Audio and acoustic design of the University of Sydney’s Indoor Environmental Quality Laboratory

In this paper, ventilation, indoor air quality (IAQ), thermal and acoustic conditions, and lighting were studied to evaluate the indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in an institutional building at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada. This study examined IEQ parameters, including pressure, illuminance, acoustics, carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration, temperature, and humidity, with appropriate monitors allocated during a lecture (duration 50 min or 80 min) in four lecture classrooms repeatedly (N = 99) from October 2018 to March 2019 with the objectives of providing a comprehensive analysis of interactions between IEQ parameters. The classroom environments were maintained at 23 ± 1 °C and 33% ± 3% RH during two-season measurements. Indoor mean CO2 concentrations were 550–1055 ppm, and a mean sound level of 58 ± 3 dBA was observed. The air change rates were configured at 1.3–6.5 per hour based on continuous CO2 measurements and occupant loads in the lectures. A variance analysis indicated that the within-lecture classroom variations in most IEQ parameters exceeded between-lecture classrooms. A multilayer artificial neural network (ANN) model was developed on the basis of feedforward networks with a backpropagation algorithm. ANN results demonstrated the importance of the sequence of covariates on indoor conditions (temperature, RH, and CO2 level): Air change rate (ACR) > room operations (occupant number and light system) > outdoor conditions.

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The Framework Model for the Implementation of Collaborative and Interactive Learning in the University Classroom

Asian Journal of Education and e-Learning ◽

10.24203/ajeel.v7i5.3548 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 (5) ◽

Author(s):

Mohammed Alhaji Mohammed ◽

Adel A. Abdou

Keyword(s):

Instructional Technology ◽

Student Performance ◽

Environmental Quality ◽

Interactive Learning ◽

Indoor Environmental Quality ◽

Student Learning Outcome ◽

Framework Model ◽

Set Up ◽

The University ◽

The Impact

Today, colleges and universities recognize that, to employ and retain good students and highest level of academic staffing for the best student comprehension, the provision of contemporary and highly equipped instructional facilities is essential. This paper discusses the impact of the indoor environmental quality; the instructional technology; the physical set up of the university classroom; and the emerging teaching/learning pedagogies on students' performance. It is established that, these four factors have a significant effects on student learning outcome. The study also presents a comprehensive and critical review of literature on the nature of the university classroom for collaboraive and interactive learning, with the aim of providing an enabling environment of higher learning in the universities. The research suggests that improving the three influential components i.e. the indoor environmental quality, the instructional technology and the physical set up will help in enhancing student performance and productivity. The study concluded by establishing a systematic framework model for the implementation of the collaboraive and interactive learning in the university classroom.

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