Questionnaire design and data analysis: An alternative approach in student evaluation of teaching (SET)

Student evaluation of teaching (SET) has been widely used in institutions of learning to assess teaching effectiveness. However, most of the SET questionnaires are designed by “experts” without taking students’ view into consideration. Besides that, the traditional approach in SET analysis is to obtain a global rating as a measurement of teaching effectiveness based on the average or mean scores of the items of SET. This paper identifies the weaknesses of the traditional approach in SET questionnaire development and data analysis. It then describes an alternative approach to SET items development which involved students- collaboration. The paper also describes the establishment of various scoring matrices for the measurement of overall teaching effectiveness as well as teaching effectiveness from three different domains, namely: knowledge, pedagogical skills and attitud

Continuous quality improvement in module development in an ODL institution

Open University Malaysia (OUM) is an open distance learning (ODL) institution; adopting the blended learning pedagogy which provides flexibility and timeeffectiveness for self-paced study to its learners. Learners do self-learning most of the time. This calls for quality learning materials to support the learning process in an ODL setting. OUM responded to this call by leveraging on Internet-based technology to deliver educational content such as e-modules, video lectures, e-forums etc. to its learners. Learners can now access the University’s e-content (2,431 e-modules and 288 video lectures) anytime, anywhere, via OUM’s learning management system, myINSPIRE. Using descriptive and inferential statistics as the main analytical tool, this study aims to gain insight into learners’ feedback on one of the core learning materials – the e-modules. Responses from learners from various programmes and clusters were collected via online surveys for two semesters (January 2018 and May 2018). A total of 238 and 488 learners responded to the January and May surveys respectively. This paper discusses thee-modules in 10 dimensions from the instructional design perspective encompassing areas such as the design, formatting, self-check and activity questions, organisation of the content, ease of reading, graphics as well as overall satisfaction. The results of this study would be able to provide some insights to the education provider on the quality of the e-modules from the instructional design perspective. (Abstract by authors

A Study of Socioeconomic Attributes on Open and Distance Learning in Malaysia

In order to achieve competitive advantage, most institutions improve their service and facilities. Open and distance learning pedagogy has been on the upward trend over the years. It provides flexibility that attracts most of its learners who are adult-matured learners with much commitment such as work burden and family commitment. This paper integrated the attributes of the impact of socioeconomic on open and distance learning (ODL) in Malaysia. In this study, we have examined socioeconomic attributes on the open and distance learning mode in Malaysia using the multinomial logit model. The findings revealed that, male respondents with higher income are significant for the programme and facilities offered as compared to female respondents. The attribute of institution reputation too has increasing positive value for both levels for respondents who are single with higher income. While the attribute of facilities offered is significant for male with higher income. The highest level of attribute for programme offered is significant for male respondents in this study. (Abstract by authors

Towards Excellence in Higher Education –The Experience of Open University Malaysia (OUM)

With the advancement in communication technology via the Internet and World Wide Web, attention has been drawn to Open Distance Learning (ODL) as an alternative mode for teaching and learning. In Malaysia, OUM is well acknowledged as the pioneer for ODL education. OUM has placed great effort in leveraging ICT aimed at making higher education more accessible and affordable across the country. This paper will discuss how OUM has contributed towards the democratisation of higher education in Malaysia. The paper will also examine OUM’s delivery of online teaching and learning using the My Virtual Learning Environment (MyVLE)

Development of Podcast-Based Irrational Belief Disputing Media to Increase Confidence of Body Shaming Victims in High School Students

