Confessions of a Self-Directed Learner

After a trio of hour-long interviews with a self-professed self-directed learner, the authors present an honest narrative conveying an authentic account of a real human being who has directed their own learning. In this chapter, vignettes of raw interview data are presented as conversations to tell a biographical story while discussions of related ideas and principles provide context for those stories. The authors analyzed 20,576 words from interview transcripts for emergent themes using a grounded theory approach. After coding, memoing, and sorting data, salient themes that emerged included identity, patience, motivation, agency, trust, and classroom practice.

Implementation of Targhib And Tarhib Methods to Teach Aqidah and Akhlaq Subject in Madrasah

This study is aimed at investigating targib and tarhib method in terms of : planning, implementation, supporting and inhibiting factors for the implementation, evaluation and success rate of application. This research applied qualitative method using descriptive analytic. The data were collected using observation, interviews, and documentation. Data were analysed by selecting, sorting data obtained, analysing and drawing conclusions. The findings show that the planning was designed in terms of learning strategies, techniques and tactics in the document of lesson plan. The implementation was in accordance with the planning written in the learning steps in the document of lesson plan. The supporting factors included innovative and competent teachers in their fields, full support from the principal, support from the teacher council and school staff, and the availability of facilities and infrastructure. The inhibiting factors covered the differences in the students’ background and the location of the classrooms which is next to public roads and residents' houses. The evaluation was done by observing students’ attitudes and administering the oral tests in learning. The success rate of implementation can be seen from the increase in the students’ awareness to behave ahlak karimah in everyday life.

Silk Goes East and West

This chapter introduces the early history of silk. The fabric was known about in Europe since the 1st Century BCE, but what it came from or how it was made were unknown, with early Romans thinking silk grew on plants or was the downy surface of leaves. As the chapter shows, the closely guarded secret eventually became known in Japan, Korea, and India, but the monopoly on Chinese silk making was only broken when the process made its way to the Byzantine capital of Constantinople, where silk making flourished. Later moves to Italian cities, and France produced different silk patterns. In France, the Jacquard loom was developed, using punch cards to weave repeatable patterns, a technology later adapted for collecting and sorting data in the US census. Modern computers and cell phones can be traced to the refinement of punch cards from the Jacquard loom, used to weave silk from the domestic silkworm.

The Best and the Worst: TEFL Experts' Opinions of the Most and the Least Important Predictors of Situational Willingness to Communicate

The current study aimed to identify the most and the least important situational properties of second language willingness to communicate (L2WTC) in an EFL context. After reviewing the related literature, 24 influencing factors were identified and then they were prioritized. Ninety TEFL experts participated in the study to answer the research questionnaire. A quantitative research approach applying paired comparison questionnaire was employed. Data analysis was done using Excel spreadsheet for sorting data and calculating the mean and WinQSB software for solving linear programming model. The results showed that, among the selected variables, "the size of the group", "familiarity with topics under discussion", and "interlocutors and familiarity with them" were determined to be the first most important situational variables which highly influence L2WTC. The findings also showed that "attitudes toward the learning situation", "course evaluation criteria" and "alignment with the classroom norms" were the least important factors influencing L2WTC. The significance of the study lies in its theoretical contributions and pedagogical implications it has for the field of second language teaching and learning.

Efficient Data Sorting Introducing a New Method

The efficiency of data sorting algorithms is the key aspect which determines the speed of data processing and searching. The best known efficiency of sorting algorithm has been Log (N) if there are N terms. All of the well-known sorting algorithms use various techniques to sort data. The basis for most of these are comparing the data terms with each other. In this manuscript, we are introducing a new approach for sorting data. This method is postulated to have the highest efficiency ever achieved by any of the sorting algorithms. We achieve this by sorting data without comparing the data terms. Or achieving results of data comparison without comparing the terms explicitly.

