Introducing Tablets to the Classroom: A School Improvement Plan

At a privately owned, fee-paying, international school in Cambodia, parents believe that their children are receiving the best possible education. The school advertises that it uses cutting-edge technology, however, in the primary school this technology is restricted to an out-of-date computer lab. The students at this school are not able to utilize mobile devices, such as tablets, to assist with their learning. The lack of devices has hampered student achievement, especially in the area of the technology skills required for the 21st century. This school improvement plan aims to change the way students at the school learn. This plan will be accomplished by first creating the role of a technology coordinator who will then train the staff on using tablet devices to aid student learning and then obtaining the devices. Several options for how to obtain devices are discussed. The literature review focuses on the academic benefits of using mobile technology in the classroom as well as the benefits the tablets have on student motivation and the classroom atmosphere

An experimental study of debris-bed friction during glacier sliding

Modeling the speeds of sliding glaciers reveals major uncertainty to estimates of sea-level rise and landscape evolution. In sliding models, friction between ice-entrained debris and the bed is often overlooked. For the common case of sparse debris in basal ice, theories developed in the 1970s by G.S. Boulton and B. Hallet included contradictory treatments of the forces that push particles against the bed. Boulton assumed that these forces scale with effective pressure—the difference between ice pressure and water pressure in cavities beneath particles—whereas Hallet assumed these forces depend on the rate of ice convergence toward the bed from melting and bed-parallel stretching of ice on stoss surfaces. The resultant bed-normal drag on particles depends on movement of ice past them by regelation and enhanced creep of ice. To test these contrasting hypotheses, a large ring-shear device was used to slide temperate ice with sparse debris over a smooth rock bed. Isolated gravel-sized till particles in contact with the bed were built into an ice ring (outer diameter = 0.9 m, width = 0.20 m, thickness = 0.24 m) that rotated at a steady speed. A fluid, with its temperature controlled to the nearest 0.01ºC, surrounded the ice chamber to keep the ice at its pressure-melting temperature. Meltwater drained to atmospheric pressure from the edges of the bed. During experiments, either the ice convergence rate or total bed-normal stress was incremented, and shear stress was measured until a steady value was attained. In separate rate-controlled tests without ice, the dynamic friction coefficient between the particles and the rock bed was measured. Results indicate that friction between particles and the bed depends on convergence rate. In contrast, total normal stress has no effect on bed shear stress, in agreement with Hallet\u27s model. However, water-filled cavities formed beneath particles rather than the regelation ice expected from Hallet\u27s model. These observations can be explained by an adjusted model that appeals to mass conservation in melt films that exist everywhere at ice-rock boundaries. While ice converges with the bed, melting at the tops of particles creates pressure gradients and flow within melt films that push particles against the bed. Higher convergence rates generate more melt that steepens pressure gradients. Film thicknesses are sufficient to neglect intermolecular interactions associated with premelting. Finally, by incorporating observed particle rotation, the adjusted model is made consistent with the experimental data and observations

Chronicles of Oklahoma

Article describes the lives of the founding members of the Clifton Pioneer Society of Quapaw Valley, an organization dedicated to preserving the frontier lifestyle through storytelling and reenactments

How Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Affect Participants\u27 Intentions to be a Primary Caregiver and Anticipated Parenting Styles

A Research Methods Project supervised by Dr. Laura Wilson (Spring 2021)

Altered white matter microstructure is associated with social cognition and psychotic symptoms in 22q11.2 microdeletion syndrome.

22q11.2 Microdeletion Syndrome (22q11DS) is a highly penetrant genetic mutation associated with a significantly increased risk for psychosis. Aberrant neurodevelopment may lead to inappropriate neural circuit formation and cerebral dysconnectivity in 22q11DS, which may contribute to symptom development. Here we examined: (1) differences between 22q11DS participants and typically developing controls in diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) measures within white matter tracts; (2) whether there is an altered age-related trajectory of white matter pathways in 22q11DS; and (3) relationships between DTI measures, social cognition task performance, and positive symptoms of psychosis in 22q11DS and typically developing controls. Sixty-four direction diffusion weighted imaging data were acquired on 65 participants (36 22q11DS, 29 controls). We examined differences between 22q11DS vs. controls in measures of fractional anisotropy (FA), axial diffusivity (AD), and radial diffusivity (RD), using both a voxel-based and region of interest approach. Social cognition domains assessed were: Theory of Mind and emotion recognition. Positive symptoms were assessed using the Structured Interview for Prodromal Syndromes. Compared to typically developing controls, 22q11DS participants showed significantly lower AD and RD in multiple white matter tracts, with effects of greatest magnitude for AD in the superior longitudinal fasciculus. Additionally, 22q11DS participants failed to show typical age-associated changes in FA and RD in the left inferior longitudinal fasciculus. Higher AD in the left inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFO) and left uncinate fasciculus was associated with better social cognition in 22q11DS and controls. In contrast, greater severity of positive symptoms was associated with lower AD in bilateral regions of the IFO in 22q11DS. White matter microstructure in tracts relevant to social cognition is disrupted in 22q11DS, and may contribute to psychosis risk

Building Community-Based Approaches to Systemic Reform in Mathematical Biology Education

