A Multi-Institution Investigation Of Educational Practices And Strategies In Stem Courses

This study examines the teaching practices of faculty participating in the Automated Analysis of Constructed Response (AACR) project. The AACR project focuses on using short-answer assessment questions to elicit the mixed models students have about key concepts in STEM courses. The 19 faculty from six different institutions who participated in this project are all teaching biology courses, asking biology AACR questions, and participating in Faculty Learning Communities (FLCs). FLCs are a method of faculty professional development in which groups of faculty regularly meet to discuss issues of teaching and learning. Here I use a combination of classroom observation data and surveys where faculty self-report on teaching practices to answer three research questions: 1) What instructional practices are currently being used by the AACR FLC faculty? 2) What instructional practices do AACR FLC faculty think that they are using in their courses? and 3) How closely do AACR FLC faculty’s perceptions of their teaching align with their measured teaching practices? Results from the classroom observations show that instructors participating in FLCs utilize a variety of teaching practices ranging from lecture to collaborative learning. Survey data show that faculty self-awareness of their own teaching practices varies depending on the types of questions asked. Taken together, these data establish a baseline from which to monitor changes in teaching practices and self-perceptions of teaching practices of the FLC faculty as a result of their participation in the AACR project

Monoamine Oxidase as a Target Enzyme in Pineal and Testicular Tissue: Adrenal Cortical Steroids and Arginine Vasotocin

The purpose of the research was twofold: (a) To ascertain what effects the adrenal glucocorticoids and catecholamines have on pineal N-acetyltransferase and monoamine oxidase activity, and (b) to observe what effect arginine vasotocin (a pineal polypeptide) has on testicular monoamine oxidase activity. Rat pineal N-acetyltransferase activity was numerically increased when rats were injected with cortisol. It was increased significantly when the animals were injected with cortisol plus norepinephrine. Adrenal demedullation significantly increased N-acetyltransferase activity in starved rats when compared with intact control animals. Moreover, bovine pineal monoamine oxidase activity was markedly inhibited in a dose-dependent manner when incubated in vitro with cortisol. The results strongly implicate the adrenal gland as one factor controlling melatonin synthesis by the pineal gland, especially with food deprivation. Arginine vasotocin, a polypeptide consisting of eight amino acids, was incubated with rat, hamster and rabbit testicular monoamine oxidase. The polypeptide significantly inhibited rat and hamster enzyme preparations, but had no effect on the rabbit population. These data suggest that the pineal may act peripherally to decrease reproductive function partially through a serotonergic mechanism involving the enzyme monoamine oxidase

A Broader View of Perceived Risk during Internet Transactions

Ubiquitous networking facilitates Internet access across multiple network environments, whose value is tied directly to user perceptions of its ability to securely execute transactions. Prior research has cited awareness, trust, and risk as critical determinants of adoption but has failed to examine these factors as they relate to infrastructure and its provider. Because information in transit is at risk from a network environment’s vulnerabilities, we focus on the implications of such risk on Internet activities. We examine the multiple parties that must be trusted to complete and facilitate an online transaction. We propose that the user must trust not only the information recipient to act benevolently but also the technologies and organizations that facilitate the online exchange