Immersive wilderness experiences: an exploration of women's narratives

The purpose of this qualitative study was to invite fifteen women to explore memories of their immersive wilderness experiences. Based on this writer's own wilderness experience, the central question was whether participants would be drawn to partake in an immersive wilderness experience because of a recognition of its inherent benefits. Fifteen women were interviewed using a semi-structured interview format, guided by a set of eleven questions, their definition of wilderness, the role the wilderness played in their experience, any therapeutic or health related benefits, the impact of these benefits and whether there were any distinctive aspects of participating in a woman-only immersive wilderness experience. Interestingly, major themes emerged which related more so to the activity, than the synergy between human and the wild elements. Major themes included activities, women only wilderness experiences and the qualities of wilderness as a setting, which included elements of escape and an altered state of being.Master of Social Work (MSW

Engaging Student Stakeholders in Developing a Learning Outcomes Assessment Framework

Learning outcomes assessment and alignment contribute to the transparency, quality, and progression of a program. We set forth a learning outcomes framework that aligns learning outcomes at the course, major, program, and university levels. Senior undergraduate students were recruited to analyze assessments from eight core courses required for Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB) majors at the University of Guelph. This analysis was conducted to achieve two goals: (a) to develop tools to assess learning outcomes in the MCB Department, and (b) to incorporate insights shared by the student perspective. Almost 1,600 Individual questions and their attributes were coded, compiled, and linked into the learning outcomes framework. The students then connected the questions to course concepts and assigned a cognitive domain indicated by Bloom’s Taxonomy level. After training and calibration, two undergraduate students evaluated all questions in the eight core courses with an average of 93.2% ± 1.6% (n=8) agreement between evaluators. These data were used to generate assessment profiles for individual courses and as an aggregate to provide insights regarding the program. This work makes constructive use the learning outcomes framework and illustrates the importance of leveraging undergraduate student perspectives in discussions of learning outcomes in higher education

3D Printing of Cellulose Nanocrystal-Loaded Hydrogels through Rapid Fixation by Photopolymerization

New ink compositions for direct ink writing (DIW) printing of hydrogels, combining superior rheological properties of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and a water-compatible photoinitiator, are presented. Rapid fixation was achieved by photopolymerization induced immediately after the printing of each layer by 365 nm light for 5 s, which overcame the common height limitation in DIW printing of hydrogels, and enabled the fabrication of objects with a high aspect ratio. CNCs imparted a unique rheological behavior, which was expressed by orders of magnitude difference in viscosity between low and high shear rates and in rapid high shear recovery, without compromising ink printability. Compared to the literature, the presented printing compositions enable the use of low photoinitiator concentrations at a very short build time, 6.25 s/mm, and are also curable by 405 nm light, which is favorable for maintaining viability in bioinks

Allylic ionic liquid electrolyte-assisted electrochemical surface passivation of LiCoO2 for advanced, safe lithium-ion batteries

Room-temperature ionic liquid (RTIL) electrolytes have attracted much attention for use in advanced, safe lithium-ion batteries (LIB) owing to their nonvolatility, high conductivity, and great thermal stability. However, LIBs containing RTIL-electrolytes exhibit poor cyclability because electrochemical side reactions cause problematic surface failures of the cathode. Here, we demonstrate that a thin, homogeneous surface film, which is electrochemically generated on LiCoO2 from an RTIL-electrolyte containing an unsaturated substituent on the cation (1-allyl-1-methylpiperidinium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide, AMPip-TFSI), can avert undesired side reactions. The derived surface film comprised of a high amount of organic species from the RTIL cations homogenously covered LiCoO2 with a ,25 nm layer and helped suppress unfavorable thermal reactions as well as electrochemical side reactions. The superior performance of the cell containing the AMPip-TFSI electrolyte was further elucidated by surface, electrochemical, and thermal analyses.open1

Intention and Perception: Designing questions for online assessments.

During the session participants will be guided through a process to develop and evaluate assessment components that target higher order cognitive skills. Building on this base, participants will engage in a process of creating new questions that align with the learning outcomes (LO) for a course. As a group, we will discuss online quizzes and how we can embrace their unique characteristics while designing questions. Itinerary: I. Relationship between LO and assessment and its significance Activity 1: Recognizing misalignment. II. Question alignment Progress from creation to reflection to revision III. The online perspective Discussion: Characteristics of an online quiz Transitioning current assessments to the online setting Embracing these traits in question design Activity 2: Create a question that aligns with a given CLO, reflect and revise. Discuss

Aligning Assessments as a Process in Program Evaluation

Assessment and learning outcome alignment contributes to the transparency, quality and progression of a program. In this presentation, we will share a process used to evaluate the alignment of assessments with both course content and the learning outcomes framework. This framework links learning outcomes at each level of the institution, from individual courses to majors, programs, and the university. We can use this framework in online settings to collect data at each learning outcome level. The pilot project at the University of Guelph will show how this data analysis can guide discussions about the improvement of program curriculum by exposing misalignments