Georgia College & State University

About: Georgia College & State University is a education organization based out in Milledgeville, Georgia, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Higher education. The organization has 950 authors who have published 1591 publications receiving 37027 citations.

Mechanical Analysis of Diving

Abstract: (1950). Mechanical Analysis of Diving. Research Quarterly. American Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation: Vol. 21, No. 2, pp. 132-144.

Cohesion and Trauma: An Examination of a Collegiate Women's Volleyball Team

Abstract: This study examined the effects o/Adventure Based Counseling (i.e., a low-element challenge program) on the cohesion of a collegiate women's volleyball team. Results suggest post-intervention improvements in team cohesion. The support created in the challenge experience also transferred to the players helping one another to grieve the untimely loss o/ a teammate. ********** A sport team is a special type of group that shares a collective identity, a sense of shared purpose, structured patterns of interaction and communication, personal and task interdependence, and interpersonal attraction (Carron, 1988). Individuals who participate in sport range from children and adults who play in neighborhood leagues for recreation, socialization, and exercise to professional athletes who sign multimillion-dollar contracts. For athletes who participate in sport at the college level, high-stakes competition can result in the need to consistently achieve peak performance. Over the years, many sport experts and scientists have attempted to identify the qualities and characteristics that will assist athletes and teams to consistently perform at an optimal level. Sport teams are traditionally classified as being either interactive or coactive (Widmeyer & Williams, 1991). It is necessary for members of interactive teams (e.g., volleyball, ice and field hockey, football, soccer, basketball) to coordinate their efforts, but such coordination is not necessary for members of coactive teams (e.g., golf, singles tennis, diving, bowling), who participate simultaneously but independently on the same task. COHESION AND SPORT Cohesion can be defined as the sum of forces acting on group members that maintains their participation in the group, such as cooperation, helping each other, mutual psychological support, interpersonal attraction, commitment to the task, and group pride (Mullen & Cooper, 1994). Similarly, cohesion in sports is defined as the tendency for a group to stick together and remain united in the pursuit of its goals and objectives (Carron, 1982), and it is vital for successful team functioning and success (Cartwright, 1968; Hall, 1985; Meyers, 1962; Murray, 1981). Furthermore, cohesion has been divided into two types, task cohesion and social cohesion. Task cohesion can be defined as a general orientation toward achieving the group's goals and objectives. Social cohesion is the social aspect that can be seen as a general orientation toward developing and maintaining social relationships within the group (Carron, Widmeyer, & Brawley, 1985). Mullen and Cooper (1994) conducted a meta-analysis, which showed that the effect of cohesion on performance is an important contributor to effective group performance and due primarily to commitment to the task rather than interpersonal attraction or group pride. Recently, researchers have also shown that a positive relationship exists between team cohesion and team performance (Wellington & Faria, 1996) and team cohesion and individual satisfaction (Carron & Chelladurai, 1982). Being a member of a cohesive team has been identified as a factor related to whether or not Olympic athletes performed to meet, to exceed, or fail to meet expectations (Gould, Guinan, Greenleaf, Medberry, & Peterson, 1999). It has been suggested that there is a positive relationship between psychological advantages to participants and being a member of a highly cohesive team (Carron, Prapavessis, & Grove, 1994). Cohesion has been positively linked with psychological momentum (Eisler & Spink, 1998); exercise adherence in the sport setting, such as a spinning class (Spink, 1995; Spink & Carron, 1992); and decreased competitive state anxiety (Prapavessis & Carron, 1996). Also, an investigation examining the relationship of group cohesion to mood disturbance, stress, and athletic performance in a female collegiate basketball team indicated that participants perceiving high levels of task cohesion were found to be less depressed, less confused, and to demonstrate less total mood disturbance. …

Stay Tuned for Podcast U and the Data on M-Learning

Abstract: Podcasting is a growing trend in higher education, and this chapter reviews the most common applications for podcasting in higher education and the current literature on its impact on student learning. Although many educators question whether podcasting creates an effective active learning environment, institutional research data from Georgia College & State University indicate that podcasting may have a positive impact grade on distributions and retention, but not on student opinion surveys rating teacher performance. While surveys indicate that students want podcasts of course materials, research suggests that they make limited use of them. Data indicate that student-produced podcasts may be the most efficacious academic model for podcasting, but much work remains to be done to assess the educational impact of podcasting.

Algebraic Geometry: A Problem Solving Approach

Abstract: Algebraic Geometry has been at the center of much of mathematics for hundreds of years. It is not an easy field to break into, despite its humble beginnings in the study of circles, ellipses, hyperbolas, and parabolas. This text consists of a series of exercises, plus some background information and explanations, starting with conics and ending with sheaves and cohomology. The first chapter on conics is appropriate for first-year college students (and many high school students). Chapter 2 leads the reader to an understanding of the basics of cubic curves, while Chapter 3 introduces higher degree curves. Both chapters are appropriate for people who have taken multivariable calculus and linear algebra. Chapters 4 and 5 introduce geometric objects of higher dimension than curves. Abstract algebra now plays a critical role, making a first course in abstract algebra necessary from this point on. The last chapter is on sheaves and cohomology, providing a hint of current work in algebraic geometry. This book is published in cooperation with IAS/Park City Mathematics Institute.

Stochastic mixed-mode oscillations in a three-species predator-prey model

Abstract: The effect of demographic stochasticity, in the form of Gaussian white noise, in a predator-prey model with one fast and two slow variables is studied. We derive the stochastic differential equations (SDEs) from a discrete model. For suitable parameter values, the deterministic drift part of the model admits a folded node singularity and exhibits a singular Hopf bifurcation. We focus on the parameter regime near the Hopf bifurcation, where small amplitude oscillations exist as stable dynamics in the absence of noise. In this regime, the stochastic model admits noise-driven mixed-mode oscillations (MMOs), which capture the intermediate dynamics between two cycles of population outbreaks. We perform numerical simulations to calculate the distribution of the random number of small oscillations between successive spikes for varying noise intensities and distance to the Hopf bifurcation. We also study the effect of noise on a suitable Poincare map. Finally, we prove that the stochastic model can be transformed into a normal form near the folded node, which can be linked to recent results on the interplay between deterministic and stochastic small amplitude oscillations. The normal form can also be used to study the parameter influence on the noise level near folded singularities.