Assessment of an ePortfolio : developing a taxonomy to guide the grading and feedback for personal development planning

This paper describes the rationale for, and the design, implementation and preliminary evaluation of a taxonomy to guide the grading and feedback of ePortfolio assessment of personal development planning (PDP) in a module where PDP is integrated into the curriculum. Conventional higher education assessment methods do not adequately address the requirements of this innovative approach to learning and assessment, and a new assessment tool was felt to be necessary. Drawing on recent theories in the fields of constructive alignment, reflective practice and assessment for learning, a criteria-based taxonomy was designed with the aims of articulating criteria for achievement aligned with the learning outcomes of the module, and of ensuring valid and reliable evaluation of student achievement. Analysis of student and tutor feedback and statistical comparison of marks achieved after the pilot study have produced encouraging results. While this taxonomy was designed to be used in specific circumstances, it is capable of being adapted for use by others who deliver modules or courses where PDP embedded in the curriculum is supported and assessed by means of an ePortfolio

Illuminating and measuring personal development: the impact of this work on learning and teaching

This short article gives an overview of a small-scale case study research project based on a 2nd year cohort of students from the Business Information Systems area of the School of Computing, Engineering and Information Sciences at Northumbria University. The aim of this employability module is to prepare students for the recruitment process for their placement year in industry and to inculcate proper professional attitudes and behaviour. The teaching strategy uses the precepts of PDP, and an eportfolio is the vehicle for learning and assessment

Twenty-Three Years of Harlequin Duck Surveys on the Rocky Mountain Front: Do We Know Anything Yet?

Harlequin duck (Histrionicus histrionicus) surveys have been carried out continuously on the Rocky Mountain Ranger District (RMRD) for 23 years, beginning in 1990. Streams are surveyed on foot in spring to assess occupancy by breeding pairs, and in summer to count broods. Habitat and activity data have been collected for 260 separate observations (comprising over 700 individual ducks). We have summarized the habitats in which harlequins have been observed, including potential differences between pair and brood observations. Harlequins on the RMRD tend to be found in habitats similar to those described for other areas: in fast-moving segments of streams and in areas with shrub or tree overstory. Most observations are in areas accessible to, but not immediately adjacent to areas of human use. Most observations do not occur in proximity to within-stream woody debris, which may differ from findings elsewhere. We have not yet collected data with which to evaluate whether harlequin ducks actively select for any of these habitat characteristics. In 2007 three major fires burned on the RMRD, affecting several key harlequin breeding streams. We altered our survey areas to focus on the most historically productive stream system in the hopes of detecting any impacts of fire on harlequin occupancy or productivity. We have also begun to survey streams that have not been surveyed since the original 1990-1992 inventory. We provide possible explanations for the absence of harlequin ducks on several apparently suitable stream systems. We also discuss the direction we hope to take with future surveys and analyses

A Computer Based Reading Program for Elementary Students

The purpose of this project was to develop a plan for teachers, media specialists and administrators to use in implementing the Accelerated Reader Program, a computerized reading management program. Research on the benefits of this program was studied. A handbook was created that includes information and processes for the set up, management and use of incentives for the Accelerated Reader Program. This information is presented both for implementation in the individual classrooms as well as school wide

An investigation of the National Staff Development Council\u27s standards of staff development

The major purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between teaching practice, student achievement, and the degree to which professional development in low-achieving elementary schools in one suburban Virginia district met the National Staff Development Council (NSDC) standards. Research methods included a self-assessment survey developed by NSDC, teacher interviews, and analyses of student achievement scores using the Virginia Standards of Learning assessments. According to survey results, participating teachers agreed that the NSDC standards were reflected in professional development activities. The standards of Equity and Quality Teaching were reported to be implemented to the greatest degree in professional development activities, while Resources was the standard implemented the least. On both the self-assessment surveys and the interviews, teachers in 100% of the schools reported changes in their teaching of English as a result of professional development. The percentage agreeing that their teaching of mathematics had changed as a result of professional development was much lower (83% according to survey results and 50% according to teacher interviews).;A significant correlation was not observed between the survey results and teacher interviews. Further, a correlation between the level of implementation of the NSDC standards and student achievement as measured by the Standards of Learning assessments was found to be not significant

Twenty-One Years Of Harlequin Duck Surveys On The Rocky Mountain Front: Do We Know Anything Yet?

Harlequin duck (Histrionicus histrionicus) surveys have been carried out continuously on the Rocky Mountain Ranger District (RMRD) for 22 years, beginning in 1990. Streams are surveyed on foot in spring to assess occupancy by breeding pairs, and in summer to count broods. Habitat and activity data have been collected for 247 separate observations (comprising > 600 individual ducks). We have summarized the habitats in which harlequins have been observed, including potential differences between pair and brood observations. Harlequins on the RMRD tend to be found in habitats similar to those described for other areas: in fast-moving segments of streams and in areas with shrub or tree overstory. Most observations are in areas accessible to, but not immediately adjacent to areas of human use. Most observations do not occur in proximity to within-stream woody debris, which may differ from findings elsewhere. We have not yet collected data with which to evaluate whether harlequin ducks actively select for any of these habitat characteristics. In 2007 three major fires burned on the RMRD, affecting several key harlequin breeding streams. We altered our survey areas to focus on the most historically productive stream system in the hopes of detecting any impacts of fire on harlequin occupancy or productivity. We have also begun to survey streams that have not been surveyed since the original 1990-1992 inventory. We provide possible explanations for the absence of harlequin ducks on several apparently suitable stream systems, and discuss the direction we hope to take with future surveys and analyses

Design and usage of the HeartCycle education and coaching program for patients with heart failure

