Same but different, but is it fair? An analysis of the use of variants of interactive computer-marked questions

Different variants of interactive computer-marked questions are used to reduce opportunities for plagiarism, and tools have been developed to indicate when variants are of significantly different difficulty. The tools include the facility index for each variant, a plot of the different scoring patterns for the variants and a probability that any difference could have occurred by chance The paper includes an example of the tools in use and identifies factors that have been found to lead to variants of different difficulty. An investigation into the impact on students’ overall scores is then described, with the conclusion that, for most modules, the effect is very small (typically ±0.5%). Factors leading to a larger effect include: a larger number of individual questions with significantly different variant difficulty; a smaller number of interactive computer-marked questions; and a higher weighting of the e-assessment component. Monitoring the behaviour of variants can lead to improvements in the quality of individual questions, better assessment design and enhanced insight into students’ misunderstandings

Embracing entrepreneurship: occupational therapy's introduction to design-thinking for innovation

Occupational therapy graduate programs are not successfully equipping students to be innovative leaders or take advantage of entrepreneurial opportunities in the changing healthcare landscape. Within the evidence literature, very few studies document the inclusion of innovative entrepreneurial concepts in occupational therapy education or examples of entrepreneurial success in practice. The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) Blueprint for Entry-Level Education states that “business fundamentals” and “entrepreneurial skills” are required in entry-level graduate programs. However, a review of the top 10 occupational therapy programs’ curriculum revealed only half the of these programs were including these concepts, majority of which focused on business plan creation. Furthermore, very few continuing education (CE) opportunities for the occupational therapy practitioner exist on entrepreneurship. The majority of current coursework focuses on private practice ownership and does not expose occupational therapy practitioners to other entrepreneurial methods or prepare them for a non-linear path towards entrepreneurship. Recent evidence within the literature suggests traditional pedagogical approaches and a focus on business plan creation in entrepreneurship education are not effective. Rather an increased emphasis should be put on opportunity recognition, creative thinking, and interdisciplinary collaboration to link entrepreneurial learning with personal development. The proposed program, Embracing Entrepreneurship: Occupational therapy’s introduction to design-thinking for innovation, is an evidence-based CE course that teaches occupational therapy entrepreneurs to research and build innovative solutions to problems they are passionate about solving. This doctoral project (1) investigates evidence and best practices in entrepreneurship education for health professionals, (2) proposes a teaching model for OT entrepreneurship education that draws parallels between the occupational therapy and design-thinking processes, and (3) proposes delivery of course content informed by adult learning theory. This project recognizes that not every practitioner may desire to be an entrepreneur but opportunity to build entrepreneurial awareness is critical for the advancement of the profession. Therefore, Embracing Entrepreneurship offers an open-source mini-course that provides an introduction to entrepreneurial idea generation for OT practitioners. The full-length Embracing Entrepreneurship CE course guides participants through application of the design-thinking process through multimedia content, weekly assignments, and virtual discussions. The self-guided modules are designed to be completed at the learner’s own pace and allows them to develop a unique entrepreneurial venture addressing a need they find personally meaningful. By surveying course takers of both the mini and full-length courses, the program will gain insights into practitioners’ interests, motivations, and potential barriers to pursuing entrepreneurship. Embracing Entrepreneurship will equip OT practitioners to be innovative, creative, collaborative problem-solvers capable of solving some of the populations’ most complex health challenges

Local labour market diversity and business innovation: evidence from Irish manufacturing businesses

This paper estimates the effect of diversity within local labour markets on business-level innovation. Using survey data and Irish census data, the paper explores whether the diversity of human capital at county level is associated with higher innovation output. Diversity in age, nationality and educational attainment is measured using an index of heterogeneity and its effect on business innovation is estimated using an innovation production function approach. It is found that diversity in nationality and educational attainment is positively associated with the probability of a business product innovating. The findings also suggest that greater external labour market diversity and greater levels of internal third-level education may be substitutes. Where a business is in a diverse location, it may not require higher levels of educational attainment among its workforce to source knowledge for product innovation