Devising an image processing method for transport infrastructure monitoring systems

Identifying and categorizing contours in images is important in many areas of computer vision. Examples include such operational tasks solved by using unmanned aerial vehicles as dynamic monitoring of the condition of transport infrastructure, in particular road markings. This study has established that current methods of image contour analysis do not produce clear and reliable results when solving the task of monitoring the state of road markings. Therefore, it is a relevant scientific and applied task to improve the methods and models of filtration, processing of binary images, and qualitative and meaningful separation of the boundaries of objects of interest. To solve the task of highlighting road marking contours on images acquired from an unmanned aerial vehicle, a method has been devised that includes an operational tool for image preprocessing – a combined filter. The method has several advantages and eliminates the limitations of known methods in determining the boundaries of the location of the object of interest, by highlighting the contours of a cluster of points using histograms. The method and procedures reported here make it possible to successfully solve problems that are largely similar to those that an expert person can face when solving intelligent tasks of processing and filtering information. The proposed method was verified at an enterprise producing the Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle "Spectator" during tests of information technology of dynamic monitoring of the state of transport infrastructure. The results could be implemented in promising intelligent control systems in the field of modeling human conscious behavior when sorting data required for the perception of environmental features

The “Sticky Notes” Method: Adapting Interpretive Description Methodology for Team-Based Qualitative Analysis in Community-Based Participatory Research

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) has a long history within HIV research, yet little work has focused on facilitating team-based data analysis within CBPR. Our team adapted Thorne’s interpretive description (ID) for CBPR analysis, using a color-coded “sticky notes” system to conduct data fragmentation and synthesis. Sticky notes were used to record, visualize, and communicate emerging insights over the course of 11 in-person participatory sessions. Data fragmentation strategies were employed in an iterative four-step process that was reached by consensus. During synthesis, the team created and recreated mind maps of the 969 sticky notes, from which we developed categories and themes through discussion. Flexibility, trust, and discussion were key components that facilitated the evolution of the final process. An interactive, team-based approach was central to data co-creation and capacity building, whereas the “sticky notes” system provided a framework for identifying and sorting data.

Card Sorting: Challenges in Mathematics during Emergencies and Crises

What are the major challenges facing mathematics students in higher education institutes in the process of shifting from traditional face-to-face to emergency remote learning due to COVID-19? The research argues that a better understanding of challenges experienced by students in the unprecedented time of COVID-19 can help steer the institution in the right direction to sustain quality learning and student retention. This paper utilises open card sorting to explore the topic, and the combination of a similarity matrix and Hierarchical Clustering Method - 3D Cluster View algorithm to cluster and evaluate the card sorting data sets. Card names were initially drawn from the institution’s understanding of students’ experience and its pedagogies, resources, diversities and the socio-cultural dimension of learning during COVID-19. Participants were recruited from first-year mathematics students who had experienced the pressure of shifting from traditional face-to-face to emergency remote teaching while studying in a regional university in the South Pacific. The findings reveal the key role of student finances, motivation, online learning literacy, face-to-face interaction, course delivery, internet access, and home learning environment in understanding the challenges students faced during the pandemic. The novel findings provide new insights into learning analytics for the significant correlation between card sorting and emergency remote learning literature with respect to quality learning in a given pandemic.

PENERAPAN BUDAYA TIPCE (TRUST, INTEGRITY, PROFESIONALISM, COSTUMER SERVICE, EXCELENT) DAN KOMITMEN DALAM PENINGKATAN KINERJA KARYAWAN PADA PT. BANK MANDIRI (PERSERO) TBK CABANG SIDRAP

