Wireless Handheld Computers in the Preclinical Undergraduate Curriculum

This report presents the results of a pilot project using wireless PDAs as teaching tools in an undergraduate medical curriculum. This technology was used to foster a transition from a passive to an interactive learning environment in the classroom and provided a solution for the implementation of computer-based exams for a large class. Wayne State Medical School recently provided model e570 Toshiba PocketPCs® (personal digital assistants or PDAs), network interface cards, and application software developed by CampusMobility® to 20 sophomore medical students. The pilot group of preclinical students used the PDAs to access web-based course content, for communication, scheduling, to participate in interactive teaching sessions, and to complete course evaluations. Another part of this pilot has been to utilize the PDAs for computer-based exams in a wireless environment. Server authentication that restricted access during the exams and a proctoring console to monitor and record the PDA screens will be described in this report. Results of a student satisfaction survey will be present

Digital Dissemination Platform of Transportation Engineering Education Materials Founded in Adoption Research

INE/AUTC 14.0

SOCR Analyses: Implementation and Demonstration of a New Graphical Statistics Educational Toolkit

The web-based, Java-written SOCR (Statistical Online Computational Resource) tools have been utilized in many undergraduate and graduate level statistics courses for seven years now (Dinov 2006; Dinov et al. 2008b). It has been proven that these resources can successfully improve students' learning (Dinov et al. 2008b). Being first published online in 2005, SOCR Analyses is a somewhat new component and it concentrate on data modeling for both parametric and non-parametric data analyses with graphical model diagnostics. One of the main purposes of SOCR Analyses is to facilitate statistical learning for high school and undergraduate students. As we have already implemented SOCR Distributions and Experiments, SOCR Analyses and Charts fulfill the rest of a standard statistics curricula. Currently, there are four core components of SOCR Analyses. Linear models included in SOCR Analyses are simple linear regression, multiple linear regression, one-way and two-way ANOVA. Tests for sample comparisons include t-test in the parametric category. Some examples of SOCR Analyses' in the non-parametric category are Wilcoxon rank sum test, Kruskal-Wallis test, Friedman's test, Kolmogorov-Smirnoff test and Fligner-Killeen test. Hypothesis testing models include contingency table, Friedman's test and Fisher's exact test. The last component of Analyses is a utility for computing sample sizes for normal distribution. In this article, we present the design framework, computational implementation and the utilization of SOCR Analyses.

The production and deployment of an on-line video learning bank in a skills training environment

This paper describes the introduction of videos as aids in clinical skills teaching. Although the process explored focuses on a nursing clinical skills environment it is relevant to many other disciplines. With the introduction of the pre-registration degree in nursing in Ireland in 2002, the formerly hospital-based schools of nursing amalgamated into larger programmes with their affiliated higher education institutes (HEIs). The result was a considerable increase in class sizes. The current average annual cohort in the School of Nursing, Dublin City University (DCU) is 240 students. This has resulted in a need to review the way we teach clinical skills on campus. These skills form a large part of the programme and are taught to students in the school-based simulated nursing environment to prepare them for their practical experience in the clinical environment. Until 2006 the skills had been taught to groups of 25-30 students using a demonstration and practice technique. This teaching method has posed a number of problems: •Learning experiences vary depending on the mix of demonstration and practice in each session. •It can be difficult for students to absorb all of the information presented in a single demonstration. •It is highly resource intensive. It was decided that video technology incorporating a large scale deployment of skills videos over a video web server, in conjunction with a shift in emphasis in the teaching contact sessions could offer a useful tool to aid the teaching process. This paper will discuss the production process, the implementation of the project in the teaching environment and the evaluation findings

Developing e-assessment using the quiz activity within Moodle: empowering student learning

Using formative assessment within Moodle has been shown to encourage self-directed learning (Bromham & Oprandi, 2006). Our experience of using formative assessment quizzes as stand alone entities, as well as within Moodle lessons, has been used to introduce Moodle assessment quizzes over the past year in Level 1 and Level 2 Life Sciences courses. This experience has been distilled to inform the content of this workshop. Some advantages of incorporating assessments in the form of Moodle quizzes are that they allow for quick, reproducible and flexible assessment with a relatively small initial set-up cost, and substantial long-term staff and administration savings. One significant advantage is that staff and room pressures can be reduced as students can attempt the assessment at a time and location of their choice within a specified time period. This flexibility can help to reduce student stress associated with completion of a continuous assessment for their course. It is also a relatively simple process to account for students entitled to extra time during assessments. Providing clear instructions beforehand and at the start of the quiz ensures that students understand their responsibilities for completion of this assessment and ultimately the course. There are some disadvantages and limitations to the system as it currently exists, for example there is the perceived ability for students to “cheat” by completing the assessment as a group, accessing books and the internet. Strategies to account for these can be put in place and will be discussed in detail during the workshop. This workshop aims to take the participants through the initial set up of a quiz, highlighting the various question types and how these can be used to create a challenging assessment that can be quickly graded and prove informative for staff and course development. Reference Bromham L. & Oprandi P. (2006) Evolution online: developing active and blended learning by using a virtual learning environment in an introductory biology course. Journal of Biological Education 41 (1): 21-25

Adapting the 23Things programme for health librarian professional education

In the UK, as elsewhere, continuing professional development is seen to be a necessary professional activity. However resourcing is problematic and funding varies between employing agencies. The 23Things programme has evolved to address these constraints. In particular it reduces the time for staff to be absent from core functions and makes maximum use of peer support. Within a common structure the programme delivers development to personnel at all professional levels. Activities are learner defined and relevant to their personal context. The pace of progress is learner determined. Cambridge University Medical Library (CUML) has designed its own 23Things programme. While conforming to the general model of 23Things, CUML adapted the programme in three ways. 1. to meet the specific learning needs of the library staff 2. to select topics and tasks related to the subject focus of the library 3. to include a new strand of professional development called Follow That.. Follow That... was designed to foster better understanding of each team members role in delivering core services in the library, and to improve the integration and awareness of expertise within a relatively large team This paper will describe the way in which the programme was set up, the selection of tasks and activities, and the pitfalls encountered. Also included will be an overall evaluation of the programme from the perspective of the participants and the programme designers

Supporting graduate teaching assistants in two STEM areas

No abstract available

2022-2023 Nursing Undergraduate Student Handbook

2022-2023 Undergraduate Student Handbook of the Department of Nursing at Morehead State University

A Course-Based Research Experience: How Benefits Change with Increased Investment in Instructional Time

There is widespread agreement that science, technology, engineering, and mathematics programs should provide undergraduates with research experience. Practical issues and limited resources, however, make this a challenge.We have developed a bioinformatics project that provides a coursebased research experience for students at a diverse group of schools and offers the opportunity to tailor this experience to local curriculum and institution-specific student needs. We assessed both attitude and knowledge gains, looking for insights into how students respond given this wide range of curricular and institutional variables. While different approaches all appear to result in learning gains, we find that a significant investment of course time is required to enable students to show gains commensurate to a summer research experience. An alumni survey revealed that time spent on a research project is also a significant factor in the value former students assign to the experience one or more years later. We conclude: 1) implementation of a bioinformatics project within the biology curriculum provides a mechanism for successfully engaging large numbers of students in undergraduate research; 2) benefits to students are achievable at a wide variety of academic institutions; and 3) successful implementation of course-based research experiences requires significant investment of instructional time for students to gain full benefit

2021-2022 Nursing Undergraduate Student Handbook

2021-2022 Undergraduate Student Handbook of the Department of Nursing at Morehead State University