The Role of Art Education in the K-12 Curriculum in West Virginia A Comparative Case Study Using Ethnographic Methods

The visual arts are considered a core subject in the United States public school curriculum. However, the way in which visual arts curriculum is implemented in schools is largely left up to the individual states. This study focused on how art educators\u27 design, direct, find support, and operate visual arts programs in the K-12 public school system in West Virginia. Ethnographic research methods were implemented for this study

Produits du terroir: Similarities and Differences Between France, Québec and Vermont

Terroir is a word that carries powerful cultural and sensory associations in France. Although roughly translated a “taste of place,” terroir is more difficult to translate as a cultural concept. Terroir in France represents sensory qualities of food that capture a dynamic engagement between people, place and taste. This engagement can be seen in the decisions made by individual food producers to craft a product characteristic of their region. In France this engagement also extends to a conversation between those producing food and the regulators and researchers charged with monitoring and promoting specific products understood to have an exceptional relationship to place. This cooperation between multiple partners helps maintain an authentic sense of terroir within the modern, global food system. In both Québec and Vermont the provincial or state governments have developed a keen interest in the European investment in Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and Geographic Indications (GI). To what extent could Vermont and Québec lead the way in developing and protecting the first New World produits du terroir with designations parallel to those found in Europe? This essay compares the different levels of engagement between product, practice and place found in France, Québec and Vermont

Inequalities in Girls’ Learning Opportunities Via EdTech: Addressing the Challenge of Covid-19

The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic prompted school closures, which affected nearly 1.5 billion learners globally. Girls are likely to have experienced learning losses during the pandemic to a greater extent, as there are multiple barriers that influence gender disparities in accessing and benefiting from EdTech, including social inequalities or norms and technological constraints. Equity needs to be foregrounded when EdTech interventions are implemented, by considering disparities emerging from digital access, freedom, literacy, pedagogies, and design: Digital access: Potential gender disparities in digital access, including at home, should be considered when EdTech interventions are designed. Digital freedom: Social norms, as well as online discrimination, or violence can influence the extent to which girls are allowed to use EdTech — acknowledging these system-level factors is important to implement equitable EdTech. Digital literacy: Girls are often more likely to have lower levels of digital literacy than their male counterparts — tackling these inequalities and disparities is needed to enable girls and boys to equally make use of EdTech. Digital pedagogies: Issues related to promoting gender bias, discrimination, and misrepresentation can emerge in teaching practices — facilitating professional development opportunities for teachers could be used to make digital pedagogies more inclusive. Digital design: Disparities in learning outcomes can emerge when contextual factors, social inequalities and norms are not factored into the design of EdTech interventions — participatory approaches could be used to align EdTech interventions with local and contextualised needs

A new model of sperm nuclear architecture following assessment of the organization of centromeres and telomeres in three-dimensions

The organization of chromosomes in sperm nuclei has been proposed to possess a unique “hairpin-loop” arrangement, which is hypothesized to aid in the ordered exodus of the paternal genome following fertilization. This study simultaneously assessed the 3D and 2D radial and longitudinal organization of telomeres, centromeres, and investigated whether chromosomes formed the same centromere clusters in sperm cells. Reproducible radial and longitudinal non-random organization was observed for all investigated loci using both 3D and 2D approaches in multiple subjects. We report novel findings, with telomeres and centromeres being localized throughout the nucleus but demonstrating roughly a 1:1 distribution in the nuclear periphery and the intermediate regions with \u3c15% occupying the nuclear interior. Telomeres and centromeres were observed to aggregate in sperm nuclei, forming an average of 20 and 7 clusters, respectively. Reproducible longitudinal organization demonstrated preferential localization of telomeres and centromeres in the mid region of the sperm cell. Preliminary evidence is also provided to support the hypothesis that specific chromosomes preferentially form the same centromere clusters. The more segmental distribution of telomeres and centromeres as described in this study could more readily accommodate and facilitate the sequential exodus of paternal chromosomes following fertilization

Heterogeneous Effects Of The Aca Medicaid Expansion On Hospital Financial Outcomes

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/153165/1/coep12428_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/153165/2/coep12428.pd