Evaluating a formative feedback intervention for international students

Assessment is too often concerned with measurement, rather than learning; however, there is a growing interest in research into formative assessment, which appears justified by studies into its effects on learning. Changes in higher education have led to increased numbers of students, many of whom are from non-traditional backgrounds. This has highlighted the need for transparency and student involvement in assessment. However, the corresponding pressures on staff and on resources mean that many desirable innovations are not easy to implement. The overall aim of this formative feedback intervention (FFI) was to provide timely and helpful feedback to international students who are final-year direct entrants in a large business school. Timeliness of feedback and the development of academic literacy were key concerns. The study concludes that although the FFI did not have a significant impact on module grades, the intervention was successful in getting students to engage in academic writing at an early stage. Most respondents perceived the feedback to be helpful and the feedback messages were clearly received and internalised. Whether appropriate actions were taken by the students to close the gap between their current and their target level requires further investigation

Learning to play in digital games

There is growing interest in the use of games for educational purposes, particularly with regard to teaching curriculum subjects. Much of the research however has focused either on the content of games or the learning theory they illustrate. This paper presents a methodology that allows for an examination of how players learn to play. An understanding of this process is arguably crucial for incorporating games into educational systems. Three case studies are presented that illustrate the application of this method. We also evaluate its usefulness and limitations. The paper concludes with a discussion of issues in researching learning from games, and suggestions for how research methods in this area might be developed

The things we learned on Liberty Island: designing games to help people become competent game players

The growing interest in the relationship between games and learning has, to date, be dominated by two traditions of work. The first treats games as potential educational content; the second considers the social contexts of learning from games, but only at a general level. A methodology has been developed that permits the detailed analysis of how people learn from particular instances of game play. This approach is used here to study two approaches to playing Deus Ex, one involving the training level and one neglecting this. The analysis revealed the things players learnt, the strategies they developed to progress through the game, the way in which these strategies evolved and also the way in which previous experience was transferred to this new context of play. This analysis permits conclusions to be drawn about the value of training levels and the importance of designing games in a way that recognizes previous gaming experience. The analysis also has implications for defining game genres, for decisions about the inclusion of design features such as quick saves and for the design of AI scripts

Geographically intelligent disclosure control for flexible aggregation of census data

This paper describes a geographically intelligent approach to disclosure control for protecting flexibly aggregated census data. Increased analytical power has stimulated user demand for more detailed information for smaller geographical areas and customized boundaries. Consequently it is vital that improved methods of statistical disclosure control are developed to protect against the increased disclosure risk. Traditionally methods of statistical disclosure control have been aspatial in nature. Here we present a geographically intelligent approach that takes into account the spatial distribution of risk. We describe empirical work illustrating how the flexibility of this new method, called local density swapping, is an improved alternative to random record swapping in terms of risk-utility

ARGOS - Modelling the Economic, Environmental, and Social Implications for New Zealand from Different Scenarios Relating to the Demand and Supply of Organic Products

This paper reports on some of the initial findings of the ARGOS (Agricultural Research Group on (Sustainability) programme, a 6 year quasi-experimental research project with the aim to model the economic, environmental, and social differences between organic, environmentally friendly and conventional systems of production. In the first section the paper reviews the development of organic markets, details the production costs and reports some preliminary results from ARGOS. The information is then used to develop potential future scenarios relating to the organic sector, which are assessed using the Lincoln Trade and Environment Model (LTEM), a partial equilibrium trade model that differentiates between organic and conventional production methods. This paper concentrates upon the difference between organic and conventional production, consumption and trade.sustainability, New Zealand, organic markets, ARGOS, Demand and Price Analysis, F18, Q17,

Cross-sectional Analysis of Sound Levels in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital

