Online assessment and feedback: how to square the circle

Within Mathematics considerable changes have taken place in how we teach, assess and provide feedback to the very large cohorts of students that make up our non-honours classes. The use of online assessment methods have been introduced to provide enhanced feedback — both in terms of frequency and volume — but this raises huge logistical problems: how to process and record over 2000 individually marked pieces of work each week. This presentation will describe how an innovative use of online assessment methods, scanning technology and conventional marking can all be integrated with the University's SharePoint system, resulting in a system where rapid, weekly feedback can be both given and recorded. These changes have resulted in increased student engagement and improvement in exam performance. Many of the ideas and processes that have been developed will be transferable to other schools. For example, the dynamic use of SharePoint to record weekly assessed work has enabled the School to develop effective early warning mechanisms to identify students with problems

The mechanics of Arabidopsis seed germination

Germination is defined as the protrusion of the embryonic radicle through the seed coat layers (endosperm and testa). As the radicle elongates, the testa ruptures, followed by rupture of the endosperm. Arabidopsis seeds exhibit a two-step germination process with sequential rupture of the testa and endosperm. We are interested in exploring the physical process of germination. Whilst much effort has previously been placed on genetic networks, a mathematical approach for furthering the understanding of the physical/mechanical properties of germination has not yet been described. The Mathematics in Plant Sciences Study Group helped us to develop a better understanding of the problem. Several different mathematical models were generated for radicle growth and endosperm stretching. These models were developed on multiscale dimensions – looking at the organ, tissue and cellular levels. The outcomes of the study group have heightened our interest in the mechanical aspects of germination, and we are currently progressing with a grant proposal – a collaboration between the Schools of Biosciences and Engineering at the University of Nottingham, and a group from the Department of Biology at the University of Freiburg, Germany

Giving Students a Voice to Create a Positive Classroom

Want to create a positive learning environment? Give the students a voice. Instead of being the sage on the stage, be a guide on the side. This presentation will show you how to transform your classroom into a student-centered classroom. We will look at strategies such as using reciprocal teaching, creating learning targets, and developing success criteria. When students have voice, they have buy-in

Transforming Teacher Meetings to Create Collaborative Impact - A Rural Georgia High School\u27s Journey

Track the journey we have taken while striving to reach the tipping point so students learn at deep levels. By shifting our work in teacher meetings to emphasize impact, we created action plans to increase deep learning. We explore how our shift from “meeting” to “Collective Efficacy” was initiated and evolved because of our emphasis on: 1) Examining Student Growth 2) Listening to Student Voice 2) Improving Teacher Clarity 3) Increasing Feedback to and from Students 4) Appreciating Peer Observations 6) Providing Impact Coaching. We provide specific examples of teacher work, student work, and data with videos and photos

Exploring the antecedents to the online customer engagement behaviours; sharing, learning & endorsing

The aim of this research is to add to the growing empirical research around customer engagement and examine if motivational drivers mediate the relationship between personality traits and the online customer engagement behaviours (OCEB); sharing, learning and endorsing. The research was undertaken using an online survey with 401 respondents who interacted with brands online using social media sites; Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The study provides evidence that the antecedents to online customer engagement behaviour not only interact but that together personality traits and motivational drivers impact specific types of OCEB. These findings help to deepen the understanding of what influences customers to take part in specific OCEBs, and can be used by managers who are seeking to develop programs to strategically influence online customer engagement, to better understand these customers.

