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A laboratory class was developed and evaluated to illustrate the synthesis of metal nanoclusters (NCs) and to explain their photoluminescence properties for the case of silver. The described experiment employs a synthetic protocol that consists of two sequential phases in a single reaction pot: the reduction of silver ions into plasmonic silver nanoparticles (NPs) (bottom-up), followed by etching the formed silver NPs into ultrasmall atomically precise fluorescent silver NCs (top-down), Ag[subscript 29] (DHLA)[subscript 12] (DHLA: dihydrolipoic acid). UV-vis absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy were employed as a function of reaction time to confirm the development of the plasmonic character of silver NPs (reaction intermediate) and, later on, the onset of fluorescence emission of the silver NCs (final product). Collectively, this experiment was found to be simple to carry out, safe, reproducible, and cost-effective, and it achieved the intended learning outcomes. Participating students found this laboratory class suitable to be implemented into an upper-division undergraduate or graduate curriculum.

The lifetime of the excited state of a material is essential for characterizing its photophysical and photochemical processes and substantially affects the quantum efficiencies of its luminescence (fluorescence or phosphorescence) and photo(catalytic) reactions. However, undergraduate students are much more likely to do steady-state, rather than time-resolved, spectroscopy in a laboratory class. In this report, a small hand-held photon-counting device is proposed for this measurement within a time scale from about 100 ns to 10 s. Measurements of emission decays from excited chromium(III) in ruby as a photophysical example and ruthenium(II) tris(bipyridine), [Ru(bpy)[subscript 3]][superscript 2+], as a photochemical example are demonstrated using the device.

The article describes research work that can help students observe and experimentally research the effects caused by the emission component of the filament current in fluorescent lamps' cathodes. When analysing the work of electronic devices--multi-purpose lamps that use thermionic emission--research usually focuses on the current caused by the movement of electrons affected by the electric field between the cathode and the anode, and the cathode's filament current is considered to be associated only with the movement of electrons through the metal conductor. However, the electric field's potential drops along the cathode, which gives rise to the emission component of the filament current by the transfer of the emitted electrons along the cathode. The most convenient research object for this effect is a "fluorescent lamp with a direct-filament cathode," where the emission component of the filament current manifests itself in the glow of the nearcathode space. The practical implications of the work lie in clarifying the algorithm for determining the lamp's cathode temperature by its resistance.

The choice to create or renovate museum buildings to green building standards is a growing trend for science museums. With access to green facilities comes the potential to extend informal science learning into the three-dimensional architectural environment. To examine how and if museums with green buildings interpret their buildings for the public, this study used photographs systematically taken by researchers in eight science museums across the United States. Results show that recycling, water, energy, green materials, and eco-landscaping were the top five green building themes interpreted by museums. Moreover, all museums use the passive strategy of educational signage to communicate green building themes, though several museums attempted to provide more active, hands-on learning opportunities. The analysis additionally uncovered a series of distinct strategic choices museums made concerning centralized versus decentralized displays, media types, passive versus active engagement, and targeting a range of visitor outcomes from green knowledge to behaviors. The potential for enhancing green building education in museums with certified green buildings is discussed.

This study aimed to find out the situation of physical condition of labs, equipment in labs, and use of labs during instruction, and problems faced by science teachers in conducting practicals. A questionnaire for science teachers was used as a tool of research. Eighty (80) schools from four districts of administrative division Gujranwala of Punjab province were selected as a sample of study. Findings of the study reveal that majority of the teachers were satisfied with physical condition of labs, ventilation and lighting. Majority of teachers were not satisfied with condition of furniture, apparatus storage room for equipment, safety equipments no. of worktables, space within tables and use of lab during teaching. Majority of the teachers were not able to conduct practicals due to large enrollment lack of time and space in labs, non-allocation of periods in timetable.

