Technology in Support of Performance Assessment

Although technology has impacted education in many ways over the past half century, impacts on student assessment are perhaps the least understood. The role of technology in supporting authentic task assessment is an under-studied phenomenon. Given that assessment is a critical skill set for teachers, and since few pre-service teachers at the college level have enough experience with assessment, this research was undertaken to understand how technology-supported micro-lessons and different forms of assessment might impact professional learning. The research questions are as follows: 1. Does the technology supported self, peer, and instructor assessments enhance students\u27 ability to perform assessment tasks? 2. Do students\u27 perceptions of the value of technology supported self, peer and instructor assessments change from pre to post participation in technology supported peer and self -assessment episodes? 3. Is peer- or self-assessment consistent with the instructor\u27s assessment? 4. Are there any statistically significant differences among self, peer and instructor assessment scores? If there are differences, what are they? 5. Does gender impact the self-assessment and perception of the different forms of assessment? 6. Do the micro-lesson tasks and the assessment practices enhance the pre-service teachers\u27 professional learning? From the spring of 2006 to the spring of 2008, 161 junior/senior undergraduates from college education at a Midwest university developed and delivered micro-lessons on educational psychology topics and presented them to their peers. Lessons were evaluated by the peers, the students themselves, and an expert teacher. This project studied peer, self-, and instructor\u27s performance assessments with the support of technology. It also investigated pre­service teachers\u27 perception change of assessments and feedback after taking this project. Student professional learning reflections were also surveyed. We found that about 82.8% of the participants thought that the project helped improving their assessment skills. Over 2/3 of the participants thought that they had developed more effective assessment skills toward their peers\u27 and their own lesson presentations. Paired T-test between the pre- and post- surveys showed a statistically significant increase in the mean scores of the value in grading my own micro-lesson via DVD recording , self assessment is worth the time effort , and my interest in micro-lesson assessment enhanced by my tablet technology . There was a moderate correlation between self- and instructor assessments; there was a high correlation between peer group and instructor assessments. Statistically the scores given by the peer group and instructor were not significantly different, but self assessment scores were significantly lower than assessments by peer group and the instructor. There was no statistically significant difference between male and female students\u27 self-assessments as well as the perception of different forms of assessment. The participants believed that this project had enhanced their professional learning. They hoped to apply what they had learned to other classes and future projects. Ninety-four percent of the participants thought the instructor\u27s feedback was thoughtful and constructive; 40% of them were not satisfied with their peers\u27 feedback

The Effect Of Self-Explanation And Strategy Training On L2 Reading Comprehension Using An Intelligent Tutoring System

While research suggests that secondary language (L2) learners at postsecondary institutions face academic reading challenges, and that reading strategy training can improve primary language (L1) learners\u27 reading comprehension, it remains a challenge to find scalable ways to deliver such training to L2 learners. Intelligent tutoring systems (ITS) have been shown to be nearly as effective as human tutors while reaching potentially unlimited numbers of learners in a variety of subjects, including reading comprehension. However, few studies have explored the effectiveness of such systems for improving L2 learners\u27 reading comprehension. Self-Explanation Reading Training (SERT) is an instructional model that combines self-explanation and five reading strategies (monitoring, paraphrasing, prediction, elaboration, and bridging), and has been shown to be effective. SERT has also been built into a game-based intelligent tutoring system environment called Interactive Strategy Trainer for Active Reading and Thinking ---Motivationally Enhanced (iSTART-ME). Studies have demonstrated the effects of iSTART-ME in improving L1 students\u27 reading comprehension and learning motivation, but little evidence exists for its efficacy for L2 learners. This research tested the reading strategy training effect through iSTART-ME on 34 incoming international L2 students admitted to a large public American higher institution in the Southwest. In addition to pretests, presurveys, posttests, and postsurveys, these students received three hours training within two consecutive days right before their fall semester school courses formally started. The results showed that their self-explanation quality scores, short-answer reading comprehension test scores, and learning motivation scores were significantly improved with a medium effect size. The results also suggested that students with lower self-explanation and comprehension ability benefited the most, although all students benefitted from the training. After the training, the interviewees reported that their learning with iSTART-ME was interesting and successful, expressed a desire to learn more strategies with iSTART-ME in the future, and expected to apply the strategies they learned to other subjects. This study implied that iSTART-ME, with low cost in reaching large numbers of students, effectively taught the incoming international college students reading strategies, and improved their L2 reading comprehension abilities and learning motivations

The Assessment of Attitude and Behavioral Intention of E-Learning Among Art and Design Students of Chengdu Textile College in China

Purpose: With the pandemic outbreak worldwide, electronic learning has been increasing in higher education. It is critical to survey students’ willingness to utilize e-learning. Thus, the purpose of the research is to study the factors significantly impacting on perceived usefulness, attitude, and behavioral intention of e-learning in college education among art and design significant students at Chengdu Textile College (CTC) of Sichuan Province in China. Research design, data, and methodology: A quantitative approach was applied with 500 samples and distributed questionnaires to target art school students at Chengdu Textile College. The sampling methods for data collection involve judgmental, quota and convenience sampling. The Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Model (SEM) were applied in statistical analysis, including model fits, validity and reliability of constructs, and hypothesis testing. Results: The results of the study confirm that the causal relationships among self-efficacy, perceived ease of use, social influence, and performance expectancy on perceived usefulness, attitude, and behavioral intention toward e-learning utilization. Conclusion: This study contributes to educators to put forward suggestions for college education management, curriculum designers, and researchers to get better acquainted with e-learning and make active implementation due to students’ higher perceived usefulness and active attitude and willingness of electronic learning utilization

Behavioral Intention to Use E-learning: A Case Study of Apparel School Students at Chengdu Textile College in China

