Elements of Early Warning Systems: Identifying Students Who Need Support Early Enough to Change Their Trajectory Towards Graduation

Student success initiatives have been a focus at many institutions of higher education to help with retention rates but identifying the students who need the student success resources most can be challenging. Scholarships increase access to higher education but do not necessarily contribute to student success. Thus, this research project sought to analyze early alert systems used by mid-sized universities in the U.S. Midwest to help similar institutions in developing their own early alert system. Using mixed methods, this study included a qualitative analysis of institution’s policies and procedures for early warning systems and a quantitative analysis of GVSU institutional data about retention and academic performance of students within a scholarship program. Through inductive coding, 12 early alert systems were analyzed to determine that the ideal early alert system is one that provides the most holistic picture of a student. Early alert systems need to use data from learning management systems to provide real-time feedback about a student’s academic performance. However, the systems also need to account for other factors that can hinder academic success, like health emergencies and food and housing insecurity

Effects of Goal Settings on Student Achievement

A capstone submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in the College of Education at Morehead State University by Zachary W. Mayse on April 28, 2016

Avaliação de maturidade no gerenciamento de projetos de um laboratório de projeto de software: aplicação do modelo de maturidade PRADO-MMGP

TCC(graduação) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. Centro Tecnológico. Sistemas de Informação.O presente estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a maturidade em gerenciamento de um laboratório de projeto de software, com o intuito de mesurar o grau de maturidade da instituição, através da aplicação do modelo de maturidade Prado-MMGP e a partir do resultado obtido confrontar com a pesquisa nacional de maturidade de Archbald & Prado, com a finalidade de averiguar se o resultado alcançado pelo laboratório está alinhado à média nacional para a sua área de atuação. A revisão da literatura teve como base os conceitos de gestão de projetos, maturidade em gerenciamentos de projetos e a apresentação dos modelos de avaliação de maturidade: CMMI (Capability Maturity Model Integration), PMMM Project Management Maturity Model), OPM3 (Organizational Project Management Maturity Model) e Prado-MMGP (Modelo de Maturidade em Gerenciamento de Projetos). Para a elaboração deste trabalho o modelo escolhido foi Prado-MMGP. No que diz respeito a metodologia, foi realizada uma pesquisa exploratória e de caráter descritivo, utilizando-se do método quantitativo

How Google Can Help Promote 21st Century Skills

A university as an educational institution has an obligation to prepare students for the future. However, how do you prepare students for a future that is not yet known, let alone develop curricula for technologies that currently do not exist? There appears to be a shift in which both educators and students see a need to focus on skills that will help them to adapt to this rapidly transforming society. These technological and professional skills have been called 21st century skills, and should be seen as an essential part of a studentʼs development. One resource that is accessible to educational institutions is Google. For most students, an integral part of their future lies in possessing the professional skills they need to thrive in the workplace, and the technological skills necessary to participate and succeed in day-to-day interactions. Through interviews and surveys, this qualitative study investigates how Google can assist both teachers and students in developing these 21st century skills. This paper argues that Google is one of the most efficient resources available and that its products offer a variety of ways to promote the skills that students need to succeed in academia and in the professional arena

TURNING BACK THE CLOCK: CGP55845 REVERSES MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT IN FISCHER 344 RATS

Turning Back the Clock: CGP55845 Reverses Mild Cognitive Impairment in Fischer 344 Rats. (April 2009) Jeffrey Daniel Mayse Department of Psychology Texas A&M University Research Advisor: Dr. Barry Setlow Department of Psychology Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a rapidly growing problem, especially in light of the vast increase in the population of the elderly. MCI is characterized by a lack of frank neural loss, unlike Alzheimer’s disease, yet the patient has behavioral impairments in memory, olfactory functioning, and information processing abilities. This study examines the efficacy of CGP55845, a GABAB receptor antagonist, at reversing the effects of odor discrimination deficits in male aged (n = 8 impaired, n = 10 unimpaired) and young (n = 10) F344 rats. Animals were given CGP55845 40 minutes prior to testing in the odor discrimination task. This task is particularly useful for pharmacological studies, since it allows for a within subjects design. Although only a subset of aged rats were impaired on saline trials (trials-to-criterion with saline: aged-impaired, 8.4833; aged-unimpaired, 18.023; control young, 10.15 SD 3.22), those aged-impaired rats showed significant improvement in the task when injected with the drug compared to saline. Performance deficits were not due to inability to detect odors. This study illustrates that CGP55845 is effective at treating age-related cognitive deficits and supports the hypothesis that the GABAergic system is involved in age-related changes in learning and memory

A Comparison of ECS and Drug Induced State-Dependent Learning

The purpose of the present experiment is twofold: (a) to determine if FS and ECS or just ECS can be used as an agent to produce dissociated learning in a multi-trial procedure, and (b) if shown, to determine the effectiveness of these agents relative to three different dosages of sodium pentobarbital preselected to produce no, moderate, and complete dissociation