The purpose of this study is to create an awareness of light pollution on seventh grade students via computer aided concept cartoon applications and outdoor science activities and to help them develop solutions; and to determine student opinions on the practices carried out. The study was carried out at a middle school in Mugla province of Aegean Region in Turkey. It was single group pre test-post test model that was used in the study. The data in the study were collected via open-ended questions about light pollution and semi-structured interview questions. Open ended questions about light pollution were applied on students as a pre-test and post-test. After the post-test was applied, semi-structured interviews were carried out with students. The qualitative analysis of the data collected from the open-ended questions and semi-structured interview questions were made and student expressions were quoted. After the implementations, it was found that there was an increase in the correct answers of students on light pollution. Also, all students interviewed stated positive opinions regarding the implementations. The implementations carried out are convenient for students to develop an awareness of the ecological, astronomics and economical results of light pollution and to develop solutions for preventing light pollution.

Legislation and contemporary social policies that favor inclusion and academic accommodations have contributed to a rise in the enrollment of students with disabilities, including students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), on postsecondary campuses today. However, the literature is scarce about how instructors can routinely address the needs of students with ASD in their classes. There have been reports of how universal design (UD) strategies support the academic success of students who have various disabilities. By comparing instructional strategies that benefit students with ASD to UD strategies reported in the literature, the authors illustrate how a teaching method that benefits a student with a specific disability such as ASD can inspire the development of a UD strategy designed to benefit all students. Potential benefits of the UD approach for students with ASD are revealed and recommendations are made for future research as well as professional development and support for faculty that can be delivered and/or promoted by disability support personnel.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in a set of university classrooms and students' outcomes, i.e., satisfaction with IEQ, perceived learning, and course satisfaction. Data collected from students (N = 631) of University of Minnesota were analyzed to test a hypothesized conceptual model by conducting a path analysis. Findings suggested that IEQ of the classrooms, such as thermal conditions, indoor air quality, acoustic conditions, lighting conditions, furnishings, aesthetics, technology, and view conditions, was associated with positive student outcomes. Implications for classroom design were discussed with suggestions for future research.

Time-resolved luminescence lifetime measurements are an important photophysical technique. However, access to this technique at the undergraduate level is limited by the expense of the instrumentation needed to create the well-defined light pulses required to measure the luminescence decay of an excited state molecule. We present here an inexpensive, improved light emitting diode (LED) circuit that is capable of supplying bright light pulses. Our circuit is designed to overdrive the LED resulting in a bright excitation light source with a well-defined square wave pulse shape. This allows for the facile measurement of luminescent molecules with decay lifetimes in the hundreds of nanoseconds to microsecond range. Data are presented for five UV, violet, and blue LEDs as driven by the improved circuit that can be used as a guide for selecting the best excitation light source for a particular molecule of interest. Our students have studied the quenching of aqueous tris(bipyridine)ruthenium(II) chloride with ferric ion using an overdriven blue LED as an excitation source. While ferric ion is not an efficient quencher compared to molecular oxygen, it is much easier to handle, allowing for the preparation of accurate standard solutions free of dissolved oxygen.

Studies suggest that the learning environment can act as a third teacher in contributing towards student academic success. A variable within the physical learning environment that has received little attention in the literature is the interior lighting. Because of budget constraints and age, most American public school classrooms have fluorescent lighting fixtures installed. A new lighting technology, Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), is becoming popular in commercial facilities across the United States because of energy efficiency. Previous research has demonstrated that lighting influences adult worker productivity and mood in a workplace. However, because children process stimuli faster, it is unknown whether LED lighting would have the same influence in a learning environment. Researchers hypothesise that students display more engaged behaviours in classrooms lit with LEDs as compared with fluorescent lighting fixtures. The current study tested this hypothesis by observing child engagement behaviours in a pre-K classroom under LED lighting and fluorescent lighting fixtures to compare differences. Students displayed more engaged behaviours under the LED lighting condition.

