Comparing experiences, perceptions, and achievement of students in fully online and web-enhanced courses to assess differences in course quality

The purpose of the study was to compare students\u27 achievements, perceptions and evaluations of fully online and web-enhanced courses taken at a technical college in South Texas in order to determine if students achievement, perceptions, and evaluations of course design was better in one modality over the other. The study collected information on students regarding learning experiences in 21 fully online and 12 web-enhanced face-to-face core courses common to all programs of study. These courses were taught in both delivery modes, meaning that the same instructor taught the same course, with identical resources and assignments in both online and the web-enhanced versions of the courses. The Rubric for Online Instruction (2009) from California State University, (Chico) was used by student participants to evaluate each of the core courses during the Spring 2015 semester. In addition, end-of-course grades and end-of-course evaluations were used to evaluate student achievement and student perceptions of course design

The Management of Curriculum

What college students study now shapes the future of how society functions. How does curriculum get shaped? Who makes the decisions and final decisions on the general education courses that students must take to meet requirements? Ultimately how much say do professors and specific departments get in determining the future of the students interested in those fields? This paper examines professor autonomy and curriculum development and the management of decisions at a department and college-wide level. Methods used in this study are interviews, field notes and observations, interview notes, and transcriptions. Interviews were conducted with professors in the English and management departments at Gettysburg College. Overall, I found that professors are happy with the level of freedom and autonomy they have within the classroom and at the department level, but their relationships with the administration could improve and they would like to be listened to more, especially with larger decision-making processes. This study suggests that this profession has a higher degree of autonomy and freedom than other careers and can be vastly different to how other colleges are managed. Yet, there is still room for growth to how much of a say professors get on larger decisions being made at their respective institutions

The Chambo restoration strategic plan

The Chambo (Oreochromis karongae, O. squamipinnis and O. lidole) fisheries are essential to the food security of the majority of Malawians and a lifeline for rural and urban economies. The chambo fisheries, however, have collapsed and urgent restoration is required. Successful restoration of the important chambo fisheries demands a careful analysis of the problem and formulation of a strategic plan to implement relevant activities that will result in effective interventions in the fisheries. These proceedings give information on the process of developing a strategic plan for the restoration of the chambo fisheries. The papers contained in these proceedings cover topics ranging from governance, policy, biology, ecology and socio-economics and, therefore, inform the reader of the scope of knowledge on the chambo, the socio-economic and livelihoods context within which the people exploiting the resource operate, and past constraints to the management of the chambo fisheries. The proceedings also contain recommendations on how to overcome the problems and a strategic plan for the restoration of the fisheries. It is hoped that the proceedings will emphasize to researchers in the natural and social sciences and development practitioners that a multidisciplinary approach is needed that puts the people utilizing the resource at the center of all activities involved if the chambo fisheries are to be successfully restoredFisheries, Fish culture, Fishery management, Resource conservation, Resource management, Malawi, Oreochromis karongae, Oreochromis squamipinnis, Oreochromis lidole

The Influence of Burning on Soil Microbial Biomass and Activity along the Boro Route in the Okavango Delta of Botswana

The Okavango Delta, a protected area in northeastern Botswana because of its annual flooding pattern, is the main source of water in an otherwise arid environment with a high diversity of plants and animals and forms the main tourist area in the region. However, the area is under threat from range fires. The objective of this study was to assess the influence of fire on soil microbial activity, biomass C, fungal population and diversity, and some soil properties along the Boro route of the Okavango Delta (Botswana)

HIV infection and domestic smoke exposure, but not human papillomavirus, are risk factors for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in Zambia: a case-control study

(c) 2015 The Authors. Cancer Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

Factors associated with late antenatal care attendance in selected rural and urban communities of the copperbelt province of Zambia

Background: Despite antenatal care services being provided free of charge or sometimes at a minimal cost in Zambia, only 19% of women attend antenatal care by their fourth month of pregnancy, as recommended by World Health Organization (WHO). An estimated 21% of pregnant women in urban and 18% in rural districts make their first ANC visit by 4th months of pregnancy. A number of factors have been found to contribute to late initiation of Antenatal care among pregnant women and these may vary between rural and urban areas. Therefore, a study aimed at examining factors associated with late ANC attendance amongst pregnant women in selected communities of the Copperbelt Province was conducted.Methodology: A cross- sectional study using a semistructured questionnaire was conducted in selected health facilities of Mpongwe and Ndola districts. A total number of 613 women attending antenatal clinic, distributed evenly between Mpongwe rural district (51% (307/613) and Ndola urban district (49% (306/613) were included in the study. Data from the completed questionnaires was entered using Epi InfoTM 3.5.1 and finally analyzed with SPSS version 16.0.Results: The prevalence of late ANC attendance was 72.0 % (n=221) and 68.6% (n=210) in rural and urban districts respectively. However, the difference between two districts was not statistically significant [OR 0.851 (95% CI=0.6, 1.2), p=0.363]. In the rural district, nulliporous women were 59% (AOR 0.411, 95% CI 0.238, 0.758) less likely to initiate ANC late compared to multiparous women, while the proportion the urban was 48% (AOR 0.518, 95% CI 0.316, 0.848). Inadequate knowledge about ANC resulted into 2.2 times high odds for late ANC attendance (AOR 2.205, 95% CI 1.021, and 4.759) than women who had adequate knowledge in urban district. Women who fell pregnant unintentionally had a higher odds of starting ANC late in both rural [4.2 times (AOR 4.258, 95% CI 1.631, 11.119)] and urban [3.1 times (AOR 3.103, 95% CI 1.261, 7.641)] respectively. The perception of no benefits derived from commencement of ANC early was associated with 4 times (AOR 3.983, 95% CI 1.365, 11.627) likelihood of late attendance in the urban district. Compared to lack of privacy at health institutions, pregnant women in rural were 3.4 times (AOR 3.377, 95% CI 1.180, and 9.660) more likely to initiate ANC late because of long distance to health facilities. Compared to misconceptions on ANC, pregnant women in rural areas were 2.2 times (AOR 2.211 95% CI 1.049, 4.660) more likely to start ANC late because of community norm(less value attached to ANC); while in urban late ANC attendance was 2.9 times (AOR 2.899, 95% CI 1.372, 6.083) higher due to cultural beliefs than misconceptions.Conclusion: Late antenatal care attendance remains high in both rural and urban districts indicating the need for intensified and more focused utilization of resources aimed at increasing sensitization of the importance of early attendance for high risk groups, such as women with unplanned pregnancies, inadequate knowledge about ANC, cultural beliefs and women who are multiporous