Abstract: This research and development aims to produce a podcast-based disputing irrational belief media to increase the self-confidence for victims of body shaming in high school students. This podcast is named the #PULIH podcast which is an audio visual medium and can be listened to independently through the Youtube platform. The #PULIH podcast consists of five episodes with different topics. Each episode discusses the aspect that will be changed, namely the perception of the physical by using the technique of disputing irrational belief. This research and development adapts the five stages of the Borg and Gall development model, namely the information collecting stage, planning stage, prototype development stage, initial field trial, and product revision stage. The initial field trial has three stages, namely the material expert test, the media expert test and the prospective user (student) test. The purpose of the assessment of experts and prospective users to determine the acceptability of the media which includes aspects of accuracy, usability, convenience, and attractiveness. Data analysis using the inter-rater agreement. The results of the expert and prospective user tests overall show a very high validation index. It is concluded that the podcast-based disputing irrational belief media is very appropriate, useful, easy, and interesting to increase the self-confidence for victims of body shaming in high school students.Abstrak: Penelitian dan pengembangan ini bertujuan menghasilkan media disputing irrational belief berbasis podcast untuk meningkatkan kepercayaan diri korban body shaming pada siswa sekolah menengah atas. Podcast ini ini diberi nama podcast #PULIH yang merupakan media audio visual dan dapat didengarkan secara mandiri melalui platform Youtube. Podcast #PULIH terdiri dari lima episode dengan pembahasan yang berbeda-beda. Setiap episodenya membahas aspek persepsi tentang fisik dengan menggunakan teknik disputing irrational belief. Penelitian dan pengembangan ini mengadaptasi lima tahapan dari model pengembangan Borg dan Gall yaitu tahap pengumpulan informasi, tahap perencanaan, tahap pengembangan prototype, uji coba lapangan awal, dan tahap revisi produk. Uji coba lapangan awal terdapat tiga tahap yaitu uji ahli materi, uji ahli media dan uji calon pengguna (siswa). Analisis data menggunakan inter-rater agreement. Hasil penilaian uji ahli dan calon pengguna secara keseluruhan menunjukkan indeks validasi yang sangat tinggi. Hal ini menunjukkan bahwa media disputing irrational belief berbasis podcast sangat tepat, berguna, mudah, dan menarik untuk meningkatkan kepercayaan diri korban body shaming pada siswa sekolah menengah atas

An artifacts removal post-processing for epiphyseal region-of-interest (EROI) localization in automated bone age assessment (BAA)

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Segmentation is the most crucial part in the computer-aided bone age assessment. A well-known type of segmentation performed in the system is adaptive segmentation. While providing better result than global thresholding method, the adaptive segmentation produces a lot of unwanted noise that could affect the latter process of epiphysis extraction.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A proposed method with anisotropic diffusion as pre-processing and a novel Bounded Area Elimination (BAE) post-processing algorithm to improve the algorithm of ossification site localization technique are designed with the intent of improving the adaptive segmentation result and the region-of interest (ROI) localization accuracy.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The results are then evaluated by quantitative analysis and qualitative analysis using texture feature evaluation. The result indicates that the image homogeneity after anisotropic diffusion has improved averagely on each age group for 17.59%. Results of experiments showed that the smoothness has been improved averagely 35% after BAE algorithm and the improvement of ROI localization has improved for averagely 8.19%. The MSSIM has improved averagely 10.49% after performing the BAE algorithm on the adaptive segmented hand radiograph.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The result indicated that hand radiographs which have undergone anisotropic diffusion have greatly reduced the noise in the segmented image and the result as well indicated that the BAE algorithm proposed is capable of removing the artifacts generated in adaptive segmentation.</p

An Innovative Approach towards Learners' Assessment of Instructional Process (LAIP) in an ODL Environment

Despite its popularity, the use SET in assessing teaching effectiveness for the purpose of appraisal has been controversial. This paper quantifies the weaknesses of the conventional evaluation of the instruction process and SET as a tool for assessing teaching. In this respect, this paper looks into the possibility of developing an innovative assessment tool named as the Learners' Assessment of Instructional Process (LAIP). This method is operationalised using various scoring matrices. The objective of LAIP is to offer an innovative alternative solution to assessment of instructional process in higher education institutions. Three factors have been identified as core determinants contributing to teaching and learning effectiveness, namely, knowledge, pedagogical skills and attitude. More specifically, LAIP is aimed at achieving the objectivity in the assessment of the instructional process in an ODL environment. (Authors' abstract

Widening Access for Education: Proposing a Conceptual Model for Integrated Open and Distance Learning (ODL) on Demand

