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Monte Carlo Simulation in Statistical Physics: An Introduction (Graduate Texts in Physics #Vol. 80)
by Dieter W. Heermann Kurt BinderThe sixth edition of this highly successful textbook provides a detailed introduction to Monte Carlo simulation in statistical physics, which deals with the computer simulation of many-body systems in condensed matter physics and related fields of physics and beyond (traffic flows, stock market fluctuations, etc.). Using random numbers generated by a computer, these powerful simulation methods calculate probability distributions, making it possible to estimate the thermodynamic properties of various systems. The book describes the theoretical background of these methods, enabling newcomers to perform such simulations and to analyse their results. It features a modular structure, with two chapters providing a basic pedagogic introduction plus exercises suitable for university courses; the remaining chapters cover major recent developments in the field.This edition has been updated with two new chapters dealing with recently developed powerful special algorithms and with finite size scaling tools for the study of interfacial phenomena, which are important for nanoscience. Previous editions have been highly praised and widely used by both students and advanced researchers.
The Monte Carlo Simulation Method for System Reliability and Risk Analysis
by Enrico ZioMonte Carlo simulation is one of the best tools for performing realistic analysis of complex systems as it allows most of the limiting assumptions on system behavior to be relaxed. The Monte Carlo Simulation Method for System Reliability and Risk Analysis comprehensively illustrates the Monte Carlo simulation method and its application to reliability and system engineering. Readers are given a sound understanding of the fundamentals of Monte Carlo sampling and simulation and its application for realistic system modeling. Whilst many of the topics rely on a high-level understanding of calculus, probability and statistics, simple academic examples will be provided in support to the explanation of the theoretical foundations to facilitate comprehension of the subject matter. Case studies will be introduced to provide the practical value of the most advanced techniques. This detailed approach makes The Monte Carlo Simulation Method for System Reliability and Risk Analysis a key reference for senior undergraduate and graduate students as well as researchers and practitioners. It provides a powerful tool for all those involved in system analysis for reliability, maintenance and risk evaluations.
MOOC Courses and the Future of Higher Education: A New Pedagogical Framework
by José Gómez Galán Antonio H. Padilla César Bernal BravoDuring the last decades, our society is witnessing an authentic revolution that, in a dizzying manner has deeply influenced, modified, and transformed the way of life of human beings. This constant and unstoppable revolution is transmuting all areas of our life: social, cultural, personal, labor, economic, training, etc. This new society is characterized by a high generation of knowledge and the constant and fluid processing of information. In this macro-context, the MOOC phenomenon emerged. MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses) courses are based on the principles of massive, free access to all materials and resources offered online. This new didactic path can be constituted in an innovative techno-social tendency, especially oriented in the panorama of Higher Education to stimulate university improvement, open opportunities at the same time for education and training or, simply, derive towards a new business model for the universities. In addition to being an entry point for the popularization of science and knowledge, the future possibilities are enormous and are being studied in all their various dimensions. Many initiatives as a result have been developed to implement this new form of education. MOOC Courses and the Future of Higher Education presents the latest research theories and current examples of MOOC courses practices in Higher Education. The chapters represent an extensive assortment of interpretations and practices examples of MOOC courses, across areas as varied as teaching methodologies, instructional innovations, educational technology, etc. This work is structured in three sections, the first one covers the university institution in the knowledge society, the second analyzes the MOOC training proposals, and the third discusses the future role of MOOCs. Technical topics discussed in the book include: The Virtualization of Teaching in Higher EducationTraining and Professional Development at the e-UniversityTaxonomy of MOOCsMOOC: Strengths and WeaknessesMOOCs and the Scientific Community: Challenges and InnovationMOOC PlatformsDirectory of MOOC ResourcesMOOC: Reflections of the Future
MOOC Learning Platform Development
by Varun Gupta Durg Singh Chauhan Thomas HanneThe work presented in this book is based on empirical study undertaken as a case study to understand the challenges faced in massively open online course (MOOC) based learning and experimentation to understand the challenges for presenting theoretical and practical courses. The book proposes a flexible online platform. This solution provides flexibility in distance learning processes including course enrollment, learning, evaluation, and outcome of degrees. The proposed system not only gives students freedom to choose their courses in accordance with their needs but also use earned credit towards online degrees of any university of their choice.
