A Phenomenological Study of Instructors’ Experiences with Receiving and Utilizing Student Feedback in Online Course

The purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to explore how community college online course instructors at a large community college in the Deep South experience students’ feedback to reevaluate course quality and instruction. The central question of the study regarded how community college online instructors experience receiving and engaging with student evaluations. The theory guiding this study was Knowles’s theory of andragogy as it provides a framework for understanding adult learning, including those of adult learners in community college contexts as well as those instructors receiving and responding to student evaluations of teaching. A total of 11 instructors who teach online courses through a community college were recruited, and data resulting from in-depth, unstructured interviews, reflective journal entries, and document collection were analyzing using the phenomenological approach defined by Moustakas (1994). Results indicated that instructors valued and acted upon honest feedback targeting specific problems, particularly related to exam preparation. Instructors noted disregarding feedback perceived to be untimely or vague and suggested preferring to rely on class-based informal evaluations for insights into students’ learning needs and responses to instruction. Future research should further engage with the relative value of formal and informal student feedback, as well as to examine the experiences of instructors at institutions where no formal process for receiving student feedback of teaching exists. In all, the results reveal that evaluation can, if used and assessed correctly, provide significant value in terms of improving educational design, course content, test preparedness, and the ability to fulfill the needs of all students in a class. Hence, evaluation and feedback are of great importance and require significant executive decision making from teachers to navigate and utilize effectively

A Compendium of Major California Juvenile Law Decisions with Brief Analyses, 1979

Society has been plagued with the problem of whether the police, the courts and the correction agencies are to administer juveniles for their protection and treatment, or for their punishment. To facilitate a better understanding of juvenile administration the authors have analyzed the California juvenile law cases for the year 1979. The article consists of six major area of interest; parent-child custody, sentencing, procedure, jurisdiction, evidentiary and constitutional which will be used to highlight some of the more significant decisions in the past year, thus enabling the reader to assess changes occurring in the juvenile system

Dendritic and axonal targeting patterns of a genetically-specified class of retinal ganglion cells that participate in image-forming circuits.

BackgroundThere are numerous functional types of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), each participating in circuits that encode a specific aspect of the visual scene. This functional specificity is derived from distinct RGC morphologies and selective synapse formation with other retinal cell types; yet, how these properties are established during development remains unclear. Islet2 (Isl2) is a LIM-homeodomain transcription factor expressed in the developing retina, including approximately 40% of all RGCs, and has previously been implicated in the subtype specification of spinal motor neurons. Based on this, we hypothesized that Isl2+ RGCs represent a related subset that share a common function.ResultsWe morphologically and molecularly characterized Isl2+ RGCs using a transgenic mouse line that expresses GFP in the cell bodies, dendrites and axons of Isl2+ cells (Isl2-GFP). Isl2-GFP RGCs have distinct morphologies and dendritic stratification patterns within the inner plexiform layer and project to selective visual nuclei. Targeted filling of individual cells reveals that the majority of Isl2-GFP RGCs have dendrites that are monostratified in layer S3 of the IPL, suggesting they are not ON-OFF direction-selective ganglion cells. Molecular analysis shows that most alpha-RGCs, indicated by expression of SMI-32, are also Isl2-GFP RGCs. Isl2-GFP RGCs project to most retino-recipient nuclei during early development, but specifically innervate the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus and superior colliculus (SC) at eye opening. Finally, we show that the segregation of Isl2+ and Isl2- RGC axons in the SC leads to the segregation of functional RGC types.ConclusionsTaken together, these data suggest that Isl2+ RGCs comprise a distinct class and support a role for Isl2 as an important component of a transcription factor code specifying functional visual circuits. Furthermore, this study describes a novel genetically-labeled mouse line that will be a valuable resource in future investigations of the molecular mechanisms of visual circuit formation

Ground Movement Characteristics above Mined Panels in Appalachia-an Empirical Approach

The growing recognition of mining subsidence and its effects has provoked numerous investigations into the modeling and prediction of this phenomenon. Through an analysis of case histories and examination of the various modeling techniques, it has become apparent that empirical studies currently represent the most realistic approach to this problem. However, the collection, analysis and interpretation of subsidence and strain data acquired from case studies presents substantial difficulties, due to varying monitoring techniques and methods of analysis. In this paper it is suggested that a prescribed monitoring program could eliminate these problems and ensure quality data by standardizing the measurement process. Such an effort may also increase the number of case studies available for analysis, allowing more intense investigations of subsidence prediction methods. Finally, some basic subsidence relationships developed from the established subsidence data bank on longwall and room and pillar mines in Appalachia are discussed in detail. These relationships may provide important information on the characteristics of ground movements above mined areas and thus greatly facilitate engineering design under these conditions

