Assessment of an ePortfolio : developing a taxonomy to guide the grading and feedback for personal development planning

This paper describes the rationale for, and the design, implementation and preliminary evaluation of a taxonomy to guide the grading and feedback of ePortfolio assessment of personal development planning (PDP) in a module where PDP is integrated into the curriculum. Conventional higher education assessment methods do not adequately address the requirements of this innovative approach to learning and assessment, and a new assessment tool was felt to be necessary. Drawing on recent theories in the fields of constructive alignment, reflective practice and assessment for learning, a criteria-based taxonomy was designed with the aims of articulating criteria for achievement aligned with the learning outcomes of the module, and of ensuring valid and reliable evaluation of student achievement. Analysis of student and tutor feedback and statistical comparison of marks achieved after the pilot study have produced encouraging results. While this taxonomy was designed to be used in specific circumstances, it is capable of being adapted for use by others who deliver modules or courses where PDP embedded in the curriculum is supported and assessed by means of an ePortfolio

Factors affecting the likelihood of paternal custodial disputes in dissolution of marriage cases

Male batterers -- Paternal custodial challenges -- Support payment arrearage -- Income levels of fathers -- Violent fathers -- Nonviolent fathers -- Initiation of court appearances -- Gender of children

Illuminating and measuring personal development: the impact of this work on learning and teaching

This short article gives an overview of a small-scale case study research project based on a 2nd year cohort of students from the Business Information Systems area of the School of Computing, Engineering and Information Sciences at Northumbria University. The aim of this employability module is to prepare students for the recruitment process for their placement year in industry and to inculcate proper professional attitudes and behaviour. The teaching strategy uses the precepts of PDP, and an eportfolio is the vehicle for learning and assessment

A Cognitive Behaviour Therapy influenced approach to deliver employability effectively to Undergraduate Information Systems students - an IPA (Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis) study

Research literature highlights a gap in the provision of degree programmes being offered to students in relation to the skill set that is needed by employers. To bridge this gap universities need to seek an alternative approach to teaching and learning that is educationally credible, yet addresses the needs of the employability agenda. The aim of this research is to develop a capability model for HE teaching and learning, in the first instance, for Information Systems undergraduate students that embeds CBT tools and techniques into a modified constructivist curriculum studied by those students. The model successfully embeds PDP and employability as an integral part of the degree experience for those students at Northumbria University. The teaching approach is influenced by Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) as part of this innovative teaching model, developed from existing and emerging educational psychology. The study explores the relationships, the dialogue and perceptions, between staff and students and investigates the student experience relating to their self-efficacy and self-actualisation during that period, with a particular emphasis on employability skills and attributes. The research employs Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) with data collected from six purposively selected participants. The data is qualitative and adheres to IPA methodology protocols resulting in a holistic understanding of the students’ perceptions and behavioural practices. The results demonstrate the importance for academia to consider the individual differences and learning styles of their students in relation to the programme design and delivery methods. Analysis of the data reinforces the shift required in the curriculum framework in order to influence the employability skills and ‘graduate attributes’ of the students. The findings provide institutions with a research rich approach to deliver high quality degree programmes that will ensure the future proofing and validity of the provision. Specific attention is focussed on a new approach to teaching – PEDaLL (Personal, Employability, Development and Lifelong Learning) - that Higher Education Institutions can use to influence policy and reshape organisational culture. Furthermore, this research contributes to meaningful staff development for educators, the embedding of employability within programmes and addressing the requirements of the student Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR)

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Predicting attachment and violence in relationships: An investigation across three generations

This study examined whether dimensions of attachment (close, depend, anxiety) and social support would significantly contribute to the prediction of abuse across three generations. Generation three (G3) consisted of adult children (82 males and 98 females) while generation two (G2) consisted of their parents (89 males and 161 females). Both groups served as the pivotal reporters responding to questionnaires regarding parental spouse abuse and child abuse, G2 child abuse, abuse in their own intimate relationships, attachment, and social support. Regression analyses were conducted to assess the extent to which: child and spouse abuse in generation one (G1) would predict partner abuse in G3 and whether the inclusion of G3 attachment and social support would add to this prediction; child and spouse abuse in G1 would predict child and spouse abuse in G2 and whether G2 attachment and social support when included would contribute to this prediction; child and spouse abuse in G2 would predict partner abuse in G3 and whether G2 and G3 attachment and social support would add to the prediction; child and spouse abuse in G1 and G2 would predict partner abuse in G3 and whether the inclusion of G2 and G3 attachment and social support would add to this prediction. For G2 women, ability to feel comfortable with closeness and maternal child abuse predicted spouse abuse in their own intimate relationships. Additionally, G2 women\u27s anxiety about being abandoned and their ability to depend on others predicted abuse in their children\u27s intimate relationships. Furthermore, the extent to which G2 women felt they could depend on others solely predicted abuse in their offspring\u27s intimate relationships when G1 and G2 variables were considered together. However, only paternal and maternal child abuse predicted child abuse for G2 women. For G2 men, paternal child abuse and parental spouse abuse predicted child abuse while parental spouse abuse predicted abuse in their own intimate relationships. Results indicate the importance of considering other factors such as attachment when considering the transmission of violence