Improving the school building may well be the most overlooked means of improving student health, safety, and academic performance. Yet in conversations about factors that lead students to academic success, only rarely does the role of the physical environment come to the fore. By downplaying the importance of the building, policymakers and parents alike may be missing one of the largest health and safety issues affecting students daily. There are nearly 51 million K-12 students in the United States, and they each spend more than 15,600 hours in public schools by the time they graduate. Schools must make the most of this critical window for social, academic, and physical development. Environmental factors such as ventilation, thermal control, lighting, and noise have serious implications for student safety and academic achievement. Properly designed, maintained, and operated school buildings that address these environmental factors have been shown to prevent cognitive deficits, optimize student and teacher performance, and create a thriving learning environment within the school. In 2017, The Healthy Buildings Team at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health released the report "Schools for Health: Foundations for Student Success." The report details findings from over 250 research articles unequivocally demonstrating how health is foundational to student thinking and performance, includes more than 70 health and performance metrics, and builds upon previous T.H. Chan School research, "Foundations of a Healthy Building." The report synthesizes more than 30 years of research about the impacts of indoor environmental quality in schools, identifies diverse metrics of success beyond standardized test scores, and provides an accessible, evidence-based guide to the daily, acute, and chronic effects school buildings have on students and staff (see table 1). This article introduces key findings from this report that state boards of education may reference as they seek to promote healthy learning environments.

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate study e-content in teaching and learning of automobile lighting system in technical colleges in Niger State, Nigeria. The study adopted Research and Development (R&D) design. The researchers modified the 10 steps of R&D model to 5 steps cycle which fits the present study. The five modified phases include the development of e-content: Phase I: determination of the contents of e-content teaching and learning package, determination of the important e-content skills, knowledge and attitude needed by students in automobile lighting system, development of a draft e-content teaching and learning package based on the findings from Phase II, validation of e-content and revision of the draft e-content teaching and learning package based on feedback from Phase IV. The e-content package was produced on HTML 5. The development and validation of the package was conducted using requirement specification as the basis of reference. The validation activities involved Alpha and Beta tests. The reliability coefficient of the instrument yielded 0.86 using Cronbach alpha technique; two research questions were analyzed using mean values and standard deviation. At the end of the validation, e-content teaching and learning package was found to perform all the tasks listed in the requirement specification.

The extent to which inclusive schools can physically and pedagogically include children with disability and special educational needs or otherwise is also identified to depend largely on the physical environment. This descriptive, mixed methods study reports empirically driven data on the nature, accessibility, suitability and appropriateness of the physical environment of inclusive schools, and how these impact inclusive education (IE). A purposively selected sample of 164 teachers, with wide-ranging teaching experience was surveyed through a questionnaire. Observation data were also collected to complement the survey data. Study findings revealed that the physical environment of most 'inclusive schools' was of a poor quality, less accessible for children with physical and other sensory motor disability, and less suitable for most physical activities, including sports, and physical education for all children. Teachers, therefore, called on Government and the Ghana Education Service to urgently improve ventilation systems, decorations and colour in inclusive schools. They also highlighted the need for good architectural designs to facilitate effective natural and artificial illumination in classrooms and buildings, modification of facilities, and redesigning the physical landscape of schools to promote accessibility and use for all children, regardless of disability. The findings have implications for universal design environments for IE.

A descriptive case study with multiple data collection methods was carried out to understand how online graduate students identify the characteristics of their physical learning environment. Equivalency theory and the science of ergonomics framed the study. Participants were 10 online graduate students, all working adults (60% female, most between ages 45 and 64), at a single university. Data were collected via an online questionnaire, telephone interviews, and photographs. Findings showed that home was the primary location participants spent the majority of their time working on specific learning and research activities. Most used overhead lighting, preferred temperatures between 68 and 74 [degrees], sat in chairs at desks, and heard many types of noise. The majority used laptops with Wi-Fi as Internet connection. The most difficult elements to manage were family responsibilities, inadequate workspace, and inappropriate equipment. Participants overcame those challenges with various innovations. Findings also showed that no participants received university information to help design their learning environments for maximum effectiveness.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyse recent actions of energy efficiency implemented by University of Passo Fundo, a higher education institution located in the south of Brazil, and their contributions to Goal 7. Design/methodology/approach: The analysis is based on collected energy data and information of energy efficiency actions applied at the university. Findings: The paper shows the progress related to the energy practices and discusses opportunities, threats, strengths and weaknesses of applying energy efficiency at universities and its contributions towards sustainable development goal (SDG) 7. Practical implications: The findings of this study can inform readers about University of Passo Fundo's initiatives towards energy efficiency focussed in lightening, photovoltaic solar power generation and free energy market. Readers are able to improve their knowledge with the discussion of internal and external factors related to the initiatives. Originality/value: The originality of this paper is connected to the idea of sharing the experiences from University of Passo Fundo, connecting energy efficiency practices at universities to SDG 7 and also exploring opportunities, threats, strengths and weaknesses of applying these practices in the context of a higher education institution.