MOOC U: Who Is Getting the Most Out of Online Education and Why
by Jeffrey J. SelingoMOOC U. explains why you should sign up for massive open online course (MOOC) and how you can get the greatest benefit from the courses. It does so by telling a story--the story of a single MOOC: University of Virginia Professor Ed Hess's "Grow to Greatness."<P> Higher education expert and award-wining author Jeffrey J. Selingo captures in four perspectives--the student's, the professor's, the university's, and the online course provider's--why today's average MOOC student can benefit tremendously from MOOCs, if they only know a bit about how to navigate the MOOC universe. MOOC U. provides a path to success for the six million and rising students who have signed up for a free online course.<P> A few years ago, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) were heralded as higher education's savior. They would provide free, high quality education to remote villages around the world and those shut out of world-class universities. That remains a compelling vision, but one that is at odds with the hopes and plans of the majority of people who have signed up for a MOOC since 2011. Most of them are college graduates using MOOCs as a supplement to formal classroom learning and a tool for professional development. For these students, learning to use MOOCs as an instrument for learning, more like a textbook, rather than a replacement for college provides rich opportunities and immediate rewards.<P> The problem is that there are no guidebooks for prospective MOOC students like the hundreds that exist for the bricks-and-mortar world of college. MOOC U. is meant to be that guidebook: an explanation of the confusing web of MOOC players, the far-flung classmates, the professors, and most of all, how to determine quality in this new ecosystem. By following one MOOC course, the book lays out the issues and challenges of MOOCs through the personal stories of the people in the action.
MOOCs (The MIT Press Essential Knowledge series)
by Jonathan HaberEverything you always wanted to know about MOOCs: an account of massive open online courses and what they might mean for the future of higher education.The New York Times declared 2012 to be “The Year of the MOOC” as millions of students enrolled in massive open online courses (known as MOOCs), millions of investment dollars flowed to the companies making them, and the media declared MOOCs to be earth-shaking game-changers in higher education. During the inevitable backlash that followed, critics highlighted MOOCs' high dropout rate, the low chance of earning back initial investments, and the potential for any earth-shaking game change to make things worse instead of better. In this volume in the Essential Knowledge series, Jonathan Haber offers an account of MOOCs that avoids both hype and doomsaying. Instead, he provides an engaging, straightforward explanation of a rare phenomenon: an education innovation that captures the imagination of the public while moving at the speed of an Internet startup.Haber explains the origins of MOOCs, what they consist of, the controversies surrounding them, and their possible future role in education. He proposes a new definition of MOOCs based on the culture of experimentation from which they emerged, and adds a student perspective—missing in most MOOC discussion. Haber's unique Degree of Freedom experiment, during which he attempted to learn the equivalent of a four-year liberal arts degree in one year using only MOOCs and other forms of free education, informs his discussion.Haber urges us to avoid the fallacy of thinking that because MOOCs cannot solve all educational challenges they are not worth pursuing, and he helps us understand what MOOCs—despite their limitations—still offer the world. His book is required reading for anyone trying to sort out the competing claims, aspirations, and accusations that color the MOOC debate.
MOOCs
by Jean-Charles Pomerol Yves Epelboin Claire ThouryMOOCs (Massive Online Open Courses) are shaking up the traditional forms of primary and continuing education and training. These new distance teaching tools which take advantage of the Web and social network revolution are making us think again about how we teach and learn.n amazing tool for life-long training?* Is there a business model for developing MOOCs?
MOOCs and Open Education Around the World
by Thomas C. Reeves Curtis J. Bonk Mimi M. Lee Thomas H. ReynoldsAs new digital forms of formal and informal learning proliferate, there is an increasing need to better understand how people in different regions of the world are implementing massive open online courses (MOOCs) and other forms of open educational resources (OERs). Educators, researchers, politicians, and numerous other stakeholders want to grasp what the outcomes of these initiatives are and how they can be improved. Ongoing e-learning developments related to both technology and pedagogy have pushed institutions and organizations to grapple with issues of accreditation, credentialing, quality standards, innovative assessment, and learner motivation and attrition, among other areas of concern. In response, MOOCs and Open Education Around the World explores and illuminates unique implementations of MOOCs and open education across regions and nations. The book also focuses on the various opportunities as well as the dilemmas presented in this rapidly evolving age of technology-enabled learning. What are the different delivery formats, interaction possibilities, assessment schemes, and business models? What are the key controversies or issues that must be discussed and addressed? This edited collection explains MOOCs and open education trends and issues in a variety of contexts, shares key research findings, and provides practical suggestions and recommendations for the near future.