Developing the autonomous lifelong learner : tools, tasks and taxonomies

This paper describes an action research project undertaken with undergraduate students at levels 4 and 5. Responding to the recent focus on lifelong learning and portfolio based personal development planning (PDP), this ongoing project encourages students to adopt a deep, active approach to learning, and thus take responsibility for their own learning. Assessment is widely recognised as an important influence on student learning. Recent conceptual shifts in thinking about assessment have highlighted the importance of developing students as autonomous learners by viewing assessment as a learning tool rather than a measurement of knowledge, and portfolios are mentioned as one of the modes appropriate for the new thinking about assessment (Havnes and McDowell, 2008). Therefore, the modules forming the basis of the project, in which the PDP concept was integrated into the curricular content and supported by the use of an ePortfolio, were designed following the precepts of Biggs’ theory of ‘constructive alignment’ (Entwistle 2003). This fits well with the PDP/ePortfolio philosophy for encouraging learner autonomy, as well as fulfilling the assessment for learning (AfL) requirements for formative feedback and lowstakes opportunities for practice before submission for rigorous summative assessment. Although there is still ongoing debate about the criteria to be used for the assessment of portfolios (Smith and Tillema, 2008), social scientists such as Baume (2002) and Biggs (1997) have shown that a qualitative view of validity and reliability can ensure adequate rigour for summative assessment. However, it is necessary to ensure inter-rater reliability as well as to make the learning goals and assessment criteria transparent for learners (Havnes and McDowell, 2008). A taxonomy for portfolio evaluation has therefore been developed which is easily understood and applied by tutors and students. In order to study the impact of this learning environment, a variety of data has been collected and analysed. This includes: • student achievement of the stated learning outcomes of the modules, assessed in accordance with our taxonomy for portfolio evaluation; • “added value” as indicated by a correlation of UCAS entry points with summative assessment results and a measurement of student engagement; • the quality of student reflection and self-evaluation demonstrated in the reflective commentaries. Results from these analyses show a positive impact. In order to provide more empirical evidence, students this year have completed the Effective Lifelong Learning Inventory (ELLI) questionnaire (details available at: https://secure.vlepower.com/nlst/core/main.htm). This profiling tool serves a double purpose: it provides students with a vocabulary to describe their own thought processes and to articulate their ideas, and it provides statistical data to tutors which indicate development of both cohort and individual student’s learning characteristics over time. Preliminary analysis of these data, together with student opinion obtained in written commentaries and in debriefing interviews, shows that the learning environment created has brought about positive change. We welcome discussion of ways of evaluating student progress towards learning autonomy, in particular of the effectiveness of the ELLI profiling tool as a measurement of learning power development

Spinal disinhibition: evidence for a hyperpathia phenotype in painful diabetic neuropathy

The dominant sensory phenotype in patients with diabetic polyneuropathy and neuropathic pain is a loss of function. This raises questions as to which mechanisms underlie pain generation in the face of potentially reduced afferent input. One potential mechanism is spinal disinhibition, whereby a loss of spinal inhibition leads to increased ascending nociceptive drive due to amplification of, or a failure to suppress, incoming signals from the periphery. We aimed to determine whether a putative biomarker of spinal disinhibition, impaired rate dependent depression of the Hoffmann-reflex, is associated with a mechanistically appropriate and distinct pain phenotype in patients with painful diabetic neuropathy. In this cross-sectional study, ninety-three patients with diabetic neuropathy underwent testing of H-reflex rate dependent depression and detailed clinical and sensory phenotyping, including quantitative sensory testing. Compared to neuropathic patients without pain, patients with painful diabetic neuropathy had impaired H-reflex rate dependent depression at 1, 2 and 3Hz (p=These findings support the hypothesis that spinal disinhibition is an important centrally mediated pain amplification mechanism in painful diabetic neuropathy and that abnormal H-reflex rate dependent depression is associated with a distinct phenotype, arguably akin to hyperpathia, with combined loss and relative gain of function leading to increasing nociceptive drive

Supplemental Material - Identifying benefits and concerns with using digital health services during COVID-19: Evidence from a hospital-based patient survey

Supplemental Material for Identifying benefits and concerns with using digital health services during COVID-19: Evidence from a hospital-based patient survey by Annabelle Painter, Jackie van Dael, Ana Luisa Neves, Patrik Bachtiger, Niki O’Brien, Clarissa Gardner, Jennifer Quint, Alexander Adamson, Nicholas Peters, Ara Darzi, Saira Ghafur in Health Informatics Journal</p