Examination of the inter-rater agreement among faculty marking a research proposal on an undergraduate health course

Copyright @ 2009 The Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice.Purpose: This research looked at inter-rater agreement among faculty marking a research proposal on an undergraduate health course. The purpose of this study was to investigate if there were significant differences between marks as well as the comments given on research proposals that were double marked by two faculty members, where faculty were blind to the other marker’s marks and comments. Subjects: The subjects for this study consisted of 80 final year health students who submitted a research proposal and 13 full-time and 10 part-time faculty members who double marked the proposals. Methods: Faculty pairs marked the proposals independently and were required to meet with each other and discuss the marks given, reasons for the mark and the comments. Markers were asked to come to an agreement about the mark and the comments. Analyses: Agreement in marks was assessed using a Bland-Altman plot. Weighted Cohen's Kappa was used to estimate the agreement between the classifications given by markers. Comments were analyzed for differences using thematic analysis. Results: There was a wide discrepancy in the classification of students between markers. The weighted proportions found to agree on classification was 46%. Analysis of the comments indicated a wide discrepancy between markers. Conclusion: The outcomes of this study are similar to previous studies that have looked at inter-rater agreement when double marking was used to mark various types of written assignments. Further exploration of the inter-rater agreement in the marking process and other marking processes that results in a transparent system is needed

Knowledge-based assistance in costing the space station DMS

The Software Cost Engineering (SCE) methodology developed over the last two decades at IBM Systems Integration Division (SID) in Houston is utilized to cost the NASA Space Station Data Management System (DMS). An ongoing project to capture this methodology, which is built on a foundation of experiences and lessons learned, has resulted in the development of an internal-use-only, PC-based prototype that integrates algorithmic tools with knowledge-based decision support assistants. This prototype Software Cost Engineering Automation Tool (SCEAT) is being employed to assist in the DMS costing exercises. At the same time, DMS costing serves as a forcing function and provides a platform for the continuing, iterative development, calibration, and validation and verification of SCEAT. The data that forms the cost engineering database is derived from more than 15 years of development of NASA Space Shuttle software, ranging from low criticality, low complexity support tools to highly complex and highly critical onboard software

Divided by a common purpose: why do activists in Central and Eastern Europe rarely collaborate with those in the West?

Major protests have occurred in several countries in Central and Eastern Europe in the last few years. Yet as Julia Rone explains, there has been a remarkable lack of coordination between activists in the region and their counterparts in Western Europe

Fall Prevention Algorithm and Programs for Wyoming Medical Center

Falls are the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries for people over the age of 65 (Center of Disease Control and Prevention, 2008). Literature indicates that 30-40% of falls are preventable (Sjosten, Vaapia, & Kivela, 2008). The population for this scholarly project is people over the age of 65 who are admitted into Wyoming Medical Center (WMC). WMC is a 180 bed acute care hospital that services the medical needs of the residents of Casper, Wyoming and the surrounding area. Like many acute care hospitals around the country, WMC has a problem with the number of fall occurrences. This fall prevention algorithm and program is going to address this issue. The goal of this scholarly project is to have a significant reduction in the number of falls that occur. A comprehensive literature review was conducted to explore fall prevention risk factors for the older adult and how to implement effective strategies to reduce the number of falls occurring. Topics researched included: 1. Patient risk factors for the possibility of a fall 2. Consequences of a fall 3. Fall prevention strategies Also, the literature review focused on the best practice strategies to reduce falls for the older adult. The literature available on fall prevention for the older adult is enormous and the information was gleaned to best meet the needs of the patients of WMC. Based upon the literature review, the fall prevention algorithm was developed as a tool to assist health care providers at WMC to determine each individual patient\u27s risk factors and the best fall prevention strategies. First, the fall prevention algorithm provides the health care providers a user friendly tool to guide them through the process. Second, the health care providers will attend an education session on how the process is to be completed to best serve the needs of their patients. Lastly, the tool includes easy to access screening forms to administer a successful fall prevention program. This author\u27s expectation is with the implementation of the fall prevention algorithm and program that WMC will have a substantial impact in the reduction of falls for the older population that is admitted into the hospital. This program can be assessed quarterly with the quarterly fall occurrence reports to determine the effectiveness