To enable turf to be re-established quickly between football matches, grass needs to be grown strongly in a few days. As growth in plants requires light, artificial light is needed to supplement daylight, especially in winter months. This investigation concerns finding the most effective colours of light and hence seeking to test suitable lamps that are as efficient as possible in their energy demand.

When new learning environments are built, numerous variables are taken into consideration. For example, school systems consider the instructional needs of the students they serve, enrollment, and whether to replace or remodel an old building. The concept of "going green" encourages school system planners to consider the natural surroundings and built environment that surrounds the school, thereby allowing the school's architecture to match its surroundings. This notion has sparked an interest in sustainable design, which may best be explained as minimizing the harmful effects of the building on the environment. It further extends to the theory of biophilia or a natural attraction to living systems. Sustainability and the biophilia premise go far beyond just following new codes for construction and materials related to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification. They link directly to aesthetics. Aesthetics is the branch of philosophy concerned with art, beauty, and taste, with emphasis on sensory values, including an attraction to all that is alive and vital. Aesthetic spaces and places having ample natural light ensure a constructive influence on myriad human behaviors. Therefore, natural aesthetic surroundings having sustainability as a theme offers a context in which no textbook or technology-based learning environment can compete. A popular hypothesis generated by advocates of outdoor learning, for example, is that students learn at a more rapid rate when outside the typical classroom, they appreciate the learning more graciously, and they retain the information longer. Overall, built and natural aesthetic surroundings are invaluable! Of all the numerous components traditionally included in the school's physical environment, natural light is among the most important aesthetic variables. It influences a person's wellbeing and performance positively. Given that other aspects of aesthetic surroundings are also significant, this article considers several variables that are vital to health, achievement, and good behavior. These include: (1) Classrooms having views overlooking green spaces and appealing gardens, (2) Ample movement and circulation patterns, (3) Commons places and spaces, (4) Architecture with a welcoming entrance and a clear point of reference, (5) Colors of various spaces, (6) Scale designed to the physical size of students, (7) Noise pollution and safety, and (8) Biophilia, or bringing nature into the learning environments.

Design and Technology education is potentially a rich environment for successful learning, if the management of the whole design process is emphasised, and students' design thinking is promoted. The aim of the present study was to unfold the collaborative design process of one team of elementary students, in order to understand their multimodal ways of design thinking. The videotaped design episodes of the team constitute the data source of the study. CORDTRA diagrams were used for opening up the design process, providing means to analyse the complex and iterative process in a structured manner. The results indicate that the students' design thinking was collaborative, materially mediated, and embodied in nature. Engaging in various concrete and material, as well as epistemic and conceptual activities provided the students with opportunities to learn the foundational design skills. Further, the multifaceted design process integrated skills needed for learning also something other than design. (Contains 1 table and 11 figures.)

The study investigated daylight illumination in the school workshop as a determinant for effective students' task performance in workshop practice. 183 NCE Technical students in 300 Level which comprised of 73 and 112 students from Federal Colleges of Education (Technical), Asaba and Omoku, Nigeria respectively during the 2008/2009 academic session was used for the study The daylight Illumination Task Performance Questionnaire (DITPQ) was used to collect data. The students perceived that there was inadequate daylight illumination of the school workshop and it negatively affected effective students' task performance workshop practice; and no significant difference existed in the students' mean perception scores of daylight illumination in the school workshop as a determinant for their effective task performance in workshop practice.

