Revising the teacher evaluation system for Estell Manor School

The purpose of this study was to research and develop a new evaluation instrument for classroom observations using a survey of instruments used by other districts as well as research of various styles of evaluation. The result of the study was a new instrument to be used by administration during classroom observations of teachers in the district. This was shown to be satisfactory for the teachers and the administration. Suggestions for new annual review procedures and peer review techniques were presented and evaluated, with volunteers accepted for a trial period in the upcoming year

Expanding the Definition of Liminality: Speculative Fiction as an Exploration of New Boundaries

Speculative fiction allows an expanded view of literature and so allows scholars to explore new boundaries in the way words and ideas work. In the titular character of The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle, the reader sees an expansion of self through liminality while A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick explores its collapse. In order to portray each of these the character examined must move though one seems to move upward and the other downward. This idea of movement is only part of what expands the idea of liminality past the traditional idea of a doorway to create a hallway that the character might traverse on the way from place to place. This is not a redefinition of the term but a revision, a change in the way that we look at the concept as we accept and explore newer genres

Expanding the Definition of Liminality: Speculative Fiction as an Exploration of New Boundaries

Speculative fiction allows an expanded view of literature and so allows scholars to explore new boundaries in the way words and ideas work. In the titular character of The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle, the reader sees an expansion of self through liminality while A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick explores its collapse. In order to portray each of these the character examined must move though one seems to move upward and the other downward. This idea of movement is only part of what expands the idea of liminality past the traditional idea of a doorway to create a hallway that the character might traverse on the way from place to place. This is not a redefinition of the term but a revision, a change in the way that we look at the concept as we accept and explore newer genres

Influence of Raters’ Attributes on Biases Toward Immigrants

Although immigrants offer many benefits for organizations and our society, they continue to experience unfair discrimination, prejudice, and hostility in the employment process. One contributing factor towards the negative perceptions toward immigrants are the raters’ attributes (i.e., decision makers in the workplace). These attributes include their demographic background (e.g., age, gender), differences between raters’ and immigrants’ cultural values, raters’ personality, and raters’ previous contact with immigrants. In order to understand raters’ biases toward immigrants, we used the social cognition framework (Miller & Brewer, 1984) to explain the reasons for these biases, and offered hypotheses to guide future research on the issue

The Effect of Procrastination on Academic Performance of Online Students at a Hispanic Serving Institution

Procrastination is a universal conundrum among undergraduates. Furthermore, the effects such procrastination may have on academic performance is a concern. This study seeks to better understand the relationship between academic performance and the actual time of submission of assignments relative to the deadline imposed on those submissions. The authors investigated the effect of academic assignment submission time and the academic grades earned before, on, and after the assignment submission deadline. These results suggest that the earlier assignments are submitted, the higher the grades tend to be. Therefore, if faculty can help undergraduate students cultivate the habit of earlier submission of assignments, the better those students should do in their studie

Checkmate: Exploring Father-Son Communication Regarding Reproduction and Sexual Health in Males With Cystic Fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a heritable monogenic condition with allelic heterogeneity. A variety of sequence alterations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene results clinically in multisystem disease including a reduced reproductive capacity in affected males. Knowledge of reproductive capacity is often disclosed to parents by medical providers and to affected male children by medical providers and their parents. Despite advanced technology and therapeutics yielding the benefits of increased life expectancy and quality of life, males affected with CF largely remain uninformed in broader areas of sexual health and particularly in how their concept of masculine identity can be negotiated within the context of this inherited syndrome. Using a descriptive retrospective quantitative approach, this preliminary study examines and reflects on sexual education provided to males with CF by their fathers during their adolescence. The purpose of the study was to establish themes from interviewing affected adult males and/or fathers with an affected male child to begin the development of standards promoting more effective genetic counseling communication practices for an often-ignored population. The purpose was also to lay a foundation for generating resources for males with CF regarding their reproductive and sexual health (RSH)