Adinkra Sketchbook Covers: Art

Students will learn about the Ghanaian art form Adinkra, whose meanings and symbolism offers insight into Ghana’s cultures. They will also be introduced to a second Ghanaian art form,Kente cloth, through its history, color significance, and patterns. Using pronged folders that pages can be added to, students will create an original sketchbook cover using an Adinkra symbol as the main compositional element. They will intertwine lines and meaningful colors inspired by Kente cloth to complement their subject. This lesson is also a great way to review primary and secondary colors, as well as the elements and principles of art. To combine art and literacy, students will complete an “Adinkra and Kente Cloth Reflection Sheet” for understanding

Supervision Experiences of Rural School Counselors

This qualitative study explored the needs of professional school counselors and school counselor interns located in rural areas with regard to clinical supervision, consultation, and professional growth. Four separate focus groups (n=21) were conducted. To allow for consistency across focus groups, a series of six structured interview questions were used. Results of the data analysis revealed six themes which included unique issues of rural school counselors, dynamics of rural living, supervision from school administrators, supporting development through technology, desire for increased connection through supervision, and the identification of roles and responsibilities. Implications of this study indicate a crucial need to increase supervision training opportunities for current school counselors and interns. Technology and active participation with professional organizations may provide a platform for rural school counselors to receive supervision training and offer increased professional connection to solidify their counseling identity

Nina Katerli: the discovered chameleon

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:DXN041431 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Prevalence and Predictors of Depressive Symptoms in NCAA Division III Collegiate Athletes

Mental health disorders are important health concerns among collegiate athletes. Estimations of elevated depressive symptoms in this population range from 1.1-26%. However, these data are derived mostly from NCAA Division I institutions or professional athletes. Evidence from lower divisions (e.g., NCAA Division III) is currently sparse in the literature. Hence, the primary purpose of the present study was to examine the prevalence of depressive symptoms in NCAA Division III collegiate athletes. The secondary purpose was to examine which mental health indicators predict depressive symptoms. In total, 186 participants completed several mental health scales (e.g., PHQ-9, DASS-21). The results revealed a prevalence of 16.2% of elevated depressive symptoms. A multiple regression predicted 46.1% of the variance of depressive symptoms. Significant predictors were stress, anxiety, devaluation, and emotional exhaustion. While NCAA Division III collegiate athletes may face lower athletic expectations, the prevalence of mental health concerns is similar to those observed in Division I collegiate athletes

Russian Post-Minimalist Music: A Semiological Investigation into the Narrative Approaches employed by Alexander Knaifel between 1978 and 1994

Russian post-minimalist music, unlike early American minimalist music, aims primarily to function as discourse. As a symbolic system, however, it is problematic in that its intended meanings are commonly not understood. Whilst a dichotomy between the ‘poietic’ and the ‘esthesic’ exists within all musics – due largely, Jean Molino asserts, to the nature of the Peircean sign – this dichotomy is heightened within Russian post-minimalist music due to certain specific and often paradoxical factors. For example, the highly reductive signifiers on the ‘neutral’ level actively prompt multiple interpretations and engender unwanted significations. The post-minimalist music of Alexander Knaifel (b. 1943) is especially problematic in this respect. Whilst he attempts to convey complex allegorical narratives using ascetic forms limited in teleology, further difficulties arise in that he purposefully obscures meaning whilst attributing miscomprehension to ‘passive listening’ rather than to semiological, compositional or cultural factors. To date, no examination of his approach to discourse has been made. All analysis is formalist, rather than that which examines his oeuvre as a symbolic system. In response, this research takes the form of a semiological investigation. Using Molino’s ‘tripartition’ and theory of communication as an underpinning model, I examine and critique the ‘poietic’ – i.e. Knaifel’s post-minimalist approach to discourse as established in 1978 – before discussing how this has developed through 1994. Focusing upon the inter-relationship between the ‘neutral’ and the ‘poietic’, I analyse three key works that exemplify these developments: A Silly Horse (1981), GOD (1985) and In Air Clear and Unseen (1994), with the aim of identifying the meanings intended and the principal codes and strategies employed to convey and obscure those meanings. My methodology is broadly structuralist within a Peircean framework. I identify paradigms (Barthes’ classification) on the semantic syntagmatic axis before examining their corresponding musical paradigms, and the structural, intra-textual and inter-textual relationships involved