MOOCs and Open Education in the Global South: Challenges, Successes, and Opportunities
by Thomas C. Reeves Ke Zhang Thomas H. Reynolds Curt BonkWith e-learning technologies evolving and expanding at high rates, organizations and institutions around the world are integrating massive open online courses (MOOCs) and other open educational resources (OERs). MOOCs and Open Education in the Global South explores the initiatives that are leveraging these flexible systems to educate, train, and empower populations previously denied access to such opportunities. Featuring contributors leading efforts in rapidly changing nations and regions, this wide-ranging collection grapples with accreditation, credentialing, quality standards, innovative assessment, learner motivation and attrition, and numerous other issues. The provocative narratives curated in this volume demonstrate how MOOCs and OER can be effectively designed and implemented in vastly different ways in particular settings, as detailed by experts from Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, the Pacific/Oceania, and the Caribbean. This comprehensive text is an essential resource for policy makers, instructional designers, practitioners, administrators, and other MOOC and OER community stakeholders.
MOOCs and Their Afterlives: Experiments in Scale and Access in Higher Education
by Elizabeth LoshA trio of headlines in the Chronicle of Higher Education seem to say it all: in 2013, “A Bold Move Toward MOOCs Sends Shock Waves;” in 2014, “Doubts About MOOCs Continue to Rise,” and in 2015, “The MOOC Hype Fades.” At the beginning of the 2010s, MOOCs, or Massive Open Online Courses, seemed poised to completely revolutionize higher education. But now, just a few years into the revolution, educators’ enthusiasm seems to have cooled. As advocates and critics try to make sense of the rise and fall of these courses, both groups are united by one question: Where do we go from here? Elizabeth Losh has gathered experts from across disciplines—education, rhetoric, philosophy, literary studies, history, computer science, and journalism—to tease out lessons and chart a course into the future of open, online education. Instructors talk about what worked and what didn’t. Students share their experiences as participants. And scholars consider the ethics of this education. The collection goes beyond MOOCs to cover variants such as hybrid or blended courses, SPOCs (Small Personalized Online Courses), and DOCCs (Distributed Open Collaborative Course). Together, these essays provide a unique, even-handed look at the MOOC movement and will serve as a thoughtful guide to those shaping the next steps for open education.
MOOCs, High Technology, and Higher Learning (Reforming Higher Education: Innovation and the Public Good)
by Robert A. RhoadsThe first book to explore the rise of MOOCs through a social science lens.In MOOCs, High Technology, and Higher Learning, Robert A. Rhoads places the OpenCourseWare (OCW) movement into the larger context of a revolution in educational technology. In doing so, he seeks to bring greater balance to increasingly polarized discussions of massively open online courses (MOOCs) and show their ongoing relevance to reforming higher education and higher learning.Rhoads offers a provocative analysis of a particular moment in history when cultural, political, and economic forces came together with evolving teaching and learning technologies to bring about the MOOC. He argues persuasively that the OCW and MOOC movements have had a significant impact on the digitalization of knowledge and that they have helped expand the ways students and teachers interact and develop ideas collaboratively. He also critically analyzes the extensive media coverage of MOOCs while examining empirical studies of MOOC content delivery, the organizational system supporting the OCW/MOOC movement, and faculty labor concerns.Too often, technology advocates champion the MOOC movement as a solution to higher education’s challenges without recognizing the pedagogical, social, and economic costs. MOOCs, High Technology, and Higher Learning challenges many of the democratic claims made by MOOC advocates, pointing to vast inequities in the ways MOOCs are presented as an alternative to brick-and-mortar access for low-income populations. This book offers a clear-eyed perspective on the potential and peril of this new form of education.
MOOCs (Kindle Single): What Every ESL Teacher Needs to Know
by Pamela S. Bogart"We have an opportunity as ESL teachers to help our students plug in to what MOOCs can offer today: a supplementary space in which to develop vocabulary and text-based conversational skills and to learn foundational content in domains of interest at an individual pace in a non-threatening, low-stakes environment." --- Pamela S.H. Bogart In this e-single, Bogart, an instructor at the University of Michigan's English Language Institute, explains the ins and outs of MOOCs, particularly (but not exclusively) those that can support language learning. She explains the various types of MOOCs and their pedagogical benefits and shows how MOOCs can aid in the language learning process and offer students a more richly textured blended learning experience. The text concludes with tips for creating and designing a MOOC. Essentially, this short ebook answers many of the questions today's teachers might have about, not only whether to use MOOCs in the classroom, but whether they should create one. The book seeks to provide answers to: *What is a MOOC? *How can my students best use MOOCs? *What if I am asked to or decide to create a MOOC? Each section includes an Exploration Task that invites readers to deepen their personal understanding of and experience with MOOCs.
