Online Graduate Student Perceptions of Program Community

This study investigates online graduate student perceptions of program community (i.e., feelings of trust, connection, and affiliation among students, faculty, and staff that develop and exist outside individual courses). Eighty-four graduate students in one certificate and two degree programs completed a researcher-developed survey distributed through email. The results indicated that students had a modest interest in program community, took pride in program affiliation, and incorporated affiliation as part of their personal identities. Students were interested in their peers’ and professors’ professional interests and felt comfortable contacting faculty members when not enrolled in their courses. The results are discussed in the context of the literature

Introduction to Series and Parallel Circuits

This lesson begins with an introduction on electricity and how it is formed at the molecular level. It then lets learners explore and define a circuit. This introduction is followed by an exploration where learners develop series and parallel circuits using LED lights and motors. Learners then consider what constitutes a series and parallel circuit, open and closed circuit, and a short circuit. The lesson concludes by having learners consider advantages, limitations, and instructional uses of various electronics kits (e.g., Snap Circuits, littleBits, LilyPad, paper circuits, conductive dough) based on their ability to display circuit paths

The Unspace Case: Developing a Maker Movement in a Multipurpose, Flexible Space, Library Setting

This paper presents the ongoing design, development, and implementation of a K-16 maker movement centered around a joint public school/university library whose minimal dedicated space has expanded opportunities for public participation, partnerships, and shared resources. As the library sought to circulate STEM resources for K-9 teachers and students in 2011, University instructors were seeking opportunities for preservice teachers to interact meaningfully with authentic, technology-rich environments. These separate endeavors coalesced over time to form a robust community of various school, university, and public stakeholders focused on mathematics and science learning. Because the space was not bound to a single physical location, proponents were able to leverage various resources, mobile tools, and settings to explore and apply STEM knowledge, construct products, and attract new and returning users. This design case articulates how the maker movement provides curricular programming while maintaining a playful atmosphere that encourages personal exploration regardless of age and ability

Making Friends and Buying Robots: How to Leverage Collaborations and Collections to Support STEM Learning

In a climate of increased interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), school libraries have unique opportunities to grow collections and cultivate partnerships in the sciences. At the federal level and in many states, STEM initiatives encourage hands-on exposure to technologies and open the door for student-led discovery of tools related to robotics, coding, programming, and electronics. Influenced by local STEM initiatives, the Learning Resource Center (LRC) at the University of Wyoming Lab School decided to create a circulating collection of STEM kits. (The UW Lab School is a tuition free charter school with a diverse population selected by lottery.) This school library also partnered with Lab School teachers to explore these STEM collections and to develop programming and a curriculum to teach digital literacies and STEM skills to students in kindergarten through ninth grade

Insights into frequent asthma exacerbations from a primary care perspective and the implications of UK National Review of Asthma Deaths recommendations

The United Kingdom National Review of Asthma Deaths (NRAD) recommends that patients who require ≥3 courses of oral corticosteroids (OCS) for exacerbations in the past year or those on British Thoracic Society (BTS) Step 4/5 treatment must be referred to a specialist asthma service. The aim of the study was to identify the proportion of asthma patients in primary care that fulfil NRAD criteria for specialist referral and factors associated with frequent exacerbations. A total of 2639 adult asthma patients from 10 primary care practices in Glasgow, UK were retrospectively studied between 2014 and 2015. Frequent exacerbators and short-acting β2-agonist (SABA) over-users were identified if they received ≥2 confirmed OCS courses for asthma and ≥13 SABA inhalers in the past year, respectively. Community dispensing data were used to assess treatment adherence defined as taking ≥75% of prescribed inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) dose. The study population included 185 (7%) frequent exacerbators, 137 (5%) SABA over-users, and 319 (12%) patients on BTS Step 4/5 treatment. Among frequent exacerbators, 41% required BTS Step 4/5 treatment, 46% had suboptimal ICS adherence, 42% had not attended an asthma review in the past year and 42% had no previous input from a specialist asthma service. Older age, female gender, BTS Step 4/5, SABA over-use and co-existing COPD diagnosis increased the risk of frequent exacerbations independently. Fourteen per 100 asthma patients would fulfil the NRAD criteria for specialist referral. Better collaboration between primary and secondary care asthma services is needed to improve chronic asthma care

