Student perceptions of the teaching in online learning: and Australian university case study

Universities have been collecting student feedback on their experiences in teaching and learning for decades. Their voice is usually captured in surveys with quantitative and qualitative data used for quality improvement. Quantitative data are often used to monitor the student experience and used as a key performance measure. As online learning is increasingly taken up in universities there is heightened interest about the student experience. In Australia, Open Universities Australia is the largest national provider of online learning. This paper analyses student perceptions of what is helping and hindering their learning, with a focus on teaching, from one large shareholder university. The eVALUate unit survey was used to collect student feedback from 47696enrolling students in 490 units delivered over seven OUA study periods during 2012. The overall response rate for the unit survey was 24.1%. Students overwhelmingly reported very high levels of satisfaction with their experience. In selected units there were lower levels of satisfaction for quality of teaching and feedback on learning. Students commented that the online interactions with the teacher were most important to their learning and where feedback on their learning and assessments was not provided, this hindering their learning. Hence giving students feedback is an important role of the teacher in helping them learn online

4-H wetland wonders - a water quality curriculum for grades 4 and 5 leader guide [1998]

Water quality curriculum.Published July 1998. Replaced by 4-H 3805L. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalo

Household Clustering of Escherichia coli Sequence Type 131 Clinical and Fecal Isolates According to Whole Genome Sequence Analysis

Background. Within-household sharing of strains from the resistance-associated H30R1 and H30Rx subclones of Escherichia coli sequence type 131 (ST131) has been inferred based on conventional typing data, but has been assessed minimally using whole genome sequence (WGS) analysis. Methods. Thirty-three clinical and fecal isolates of ST131-H30R1 and ST131-H30Rx, from 20 humans and pets in six households, underwent WGS analysis for comparison with 52 published ST131 genomes. Phylogenetic relationships were inferred using a bootstrapped maximum likelihood tree based on core genome sequence polymorphisms. Accessory traits were compared between phylogenetically similar isolates. Results. In the WGS-based phylogeny, isolates clustered strictly by household, in clades that were distributed widely across the phylogeny, interspersed between H30R1 and H30Rx comparison genomes. For only one household did the core genome phylogeny place epidemiologically unlinked isolates together with household isolates, but even there multiple differences in accessory genome content clearly differentiated these two groups. The core genome phylogeny supported within-household strain sharing, fecal-urethral urinary tract infection pathogenesis (with the entire household potentially providing the fecal reservoir), and instances of host-specific microevolution. In one instance the household\u27s index strain persisted for 6 years before causing a new infection in a different household member. Conclusions. Within-household sharing of E. coli ST131 strains was confirmed extensively at the genome level, as was long-term colonization and repeated infections due to an ST131-H30Rx strain. Future efforts toward surveillance and decolonization may need to address not just the affected patient but also other human and animal household members

Interaction of Cryptococcus neoformans Rim101 and Protein Kinase A Regulates Capsule

Cryptococcus neoformans is a prevalent human fungal pathogen that must survive within various tissues in order to establish a human infection. We have identified the C. neoformans Rim101 transcription factor, a highly conserved pH-response regulator in many fungal species. The rim101Δ mutant strain displays growth defects similar to other fungal species in the presence of alkaline pH, increased salt concentrations, and iron limitation. However, the rim101Δ strain is also characterized by a striking defect in capsule, an important virulence-associated phenotype. This capsular defect is likely due to alterations in polysaccharide attachment to the cell surface, not in polysaccharide biosynthesis. In contrast to many other C. neoformans capsule-defective strains, the rim101Δ mutant is hypervirulent in animal models of cryptococcosis. Whereas Rim101 activation in other fungal species occurs through the conserved Rim pathway, we demonstrate that C. neoformans Rim101 is also activated by the cAMP/PKA pathway. We report here that C. neoformans uses PKA and the Rim pathway to regulate the localization, activation, and processing of the Rim101 transcription factor. We also demonstrate specific host-relevant activating conditions for Rim101 cleavage, showing that C. neoformans has co-opted conserved signaling pathways to respond to the specific niche within the infected host. These results establish a novel mechanism for Rim101 activation and the integration of two conserved signaling cascades in response to host environmental conditions

