Transparency or Stimulating Meaningfulness and Self-Regulation? A Case Study About a Programmatic Approach to Transparency of Assessment Criteria

This exploratory case study focused on fostering meaning making of assessment criteria and standards at the module level and the course/programme level (the entire study plan), and the role of self-regulation in this meaning making process. The research questions that guided this study are: (1) How can students' meaning making of assessment criteria at the module level be fostered, (2) How can students' meaning making of assessment criteria at the programme level be fostered, and (3) How can self-regulation contribute to students' meaning making process? We explored the design and implementation of a rather new Master's programme in The Netherlands: The Master's Expert Teacher of Vocational Education (METVE). Interviews with three developers, three teachers, and 10 students of the METVE were analyzed. For each research question, several themes were derived from the data. Results indicate that meaning making takes place at the module level by using holistic assessment criteria and evaluative experiences, which allow students to make choices within the boundaries set by the assessment criteria. Meaning making at the programme level is experienced as much more difficult by students as well as teachers. The design of the METVE programme fosters meaning making at the programme level, but METVE teachers also express difficulties supporting this. Finally, we found that students perceive self-regulation as something extra for which they don't have enough time. Self-regulation at the programme level was not explicitly addressed and supported in the METVE, which makes it more difficult for some students to steer their learning process toward the role they are aiming for in professional practice after completing the Master's programme

Development of educational leaders’ adaptive expertise in a professional development programme

This study considers the extent to which a professional development programme for educational leaders in a research-intensive university contributes to participants’ adaptive expertise in the domain of leading educational change. We evaluated the programme by asking participants to execute an authentic task at the beginning and end of the programme and compared the outcomes with participants’ self-reported learning gains. While participants report they have substantially learned from participating, according to the task scores there is no significant progress in the development of adaptive expertise. Suggestions are offered to include more purposeful practice and more reflective activities in the programme

Host body size and the diversity of tick assemblages on Neotropical vertebrates

AbstractIdentifying the factors that influence the species diversity and distribution of ticks (Acari: Ixodida) across vertebrate host taxa is of fundamental ecological and medical importance. Host body size is considered one of the most important determinants of tick abundance, with larger hosts having higher tick burdens. The species diversity of tick assemblages should also be greater on larger-bodied host species, but empirical studies testing this hypothesis are lacking. Here, we evaluate this relationship using a comparative dataset of feeding associations from Panama between 45 tick species and 171 host species that range in body size by three orders of magnitude. We found that tick species diversity increased with host body size for adult ticks but not for immature ticks. We also found that closely related host species tended to have similar tick species diversity, but correcting for host phylogeny did not alter the relationships between host body size and tick species diversity. The distribution of tick species was highly aggregated, with approximately 20% of the host species harboring 80% of all tick species, following the Pareto principle or 20/80 Rule. Thus, the aggregated pattern commonly observed for tick burdens and disease transmission also holds for patterns of tick species richness. Our finding that the adult ticks in this system preferentially parasitize large-bodied host species suggests that the ongoing anthropogenic loss of large-bodied vertebrates is likely to result in host-tick coextinction events, even when immature stages feed opportunistically. As parasites play critical roles in ecological and evolutionary processes, such losses may profoundly affect ecosystem functioning and services

Formative peer assessment in a CSCL environment

In this case study our aim was to gain more insight in the possibilities of qualitative formative peer assessment in a computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL) environment. An approach was chosen in which peer assessment was operationalised in assessment assignments and assessment tools that were embedded in the course material. The course concerned a higher education case-based virtual seminar, in which students were asked to conduct research and write a report in small multidisciplinary teams. The assessment assignments contained the discussion of assessment criteria, the assessment of a group report of a fellow group, and writing an assessment report. A list of feedback rules was one of the assessment tools. A qualitative oriented study was conducted, focussing on the attitude of students towards peer assessment and practical use of peer assessment assignments and tools. Results showed that students’ attitude towards peer assessment was positive and that assessment assignments had added value. However, not all students fulfilled all assessment assignments. Recommendations for implementation of peer assessment in CSCL environments as well as suggestions for future research are discussed

Effects of conceptual knowledge and availability of information sources on law students' legal reasoning.

Abstract Due to the complexity of the legal domain, reasoning about law cases is a very complex skill. For novices in law school, legal reasoning is even more complex because they have not yet acquired the conceptual knowledge needed for distilling the relevant information from cases, determining applicable rules, and searching for rules and exceptions in external information sources such as lawbooks. This study investigated the role of conceptual knowledge in solving legal cases when no information sources can be used. Under such 'unsupported' circumstances, novice and advanced students performed less well than domain experts, but even experts' performance was rather low. The second question addressed was whether novices even benefit from the availability of information sources (i.e., lawbook), because conceptual knowledge is prerequisite for effective use of such sources. Indeed availability of the lawbook positively affected performance only for advanced students but not for novice students. Implications for learning and instruction in the domain of law are discussed

The development of research supervisors’ pedagogical content knowledge in a lesson study project