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji, menganalisis penerapan budaya tipce (trust, integrity, profesionalism, costumer service, excelent) dan komitmen dalam peningkatan kinerja karyawan pada pt. Bank mandiri (persero) tbk Cabang sidrap. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode kualitatif dengan pendekatan fenomenologi bermaksud untuk mengeksplorasi budaya tipce (trust, integrity, profesionalism, costumer service, excelent) dan komitmen dalam peningkatan kinerja karyawan dengan menggunakan teknik Indepth Interview (wawancara mendalam), dan melakukan observasi serta dokumentasi secara terus menerus selama penelitian berlangsung. Analisis data dimulai dengan analisis domain. Sebelum memasuki lapangan, analisis dilakukan terhadap data hasil studi pendahuluan atau data sekunder, yang akan digunakan untuk menentukan fokus penelitian. Analisis pada tahap berikutnya yaitu taksonomi dilakukan setelah kegiatan lapangan yang dimulai dengan mengumpulkan dan memilah-milah data untuk dikelompokkan atau diklasifikasikan. Berdasarkan hasil penelitian dan pembahasan yang telah diuraikan dalam bab sebelumnya, dapat ditarik kesimpulan bahwa nilai-nilai budaya Bank Mandiri yang seperti diuraikan diatas, muncul pertanyaan apakah nilai budaya perusahaan tersebut dapat mempengaruhi kinerja karyawan melalui kepuasan kerja yang ditimbulkannya? Berdasarkan gambaran yang telah diuraikan diatas, akan dilakukan penelitian untuk mengetahui apakah faktor nilai budaya perusahaan dapat mempengaruhi kepuasan kerja karyawan yang selanjutnya dapat mempengaruhi kinerja karyawan. This study aims to examine, analyze the implementation of the principles of TIPCE (trust, integrity, professionalism, customer service, excellent) and the commitment in improving employee performance at PT. Bank Mandiri (Persero) Tbk, Sidrap. This study uses a qualitative method with a phenomenological approach which intends to explore the TIPCE culture and the commitment to improve employee performance by using the in-depth interview technique, and making observations and documentation continuously during the research process. Data analysis begins with domain analysis. Before entering the fieldwork, analysis is carried out on data from preliminary studies or secondary data, which will be used to determine the focus of this research. The analysis in the next stage, namely taxonomy is carried out after field activities which begin with collecting and sorting data to be grouped or classified. Based on the results of this research and discussion described in the previous chapter, it can be concluded that the cultural values ??of Bank Mandiri as described above raises a question: can these corporate cultural values affect employee performance through the job satisfaction it generates? Based on the description described above, this research will be carried out to determine whether the value of corporate culture can affect employee job satisfaction which in turn can affect employee performance.

Hopfer-etal-HopsPerception-preprint

Hops, the flowers of the Humulus lupus plant, is almost exclusively used in beer production, where they add important flavor qualities, such as bitter taste and a variety of aromas, to the finished product. Depending on concentration, variety, and time of addition, different beer styles are created, appealing to a broad range of consumer needs. Consumers of different beer styles both state and reveal a strong preference for their respective preferred style, presumably due to the unique aromas and flavors experienced with different styles. Here we use several rapid profiling methods – free sorting (FS) in combination with check-all-that-apply (CATA) – to perceptually characterize nine samples of hops (7 varieties; 2 blind duplicates) with naïve participants who had been segmented by their typical beer consumption habits (craft versus light beer consumers). The ‘light’ group (n=30) exclusively consumed light, American lager beer styles while the ‘craft’ group (n=32) exclusively consumed what they considered ‘craft’ or ‘micro-brew’ beers. All participants were asked to first sort the hop samples into groups based solely on perceptual similarity; they were then asked to endorse a list of 24 common hops aroma descriptors in a CATA task. Sorting data were used to generate perceptual maps via DISTATIS. Inspection of the perceptual maps indicate participants successfully differentiated between hop samples, and no differences in the number of groups formed between the two consumer groups were found; however, the two cohorts grouped hops samples differently, and resulting maps showed little agreement. Further, light-style beer drinkers checked significantly fewer attributes in the CATA task to describe their hops groups and were also less discriminating between the hops samples relative to the craft-style beer consumers. These data suggest free sorting can be used to profile hops, and observed differences between types of beer drinkers are both perceptual and linguistic in nature.