Building Bridges: Restructuring Online Library Tutorials to Span the Generation Gap and Meet the Needs of Millennial Students

This session will discuss the learning characteristics of Millennial students, and how online library tutorials can produce successful information literacy learning outcomes for this unique generation. In 2009, we transformed Searchpath , the 2003 PRIMO award-winning online library tutorial, into ResearchPath, a dynamic audio, visual and kinesthetic experience with the Millennial user in mind. We will share the results of the research we conducted at Western Michigan University Libraries to measure the success of our intended learning outcomes, as well as the qualitative user feedback which we gathered. We will recommend strategies for others interested in developing online tutorials geared towards building bridges to the unique learning styles of Millennial learners

De panfletos en voz baja y sonoridades interferidas en Apuntes para un panfleto

Antes de leer Apuntes para un panfleto acepté escribir una breve nota para la editorial Ugly Duckling Presse para promocionar Notes Toward a Pamphlet, la traducción de Whitney DeVos de la versión inicial de Apuntes para un panfleto. Confieso que mi reacción al ver el “Pamphlet” del título junto al nombre de Sergio Chejfec no difirió mucho de la del mismo autor al enterarse de que la pequeña editorial lo había seleccionado como uno de veinte escritores y artistas para formar parte de su 2020 P..

Life expectancy in Australian senior with or without cognitive impairment: the Australia Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study Wave 3

Objective: To determine prevalence of cognitive impairment (CI) and to estimate life expectancy with and without cognitive impairment in the Australian population over age 60. Method: Adults aged 60 and older participating in the 12 year follow-up of the Australia Diabetes Obesity and Lifestyle Study (AusDiab) were included in the sample (n=1666). The mean age was 69.5 years, and 46.3% of the sample was male. The Mini-Mental State Examination was used to assess cognitive impairment. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the effect of predictor variables (age, gender, education), measured at baseline, on cognitive impairment status. The Sullivan Method was used to estimate Total Life Expectancy (TLE), Cognitively Impaired (CILE) and Cognitive Impairment-free life expectancies (CIFLE). Results: Odds of CI were greater for males than females (OR 2.1, 95% confidence interval: 1.2-3.7) and among Australians with low education levels compared with Australians with high education levels (OR 2.1, 95% confidence interval: 1.2-3.7). The odds of CI also increased each year with age (OR 1.1, (95% confidence interval: 1.0-1.1). It was found that in all age groups females have greater TLE and CIFLE when compared to their male counterparts.This research was supported by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Population Aging Research (project number CE110001029). KJA is funded by NHMRC Fellowship #1002560. We acknowledge support from the NHMRC Dementia Collaborative Research Centres. The AusDiab study co-coordinated by the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, gratefully acknowledges the support and assistance given by: K Anstey, B Atkins, B Balkau, E Barr, A Cameron, S Chadban, M de Courten, D Dunstan, A Kavanagh, D Magliano, S Murray, N Owen, K Polkinghorne, J Shaw, T Welborn, P Zimmet and all the study participants. Also, for funding or logistical support, we are grateful to: National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC grants 233200 and 1007544), Australian Government Department of Health and Aging, Abbott Australasia Pty Ltd, Alphapharm Pty Ltd, Amgen Australia, AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, City Health Centre-Diabetes Service-Canberra, Department of Health and Community Services- Northern Territory, Department of Health and Human Services– Tasmania, Department of Health–New South Wales, Department of Health–Western Australia, Department of Health–South Australia, Department of Human Services–Victoria, Diabetes Australia, Diabetes Australia Northern Territory, Eli Lilly Australia, Estate of the Late Edward Wilson, GlaxoSmithKline, Jack Brockhoff Foundation, Janssen-Cilag, Kidney Health Australia, Marian & FH Flack Trust, Menzies Research Institute, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer Pty Ltd, Pratt Foundation, Queensland Health, Roche Diagnostics Australia, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, Sanofi Aventis, sanofi-synthelabo, and the Victorian Government’s OIS Program