Mood and Mobility: Navigating the Emotional Spaces of Digital Social Networks
by Richard CoyneAn argument that as we engage with social media on our digital devices we receive, modify, intensify, and transmit moods.We are active with our mobile devices; we play games, watch films, listen to music, check social media, and tap screens and keyboards while we are on the move. In Mood and Mobility, Richard Coyne argues that not only do we communicate, process information, and entertain ourselves through devices and social media; we also receive, modify, intensify, and transmit moods. Designers, practitioners, educators, researchers, and users should pay more attention to the moods created around our smartphones, tablets, and laptops.Drawing on research from a range of disciplines, including experimental psychology, phenomenology, cultural theory, and architecture, Coyne shows that users of social media are not simply passive receivers of moods; they are complicit in making moods. Devoting each chapter to a particular mood—from curiosity and pleasure to anxiety and melancholy—Coyne shows that devices and technologies do affect people's moods, although not always directly. He shows that mood effects are transitional; different moods suit different occasions, and derive character from emotional shifts. Furthermore, moods are active; we enlist all the resources of human sociability to create moods. And finally, the discourse about mood is deeply reflexive; in a kind of meta-moodiness, we talk about our moods and have feelings about them. Mood, in Coyne's distinctive telling, provides a new way to look at the ever-changing world of ubiquitous digital technologies.
Moodle 1.9: The English Teacher's Cookbook
by Silvina P. HillarThis book follows a cookbook style, which will help you achieve outstanding results using ready-to-use recipes for reading comprehension, writing, and composition holding hands with Moodle 1.9 in the Web 2.0 Era. Each recipe is unique; some deal with similar teaching techniques, but they show how to develop the same technique using different software, situations, or topics. Images, videos, poems, songs, artists, classic stories, cartoons, superheroes, painting, the environment, and comics are inserted into the Moodle course, in order to be used as either prewriting or writing activities. If you are an English teacher who wants to discover practical, funny, and engaging activities to insert in your course, this is a perfectly designed book for you. It will help you to use different techniques in the teaching of reading comprehension, writing, and composition using a great variety of resources from the free and open source software available in the Web and interesting websites as well as social networks. You need basic experience with Moodle 1.9 or 1.9.5, as well as installation and configuration procedures.
Moodle 1.9 E-Learning Course Development
by William RiceWilliam Rice is an experienced trainer and expert on learning and teaching practices. This experience and expertise forms the foundation of his approach: What do we want to teach? How would this best translate into a course? How best can Moodle support these course objectives? Of course, the book contains everything you'd expect from an introduction to Moodle: clear step-by-step instructions, plenty of screenshots, explanations and guides through the many features and options that you have to choose from. Throughout the book, William develops an example course. He uses this example to explore the sort of decisions, design considerations, and thought that goes into developing a successful course. This book is for anyone who wants to get the best from Moodle. Beginners will get a thorough guide to how the software works, with great ideas for getting off to a good start with their first course. More experienced Moodlers will find powerful insights into developing more successful and educational courses.
Moodle 1.9 E-Learning Course Development
by William RiceWilliam Rice is an experienced trainer and expert on learning and teaching practices. This experience and expertise forms the foundation of his approach: What do we want to teach? How would this best translate into a course? How best can Moodle support these course objectives? Of course, the book contains everything you'd expect from an introduction to Moodle: clear step-by-step instructions, plenty of screenshots, explanations and guides through the many features and options that you have to choose from. Throughout the book, William develops an example course. He uses this example to explore the sort of decisions, design considerations, and thought that goes into developing a successful course. This book is for anyone who wants to get the best from Moodle. Beginners will get a thorough guide to how the software works, with great ideas for getting off to a good start with their first course. More experienced Moodlers will find powerful insights into developing more successful and educational courses.
Moodle 1.9 Extension Development
by Jonathan MooreThe author's experience as a Moodle developer enables him to combine a simple, descriptive how-to approach with enthusiastic insights into the rich potential of customizing Moodle according to your needs. The chapters gradually build up your skills and by the end of the book you will be confident enough to customize Moodle on your own. This book is written for technologists who are interested in expanding Moodle's functions through programming, either for their own organizations or to contribute to the open source project. You should be familiar with Moodle's basic technologies: PHP, MySQL ,and HTML/CSS.
