Which preparatory cirriculum for the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program is best? The challenge for international schools with regard to mathematics and science

Cataloged from PDF version of article.There are two mainstream curricula for international school students at the junior high level: the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP) and the Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE). The former was developed in the mid-1990s and is currently being relaunched in a 21st-century approach. The latter programme of study was developed by University of Cambridge International Examinations in 1985 and has become popular in recent years among British domestic and international schools worldwide due to the clarity of its learning content. The prevailing uncertainty about which curriculum is best to prepare students for the IB Diploma Programme represents a challenge for international schools. The purpose of the current study is to develop a methodology through causal models which can explain the relationship between student performance in the IGCSE and the Diploma Programme with regard to mathematics and science. The data evaluated here consisted of external examination scores of students who attended a private international high school between the years 2005 and 2012. Two structural equation models were developed. The first model employed a maximum likelihood estimation, while the second model used a Bayesian estimation with a Markov Chain Monte Carlo method. Both models fit the data well. The evidence suggests that the IGCSE provides a good foundational preparation for the Diploma Programme in mathematics and science

Insights into STEM education praxis: An assessment scheme for course syllabi

Cataloged from PDF version of article.Post-secondary institutions within the European Higher Education Area have been adapting quality assurance mechanisms for course design, delivery, and evaluation following a learner-centered approach. The purpose of this exploratory study was to delineate the teaching practices in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics at the postsecondary level through an assessment of course syllabi. An analytical rubric was developed with the STEM community, STEM education, and STEM assessment factors in order to assess teaching practices through syllabi of the courses offered at a public university within the European Higher Education Area. Data were analyzed at the item level using a Mann-Whitney non-parametric test and at the factor level with an independent t-test. Results showed that there were statistically significant differences between the externally accredited and non-accredited programs in STEM_education and STEM_assessment variables (p 0.01), which indicated a practical significance in favor of accredited programs. There was reason to believe that the external accreditation process has a positive impact on instructors in encouraging them to align their syllabi with the STEM education praxis under the influence of the student-centered teaching and learning paradigm

The Application of Anti-Manipulation Law to EU Wholesale Energy Markets and Its Interplay with EU Competition Law

The Application of Anti-Manipulation Law to EU Wholesale Energy Markets and Its Interplay with EU Competition Law Of the findings, the European Commission established in its report on Energy Sector Inquiry, market manipulation constituted a major concern for the functioning and integrity of EU energy sectors. The Commission argued that the responsibility for high prices in wholesale energy markets could be attributed to manipulative practices of energy incumbents and the trust in the operation of operation of sector was largely compromised, due to these practices. Remedies, EU competition law provided, were considered as insufficient to resolve these shortcomings and thus should be supplemented with regulatory-based tools. The findings of the Energy Sector Inquiry and subsequent consultation documents by multiple EU institutions paved the way for the adoption of the Regulation on wholesale energy market integrity and transparency, REMIT, which incorporated into an anti-manipulation rule, specifically designed to prohibit and prosecute manipulative practices in EU wholesale energy markets. Nevertheless, as EU case law on market manipulation has yet to develop and there are uncertainties with respect to the concept of market manipulation. Furthermore REMIT does not preclude the jurisdiction of EU competition law, questions arise as to the scope and the extent of the application of this prohibition. Throughout its chapters, this book explores the scope of and the case law on market manipulation to determine what types of market practices are regarded as manipulative and thus prohibited under anti-manipulation rules. It also focuses on the interplay between REMIT and EU competition law and evaluates factors and circumstances that determine when and what market misconduct can be subject to enforcement proceedings under both anti-manipulation and antitrust rules. As the development of a single, coherent, rulebook that can be relied upon by market participant is fundamental for the functioning of EU wholesale energy markets, the book, finally, provides proposals and measures that can mitigate and resolve the legal uncertainties regarding the regulatory framework REMIT established

Chapter Regulation of the G1/S Transition in Adult Liver: Expression and Activation of the Cyclin Dependent Kinase Cdk1 in Differentiated Hepatocytes is Controlled by Extracellular Signals and is Crucial for Commitment to DNA Replication

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The impact of cognitive load on operatic singers' timing performance

In the present paper, we report the results of an empirical study on the effects of cognitive load on operatic singing. The main aim of the study was to investigate to what extent a working memory task affected the timing of operatic singers' performance. Thereby, we focused on singers' tendency to speed up, or slow down their performance of musical phrases and pauses. Twelve professional operatic singers were asked to perform an operatic aria three times; once without an additional working memory task, once with a concurrent working memory task (counting shapes on a computer screen), and once with a relatively more difficult working memory task (more shapes to be counted appearing one after another). The results show that, in general, singers speeded up their performance under heightened cognitive load. Interestingly, this effect was more pronounced in pauses-more in particular longer pauses-compared to musical phrases. We discuss the role of sensorimotor control and feedback processes in musical timing to explain these findings

The role of learning on industrial simulation design and analysis

The capability of modeling real-world system operations has turned simulation into an indispensable problemsolving methodology for business system design and analysis. Today, simulation supports decisions ranging from sourcing to operations to finance, starting at the strategic level and proceeding towards tactical and operational levels of decision-making. In such a dynamic setting, the practice of simulation goes beyond being a static problem-solving exercise and requires integration with learning. This article discusses the role of learning in simulation design and analysis motivated by the needs of industrial problems and describes how selected tools of statistical learning can be utilized for this purpose

Resolving the dilemma of international school cirriculum: The case of biology

Cataloged from PDF version of article.The purpose of the current study is to explore the predictors of the Diploma Program scores in biology to resolve the dilemma regarding which international school curriculum is better to prepare students for the Diploma Program. A purposive sample of 135 high school students was drawn from a private international school in Turkey. Data was analyzed with a multiple regression approach. A statistically significant and relatively strong relationship was found between the Diploma Program scores in biology and the International General Certificate of Secondary Education science exam scores. © 2014 by iSER

On Mathematics and Culture: Insights from an International School

We explore the factors that influence the relationship between mathematics and culture in the international school context. First, we share some thoughts about international schools in general and the international mathematics curriculum implemented at the middle grades level at our school in particular. Second, we present some interesting snapshots from our culturally-diverse mathematics classrooms