Starting in the early 2000’s, several reports were released recognizing the convergence of mathematics, biology and computer science, and calling for a rethinking of how undergraduates are prepared for careers in research and the science and technology workforce. This call for change requires careful consideration of the mathematical biology education system to identify key components and leverage points for change. This paper demonstrates the wide range of resources and approaches available to the mathematical biology education community to create systemic change by highlighting the efforts of four community-based education reform organizations. A closer look at these organizations provides an opportunity to examine how to leverage components of the education system including faculty, academic institutions, students, access to resources, and the power of community

Responsiveness to Change in PROMIS

AbstractObjectiveTo compare the responsiveness to change of the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS®) asthma impact, pain interference, fatigue, depressive symptoms, mobility, and peer relationship scales to a legacy scale, the Paediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (PAQLQ).MethodsTwo hundred and twenty-nine child-parent dyads from public insurance programs were enrolled. PROMIS pediatric short forms (SFs) and the PAQLQ were used to measure health-related quality of life across four time points (T1–T4) over 2 years. The Asthma Control and Communication Instrument was used to measure the change in asthma control, and the Global Rating of Change (GRC) Index for breathing problems and overall health was used to measure the change in health status. Responsiveness was tested by comparing the changes in health-related quality of life with the changes in asthma control and health status over time using t tests, generalized estimating equations, and relative validity approaches. Magnitudes of the responsiveness between the Pediatric PROMIS and PAQLQ were assessed through statistical significance, Cohen's d effect size (ES), and standardized response mean (SRM).ResultsThe PROMIS asthma impact scale and all PAQLQ scales exhibited significant responsiveness (p'sConclusionsThe PROMIS asthma impact SF indicated similar responsiveness to the PAQLQ scales. Due to its brevity and responsiveness, the PROMIS asthma impact SF is useful for clinical practice or research

The Association of Standardized Patient Educators (ASPE) Standards of Best Practice (SOBP)

In this paper, we define the Association of Standardized Patient Educators (ASPE) Standards of Best Practice (SOBP) for those working with human role players who interact with learners in a wide range of experiential learning and assessment contexts. These human role players are variously described by such terms as standardized/simulated patients or simulated participants (SP or SPs). ASPE is a global organization whose mission is to share advances in SP-based pedagogy, assessment, research, and scholarship as well as support the professional development of its members. The SOBP are intended to be used in conjunction with the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning (INACSL) Standards of Best Practice: SimulationSM, which address broader simulation practices. We begin by providing a rationale for the creation of the ASPE SOBP, noting that with the increasing use of simulation in healthcare training, it is incumbent on ASPE to establish SOBP that ensure the growth, integrity, and safe application of SP-based educational endeavors. We then describe the three and a half year process through which these standards were developed by a consensus of international experts in the field. Key terms used throughout the document are defined. Five underlying values inform the SOBP: safety, quality, professionalism, accountability, and collaboration. Finally, we describe five domains of best practice: safe work environment; case development; SP training for role portrayal, feedback, and completion of assessment instruments; program management; and professional development. Each domain is divided into principles with accompanying key practices that provide clear and practical guidelines for achieving desired outcomes and creating simulations that are safe for all stakeholders. Failure to follow the ASPE SOBP could compromise the safety of participants and the effectiveness of a simulation session. Care has been taken to make these guidelines precise yet flexible enough to address the diversity of varying contexts of SP practice. As a living document, these SOBP will be reviewed and modified periodically under the direction of the ASPE Standards of Practice Committee as SP methodology grows and adapts to evolving simulation practices

The Association of Standardized Patient Educators (ASPE) Standards of Best Practice (SOBP)

In this paper, we define the Association of Standardized Patient Educators (ASPE) Standards of Best Practice (SOBP) for those working with human role players who interact with learners in a wide range of experiential learning and assessment contexts. These human role players are variously described by such terms as standardized/simulated patients or simulated participants (SP or SPs). ASPE is a global organization whose mission is to share advances in SP-based pedagogy, assessment, research, and scholarship as well as support the professional development of its members. The SOBP are intended to be used in conjunction with the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning (INACSL) Standards of Best Practice: SimulationSM, which address broader simulation practices. We begin by providing a rationale for the creation of the ASPE SOBP, noting that with the increasing use of simulation in healthcare training, it is incumbent on ASPE to establish SOBP that ensure the growth, integrity, and safe application of SP-based educational endeavors. We then describe the three and a half year process through which these standards were developed by a consensus of international experts in the field. Key terms used throughout the document are defined. Five underlying values inform the SOBP: safety, quality, professionalism, accountability, and collaboration. Finally, we describe five domains of best practice: safe work environment; case development; SP training for role portrayal, feedback, and completion of assessment instruments; program management; and professional development. Each domain is divided into principles with accompanying key practices that provide clear and practical guidelines for achieving desired outcomes and creating simulations that are safe for all stakeholders. Failure to follow the ASPE SOBP could compromise the safety of participants and the effectiveness of a simulation session. Care has been taken to make these guidelines precise yet flexible enough to address the diversity of varying contexts of SP practice. As a living document, these SOBP will be reviewed and modified periodically under the direction of the ASPE Standards of Practice Committee as SP methodology grows and adapts to evolving simulation practices