TBLT: Authentic Tasks Designed For Second-Language Learners

Thesis proposal structure: My thesis, which will be an alternative style thesis, will be organized as follows: I will define what TBLT is in my own words and how scholars define this term 2.) I will review research other scholars have done on TBLT 3.) .) I will describe the class I intend to teach, including the texts assigned, writing projects, and supporting TBLT tasks

Microteaching in Pakistan: Perspectives of Novice Higher Education Faculty about the Contribution of Microteaching to their Learning and Practice

This mixed-methods research documents the self-reports of novice higher education faculty of Pakistan about the contribution of the microteaching module of Master Trainer Faculty Professional Development Program (MT-FPDP) as well as the factors that either supported or hindered faculty in using their new knowledge and skills. My literature review on microteaching, which until recently had been a neglected field for two decades, includes higher education development needs as ‘adults-teaching-adults,’ microteaching as a response to novice teaching issues, and a contextual analysis of the model in different settings. I analyze and interpret the findings using a conceptual framework that synthesizes adult learning, self-efficacy, and reflective practices. This research finds that the opportunities to practice their teaching skills, with an intentional reflective feedback mechanism, allowed the novice faculty to prepare themselves in a safe and collaborative environment during MT-FPDP. However, microteaching content, activities, and supplementary material were neither closely relevant to varied teaching contexts of Pakistan nor appropriate in its application at the higher education level. Moreover, the lack of supervisors’ expertise to facilitate the microteaching processes, and mentor the novices discouraged the participation. Despite these hindrances, the novices reported behavior modification, self-efficacy, and use of reflective practices in their classrooms. However, discouraging organizational culture/policies, lack of collegial, administrative, and technical support, and geopolitical factors are the primary barriers to the implementation of the knowledge and skills. The Heads of Department (HoDs)/Deans confirmed the carryover from MT-FPDP to classroom teaching, and acknowledged these institutional supports and barriers. This research argues that the microteaching content and model must be adapted to the context of Pakistan, and the microteaching skills should be prioritized based on the higher education faculty needs. The Learning Innovation Division (LID) of the Pakistan Higher Education Commission (HEC) needs to appoint expert, unbiased, and culturally sensitive supervisors who can provide novices more self-directed, transformative, and reflective learning opportunities during MT-FPDP. LID/HEC should provide avenues for collaboration and coordination by establishing the informal “communities of practice” to foster collegial support within an institution and within a province

Open Source Software Adoption in Libraries – A Literature Review Study

Purpose: The present study is a literature review and its analysis part of a larger research work i.e. “Issues and Challenges of Using Open Source Software in Private Business Management Education Institutions Libraries of Noida & Ghaziabad Region”. Authors through this study have tried to identified the already published research work related to Open Source Software from different perspectives emphasizing of Indian context in particular. Design/Methodology/Approach: This is a literature review study and hence methodology adopted is to consult all possible sources of literature and particularly secondary literature including papers published in journals, magazines, conferences’ proceedings, websites and/or blogs articles. Dissertations, theses and books published related to the topic are all including in the literature review to have comprehensive view of the research already conducted related to the subject. Analysis of existing literature is done to understand key findings and areas for future research. Findings: Authors analyzed that a lot of work has been done related to origin, history and details of open source software, various types of open source software used in libraries. Lot of literature is available on open source software used for library management and for developing digital libraries, however, very less work has been done by researchers to study any correlation between open source software adoption and gender and age of the librarians. Research implications: The present study would serve as a comprehensive background study on open source software use in libraries and provide new thrust areas for budding researchers that they can work upon

Female Librarians and Adoption of Open Source Software

Purpose: Open source software is used widely across different continents though its adoption in libraries depend upon varioius factors. Type of library, availability of staff, qualification and skill sets of the librarian and other staff, support of the management, library budget, time availability, independence to the librarian are just some of the factors that may determine adoption of open source software. This paper tries to understand if gender of the librarian also has any significant impact on adoption of open source software. Design/Methodology/Approach: This study is conducted in India focusing on libraries of the private management education institutions in the Noida and Ghaziabad of the Uttar Pradesh, a state of India. Data is collected using Google Forms. After normalization of data, analyis of the data is conducted using SPSS 18 version after conducting reliability analysis on the major vaiables for reliability of the data. The sample is chosen due to very large number and different types of educational institutions providing management education in this geographical area. Findings: This study confirms that more and more libraries are adopting open source software now however adoption rate of open source software among female libraries is lesser. It is evident from the study women are not lagging behind due to qualification or skill sets but their other responsibilities i.e. family responsibilities cause work-life imbalance and hence they do not take much risks and try to adjust in pre-defined boundaries. Survey results also indicate if employer provides risk free environment to female librarians then adoption of open source software may become faster. Originality/Value: This study is entirely original work of the authors and is based upon data collected using google forms after distribution among various libraries. Results of this study may help in employers and government to take up women-friendly measures that ensure work-life balance and provide a women-friendly environment so that they can use their knowledge and skills for betterment of their libraries

Status and Services of Kendriya Vidyalaya School Libraries in Uttarakhand: a study