Birth weight and stuttering:Evidence from three birth cohorts

Purpose Previous studies have produced conflicting results with regard to the association between birth weight and developmental stuttering. This study sought to determine whether birth weight was associated with childhood and/or adolescent stuttering in three British birth cohort samples. Methods Logistic regression analyses were carried out on data from the Millenium Cohort Study (MCS), British Cohort Study (BCS70) and National Child Development Study (NCDS), whose initial cohorts comprised over 56,000 individuals. The outcome variables were parent-reported stuttering in childhood or in adolescence; the predictors, based on prior research, were birth weight, sex, multiple birth status, vocabulary score and mother's level of education. Birth weight was analysed both as a categorical variable (low birth weight, <2500 g; normal range; high birth weight, ≥ 4000 g) and as a continuous variable. Separate analyses were carried out to determine the impact of birth weight and the other predictors on stuttering during childhood (age 3, 5 and 7 and MCS, BCS70 and NCDS, respectively) or at age 16, when developmental stuttering is likely to be persistent. Results None of the multivariate analyses revealed an association between birth weight and parent-reported stuttering. Sex was a significant predictor of stuttering in all the analyses, with males 1.6 to 3.6 times more likely than females to stutter. Conclusion Our results suggest that birth weight is not a clinically useful predictor of childhood or persistent stuttering

Flipping the classroom: is it the type of flipping that adds value?

Interest in the flipped classroom in higher education has burgeoned despite the literature revealing that the effects on assessment outcomes remain elusive. In this paper, we present the results of an empirical analysis designed to compare the impact on assessment outcomes of different approaches to the flipped classroom (didactic and non-didactic). Focusing on a cohort of Intermediate Economics students we investigated the influence of these approaches on their examination results by utilising an OLS (Ordinary Least Squares) regression and probit followed by quantile regression. Our analysis revealed small positive effects when students were exposed to the ‘non-didactic’ flipped classroom but no effect when pre-lecture materials were used didactically to mimic the material given in traditional lectures. This study demonstrates the need for further meta-analysis and longitudinal studies to investigate the relationship between different forms of the flipped classroom and student assessment outcomes

Stuttering, alcohol consumption and smoking

Purpose: Limited research has been published regarding the association between stuttering and substance use. An earlier study provided no evidence for such an association, but the authors called for further research to be conducted using a community sample. The present study used data from a community sample to investigate whether an association between stuttering and alcohol consumption or regular smoking exists in late adolescence and adulthood. Methods: Regression analyses were carried out on data from a birth cohort study, the National Child Development Study (NCDS), whose initial cohort included 18,558 participants who have since been followed up until age 55. In the analyses, the main predictor variable was parent-reported stuttering at age 16. Parental socio-economic group, cohort member’s sex and childhood behavioural problems were also included. The outcome variables related to alcohol consumption and smoking habits at ages 16, 23, 33, 41, 46, 50 and 55. Results: No significant association was found between stuttering and alcohol consumption or stuttering and smoking at any of the ages. It was speculated that the absence of significant associations might be due to avoidance of social situations on the part of many of the participants who stutter, or adoption of alternative coping strategies. Conclusion: Because of the association between anxiety and substance use, individuals who stutter and are anxious might be found to drink or smoke excessively, but as a group, people who stutter are not more likely than those who do not to have high levels of consumption of alcohol or nicotine

Infant Hearing Screening 1984 to 1989: The Henry Ford Hospital Experience

From 1984 to 1989 the Infant Hearing Screening (IHS) program at Henry Ford Hospital identified 1,300 infants as being at risk for hearing loss. The prevalence of significant sensorineural hearing loss in this sample was 1.4%. Additionally, 80 infants who passed the IHS program and reached 3 years of age were found to have normal hearing sensitivity by conventional audiometric techniques (ie, no false-negative predictions). There were three false-positive predictions. It was discovered that infants of low birthweight (ie, \u3c 1,500 g) were three times more likely to fail IHS than those whose weight exceeded 1,500 g. A higher return rate was found for infants failing an initial hearing screening conducted in the neonatal intensive care unit in comparison to those screened as outpatients one week postdischarge. The sensitivity and specificity of behavioral observation audiometry were 43% and 92%, respectively, when brainstem auditory-evoked potentials was used as the criterion validity measure

Flipping the classroom: is it the type of flipping that adds value?

Interest in the flipped classroom in higher education has burgeoned despite the literature revealing that the effects on assessment outcomes remain elusive. In this paper, we present the results of an empirical analysis designed to compare the impact on assessment outcomes of different approaches to the flipped classroom (didactic and non-didactic). Focusing on a cohort of Intermediate Economics students we investigated the influence of these approaches on their examination results by utilising an OLS (Ordinary Least Squares) regression and probit followed by quantile regression. Our analysis revealed small positive effects when students were exposed to the ‘non-didactic’ flipped classroom but no effect when pre-lecture materials were used didactically to mimic the material given in traditional lectures. This study demonstrates the need for further meta-analysis and longitudinal studies to investigate the relationship between different forms of the flipped classroom and student assessment outcomes