National Taiwan University of Science and Technology

About: National Taiwan University of Science and Technology is a education organization based out in Taipei, Taipei, Taiwan. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Fuzzy logic & Control theory. The organization has 16288 authors who have published 21577 publications receiving 426294 citations. The organization is also known as: Taiwan Tech & Taiwantech.

Selective Electro-oxidation of Glycerol to Dihydroxyacetone by a Non-precious Electrocatalyst – CuO

Abstract: An earth abundant and non-precious electrocatalyst, CuO, is developed for the high selectivity (∼60 %) towards the glycerol electro-oxidation to dihydroxyacetone (DHA) at high current density (3 mA/cm2) under mild basic condition, pH 9. CuO demonstrates the catalytic ability towards the secondary hydroxyl group oxidation of glycerol. However, under strong basic condition, pH 13, DHA would transform to glyceraldehyde (GLAD) spontaneously without applying potential. Thus, under strong basic condition, the glycerol oxidation usually results with other two-carbon and one-carbon products deriving from GLAD oxidation. Based on HPLC, in-situ Raman spectra, and electrochemical studies, the glycerol electro-oxidation pathway was proposed. With this study, the waste by-product from biodiesel plant, glycerol, can be converted to the valuable DHA and formate at the anode while water is split to hydrogen at the cathode. As a result, both biodiesel and water splitting hydrogen generation industries can be beneficial and the system can be more sustainable.

The Development of Science Activities via On-Line Peer Assessment: The Role of Scientific Epistemological Views.

Abstract: This study implemented an online peer assessment learning module to help 36 college students with the major of pre-school education to develop science activities for future instruction. Each student was asked to submit a science activity project for pre-school children, and then experienced three rounds of peer assessment. The effects of the online peer assessment module on student learning were examined, and the role of Scientific Epistemological Views (SEVs) in the learning process was carefully investigated. This study found that student peers displayed valid scoring that was consistent with an expert’s marks. Through the online peer assessment, the students could enhance the design of science activities for future instruction; for instance, the science activities became more creative, science-embedded, feasible and more suitable for the developmental stage of pre-school children. More importantly, students with more sophisticated (constructivist-oriented) SEVs tended to progress significantly more for designing science activities with more fun, higher creativity and greater relevancy to scientific knowledge, implying that learners with constructivist-oriented SEVs might benefit more from the online peer assessment learning process. These students also tended to offer more feedback to their peers, and much of the peer feedback provided by these students was categorized as guiding or helping peers to carefully appraise and plan their science activity projects. This study finally suggested that an appropriate understanding regarding the constructivist epistemology may be a prerequisite for utilizing peer assessment learning activities in science education.

Investigating university student preferences and beliefs about learning in the web-based context

Abstract: Psychological studies have shown that personal beliefs about learning and environmental preferences affect learning behaviors. However, these learner characteristics have not been widely discussed in the web-based context. By developing questionnaires, this study attempted to detect learners' web-based learning environmental preferences (WLEP) and beliefs about web-based learning (BWL). The scope of WLEP focused on the pedagogical dimension of the web-based learning environment, while BWL concerned the attributes and control factors of the web-based learning. There were about five hundreds of Taiwan university students participating in the study. Through factor analysis, the scales discussed in the study revealed a satisfactory validity and reliability in assessing students' preferences and beliefs. Further analyses showed that university students preferred more of individual and structured instructional configurations while expected the outward mode of interaction. In general, students held a rather contextual belief about web-based learning, which was found to be correlated with their environmental preferences.