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A flipped classroom approach was implemented in an undergraduate fluid mechanics course. Students watched short, online video lectures before class, participated in active in-class problem solving sessions (in pairs), and completed individualized online quizzes weekly. In-class activities were designed to develop problem-solving skills and teach subject content. The instructor and assistants provided critical "just-in-time tutoring" during the in-class problem solving sessions. Comparisons were made with a simultaneous section offered in a traditional mode by a different instructor. Students in the flipped-classroom section demonstrated greater gains on the Fluid Mechanics Concept Inventory (pre-test versus post-test). Multivariate regression analysis revealed that students in the flipped-classroom section had a significant relative gain on the Fluid Mechanics Achievement Score, which was an aggregative measure of problem solving ability and conceptual understanding. Student feedback on the flipped-classroom section was very positive both in terms of the course format and their perceptions of the amount learned in the course.

This paper examines the effects of hands-on learning in an undergraduate circuits class that is taught to non-majors; i.e., students outside of electrical and computing engineering. The course, ECE3710, is taught in a blended format facilitated by the video lectures prepared for two Massive Open Online Courses developed for the Coursera Platform. Because of the video content covered outside of class, the face-to-face portion of the class is enhanced with a number of active and collaborative learning techniques, including the inclusion of small-scale, mobile, hands-on labs. The assessment results show that the laboratory experiences play a significant role in the enhancement of student performance. The labs also have the benefit of improving students' confidence in course topics that are related to lab exercises.

Green, Richard Firth. Elf Queens and Holy Friars: Fairy Beliefs and the Medieval Church. Philadelphia: U of Penn, 2016. 285 pp. Hardcover. ISBN: 978-08122-4843-2. $55.00. In his most recent work, [...]

Using statutory law, criminal records, cartelli, and chronicles that address both dueling and vendetta, this paper posits that the increase in dueling and state attempts to regulate peace were interconnected. Specifically, it addresses dueling as part of the peace process, thereby arguing for a reframing of the duel's place in dispute resolution and a reexamination of the type of violence it represents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, the author offers a personal narrative of their experiences teaching a remote college-level course during the COVID-19 pandemic, examining the works of Renaissance authors who emphasize that pleasant and enlightening conversation is a way to maintain mental and emotional health and how that can serve as inspiration for contemporary circumstances.

The article reviews online database Italian Women Writers, located at lib.uchicago.edu/efts/IWW.