ERICA: Associação de atividade física com asma em adolescentes brasileiros

OBJETIVO: Analisar a associação da atividade física (AF) com asma em adolescentes brasileiros. MÉTODOS: Foram avaliados adolescentes de 12 a 17, anos de municípios com mais de 100 mil habitantes que participaram do Estudo de Riscos Cardiovasculares em Adolescentes (Erica) em 2013-2014. A amostra foi estratificada e conglomerada e tem representatividade nacional, regional e por capitais. Foram classificados como tendo asma não severa, os adolescentes que referiram pelo menos uma crise de sibilos nos últimos 12 meses (questionário autopreenchível). Foram classificados como tendo asma severa aqueles que tiveram quatro ou mais crises de sibilos no último ano. AF foi avaliada por uma lista de atividades físicas, frequência semanal e duração por dia(horas e minutos) na última semana. As modalidades foram agrupadas em três categorias: “atividades coletivas”; “individuais” e “aquáticas”. Foram considerados ativos os adolescentes que praticaram pelo menos 300 min./semana de AF na última semana. Foram calculadas as prevalências de asma e respectivos intervalos de confiança de 95% (IC95%) para características sociodemográficas, estado nutricional, tabagismo ativo e passivo. RESULTADOS: Dos 74.589 escolares avaliados, foram analisados 66.605 adolescentes (90,5%) com informações válidas sobre a exposição e desfecho de interesse. A prevalência de asma não severa na população foi de 12,1%(IC95% 11,8-12,8) e de asma severa 2,4% (IC95% 2,4-2,1). Sendo maior nas meninas do que nos meninos. A prevalência de inatividade física em quem tem asma não severa é 11,3% (IC95% 9,8-12,8) e em quem tem asma severa 2,4% (IC95% 1,9-2,8). As meninas são mais inativas do que os meninos, 59,8% e 36,5% respectivamente. Entretanto, as meninas com asma severa são mais ativas do que as com asma não severa enquanto no grupo dos meninos acontece o oposto, aqueles que tem asma severa tendem a ter maior inatividade física. Em relação ao grupo dos adolescentes inativos, não houve interação de asma não severa e asma severa com qualquer atividade de categoria individual. A prevalência de ambas categorias de asma foi menor nos adolescentes ativos que praticavam atividades físicas coletivas do que nos inativos. Principalmente entre os meninos. Adolescentes ativos que praticavam atividades aquáticas tiveram maior prevalência de asma severa do que os inativos. CONCLUSÕES: A prevalência de asma e de inatividade física em adolescentes brasileiros é alta. Em se tratando de estudo seccional não é possível descartar a causalidade reversa como explicação dos resultados observados. Apenas estudos longitudinais e ensaios clínicos randomizados possibilitarão uma avaliação adequada da direção causa-efeito dessa associação. A discussão e elaboração de programas preventivos e de políticas de saúde voltadas para educação em saúde de indivíduos portadores da asma devem focar no combate ao tabagismo, no controle do peso corporal e no estímulo à prática de qualquer modalidade de atividade física de pelo menos 300 min. semanais

Book Review - Handbook of Research on K-12 Online and Blended Learning

The Handbook of Research on K-12 Online and Blended Learning, which is edited by Richard E. Ferdig and Kathryn Kennedy, is designed to be a collection of what is currently known about research in the field of K-12 online and blended learning and to serve as a resource for researchers, practitioners, and policy makers. Richard Ferdig is an accomplished researcher and current professor of Learning and Instructional Technologies at Kent State University. His research, teaching, and service work focus on combining cutting-edge technologies with current pedagogic theory to create innovative learning environments, such as educational games and simulations. Ferdig is also the editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Gaming and Computer Mediated Simulations and the associate editor-in-chief of the Journal of Technology and Teacher Education. He currently serves as a consulting editor for the development editorial board of Educational Technology Research and Development and on the review panel of the British Journal of Educational Technology. Kathryn Kennedy is an award-winning teacher, researcher, and professor in the area of curriculum and instruction with a focus on educational technology. Kennedy is a senior researcher at the Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute (MVLRI)–an organization with the goals of supporting new learning models, engaging in active research to inform new policies in online and blended learning, and strengthening the infrastructure for sharing best practices. She was awarded the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) Online Learning Innovator Award for Outstanding Research in 2010 and 2012. The intended audience of this book includes anyone working, researching, teaching, or interested in learning more about K-12 online and blended learning. The editors’ purpose was to create a publicly available, free online resource to begin to synthesize the various strands of research in K-12 online and blended learning into one comprehensive catalogue. The editors’ thesis is that this resource will strengthen further research in the K-12 online and blended learning field by clarifying what is currently known and what is currently unknown; provide empirical resources for researchers, educators, administrators, and policy officials; and begin a process of annually reexamining research in the field