This short article addresses a preliminary exploration of a third grade teachers' action research applied to the use of a dynamic lighting system for improving educational performance in the classroom. Dynamic lighting offers teachers' four light settings: focus, energy, calm, and normal. Prior research has revealed a positive relationship between dynamic light use and student cognition, motivation and concentration. What is not known is how a teacher should make use of the four settings throughout the day during all of the activities, content-area learning, and transitions in students' experience. Teacher data (journal entries) was collected for one year. Case study analysis methodology was utilized with the unit of analysis consisting of the teachers' perceptions within the boundaries of light setting selection and classroom context. Pattern recognition analysis shed light on how to make use of all four settings of the dynamic light system.

This paper shows the scientific foundations of a natural phenomenon of undoubted interest and applicability in our day, fluorescence, and its possibilities for teaching at three educational levels: primary, secondary and university. It begins by describing the nature of the phenomenon and continues by explaining how we work with students of the levels mentioned. The method of teaching starts questioning them on fluorescent tubes and fluorescent material. These questions will lead to further research into three topics: 1) fluorescent materials; 2) features of the visual system; and 3) lighting systems, types of lamps and its characteristics. The work then demonstrates its usefulness as an interdisciplinary phenomenon and as a mean of motivating students' learning.

A group of children 18 months to 3 years old and their parents studied lights in a preschool program at the Astrid Lindgren Institute for Early Childhood Development in Poland. The goal of the preschool program is to help children gain positive social experience through safe and interesting contact with a new group of children and adults in the supportive presence of their parents. The article describes the three phases of the Lights Pre-project and discusses the benefits to the children, parents, and teachers who participated. (Contains 48 figures.)

Lighting industry professionals work in an international marketplace and encounter a range of social, geographical and cultural challenges associated with this. Education in lighting should introduce students to aspects of these challenges. To achieve this, an international field trip was recently undertaken that sought to provide an authentic learning experience for students. Twelve Masters of Lighting students from two Australian universities took part in a field trip to Shanghai, China and surrounding areas. The goal was to offer students insight into practical issues in the lighting industry at an international level and to do so in a unique and authentic context. To evaluate the outcomes of the trip, each participant was surveyed afterwards. Benefits were identified in terms of: increased knowledge and insight into manufacturing issues in lighting, experiential learning in lighting design practice not available locally (e.g, master planning), increased understanding of cultural influences in design and enhancing professional contacts within the lighting industry. Field trips may also act as an inverted curriculum experience for new students to engage them and promote learning within a professional context.

LED (light-emitting diode) technology is moving fast, and with justification, some facility managers have viewed it with a wary eye. Some LEDs on the market do not perform as promised, and the technology is changing rapidly. But new developments from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) now make it easier for facility managers to find LEDs that meet manufacturers' claims for light quality, life expectancy, and efficiency. DOE has invested significant effort in supporting LEDs, which, due to their much greater durability and potential for efficiency, DOE calls a revolution in lighting. In December 2008, DOE released the first ENERGY STAR criteria for LED fixtures. DOE also announced the creation of Solid State Lighting Quality Advocates, a new program designed to help purchasers find a wider range of high-quality LEDs. (Contains 2 notes.)

The design of a classroom space can make a big difference in student behavior and learning. The use of color, sound, light, furniture arrangements and more can help foster community and culture and promote understanding. Dillon discusses some easy ways to transform the classroom space that can help with classroom management.

Putting an electrical circuit within an inaccessible black box and asking pupils to deduce what wiring is contained within the box based solely on the circuit's behaviour is a simple teaching idea with a long history. Problems arise when trying to build enough physical black boxes to simulate a larger number of circuits within a typical school's storage limitations. A solution is described which uses a microcontroller to simulate a large number of separate circuits within a single black box.