Background: Heart failure (HF) is common, and it is associated with high rates of hospital readmission and mortality. It is generally assumed that appropriate self-care can improve outcomes in patients with HF, but patient adherence to many self-care behaviors is poor. Objective: The objective of our study was to develop and test an intervention to increase self-care in patients with HF using a novel, online, automated education and coaching program. Methods: The online automated program was developed using a well-established, face-to-face, home-based cardiac rehabilitation approach. Education is tailored to the behaviors and knowledge of the individual patient, and the system supports patients in adopting self-care behaviors. Patients are guided through a goal-setting process that they conduct at their own pace through the support of the system, and they record their progress in an electronic diary such that the system can provide appropriate feedback. Only in challenging situations do HF nurses intervene to offer help. The program was evaluated in the HeartCycle study, a multicenter, observational trial with randomized components in which researchers investigated the ability of a third-generation telehealth system to enhance the management of patients with HF who had a recent (<60 days) admission to the hospital for symptoms or signs of HF (either new onset or recurrent) or were outpatients with persistent New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class III/IV symptoms despite treatment with diuretic agents. The patients were enrolled from January 2012 through February 2013 at 3 hospital sites within the United Kingdom, Germany, and Spain. Results: Of 123 patients enrolled (mean age 66 years (SD 12), 66% NYHA III, 79% men), 50 patients (41%) reported that they were not physically active, 56 patients (46%) did not follow a low-salt diet, 6 patients (5%) did not restrict their fluid intake, and 6 patients (5%) did not take their medication as prescribed. About 80% of the patients who started the coaching program for physical activity and low-salt diet became adherent by achieving their personal goals for 2 consecutive weeks. After becoming adherent, 61% continued physical activity coaching, but only 36% continued low-salt diet coaching. Conclusions: The HeartCycle education and coaching program helped most nonadherent patients with HF to adopt recommended self-care behaviors. Automated coaching worked well for most patients who started the coaching program, and many patients who achieved their goals continued to use the program. For many patients who did not engage in the automated coaching program, their choice was appropriate rather than a failure of the program

Distribution, Characteristics, and Use of Earth Dens and Related Excavations by Polar Bears on the Western Hudson Bay Lowlands

Polar bears fasting on land along the western coast of Hudson Bay during the open water period, from late July through early November, excavate three different types of structures, which we termed pits, deep dens, and shallow dens. Pits were shallow excavations found on the tops of banks or beach ridges, whereas both deep and shallow dens were dug into frozen peat banks. Pits were used as temporary resting places. The function of shallow dens is less clear, although some bears have been observed resting in them. Deep dens, which have an entrance tunnel and an enlarged inner chamber, are similar in size and structure to maternity dens dug in snow by female poplar bears elsewhere in their range. Deep and shallow dens are primarily occupied by lone females, most of which are pregnant, while pits are generally occupied by adult males and are used more during summer than in autumn. Pregnant polar bears in western Hudson Bay give birth between mid-November and mid-December, by which time snowdrifts suitable for the construction of maternity dens have not yet formed in most years. Thus, because earth dens represent the only consistently suitable environment available at the time of parturition, we suggest most cubs in western Hudson Bay are born in them. Consequently, the availability of suitable habitat for the construction and use of earth dens is probably critical to the survival of the polar bear population in Western Hudson Bay. Secondary benefits of earth dens to pregnant females, and to other bears during the warm weather in late summer, are that they help the bears to conserve energy by remaining cool and to avoid insect harassment.Les ours polaires qui jeûnent sur la terre ferme le long de la côte occidentale de la baie d'Hudson durant la période d'eau libre (fin juillet à début novembre), creusent trois types de structures différentes que nous appelons fosses, tanières profondes et tanières peu profondes. Les fosses sont des creux peu profonds que l'on a trouvé en haut des talus ou des crêtes de plage, alors que les tanières profondes et peu profondes étaient creusées dans de la tourbe gelée. Les fosses étaient utilisées comme lieux de repos temporaires. La fonction que remplissaient les tanières peu profondes n'est pas claire, bien qu'on y ait observé des ours qui s'y reposaient. Les tanières profondes, qui ont une entrée en forme de tunnel s'élargissant en une chambre intérieure, sont semblables, par leur dimension et leur forme, aux tanières de mise bas creusées dans la neige par les ourses polaires ailleurs dans leur territoire. Les tanières profondes et peu profondes sont surtout occupées par les femelles solitaires, dont la plupart sont pleines, tandis que les fosses sont en général occupées par des mâles adultes et sont plus utilisées en été qu'en automne. Dans la baie d'Hudson occidentale, les ourses pleines mettent bas entre la mi-novembre et la mi-décembre, date à laquelle, la majorité des années, les bancs de neige propres à la construction de tanières de mise bas ne sont pas encore formés. Par conséquent, vu que les tanières dans la terre représentent le seul milieu convenable régulièrement disponible au moment de la parturition, on suggère que, dans la baie d'Hudson occidentale, la plupart des oursons y naissent. La disponibilité d'un habitat approprié à la construction et l'utilisation des tanières de terre est donc probablement critique à la survie de la population de l'ours polaire dans la baie d'Hudson occidentale. Un autre bénéfice que représentent les tanières de terre pour les femelles pleines, ainsi que pour les autres ours durant la saison chaude à la fin de l'été, est que ces tanières aident les ours à conserver leur énergie en les maintenant au frais et à les mettant à l'abri des insectes

Antitrust and Amateur Sports: The Role of Noneconomic Values

SYMPOSIUM: Antitrust Issues In Amateur Sports, held at the Indiana University School of Law - March 198