Supporting the non-expert in the authoring of personalized learning using IMS LD

Sodhi, T., Miao, Y., Brouns, F., & Koper, R. (2007). Supporting the non-expert in the authoring of personalized learning using IMS LD. Proceedings of the ePortfolio 2007 Conference. October, 18-19, 2007, Maastricht, The Netherlands. [See also http://hdl.handle.net/1820/1680 ]This paper presents an alternate classification of the approaches employed in today’s IMS LD authoring tools to support the engagement of non-experts in the design of instruction for today’s e-learning. The classification is based on how the authors can approach the design task and the support that is afforded to them by the authoring tool. The paper presents the case for an approach based on educational scenario-based modelling, as best suitable to actualize a higher level of involvement on the part of the non-expert authors in the creation of personalized learning based on portfolios, and learner information. Additionally, based on the classifications, the paper proposes a set of features based on which today’s crop of IMS LD tools can be classified, and a new generation of tools to support the non-expert authors can be modelled.The work on this publication has been sponsored by the TENCompetence Integrated Project that is funded by the European Commission's 6th Framework Programme, priority IST/Technology Enhanced Learning. Contract 027087 [http://www.tencompetence.org

Design Support for non-expert authors in the creation of units of learning - a first exploration

[unpublished]Diverse approaches have been proposed to model educational resources using design rules into IMS Learning Design units of learning. Although varied, these approaches have found limited practical application by teachers, in today’s e-learning. The tools remains tied to the specification with little to no design support for non-experts in the specification. As a result, today’s IMS LD tools cater to LD experts and serve as reference implementations of the specification rather than supporting the non-experts’ engagement in the design process. Consequently, non-experts in the specification cannot undertake the creation of units of learning and remain outside the fold of the IMS LD community. This paper presents features and characteristics of an IMS LD authoring environment to actualize the active participation of non-expert authors in the design of instruction using IMS LD, by addressing the paucity of support afforded to this group with the application of learning design rules to capture the their knowledge. The paper presents an alternate classification of the approaches used in IMS LD authoring tools to support the engagement of non-experts, and based on the salient features of the approaches proposed, the paper reviews the state-of-the-art in IMS LD tools, exemplifying the paucity of IMS LD tools for non-expert authors.The work on this publication has been sponsored by the TENCompetence Integrated Project that is funded by the European Commission's 6th Framework Programme, priority IST/Technology Enhanced Learning. Contract 027087 [http://www.tencompetence.org

Bridging the Gap between Practitioners and E-learning Standards: A Domain-specific Modeling Approach

Developing activity-centric e-pedagogies using IMS LD is difficult for average practitioners because pedagogical knowledge and technical knowledge is required. Through using peer assessment as an exemplary pedagogy, this paper presents a domain-specific modeling (DSM) approach to a new generation of LD authoring tool, for enabling practitioners to develop activity-centric e-pedagogies. Adopting a DSM approach, on the one hand, pedagogic experts develop a pedagogy-specific modeling language, in which notations are directly chosen from the concepts and rules used to describe pedagogic approaches. On the other hand, technical experts develop transformation algorithms, which will map the models represented in the pedagogy-specific modeling language into machine-interpretable code represented in an executable language like IMS LD. The feasibility of this approach has been demonstrated through developing a peer assessment authoring tool

Reciprocal Effects of Oxidative Stress on Heme Oxygenase Expression and Activity Contributes to Reno-Vascular Abnormalities in EC-SOD Knockout Mice