Complete genome sequence of Liberibacter crescens BT-1

Liberibacter crescens BT-1, a Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterial isolate, was previously recovered from mountain papaya to gain insight on Huanglongbing (HLB) and Zebra Chip (ZC) diseases. The genome of BT-1 was sequenced at the Interdisciplinary Center for Biotechnology Research (ICBR) at the University of Florida. A finished assembly and annotation yielded one chromosome with a length of 1,504,659 bp and a G+C content of 35.4%. Comparison to other species in the Liberibacter genus, L. crescens has many more genes in thiamine and essential amino acid biosynthesis. This likely explains why L. crescens BT-1 is culturable while the known Liberibacter strains have not yet been cultured. Similar to Candidatus L. asiaticus psy62, the L. crescens BT-1 genome contains two prophage regions

Abeta, oxidative stress in Alzheimer disease: Evidence based on proteomics studies

AbstractThe initiation and progression of Alzheimer disease (AD) is a complex process not yet fully understood. While many hypotheses have been provided as to the cause of the disease, the exact mechanisms remain elusive and difficult to verify. Proteomic applications in disease models of AD have provided valuable insights into the molecular basis of this disorder, demonstrating that on a protein level, disease progression impacts numerous cellular processes such as energy production, cellular structure, signal transduction, synaptic function, mitochondrial function, cell cycle progression, and proteasome function. Each of these cellular functions contributes to the overall health of the cell, and the dysregulation of one or more could contribute to the pathology and clinical presentation in AD. In this review, foci reside primarily on the amyloid β-peptide (Aβ) induced oxidative stress hypothesis and the proteomic studies that have been conducted by our laboratory and others that contribute to the overall understanding of this devastating neurodegenerative disease. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Misfolded Proteins, Mitochondrial Dysfunction, and Neurodegenerative Diseases

Herpes Simplex Virus 1 and Chlamydophila (Chlamydia) pneumoniae promote Ab 1-42 amyloid processing in murine astrocytes linking an infectious process to Alzheimer\u27s disease

Background: Several studies have suggested an infectious etiology for Alzheimer\u27s disease (AD). Previously, our laboratory identified Chlamydia pneumoniae (Cpn) from autopsied sporadic AD brains, as well as developed a BALB/c mouse model that demonstrated infection-induced amyloid plaques similar to those found in AD. Hypothesis: We propose that an additional pathogen such as herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV1), also may be a contributing factor in toin the pathology seen in AD. HSV1, in addition to Cpn, may be triggering the abnormal cleavage of the beta amyloid precursor protein (bAPP) into Ab1-42 , thereby contributing to amyloid plaque formation. Our current study examines amyloid processing following infection of primary and C8-DIA murine astrocytes with Cpn and HSV1. Materials and Methods: Immunocytochemistry and western analysis was used to analyze the outcome of infection by these two pathogens. Results: Cpn infection resulted in an increase in cytoplasmic labeling of Ab 1-42 relative to uninfected cells, while increased nuclear labeling of Ab 1-42 was observed following HSV1 infection. Co-infections with Cpn and HSV1 resulted in amyloid labeling resembling that of HSV1 infection alone, though Ab 1-42 labeling appeared decreased specifically in Cpn-infected cells of the co-infected monolayers. Conclusions: These data suggest that infection of astrocytic cells by HSV1 and (Cpn) alter the processing of bAPP, thereby producing Ab1-42. Therefore, these studies, inaddition to the previous research reported by our laboratory, support an emerging linkage of the infectious processs to the neuropathology characteristic of Alzheimer\u27s disease.https://digitalcommons.pcom.edu/posters/1008/thumbnail.jp

Why growth equals power - and why it shouldn't : constructing visions of China

When discussing the success of China's transition from socialism, there is a tendency to focus on growth figures as an indication of performance. Whilst these figures are indeed impressive, we should not confuse growth with development and assume that the former necessarily automatically generates the latter. Much has been done to reduce poverty in China, but the task is not as complete as some observers would suggest; particularly in terms of access to health, education and welfare, and also in dealing with relative (rather than absolute) depravation and poverty. Visions of China have been constructed that exaggerate Chinese development and power in the global system partly to serve political interests, but partly due to the failure to consider the relationship between growth and development, partly due to the failure to disaggregate who gets what in China, and partly due to the persistence of inter-national conceptions of globalised production, trade, and financial flows