Library is viewed as the center of all the showing learning cycle of an organization. It gives the full scope of print and non print material to the staff and the understudies to help showing learning and other instructive capacities. This article manages a logical way to deal with users base investigations of 34 Libraries of Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS). The paper discussed objectives of KVS libraries, computerization, administrations, foundation, accessible for the understudies and staff. Paper additionally presents the investigation about open access, buying system, library activity, library assortment, staffing, and library exercises and so on. On the web and other library work likewise assessed in the examination. The assessment of status and administrations depends on different rules formed by National and International offices. The current work alludes different strategies like ALA, IFLA/UNESCO, UK School Library Association CBSE, MHRD and KVS. Based on examination different ideas and suggestions are likewise included toward the finish of this exploration paper

Gender Mainstreaming Analysis At The Management Level

It was an exploratory study that was conducted with the main objectives to: provide basic information to stakeholders and planners about gender imbalance and its implications for Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa (KP) province and Pakistan.  The study attempted to: discover the existing gender scenario in the management cadre of public sector of the province; identify barriers and problems to gender equity and equality in the management roles; and suggest ways and means to remove gender disparity at the management level in the sampled devolved departments of social sector of KP.  Survey Questionnaires, interviews and stakeholders’ workshop were used as tools to collect data from 117 respondents of the sampled departments. Main causes of low female participation at higher level included lack of opportunities, inadequate facilities to female officers, rising element of insecurity in the province, men specific positions, discriminations and socially evolved gender bias. On the basis of results and findings a couple of suggestions like organizing gender awareness sessions, ensuring implementation of sanctioned quota, promotion of higher education for women, capacity development and incentives for potential female officers and revival of posts of female District Education Officers, have been made

Rectal carcinoma under 40 years of age: seven-year post-treatment follow-up at a tertiary care hospital in Pakistan

Objectives: To determine epidemiological characteristics, clinical presentation, histopathological features, and long-term follow-up of patients below 40 years of age with carcinoma rectum.Methods: The retrospective case series comprised all patients presenting with histopathological diagnosis of carcinoma rectum with age 15-40 years at the Aga Khan University Hospital between January 1994 and December 2004. Details regarding patient demographics, pre-operative assessment, management and tumour grade and stage were obtained from a prospectively maintained database. Continuous and categorical variables in the data were analysed.Results: Of the 23 patients in the study, 14 (60.89%) were male and 9 (39.13%) were female. Mean age of the subjects was 31+/- 5 years. Overall, 22 (95.6%) patients presented with rectal bleeding and 12 (52%) had altered bowel habit. The most common site for the tumour was lower rectum (n=20; 87%) and 13 (56.5%) required abdominoperineal resection. Local recurrence rate was 13% (n=3) and distant metastasis occurred in 2 (8.6%) patients during the seven year follow-up. Two (8.6%) patients died, and both had distant metastasis.CONCLUSION: Carcinoma rectum is uncommon but an important malignancy in patients aged below 40 years. The clinician should have a high index of suspicion in young patients presenting with bleeding per rectum, altered bowel habit and weight-loss

Diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound in detecting retained products of conception: A study from a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan

Introduction Retained products of conception (RPOC) are a known complication after abortion or childbirth. To improve clinical evaluation and avoid unnecessary surgery, transvaginal scan is performed in suspected cases. However, both RPOC and blood clots appear isoechoic on ultrasound, and false positives can lead to unnecessary intervention. In this study, the ultrasound findings have been correlated with the histopathology (as a gold standard) to determine the diagnostic value of sonography in the detection of RPOC in postpartum or post-abortion patients. Methods This cross-sectional study was carried out to determine the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound in the detection of the retained products of conception in relation with the histopathological findings at the Department of Radiology, Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH), Karachi. A total of 193 patients with suspicion of RPOC undergoing a transvaginal scan in the Department of Radiology, AKUH, were enrolled. The study was conducted for a period of 12 months from October 2014 to October 2015. Results Our results yielded that out of 193 cases, 113 cases (87.05%) had histopathology positive for RPOC, while 107 (55.44%) RPOC cases were identified by ultrasound as having RPOC. The mean endometrial thickness of the patients included in the study was 13.5 mm. According to our results, ultrasound has a sensitivity of 75.22%, specificity of 72.50%, a positive predictive value (PPV) of 79.44%, a negative predictive value (NPV) of 67.44%, and a diagnostic accuracy of 74.09%. Conclusion Transvaginal ultrasound is a modality that can be used for early diagnosis of the retained products of conception including fetal parts and could prove to be lifesaving. However, the operator and equipment variables need to be looked at, and a uniform criterion needs to be agreed on

Rural Tourism, Income and Rapid Urbanization: Exploring the Nexus Using A MultiDisciplinary Approach for Hunza, Pakistan

Serving the purpose of an early warning, this paper provides a multi-disciplinary analysis of how thechanging dynamics of tourist arrivals can lead to rapid and unplanned urbanization. The improvements in infrastructureand communication systems under the aegis of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Gilgit-Baltistan have ledto exponential increase in tourists arrival in recent years. Does this increase lead to increase in incomes and spurring anunplanned and rapid urbanization? Hunza district is taken as a case study on the basis of evidence suggesting thataround 70 percent of total tourists Gilgit-Baltistan. To explore the relationship between tourists arrival and rapidurbanization, three types of data were used: survey data collected via questionnaires, secondary data from governmentsources, and Google images, Landsat-7 and Landsat-8 from remotely sensed data. Using cross-tabulations, this studysuggests that tourists arrival led to increase in incomes, which were then spent on building commercial infrastructure.To cross check these results, land use land change study using GIS mapping was conducted for the last ten yearsperiod. It shows that rapid and unplanned urbanization has profound social and environmental implications for Hunza,if not managed properly and timely