Heme oxygenase (HO) system is one of the key regulators of cellular redox homeostasis which responds to oxidative stress (ROS) via HO-1 induction. However, recent reports have suggested an inhibitory effect of ROS on HO activity. In light of these conflicting reports, this study was designed to evaluate effects of chronic oxidative stress on HO system and its role in contributing towards patho-physiological abnormalities observed in extracellular superoxide dismutase (EC-SOD, SOD3) KO animals. Experiments were performed in WT and EC-SOD(−/−) mice treated with and without HO inducer, cobalt protoporphyrin (CoPP). EC-SOD(−/−) mice exhibited oxidative stress, renal histopathological abnormalities, elevated blood pressure, impaired endothelial function, reduced p-eNOS, p-AKT and increased HO-1 expression; although, HO activity was significantly (P \u3c 0.05) attenuated along with attenuation of serum adiponectin and vascular epoxide levels (P \u3c 0.05). CoPP, in EC-SOD(−/−) mice, enhanced HO activity (P \u3c 0.05) and reversed aforementioned pathophysiological abnormalities along with restoration of vascular EET, p-eNOS, p-AKT and serum adiponectin levels in these animals. Taken together our results implicate a causative role of insufficient activation of heme-HO-adiponectin system in pathophysiological abnormalities observed in animal models of chronic oxidative stress such as EC-SOD(−/−) mice

Reciprocal Effects of Oxidative Stress on Heme Oxygenase Expression and Activity Contributes to Reno-Vascular Abnormalities in EC-SOD Knockout Mice

Heme oxygenase (HO) system is one of the key regulators of cellular redox homeostasis which responds to oxidative stress (ROS) via HO-1 induction. However, recent reports have suggested an inhibitory effect of ROS on HO activity. In light of these conflicting reports, this study was designed to evaluate effects of chronic oxidative stress on HO system and its role in contributing towards patho-physiological abnormalities observed in extracellular superoxide dismutase (EC-SOD, SOD3) KO animals. Experiments were performed in WT and EC-SOD(−/−) mice treated with and without HO inducer, cobalt protoporphyrin (CoPP). EC-SOD(−/−) mice exhibited oxidative stress, renal histopathological abnormalities, elevated blood pressure, impaired endothelial function, reduced p-eNOS, p-AKT and increased HO-1 expression; although, HO activity was significantly (P<0.05) attenuated along with attenuation of serum adiponectin and vascular epoxide levels (P<0.05). CoPP, in EC-SOD(−/−) mice, enhanced HO activity (P<0.05) and reversed aforementioned pathophysiological abnormalities along with restoration of vascular EET, p-eNOS, p-AKT and serum adiponectin levels in these animals. Taken together our results implicate a causative role of insufficient activation of heme-HO-adiponectin system in pathophysiological abnormalities observed in animal models of chronic oxidative stress such as EC-SOD(−/−) mice

Land-use effects on local biodiversity in tropical forests vary between continents

The file attached is the Published/publisher’s pdf version of the article

The PREDICTS database: a global database of how local terrestrial biodiversity responds to human impacts

Biodiversity continues to decline in the face of increasing anthropogenic pressures such as habitat destruction, exploitation, pollution and introduction of alien species. Existing global databases of species’ threat status or population time series are dominated by charismatic species. The collation of datasets with broad taxonomic and biogeographic extents, and that support computation of a range of biodiversity indicators, is necessary to enable better understanding of historical declines and to project – and avert – future declines. We describe and assess a new database of more than 1.6 million samples from 78 countries representing over 28,000 species, collated from existing spatial comparisons of local-scale biodiversity exposed to different intensities and types of anthropogenic pressures, from terrestrial sites around the world. The database contains measurements taken in 208 (of 814) ecoregions, 13 (of 14) biomes, 25 (of 35) biodiversity hotspots and 16 (of 17) megadiverse countries. The database contains more than 1% of the total number of all species described, and more than 1% of the described species within many taxonomic groups – including flowering plants, gymnosperms, birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, beetles, lepidopterans and hymenopterans. The dataset, which is still being added to, is therefore already considerably larger and more representative than those used by previous quantitative models of biodiversity trends and responses. The database is being assembled as part of the PREDICTS project (Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems – www.predicts.org.uk). We make site-level summary data available alongside this article. The full database will be publicly available in 2015