Something Fishy: Cultivating Children’s Sense of Place Through Literature

Environmental Education (EE) has become increasingly important in Australian public and governmental discourse in the past decade. In its most recent national environmental education statement (2005: 7) the Department of Environment and Heritage lays out a new model of sustainability education that is “about,” “in,” and “for” the environment. This governmental framework includes variety of programs for school children in and out of the classroom. Within the realm of EE, sense of place has re-emerged as an important issue. The study of place fosters a sense of wonder and appreciation for the environment in children and leads to concrete, transformative action later in life (Wilson 1997). Among the range of techniques used to teach environmental education issues, storytelling can be powerful because it allows people to share ideas and helps students make meaning out of their surroundings. Given the importance of environmental education and, more importantly, sense of place in education, as well as the usefulness of literature to teach environmental topics, the goal of this project is to create a storybook about sense of place for children ages six to eight. The book will not only entertain children but inspire them to connect with and think about their own community as well. Four methods were used to collect the information necessary to write the children’s book: analysis of theoretical writings on sense of place, qualitative content analysis, participant observation of environmental education centers’ (EECs) programs and research on how to write a children’s book. The last week of data collection was spent creating, writing and developing a layout for the final book. Content analysis and participant observation reveal the issues discussed most frequently with primary school children as: Australian native species, life cycles, invasive species, conservation, Aboriginal use of the land, change and growth, respect for culture and wonder and discovery of nature. The most common techniques used by educators and authors to convey environmental issues are repetition, metaphor, descriptive language, facts, unusual names/words, suspense and the use of all the senses. Furthermore, research on sense of place reveals that it involves the relationship between a person and their beliefs and actions and the built and natural environment around them. The final product, “Something Fishy” uses characters and techniques similar to those found in the books reviewed for the content analysis. However, the setting and approach to sense of place are somewhat different, with “Something Fishy” emphasizing community and relationships rather than the natural environment

Beyond Brexit? Public Participation in Decision-Making on Campaign Data During and After Referendum Campaigns

While the Brexit referendum campaign has been extensively researched, media, regulatory bodies, and academics have often talked at cross-purposes. A strong focus on Cambridge Analytica’s role in the 2016 referendum, despite official investigations concluding the company had only limited involvement in the campaign, has distracted attention from more mundane but highly controversial data practices, including selling voters’ data to third parties or re-using campaign data without consent from data subjects. This empirical case study of data-driven referendum campaigning around Brexit raises two broader theoretical questions: First, moving beyond the current focus on transparency and accountability, can public participation in the ownership and management of campaign data address some of the problematic data practices outlined? Second, most academic literature on data-driven campaigning, in general, and referendum campaigns, in particular, has often overlooked the key question of what happens with campaigning data once campaigns are over. What legal safeguards or mechanisms of accountability and participation are there to guarantee consent when it comes to further re-use of people’s data gathered during campaigns? Ultimately, the article raises the question of who should have a say in how “people’s data” is used in referendum campaigns and afterwards and makes a case for democratising such decisions

Voting despite the state: how Bulgarians living abroad are making their voices heard

Coalition negotiations following the Bulgarian parliamentary election in April have failed to produce a government. With the country now set to hold a new vote later in the year, Julia Rone reflects on how Bulgarians living abroad have sought to make their voices heard

How sovereignty claims were instrumentalised in pro- and anti-Brexit mobilisations

Julia Rone discusses how both Leavers and Remainers appealed to popular and parliamentary sovereignty at different points in time, pragmatically adapting their framing according to changing circumstances but also as a result of a dynamic series of interactions with each other