A preliminary evaluation of using WebPA for online peer assessment of collaborative performance by groups of online distance learners

Collaborative assessment has well-recognised benefits in higher education and, in online distance learning, this type of assessment may be integral to collaborative e-learning and may have a strong influence on the student’s relationship with learning. While there are known benefits associated with collaborative assessment, the main drawback is that students perceive that their individual contribution to the assessment is not recognised. Several methods can be used to overcome this; for example, something as simple as the teacher evaluating an individual’s contribution. However, teacher assessment can be deemed as unreliable by students, since the majority of group work is not usually done in the presence of the teacher (Loddington, Pond, Wilkinson, & Wilmot, 2009). Therefore, students’ assessment of performance/contribution of themselves and their peer group in relation to the assessment task, also known as peer moderation, can be a more suitable alternative. There are a number of tools that can be used to facilitate peer moderation online, such as WebPA, which is a free, open source, online peer assessment tool developed by Loughborough University. This paper is a preliminary evaluation of online peer assessment of collaborative work undertaken by groups of students studying online at a distance at a large UK university, where WebPA was used to facilitate this process. Students’ feedback on the use of WebPA was mixed, although most of the students found the software easy to use, with few technical issues and the majority reported that they would be happy to use this again. The authors reported WebPA as a beneficial peer assessment tool

Evaluation of melanin-targeted radiotherapy in combination with radiosensitizing drugs for the treatment of melanoma

The incidence of malignant melanoma is rising faster than that of any other cancer in the United States. An [131I]-labeled benzamide - [131I]MIP-1145 - selectively targets melanin, reduces melanoma tumor burden and increases survival in preclinical models. Our purpose was to determine the potential of radiosensitizers to enhance the anti-tumor efficacy of [131I]MIP-1145. Melanotic (A2058) and amelanotic (A375 and SK-N-BE(2c)) cells were treated with [131I]MIP-1145 as a single agent or in combination with drugs with radiosenitizing potential. Cellular uptake of [131I]MIP-1145 and toxicity were assessed in monolayer culture. The interaction between radiosensitizers and [131I]MIP-1145 was evaluated by combination index analysis in monolayer cultures and by delayed growth of multicellular tumor spheroids. [131I]MIP-1145 was taken up by and was toxic to melanotic cells but not amelanotic cells. Combination treatments comprising [131I]MIP-1145 with the topoisomerase inhibitor topotecan or the PARP-1 inhibitor AG014699 resulted in synergistic clonogenic cell kill and enhanced delay of the growth of spheroids derived from melanotic melanoma cells. The proteasome inhibitor bortezomib had no synergistic cytotoxic effect with [131I]MIP-1145 and failed to enhance the delay of spheroid growth. Following combination treatment of amelanotic cells, neither synergistic clonogenic cell kill nor enhanced growth delay of spheroids was observed

A preliminary evaluation of using WebPA for online peer assessment of collaborative performance by groups of online distance learners

Collaborative assessment has well-recognised benefits in higher education and, in online distance learning, this type of assessment may be integral to collaborative e-learning and may have a strong influence on the student’s relationship with learning. While there are known benefits associated with collaborative assessment, the main drawback is that students perceive that their individual contribution to the assessment is not recognised. Several methods can be used to overcome this; for example, something as simple as the teacher evaluating an individual’s contribution. However, teacher assessment can be deemed as unreliable by students, since the majority of group work is not usually done in the presence of the teacher (Loddington, Pond, Wilkinson, & Wilmot, 2009). Therefore, students’ assessment of performance/contribution of themselves and their peer group in relation to the assessment task, also known as peer moderation, can be a more suitable alternative. There are a number of tools that can be used to facilitate peer moderation online, such as WebPA, which is a free, open source, online peer assessment tool developed by Loughborough University. This paper is a preliminary evaluation of online peer assessment of collaborative work undertaken by groups of students studying online at a distance at a large UK university, where WebPA was used to facilitate this process. Students’ feedback on the use of WebPA was mixed, although most of the students found the software easy to use, with few technical issues and the majority reported that they would be happy to use this again. The authors reported WebPA as a beneficial peer assessment tool

Work Arrangements in New Zealand: First Results from the Survey of Working Life

Work arrangements in New Zealand have changed substantially in the last 30 years, leading to increased diversity in contracting arrangements, hours and times worked, and terms and conditions of employment. This paper describes the current work arrangements, employment conditions and job satisfaction levels of employed people in New Zealander from data collected in the Survey of Working Life. The survey was run as a supplement to the Household Labour Force Survey in the March 2008 quarter, to answer questions such as: 'How prevalent is casual work in New Zealand?', 'How many employed people work non-standard hours?’ and 'Who is most likely to experience stress or discrimination at work?’ The focus o f the data analysis is to identify workers with different types of employment relationships (for example, temporary versus permanent employees), and describe the demographic and job characteristics associated with these different employment relationships. Working-time patterns and conditions of employment are the other key topics examined in this paper. It is intended that this supplement be repeated every three years to monitor changes in employment conditions, work arrangements and job quality in New Zealand