A low-cost solar simulator using a LCD projector as a light source has been developed and tested successfully. The prepared simulator has an illumination spectral at the visible light region and is controllable using a computer. The prepared simulator with controllable spectral filter was used to utilize the current-voltage (I-V) measurement for solar cell testing. The I-V measurement shows that the solar cells efficiency is about 20.49% for blue illumination to 9.05% for red illumination, it is caused by the photon energy of illumination on the solar cells from high to low energy. In addition, the illumination intensity changes all the solar cells parameters, including the short-circuit current (I[subscript sc]), the open-circuit voltage (V[subscript oc]), and the fill factor (FF). However, due to its lowcost, easy-to-use and integrated spectral filters, the solar simulator could be improved for use in a research laboratory, especially for developing countries.

Incandescent lamps are not only good sources of electromagnetic energy radiations but their operating temperatures are comparable to the temperatures of stars also. These features can be exploited to teach apparent magnitude scale both theoretically and experimentally. The numerical illustrations presented corresponding to 10, 100, 1000 and 10 000 W lamps suggest that these lamps, if placed on the surface of the new moon, will not be visible to naked eye but they can be detected by Hubble telescope. These lamps can be observed up to maximum distances of 25, 120, 430 and 1600 km, respectively, since the apparent magnitudes will approach the value ~ 6, the upper limit of human perception; these predictions may be tested by students through experiments.

We propose the use of a laptop with a program generator and a transistor power amplifier to control the frequency, duration and amplitude of the LED stroboscope flashes. Examples of the stroboscopic photographs are given.

In 2017, almost everywhere in the world, there was a boom in sales of fidget spinners. A toy that has 'multi-lobes' that can rotate freely from a thrust performed with the fingers. Thereby, we analysed the physics concepts that involved in this toy, such as angular and linear velocity. We did the analysis using the software Tracker, a laboratory light sensor, a free mobile application that turns the device flashlight into a strobe light source. Thus, we aim to show that it is possible to transform a well-known toy into an opportunity to work on physics concepts and to construct experiments in the classroom.

Animated learning materials have the potential to support the teaching and learning process. In this paper, we examine the comparative usefulness of animated and static learning materials for teaching cyber security concepts to a group of UK undergraduate computer science students. The animated cyber security learning materials appeared to be viewed by the undergraduate computer science participants overall as being slightly more informative than the equivalent static learning materials for learning some cyber security concepts.

This paper presents aspects of a space planning project assigned to Library and Information Studies postgraduate students and reflects on six themes that cropped up repeatedly in their design of a 24/7 postgraduate library space, namely: lighting, space and colour; tools and technology; defined zones; re-bootable spaces; furnishings; and respite. The projects are shown to present students' needs for a varied library space, but one that is primarily for work and study. Disappointingly, the projects did not reflect the needs of disadvantaged or differently-abled students, nor did they display a uniquely South African flavour. Despite the students being members of both the postgraduate user group and the LIS discipline, project omissions led the authors to conclude that, while this group had a lot of value to add, ultimately the library should cast its net as wide as possible when assessing user needs.

Using low-cost electronic components and building blocks, we have developed an effective teaching module where students design and test light-scattering, air-quality sensors to introduce them to chemical and environmental engineering research. This module has been successful in engaging the public, developing citizen scientists, and bridging gaps in understanding. To date, we have visited over 30 middle school and high school classrooms and over 1,000 students.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to design a renovation plan for a university campus building (Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering) with the aim to achieve nearly zero energy performance, ensuring a low specific demand (lower than 44 kWh/m[superscript 2]) and a high level of on-site renewable generation (equivalent to more than 20 per cent of the energy demand). Design/methodology/approach: The baseline demand was characterized based on energy audits, on smart metering data and on the existing building management system data, showing a recent reduction of the electricity demand owing to some implemented measures. The renovation plan was then designed with two main measures, the total replacement of the actual lighting by LEDs and the installation of a photovoltaic system (PV) with 78.8 kWp coupled with an energy storage system with 100 kWh of lithium-ion batteries. Findings: The designed renovation achieved energy savings of 20 per cent, with 27.5 per cent of the consumed energy supplied by the PV system. This will ensure a reduction of the specific energy of the building to only 30 kWh/m[superscript 2], with 42.4 per cent savings on the net-energy demand. Practical implications: The designed renovation proves that it is possible to achieve nearly zero energy goals with cost-effective solutions, presenting the lighting renovation and the solar PV generation system a payback of 2.3 and 6.9 years, respectively. Originality/value: This study innovated by defining ambitious goals to achieve nearly zero energy levels and presenting a design based on a comprehensive lighting retrofit and PV generation, whereas other studies are mostly based on envelope refurbishment and behaviour changes.

