Assessment of student learning in a business internship

Internships, like other forms of cooperative education, involve students undertaking work as an integrated component of their tertiary education programme. It is only relatively recently that research has been undertaken to consider what it is that students actually learn when undertaking such work. This is because workplace learning is complex, informal, and subject to the contextual influences of the particular workplace. Such complexities are heightened in some disciplines, like business, where the work occurs in diverse workplace settings, with the work requirements being unique to each student. Not surprisingly, there is even less research that may assist practitioners to find ways of assessing such learning. Most forms of summative assessment are based on adherence to the principles of criterion-referencing, which require using the same criteria and set of standards for all students. But when the learning takes place away from the formal, structured environment of an educational setting, underpinned by a fixed and 'known' curriculum, adoption of such principles is problematic, and can create the conditions for assessment to be inherently unfair (and therefore invalid). This is because they can fail to take account of the individual and variable nature of the work, the contextual influences involved, and the conscious and unconscious biases of the assessors. So how does one assess student performance and learning in cooperative education? This thesis sets out to address this question in relation to a business internship that is part of an undergraduate degree programme in a large New Zealand polytechnic. A multi-theoretical approach was taken to the study, which provided valuable frames of reference for viewing assessment of learning. By adopting an interpretive methodology, primarily driven through participatory action research, the contextual complexities involved were able to be incorporated into the research design. Through engagement with the practitioner, a self-assessed, evidence-based portfolio model of assessment was created. A key feature of the model is that the 'truth' of students' performance emerges through consensus, based on an informed understanding of the subjective elements and contextual influences present. An important contribution is the on-going dialogue that occurs, throughout the work placement, between the stakeholders (employers, students and academics). The study has found that the assessment model developed was able to address the complexities involved. The stakeholders supported and valued the portfolio assessment model, and it was apparent that the formative aspects of the portfolio contributed positively to its summative outcome, without seemingly compromising the nature of either. The portfolio also had a high 'backwash' effect on learning, contributing to its consequential validity. Such learning included students' increased awareness of the important competencies required in the workplace and how such competencies contribute to effective performance. In addition, the self-assessed nature of the model contributed to students' development as lifelong assessors of their own learning; preparing them to become self-regulating professionals. Finally, it was apparent that informal, emergent learning, derived from the sociocultural influences present, was an important feature of students' workplace experiences

Ranking workplace competencies: Student and graduate perceptions

Students and graduates from a variety of business studies programs at a New Zealand tertiary institution completed a questionnaire in which they ranked the relative importance of a list of 24 competencies for graduates entering the workforce using a 7-point Likert scale. These competencies were identified from literature reports of the characteristics of superior performers in the workplace. The results show a close similarity between students and graduates’ ranking of competencies with computer literacy, customer service orientation, teamwork and co-operation, self-confidence, and willingness to learn ranked most important. There was little difference between the two groups in their rankings of cognitive or ‘hard’ skills and behavioral or ‘soft’ skills. However, the graduates placed greater importance on most of the competencies, resulting in a statistically significant difference between the graduates and students’ ranking of both hard and soft skills. The findings from this study suggest that cooperative education programs may help develop business students’ awareness of the importance of graduate competencies in the workplace

Economic impact of the Florida cultured hard clam industry

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Intrafamilial Phenotypic Variability in the C9orf72 Gene Expansion: 2 Case Studies

The C9orf72 genetic mutation is the most common cause of familial frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and motor neuron disease (MND). Previous family studies suggest that while some common clinical features may distinguish gene carriers from sporadic patients, the clinical features, age of onset and disease progression vary considerably in affected patients. Whilst disease presentations may vary across families, age at disease onset appears to be relatively uniform within each family. Here, we report two individuals with a C9orf72 repeat expansion from two generations of the same family with markedly different age at disease onset, clinical presentation and disease progression: one who developed motor neuron and behavioural symptoms in their mid 40s and died 3 years later with confirmed TDP-43 pathology and MND; and a second who developed cognitive and mild behavioural symptoms in their mid 70s and 8 years later remains alive with only slow deterioration. This report highlights the phenotypic variability, including age of onset, within a family with the C9orf72 repeat expansion

Effects of Voice Pitch on Social Perceptions Vary With Relational Mobility and Homicide Rate

Fundamental frequency ( fo) is the most perceptually salient vocal acoustic parameter, yet little is known about how its perceptual influence varies across societies. We examined how fo affects key social perceptions and how socioecological variables modulate these effects in 2,647 adult listeners sampled from 44 locations across 22 nations. Low male fo increased men’s perceptions of formidability and prestige, especially in societies with higher homicide rates and greater relational mobility in which male intrasexual competition may be more intense and rapid identification of high-status competitors may be exigent. High female fo increased women’s perceptions of flirtatiousness where relational mobility was lower and threats to mating relationships may be greater. These results indicate that the influence of fo on social perceptions depends on socioecological variables, including those related to competition for status and mates

Cognitive and behavioral symptoms in ALSFTD: detection, differentiation, and progression

Brief screening tools that detect and differentiate patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia (ALSFTD) from those more subtle cognitive or behavioral symptoms (ALS plus) and motor symptoms only (ALS pure) is pertinent in a clinical setting. The utility of 2 validated and data-driven tests (Mini-Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination [M-ACE] and Motor Neuron Disease Behavioral Scale [MiND-B]) was investigated in 70 ALS patients (24 ALSFTD, 19 ALS plus, and 27 ALS pure). More than 90% of patients with ALSFTD scored at or below the cutoff on the M-ACE, whereas this was seen in only about 20% of ALS patients without dementia. The MiND-B differentiated between ALS pure and ALS plus diagnostic categories. Rasch modeling of M-ACE and MiND-B items revealed early cognitive (fluency, memory recall) and behavioral (apathy) symptoms in ALSFTD. The combined use of the M-ACE and MiND-B detects patients with ALSFTD, differentiates along the ALS continuum, and offers insight into the progression of nonmotor symptomatology in ALSFTD