Towards a model for evaluating student learning via e-assessment

The need for practical tools to assess student learning at the course level is becoming a more pressing goal for all academic institutions. This is because learning assessment tools which monitor both student performance and conceptual change events that lead to improved learning ultimately provide the basis for the subsequent assessments of programs and institutions. In performing effectively in this capacity, a viable and efficient assessment tool at the course level possesses the following characteristics; 1) the ability to be integrated effectively within the existing course structure, 2) the ability to generate quantitative, measurable results, and 3) the ability to provide timely feedback. This paper proposes a model for assessing student learning at the course level which utilizes, in part, online assessment methods (eAssessments) to achieve these characteristics. More specifically, the model provides a description of how assessment may be embedded into an existing course and illustrates the utilization of online pre/post-tests and knowledge surveys as a source of assessment data. The data analysis, based in part upon Bloom's revised taxonomy, is then discussed together with how the results are used to determine the level of learning achieved. The paper concludes with a proposal for an experiment wherein the model is tested to determine its ability to detect changes in student learning originating from the implementation of a pedagogical strategy such as online tutoring

Getting to the Heart of the Matter Evaluation Report: Post-Acute Cardiac Rehabilitation Program to Reduce Hospital Readmissions

Launched in 2013, this innovative program was designed to help cardiac patients achieve success with their post-acute treatment regime, something that is especially important for older cardiac patients who are at an increased risk for complications. By "bridging the gap" between when patients are discharged from acute care until they are ready to start outpatient cardiac rehabilitation, the program aims to improve the quality of care and quality of life for older adults recovering from congestive heart failure, myocardial infarction, bypass surgery, and other heart diseases and reduce hospital readmissions

Optimal Competition and Allocation of Space in Shopping Centers

This article explains why a profit-maximizing developer may include multiple, competing outlets in a shopping center. While competing outlets presumably dissipate potential profits, thereby lowering aggregate rents that the developer can extract, the presence of shopping externalities causes the developer to be interested not just in individual store profits, but also in the traffic they generate throughout the center. And since competition among identical stores increases traffic, it can create an offsetting advantage that favors multiple outlets. The article provides a theoretical analysis of this problem and illustrates its implications for tenant mix by applying the theory to the problem of filling a vacant store. The paper concludes by explicitly relating the analysis to Brueckner's (1993) model of the optimal allocation of space in shopping centers.

Religious polemic, print culture and pastoral ministry: Thomas Hall B.D. (1610-1665) and the promotion of Presbyterian orthodoxy in the English Revolution

Presbyterianism in the seventeenth century has often been seen as an alien and unpopular Scottish import, and its ministerial proponents as strident polemicists lacking a committed pastoral approach and doomed to failure in their struggle for further godly reformation. This thesis reappraises the development and articulation of orthodoxy and Presbyterianism through the experience of Thomas Hall, pastor and schoolmaster of Kings Norton, Worcestershire, a particularly rigid adherent of these views. It argues that Hall’s beliefs were home-grown responses to English religious and political changes in the 1630s, and explores their development and consolidation during the English Revolution. It also investigates ways he promoted his ideology through his pastoral ministry, his teaching, and his evangelical and polemical writings. Though militant against heresy, Hall’s willingness to engage with popular religious beliefs, to experiment with a variety of media and to present Calvinist ideals in a sympathetic and accessible manner, demonstrate a far more positive and flexible approach than historians have generally acknowledged. Much of the evidence centres on Hall’s unusually large and well-annotated library, and his own publications. This enables a detailed analysis of Hall’s reading practice and activities as a book-collector which were closely integrated with his polemical and religious priorities

African American Masculinity and Its Influence on Hypertension-Related Behaviors

High blood pressure (hypertension) is known to be one of the leading factors that directly contributes to heart disease and stroke, which are the first and third leading causes of disabilities and death in the general U.S. population. The prevalence of high blood pressure among African American men in the United States ranks as one of the highest in the world. Research indicates the roots of this phenomenon are found in physiological, psychosocial, cultural, and socioeconomic factors differentially affecting the African American population. The purpose of this study was to examine the interaction between African American males\u27 masculine perspective and the lifestyle and clinical dictates essential to self-management of hypertension. This qualitative study used social cognitive theory and health service utilization as its theoretical foundation. The research questions that guided the thematic analysis of the qualitative interview data centered on psychosocial/risk factors, sustaining self-management, and common themes gathered from individual interviews with ten African American men ages 40-65 years with a medical diagnosis of hypertension. Responses were transcribed, and data were analysed by using NVivo 10 to identify reoccurring themes. The dominant themes were perceptions of discrimination, lack of trust and miscommunication with providers, and self-care behaviors associated with masculine identity. The results of the study did not necessarily present new findings but support that efforts are needed by professionals to craft innovative approaches to education and support for African American males with chronic diseases. This study influences positive social change by helping health providers grasp a better understanding of how African American males\u27 views of masculinity and race influence hypertension-related behaviors

Quantitative microscopy of the Drosophila ovary shows multiple niche signals specify progenitor cell fate.

Adult stem cells commonly give rise to transit-amplifying progenitors, whose progeny differentiate into distinct cell types. It is unclear if stem cell niche signals coordinate fate decisions within the progenitor pool. Here we use quantitative analysis of Wnt, Hh, and Notch signalling reporters and the cell fate markers Eyes Absent (Eya) and Castor (Cas) to study the effects of hyper-activation and loss of niche signals on progenitor development in the Drosophila ovary. Follicle stem cell (FSC) progeny adopt distinct polar, stalk, and main body cell fates. We show that Wnt signalling transiently inhibits expression of the main body cell fate determinant Eya, and Wnt hyperactivity strongly biases cells towards polar and stalk fates. Hh signalling independently controls the proliferation to differentiation transition. Notch is permissive but not instructive for differentiation of multiple cell types. These findings reveal that multiple niche signals coordinate cell fates and differentiation of progenitor cells

Space-Based Relay Simulations

This report displays field-of-view studies through computer simulation using the Analytical Graphics, Inc., Systems Tool Kit (STK). This task analyzes the potential performance for a variety of circular low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellites and some relative to various user-mission orbits communicating with geosynchronous-Earth-orbit (GEO) satellites. We further investigate relative data volumes taking into account the varying satellite distances with an omnidirectional user antenn

Scale, Scope, and Specialization Effects on Retailers’ Procurement Strategies: Evidence from the Fresh Produce Markets of São Paulo

Worldwide, the emergence of large supermarket chains in food retail markets is often associated with the marginalization of smaller retailers. A notable exception exists in Brazil, however, where small retailers have held their place in the market and recently even gained ground. The literature investigating how retail concentration has affected agrifood chains has focused activities of the largest retail chains, implicitly holding the scale, scope and specialization of retailers’ input needs constant, and overlooking the influence of these factors on retailers’ procurement strategies. This paper tests hypotheses regarding these variables’ effects on retailers’ fresh produce procurement strategies. Data is drawn from a survey of retailers in metropolitan São Paulo. The research results provide insight into factors underlying retailers’ procurement strategy choices and tradeoffs among options. The results support the fundamental hypothesis of the paper that research on the competitive strategies of smaller retailers in a context of market domination by large retailers should not focus exclusively on the degree to which the smaller retailers imitate the larger retailers rather it should account for the possibility that the underlying characteristics of the retailers may make diverse competitive strategies appropriate.scale, scope, specialization, procurement strategy, fresh produce, retail, Political Economy, L22,