Moodle 1.9 for Design and Technology
by Paul TaylorThis book has real-world samples of how to solve problems related to Design and Technology and offers tips on how to enhance the use of Moodle to get the most out of the subject. Worked examples will act as a base from which to build complex and exciting courses for students in all age ranges and abilities. If you are a Design & Technology teacher, teaching assistant, head of department, SMT, or IT technician in school and would like to use Moodle to design, create, or administer a VLE for Design and Technology, this book is for you. You need to know the basics of Moodle for teaching and learning and should have some experience with Design and Technology.
Moodle 1.9 for Second Language Teaching
by Jeff StanfordThe author's experience as a teacher enables him to combine a simple, descriptive how-to approach with enthusiastic insights into the rich potential of Moodle for creating engaging, useful language learning activities. The book is based on Moodle 1.9 and gives clear instructions with lots of screenshots. There are dozens of examples of activities that you can use to create your own online activities. This book is written for teachers, trainers, and course planners with little or no experience of Moodle who want to create their own language learning activities.
Moodle 1.9 for Teaching 7-14 Year Olds: Beginner's Guide
by Mary CoochThis book is part of Packt's Beginner's Guide series. Written in a friendly tone, the book starts at the very beginning with a blank Moodle page and you are taken step by step through the most useful features of Moodle, helped with many illustrative screenshots. The chapters gradually build up your skills and by the end of the book you will be confident enough to design a fully functional, interactive course for 7-14 year olds. This book is for regular, non-technical teachers of pre-teen or early teenage children. It assumes no prior knowledge of Moodle and no particular expertise on the Web. Classroom assistants may also find this book a very useful resource.
Moodle 1.9 for Teaching Special Education Children (5-10): Beginner's Guide
by Vanesa S. OlsenWritten with a step-by-step but friendly and engaging approach, this Packt Beginner's Guide is designed to be placed alongside the computer as your guide and mentor. Step-by-step tutorials are boosted by explanations of the reasoning behind what you are doing. You will quickly pick up the necessary skills, tips, and tricks for creating practical exercises using Moodle 1.9 with practical examples and see how the child with special education needs progresses. If you are an SEN teacher or SEN therapist with minimal knowledge of Moodle who is willing to exploit Web 2.0 possibilities using Moodle 1.9 as the background platform, this book is for you.
Moodle 1.9 Math
by Ian WildThe book presents the reader with clear instructions for setting up specific activities, based around an example maths course (Pythagorean Theorem) with plenty of examples and screenshots. No Moodle experience is required to use the book, but the book will focus only on activities and modules relevant to teaching mathematics. We will assume that the reader has access to a working installation of Moodle. The activities will be appropriate for teaching math in high schools and universities. The book is aimed at math teachers who want to use Moodle to deliver or support their teaching. The book will also be useful for teachers of "mathematical sciences", or courses with a significant mathematical content that will benefit from the use of some of the tools explored in the book.
Moodle-1.9-multimedia
by João Pedro FernandesThe book is written in a tutorial style where you work through examples that describe how you can create multimedia applications using Moodle and integrate your existing multimedia resources into your Moodle course. It also tells you how to use multimedia effectively giving ideas and best practices. The book is primarily aimed at teachers and trainers who run professional courses and have experience in the use of Moodle. At the same time, it is not necessary to have an advanced technical background to create multimedia elements, as the tasks will be simple and as little time consuming as possible, relevant to everyday use.
Moodle 1.9 Teaching Techniques
by William Rice Susan Smith NashThis book contains clear guidance for all who want to put together effective online courses that motivate students and encourage dynamic learning. There are clear, step-by-step instructions with helpful screenshots and diagrams to guide you along the way. If you want to unleash your teaching talents and develop exciting, dynamic courses that really get students moving forward, then this book is for you. Experienced Moodlers who want to upgrade to Moodle 1.9 will find powerful insights into developing more successful and educational courses.
Moodle 1.9 Testing and Assessment
by Jason MyrickThis book is an illustrative how-to guide with many screenshots and examples that helps you to create simple to complex tests and assess them using Moodle. It covers effective usage of tools available in Moodle and offers some Moodle options that you may not have tried yet. It will guide you from the basic philosophy of online testing to creating skill-based assessments in Moodle.If you are a tutor or Moodle Administrator who is responsible for developing and evaluating an online test using Moodle, then this book is for you.This book assumes that you have already successfully installed and set up a Moodle site for teaching.