The education world has seen a dramatic change in the mode of learning and teaching. Attention has been drawn to open and distance learning (ODL) as one method of educational instruction using advanced information and communication technology (ICT) as the enabler. ODL has become the means by which education can be accessed by all who so require, anywhere, anytime. Thus, ODL itself must be able to meet the “demands” of its stakeholders including learners and facilitators. There has to be in place a system that can support instant delivery of learning and guiding materials to learners and enables facilitators to guide and assess their learners both synchronously and asynchronously. Such a system should be holistic and dynamic in a way that it can cater ‘on demand’ any requests from the stakeholders. This paper proposes a conceptual model for integrated ODL on demand which can be utilised for the teaching and learning of a range of courses. The proposed model’s delivery mode would be based upon learning through visualisation, interaction, collaboration, exploration and a host of possible alternatives that can be replicated for any course carried out by ODL institutions including Open University Malaysia (OUM). (Authors' abstract

Nodal-Dependent Mesendoderm Specification Requires the Combinatorial Activities of FoxH1 and Eomesodermin

Vertebrate mesendoderm specification requires the Nodal signaling pathway and its transcriptional effector FoxH1. However, loss of FoxH1 in several species does not reliably cause the full range of loss-of-Nodal phenotypes, indicating that Nodal signals through additional transcription factors during early development. We investigated the FoxH1-dependent and -independent roles of Nodal signaling during mesendoderm patterning using a novel recessive zebrafish FoxH1 mutation called midway, which produces a C-terminally truncated FoxH1 protein lacking the Smad-interaction domain but retaining DNA–binding capability. Using a combination of gel shift assays, Nodal overexpression experiments, and genetic epistasis analyses, we demonstrate that midway more accurately represents a complete loss of FoxH1-dependent Nodal signaling than the existing zebrafish FoxH1 mutant schmalspur. Maternal-zygotic midway mutants lack notochords, in agreement with FoxH1 loss in other organisms, but retain near wild-type expression of markers of endoderm and various nonaxial mesoderm fates, including paraxial and intermediate mesoderm and blood precursors. We found that the activity of the T-box transcription factor Eomesodermin accounts for specification of these tissues in midway embryos. Inhibition of Eomesodermin in midway mutants severely reduces the specification of these tissues and effectively phenocopies the defects seen upon complete loss of Nodal signaling. Our results indicate that the specific combinations of transcription factors available for signal transduction play critical and separable roles in determining Nodal pathway output during mesendoderm patterning. Our findings also offer novel insights into the co-evolution of the Nodal signaling pathway, the notochord specification program, and the chordate branch of the deuterostome family of animals

Spread of artemisinin resistance in Plasmodium falciparum malaria.

BACKGROUND: Artemisinin resistance in Plasmodium falciparum has emerged in Southeast Asia and now poses a threat to the control and elimination of malaria. Mapping the geographic extent of resistance is essential for planning containment and elimination strategies. METHODS: Between May 2011 and April 2013, we enrolled 1241 adults and children with acute, uncomplicated falciparum malaria in an open-label trial at 15 sites in 10 countries (7 in Asia and 3 in Africa). Patients received artesunate, administered orally at a daily dose of either 2 mg per kilogram of body weight per day or 4 mg per kilogram, for 3 days, followed by a standard 3-day course of artemisinin-based combination therapy. Parasite counts in peripheral-blood samples were measured every 6 hours, and the parasite clearance half-lives were determined. RESULTS: The median parasite clearance half-lives ranged from 1.9 hours in the Democratic Republic of Congo to 7.0 hours at the Thailand-Cambodia border. Slowly clearing infections (parasite clearance half-life >5 hours), strongly associated with single point mutations in the "propeller" region of the P. falciparum kelch protein gene on chromosome 13 (kelch13), were detected throughout mainland Southeast Asia from southern Vietnam to central Myanmar. The incidence of pretreatment and post-treatment gametocytemia was higher among patients with slow parasite clearance, suggesting greater potential for transmission. In western Cambodia, where artemisinin-based combination therapies are failing, the 6-day course of antimalarial therapy was associated with a cure rate of 97.7% (95% confidence interval, 90.9 to 99.4) at 42 days. CONCLUSIONS: Artemisinin resistance to P. falciparum, which is now prevalent across mainland Southeast Asia, is associated with mutations in kelch13. Prolonged courses of artemisinin-based combination therapies are currently efficacious in areas where standard 3-day treatments are failing. (Funded by the U.K. Department of International Development and others; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01350856.)