity (ANC) levels in Wisconsin lakes are: for color, vegetative characteristics, mean depth, and water renewal times; for sulfate, precipitation concentration of sulfur, evaporative concentration, and lake water renewal time; ANC appears to be controlled by the size of the watershed, lake depth or water renewal time, and the intensity of anthropogenic inputs and cultural developments in the watershed. These results differ from previous studies in Wisconsin and nearby areas of Michigan and Minnesota by indicating that in some lakes acidity may not be in equilibrium with current precipitation chemistry.