We present a simple and cheap experimental setup that clearly shows how the colors of the white light spectrum after passing a prism do not recombine when emerging from an identical second prism, as it is still found in many references.

This descriptive study investigated the possible effects of selected school design patterns on third-grade students' academic achievement. A reduced regression analysis revealed the effects of school design components (patterns) on ITBS achievement data, after including control variables, for a sample of third-grade students drawn from 24 elementary schools. The sample means on the ITBS per school represented approximately 1,916 third-grade students. The independent variable set for developing a possible explanation of student achievement was the school's physical environment, defined as four sets of design patterns: movement and circulation (e.g., adequate personal space and efficient movement patterns throughout the school), large group meeting places (e.g., social gathering places), day lighting and views (e.g., windows with natural light), and instructional neighborhoods (e.g., large and small group areas that accommodate wet and dry activities). Each of the four full regression models, which included subsets of the design elements, explained between 2% and 7% of additional variance in achievement when compared to the reduced model, which included a measure of school SES. Therefore, each of the four design variables was positively related to student achievement, even after controlling for school SES. (Contains 7 tables.)

Uniform illumination levels in the classroom and focused brightness on the "teaching wall" made good sense for students in Henry Ford's era. If you were training to take your place on the assembly line, you needed to focus on the work at hand and ahead to your supervisor, but the future no longer belongs to students who look only straight ahead. In a world where advanced degrees in professional disciplines are rapidly becoming a commodity, prosperity belongs to individuals with the ability to react with agility to unpredictable market forces, data, and events. Successful schools and universities are adapting their offerings to learner-centered, rather than teacher or curriculum-centered, modes of delivery. The paradigm is no longer about delivering information, but in nurturing a broad array of learning styles and experiences. Many of the environments for learning have not caught up with these approaches to educational delivery. When working with architects and lighting designers, even visionary educators often ask for the same old classroom, with a few bells and whistles added, such as new carpeting, a ceiling mounted data projector, and extra electrical outlets. However, an effective learning environment in the 21st century has little in common with the rows of classrooms and desks or child factories of the industrial or information age. Fielding dispels seven myths about color and lighting in educational architecture: (1) Uniform brightness level; (2) Primary colors for children; (3) Red incites aggression, green is calming; (4) Neutral colors are best; (5) It's best to use all the same lamps; (6) It's best not to use natural light in gymnasiums; and (7) Performance spaces should not have any windows, advocating the identification of patterns of learning activity and design prior to laying out a building as a good way to ensure a lighting solution that takes advantage of the full range of human capabilities. This article comments on the role of lighting in: (1) Vistas, Movement, and Lighting Design Principles; (2) Full-Spectrum Lighting; (3) Welcoming Entry; and (4) Science Lab Areas. [This article was co-published in German and English by PLD -- the official magazine of the European Lighting Designers' Association(ELDA) and the International Association of Lighting Designers(IALD).]

In addition to their restricted peripheral fields, persons with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) report significant problems seeing in low levels of illumination, which causes difficulty with night travel. Several devices have been developed to support the visual needs of persons who have night blindness. These devices include wide-angle flashlights, adapted military light-intensifier devices, and systems that use high-sensitivity (or infrared-sensitive) video cameras. New devices are also in development, including the Minified Augmented-View device, which incorporates expansion of the visual field, along with the enhancement of night vision, to address both the field and night vision needs of persons with RP. The study described in this paper was conducted to provide information about any difficulties in assessing outdoor night mobility in a real-world environment. The results are reported to open an avenue for discussion among professionals in the field. (Includes 3 tables.)