In this study, we aimed to identify how the learning activities elicited in a lesson study project contributed to self-perceived change in supervisors’ pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). Lesson study is a method which combines both professional and educational development. During a lesson study project, teachers collaborate in a team and develop, teach, evaluate, and redesign a research lesson. During the 4-month lesson study project described here, four supervisors designed a protocol for research supervision meetings aimed at enhancing undergraduate students’ learning. During the project, they experimented with open questioning and giving positive feedback instead of giving instruction and explanations. A mixed-methods design was used in this study. Data on the supervisors’ learning activities and PCK were gathered using learner reports, video-recordings of meetings, and exit interviews. The analyses of these data showed that the lesson study project contributed to the development of the supervisors’ PCK on instructional strategies and student understanding. The learning activity that contributed most to these changes was reflecting on their own practice and that of their students

Content analysis: What are they talking about?

Quantitative content analysis is increasingly used to surpass surface level analyses in Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (e.g., counting messages), but critical reflection on accepted practice has generally not been reported. A review of CSCL conference proceedings revealed a general vagueness in definitions of units of analysis. In general, arguments for choosing a unit were lacking and decisions made while developing the content analysis procedures were not made explicit. In this article, it will be illustrated that the currently accepted practices concerning the ‘unit of meaning’ are not generally applicable to quantitative content analysis of electronic communication. Such analysis is affected by ‘unit boundary overlap’ and contextual constraints having to do with the technology used. The analysis of e-mail communication required a different unit of analysis and segmentation procedure. This procedure proved to be reliable, and the subsequent coding of these units for quantitative analysis yielded satisfactory reliabilities. These findings have implications and recommendations for current content analysis practice in CSCL research

The Pathophysiology ofProtein-Overload Proteinur a

Alterations in glomerular function and structure were studied in protein-overload nephrosis in the rat induced by intraperitoneal administration of bovine serum albumin (BSA). Fractional clearance (C/GFR) studies using inulin and tracer proteins of different molecular size and charge revealed in proteinuric rats 1) unchanged glomerular filtration rate and renal plasma flow; 2) a 34-fold increase in C/GFR of rat serum albumin, reaching values similar to BSA; 3) a 2-fold increase in C/GFR for anionic horse radish peroxidase (HRP), but normal values for neutral and cationic HRP, and 4) an 11-and 3-fold increase for heter-THE GLOMERULAR capillary wall (GCW) constitutes a semipermeable, size-and charge-selective filter between the glomerular capillary lumen and the urinary space." 2 Under normal conditions, the ultrafiltrate is virtually devoid ofproteins. Increased permeability to plasma proteins may be caused by a number ofimmunopathologic, toxic, or hemodynamic events leading to damage ofthe endothelial and/or epithelial cells and disruption of the glomerular basement membrane (GBM).3'4 Increased passage of proteins from the capillary lumen to the urinary space has also been observed in man and in laboratory animals after parenteral administration of high amounts of proteins.5-26 Studies on experimental models of proteinoverload proteinuria have shown that increased transcapillary movement of proteins causes degenerative changes ofglomerular epithelial cells characterized by swelling, vacuolization, increased reabsorption droplets, loss of foot processes, and lifting from the underlying GBM.'1"220 Recent studies have reported on functional and structural glomerular alterations in rat models of protein-overload proteinuria, providing conflicting evidence with regard to changes in sizeand charge-selective properties ofthe GCW. In BSAinduced proteinuria sieving curves of neutral dextrans were found to be normal, suggestive ofan intact sieving filter.23 In contrast, in the same model inFrom the Departments ofPathology and Nephrology, State University ofLeiden, Leiden, The Netherlands ologous IgG and IgM, respectively. Glomerular epithelial cells showed degenerative changes, but the distribution of anionic sites in the glomerular basement membrane was found to be unaltered, as determined by polyethyleneimine binding studies. In summary, an elevation of serum albumin concentration resulted in an increased transcapillary albumin transport. This was found to lead to degenerative changes of glomerular epithelial cells with development of large pore defects, which were completely reversible. (Am J Pathol 1987, 129:64-73) creased filtration ofIgG24 and ofanionic ferritin22 was found, and morphologic studies revealed detachment of glomerular epithelium from the underlying GBM,20,26 a lesion which is usually associated with a large pore defect.27-29 Immunoelectrophoresis of urinary proteins revealed that albumin constitutes the majority of filtered proteins, but a considerable proportion of the globulin fraction also reaches the urine. 13"16,19'20 In addition, the role of hemodynamic factors, such as possibly increased flows and pressures, has not been studied in detail. This article describes pathophysiologic mechanisms in protein-overload proteinuria in female Wistar rats rendered proteinuric by daily administration ofbovine serum albumin (BSA). Hematocrits, serum total protein, rat serum albumin (RSA), and BSA concentrations were monitored during and after BSA administration. Alterations in charge-and size-selective properties of the GCW after two doses of BSA were studied by measuring proteinuria and fractiona