An examination of student user experience (UX) and perceptions of remote invigilation during online assessment

This study aimed to understand the effects of a custom-developed, artificial intelligence–based, asynchronous remote invigilation system on the student user experience. The study was conducted over 3 years at a large Australian university, and findings demonstrate that familiarity with the system over time improved student attitudes towards remote invigilation. Positive experiences were found to be related to ease of use and convenience for test sitting. The majority of students reported that it was important for the institution to have approaches such as remote invigilation to discourage cheating and they believed that the system was useful in this regard. Perceived technical problems were found to invoke feelings of anxiety with being remotely invigilated, and students suggested that greater clarity on expectations of appropriate behaviour, privacy and data security would help alleviate discomfort and improve the system. Implications for practise or policy: Educators can improve the student user experience of remote invigilation by ensuring that students are provided the opportunity to practise and become familiar with using remote invigilation software before any summative assessment task. Administrators should provide clear policy guidance about the management of student data collected during remotely invigilated assessment tasks

Steric Determinants of Pt/DNA Interactions and Anticancer Activity

Studies directed at establishing the structural features that control Pt/DNA interactions and the anticancer activity of Pt drugs are described. [1H, 15N]-HSQC 2D NMR spectroscopic studies of the reactions of cisplatin with oligonucleotides containing ApG and GpA binding sites reveal dramatic differences in the rates of formation of monofunctional adducts at the two sites. When the reactant is cis-[Pt(NH3)2(OH2)2]2+ no such differences are observed suggesting that outer-sphere interactions between the reactant and the oligonucleotide may play a substantial role in determining the rates. Rates of closure to the bifunctional adducts are similar to those observed for cisplatin. Studies of the adduct profiles formed by sterically bulky and/or optically active complexes reveal that steric interactions play a major role in mediating the binding of Pt(ll) to DNA but that hydrogen bonds play less of a role. In vitro cytotoxic activities for these complexes do not always follow the trends that would be expected on the basis of the adduct profiles

The epidemic of extended-spectrum-beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli ST131 is driven by a single highly pathogenic subclone, H30-Rx

The Escherichia coli sequence type 131 (ST131) clone is notorious for extraintestinal infections, fluoroquinolone resistance, and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) production, attributable to a CTX-M-15-encoding mobile element. Here, we applied pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and whole-genome sequencing to reconstruct the evolutionary history of the ST131 clone. PFGE-based cluster analyses suggested that both fluoroquinolone resistance and ESBL production had been acquired by multiple ST131 sublineages through independent genetic events. In contrast, the more robust whole-genome-sequence-based phylogenomic analysis revealed that fluoroquinolone resistance was confined almost entirely to a single, rapidly expanding ST131 subclone, designated H30-R. Strikingly, 91% of the CTX-M-15-producing isolates also belonged to a single, well-defined clade nested within H30-R, which was named H30-Rx due to its more extensive resistance. Despite its tight clonal relationship with H30Rx, the CTX-M-15 mobile element was inserted variably in plasmid and chromosomal locations within the H30-Rx genome. Screening of a large collection of recent clinical E. coli isolates both confirmed the global clonal expansion of H30-Rx and revealed its disproportionate association with sepsis (relative risk, 7.5; P < 0.001). Together, these results suggest that the high prevalence of CTX-M-15 production among ST131 isolates is due primarily to the expansion of a single, highly virulent subclone, H30-Rx. IMPORTANCE We applied an advanced genomic approach to study the recent evolutionary history of one of the most important Escherichia coli strains in circulation today. This strain, called sequence type 131 (ST131), causes multidrug-resistant bladder, kidney, and bloodstream infections around the world. The rising prevalence of antibiotic resistance in E. coli is making these infections more difficult to treat and is leading to increased mortality. Past studies suggested that many different ST131 strains gained resistance to extended-spectrum cephalosporins independently. In contrast, our research indicates that most extended-spectrum-cephalosporin-resistant ST131 strains belong to a single highly pathogenic subclone, called H30-Rx. The clonal nature of H30-Rx may provide opportunities for vaccine or transmission prevention-based control strategies, which could gain importance as H30-Rx and other extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli subclones become resistant to our best antibiotics