Purpose: To create a student-centered art teaching model, e-learning is considered a new possibility to enhance the curriculum learning approach. Therefore, this research aimed to study significant factors of school of apparel students’ behavioral intention to utilize e-learning at Chengdu Textile College. The conceptual framework consists perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, attitude, self-efficacy, performance expectancy, social influence and behavioral intention. Research design, data, and methodology: The researcher used a quantitative approach (n=488). Questionnaires were distributed to apparel school students in Chengdu Textile College. The research data was gathered through judgmental, quota and convenience sampling. The following statistical analysis was implemented through the Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Model (SEM), including model fit, validity, and reliability of each construct. Results: Perceived ease of use has a significant effect on perceived usefulness and attitude. Perceived usefulness has a significant effect on attitude and behavioral intention. Furthermore, attitude, self-efficacy, performance expectancy and social influence significantly affect behavioral intention. Conclusion: The research makes recommendations for college education policymakers, college teaching quality supervision, and teacher to encourage the integration of e-learning into the fundamental teaching process and establish a modern digital and intelligent education environment in college education

Sequence Dependent Structural Transition of Short DNA by Tensile Force

Del 25 de novembre de 2013 al 3 de febrer de 201

Effects of salt solutions on DNA Micromechanics under tension

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH

5-{2-(4-Chloro­phen­yl)-1-[2-(4-chloro­phen­yl)-1-(3,4,5-trimeth­oxy­phen­yl)eth­oxy]eth­yl}-1,2,3-trimeth­oxy­benzene

The title compound, C34H36Cl2O7, is a by-product from the reaction of 4-chloro­benzyl­zinc chloride with 3,4,5-trimeth­oxy­benzaldehyde. In each of the two 1,2-diphenyl­ethyl moieties, the two benzene rings are arranged in a trans conformation and make Car—C—C—Car torsion angles of 163.64 (19) and 174.43 (18)°. The crystal structure is stabilized by van der Waals inter­actions only

The diversity and structure of diazotrophic communities in the rhizosphere of coastal saline plants is mainly affected by soil physicochemical factors but not host plant species

The diversity and community structure of rhizospheric microbes are largely affected by soil physicochemical properties and plant species. In this work, high throughput sequencing and quantitative real-time PCR targeting nifH gene were used to assess the abundance and diversity of diazotrophic community in the coastal saline soils of Yellow River Delta (YRD). We demonstrated that the copy number of nifH gene encoding the Fe protein subunit of the nitrogenase in the nitrogen fixation process was significantly affected by soil physiochemical factors, and the abundance of diazotrophs in the rhizospheric soil samples collected from different locations was positively related with soil physicochemical properties. Soil salinity (P=0.003) and moisture (P=0.003) were significantly co-varied with the OTU-based community composition of diazotrophs. Taxonomic analysis showed that most diazotrophs belonged to the Alphaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria and Deltaproteobacteria. Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) effect size (LEfSe) and canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) showed that diazotrophic community structure significantly varied with soil salinity, moisture, pH and total nitrogen, carbon, sulphur and nitrite (NO2–N) content. Our findings provide direct evidence toward the understanding of different effects of soil physicochemical properties and host plant traits such as halophytes types, life span and cotyledon type, on the community composition of diazotrophic populations in the rhizosphere of plants grown in coastal saline soils

Highly Prevalent Multidrug-Resistant Salmonella From Chicken and Pork Meat at Retail Markets in Guangdong, China

This study aimed to investigate the prevalence, serotype distribution, and antibiotic resistance, and to characterize the extended spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) producing Salmonella isolates from chicken and pork meats from retail markets in Guangdong province, China. A total of 903 retail meat samples (475 chicken and 428 pork meats) were obtained from six cities (Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Heyuan, Shaoguan, Foshan, and Yunfu) of Guangdong province between May 2016 and April 2017. High levels of Salmonella contamination were detected in chicken (302/475, 63.6%) and pork (313/428, 73.1%). Thirty-eight serotypes were identified in 615 detected Salmonella, and the serotypes varied greatly between chicken and pork samples. Agona (55/302, 18.2%), Corvallis (45/302, 14.9%), Kentucky (38/302, 12.6%), Mbandaka (32/302, 10.6%) was the dominant serotypes in chicken samples. However, Typhimurium (78/313, 24.9%), Rissen (67/313, 24.1%), Derby (66/313, 21.1%), and London (48, 15.3%) were the most common in pork samples. High rates of antibiotic resistance were found to sulfisoxazole (468/615, 76.1%), tetracycline (463/615, 75.3%), ampicillin (295/615, 48.0%), and ofloxacin (275/615, 44.7%). Notably, antimicrobial susceptibility tests identified resistance to polymyxin B (12/615, 2.0%) and imipenem (3/615, 0.5%). Multidrug-resistance (MDR) was detected in Salmonella isolated from chicken (245/302, 81.1%) and pork (229/313, 73.2%). The resistance rate of different Salmonella serotypes varied widely. Especially, isolates such as Typhimurium, Agona, Corvallis and Kentucky exhibited highly resistance to antibiotics. The MDR rate of Salmonella isolates from chicken was significantly higher than that from pork isolates (P < 0.05). Twenty-one Salmonella isolates were identified as ESBLs-producing, covering six Salmonella serotypes and displaying different pulse field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) genotypes. BlaOXA-1 was the dominant ESBLs gene (9/21, 42.9%), followed by blaCTX-M-55 (5/21, 23.8%). This study indicated that Salmonella was widespread in chicken and pork from retail markets in Guangdong province and the isolates showed high multidrug-resistance, especially the known multidrug-resistant Salmonella serotypes. Therefore, it is important to focus on Salmonella serotypes and strengthen the long-term monitoring of MDR Salmonella serotypes in animal-derived foods