Introduction . Infants in the NICU are considered at greater risk of developmental delay. It is now known that excessively loud noise can have a negative impact on parameters such as blood pressure, breathing, heart beat and oxygen saturation. Previous research has concluded that the optimal decibel (dB) level for proper growth of neonate hair cells rests around 45dB. Consequently, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that noise levels in the NICU be maintained to a maximum of 45dBA. However, little research has focused on designing new noise-altering products and their impact on neonatal outcomes. Methods. This was a cross sectional study. The NICU at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital was observed for room arrangements and general workflow. Additionally, decibel levels around empty neonatal incubators were measured. A decibel analyzer (REED Instruments SD-4023, Wilmington, NC) was used to record sound levels, both inside and outside of isolettes during various routine activities, including patient rounds, provider-parent conversations and vital monitoring alarms. Results. 30 discrete data points were surveyed, in addition to a 24-hour continuous decibel recording. Across all discrete data points, decibel levels had a mean of 65.6dB (SD ± 10.3). Ambient noise alone in a patient room was measured at 50dB. Noise levels in an open and closed isolette were measured at 58 and 57dB, respectively. Isolette side door opening and closing had a mean of 80.2dB (SD ± 7.60). With medical devices active in the patient room, noise levels had a mean of 62.7dB (SD ± 7.74). Conclusions. All data points were above the recommended safe noise level of 45dB. This data supports our development of a noise reduction product for use within neonatal isolettes. Our design will incorporate sterilizable, sound-absorbent materials and diffusion technologies to decrease ambient noise within neonatal incubators

An Economic and Life Cycle Analysis of Regional Land Use and Transportation Plans, Research Report 11-25

Travel and emissions models are commonly applied to evaluate the change in passenger and commercial travel and associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from land use and transportation plans. Analyses conducted by the Sacramento Area Council of Governments predict a decline in such travel and emissions from their land use and transportation plan (the “Preferred Blueprint” or PRB scenario) relative to a “Business-As-Usual” scenario (BAU). However, the lifecycle GHG effects due to changes in production and consumption associated with transportation and land use plans are rarely, if ever, conducted. An earlier study conducted by the authors, applied a spatial economic model (Sacramento PECAS) to the PRB plan and found that lower labor, transport, and rental costs increased producer and consumer surplus and production and consumption relative to the BAU. As a result, lifecycle GHG emissions from these upstream economic activities may increase. At the same time, lifecycle GHG emissions associated with the manufacture of construction materials for housing may decline due to a shift in the plan from larger luxury homes to smaller multi-family homes in the plan. To explore the net impact of these opposing GHG impacts, the current study used the economic production and consumption data from the PRB and BAU scenarios as simulated with the Sacramento PECAS model as inputs to estimate the change in lifecycle GHG emissions. The economic input-output lifecycle assessment model is applied to evaluate effects related to changes in economic production and consumption as well as housing construction. This study also builds on the findings from two previous studies, which suggest potential economic incentives for jurisdictional non-compliance with Sustainable Communities Strategies (SCSs) under Senate Bill 375 (also known as the “anti-sprawl” bill). SB 375 does not require local governments to adopt general plans that are consistent with the land use plans included in SCSs, and thus such incentives could jeopardize implementation of SCSs and achievement of GHG goals. In this study, a set of scenarios is simulated with the Sacramento PECAS model, in which multiple jurisdictions partially pursue the BAU at differing rates. The PRB is treated as a straw or example SCS. The scenarios are evaluated to understand how non-conformity may influence the supply of housing by type, and holding other factors constant, the geographic and income distribution of rents, wages, commute costs, and consumer surplus

Editorial: From Pedagogic Research to Embedded E-Learning

This Special Issue of Reflecting Education arises from the work of the PREEL project (From Pedagogic Research to Embedded e-Learning) at the Institute of Education from 2006-2008. This project was one of nine HEA/JISC (Higher Education Academy and Joint Information Systems Committee) Pilot Pathfinder Projects and followed on from our involvement in the Pilot Benchmarking of e-Learning Programme. In the benchmarking exercise we identified a lack of coordination between research and practice in e-learning at the IoE as one of our crucial weaknesses, and so our Pilot Pathfinder project concentrated on this theme of building links between e-learning research and practice

Exact goodness-of-fit testing for the Ising model

The Ising model is one of the simplest and most famous models of interacting systems. It was originally proposed to model ferromagnetic interactions in statistical physics and is now widely used to model spatial processes in many areas such as ecology, sociology, and genetics, usually without testing its goodness of fit. Here, we propose various test statistics and an exact goodness-of-fit test for the finite-lattice Ising model. The theory of Markov bases has been developed in algebraic statistics for exact goodness-of-fit testing using a Monte Carlo approach. However, finding a Markov basis is often computationally intractable. Thus, we develop a Monte Carlo method for exact goodness-of-fit testing for the Ising model which avoids computing a Markov basis and also leads to a better connectivity of the Markov chain and hence to a faster convergence. We show how this method can be applied to analyze the spatial organization of receptors on the cell membrane.Comment: 20 page