The influence of portfolio aims and structure on student attitudes towards portfolios as a learning tool: A Scoping Review

Background: Portfolios are widely used in undergraduate health professional education, however the majority of literature suggests that these are poorly received by students, in terms of being an effective learning tool. Objectives: to evaluate whether the aims/purpose or structure/level of standardisation/content of student portfolios influences their attitudes to and perceptions of its use as a learning tool. Major Findings: Aims/purpose and structure/level of standardisation/content of portfolios were analysed in relation to student responses in order to determine any relationship between these. The level of information provided in the studies was variable, making analysis difficult, however there appeared to be no clear link between any of these factors and student responses. The interplay of level of support and guidance, the time required for completion of the portfolio, and the role of assessment appear to have the greatest influence on student views. Conclusions: Considering the wide use of portfolios in health professional education, student support for these is limited, and further research is required to determine if alternative approaches to portfolio learning can positively influence student attitudes and perceptions

Performance of a warm-oil pipeline buried in permafrost

Instrumentation of a buried warm-oil (71 degrees C) pipeline test section near Inuvik, N.W.T. was undertaken by Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Research Limited, with technical assistance from the Division of Building Research, National Research Council, Canada. The test section was placed in a gravel fill overlying an ice rich silt subgrade. Pore pressures in the resulting thaw bulb were measured using pneumatic piezometers and the rate of movement of the thaw bulb was determined using thermistor probes. Settlements occuring within the fill were measured and correlated with predictions made from laboratory thaw-settlement tests. As a result of this investigation a temperature buildup from 38 to 60 degrees C over a 5-year period is proposed for a full- scale pipeline operation to ensure adequately low pore pressures and to decrease the settlement rates.Un troncon d'essai de pipeline transportant du p\ue9trole chaud (71 degr\ue9s C) pr\ue8s d'Inuvik (T.N.-O.) a \ue9t\ue9 muni d'instruments de mesure par la Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Research Limited, avec l'assistance technique de la Division des recherches en b\ue2timent du Conseil national de recherches du Canada. Le troncon est enterr\ue9 dans un remblai de gravier couvrant un sous-sol limoneux riche en glace. On mesure les pressions interstitielles dans la bulbe de d\ue9 gel \ue0 l'aide de pi\ue9zom\ue8tres pneumatiques et on d\ue9termine la vitesse de mouvement de la bulbe de d\ue9gel au moyen de sondes \ue0 thermistors. Le tassement qui se produit dans le remblai est mesur\ue9 et mis en corr\ue9lation avec les pr\ue9dictions fond\ue9es sur des essais de d\ue9gel-tassement en laboratoire. Compte tenu des r\ue9sultats de la pr\ue9sente \ue9tude, on propose une augmentation de la temp\ue9rature de 38 \ue0 60 degr\ue9s C sur une p\ue9riode de cinq ans pour un pipeline en vraie grandeur afin d'assurer des pressions interstitielles suffisamment basses et de diminuer la vitesse de tassement.Peer reviewed: NoNRC publication: Ye

Partners in participation: integrated approaches to widening access in higher education

Like social inclusion, ‘partnership ’ became part of the preferred policy jargon in the 1990s, both in EU and in national policy arenas. Whilst it could be argued that the usage of such terms reflects a consensus on social and political issues that so far does not exist, the popularity of ‘partnership’-based models of social inter