Assessment of competency development in a challenge-based learning course: can coaches be objective assessors?

Higher education institutions aim to incorporate competency development into their engineering curricula, which can help engineering students become independent critical thinkers with entrepreneurial mindsets. However, no solid methods exist to evaluate the acquisition of these competencies. Such assessments’ objectivities are often ensured by distinguishing between who supervises a student group and who grades its project. The assessor’s active involvement in the learning process is essential for assessing competency development during the learning process, but such involvement may lead to assessor bias. This study aims to investigate whether and under what conditions coaches can be objective assessors. An intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to measure the level of agreement between assessors and coaches when using the same rubric to assess students’ deliverables. Four assessors and seven coaches from the University of Twente assessed 24 students’ individual learning processes based on individual reflection deliverables. The coaches assessed the students they supervised during a challenge-based learning (CBL) course, while the assessors were without participating in the learning process assigned randomly to students. The means were compared using SPSS, which indicated, among other things, that coaches generally awarded higher scores than assessors. This may indicate that coaches are biased because of their involvement in the learning process. Despite this, the results also indicate that coach assessment was in line with assessors when the coach was an appointed and experienced examiner

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Title in English: Journey to Health: Suggestions for the implementation of oncological prevention in teaching health education The methodological material “Journey to Health. Suggestions for the implementation of oncological prevention in teaching health education” is focused on the prevention of oncological diseases and it is intended for teachers of upper primary schools for teaching Health Education, eventually Biology. Cancer is nowadays one of the most common diseases. Prevention plays important role in decreasing the incidence of oncological diseases, therefore it is very important that the basic knowledge about prevention of oncological diseases be given to primary school pupils. The main purpose is to acquaint pupils with primary and secondary prevention of oncological diseases and to increase their health literacy in this area. The material includes a suggestion for 20 lessons. Each of them contains professional information for teachers’ theoretical preparation, suggestions for the lesson, a worksheet with solutions, and proposal activities on the topic

Legislation of material and nonmaterial damage compensation in the new Civil Code on practise of elementary schools

Centrum školského managementuPedagogická fakultaFaculty of Educatio

Integrating challenge-based learning into a mobile classroom environment for Jordanian camp refugees: a position paper

Jordan hosts one of the largest refugee populations, many of whom still live in camps. Until now, they have had limited access to the labor market. One of the reasons for this is their limited ability to meet the demands of the labor market. The purpose of this article is to explore ways to better support refugees in Jordan to develop appropriate skills to improve their access to the labor market and their social well-being. To this end, relevant literature on the refugee situation in Jordan, the current labor market, and refugees' skill levels and development was reviewed. Based on this, an integrative framework for appropriate skills development for refugees in Jordan was developed using a mobile classroom and challenge-based learning. This framework is being implemented and tested in Jordan in the form of the Edubox learning environment

Growth Promotion of Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) and Blackleg Disease (Leptosphaeria maculans) Suppression Mediated by Endophytic Bacteria

Rapeseed is an important oil crop strongly dependent on high agrochemical inputs. Some pathogens, including Leptosphaeria maculans, cause blackleg disease and can drastically decrease yields. Microbial inoculants seem to be a promising solution to these problems. However, a selection of potent bacterial strains able to improve growth and/or suppress disease is needed. Endophytic bacteria (n = 38) isolated from rapeseed plants with exceptionally good growth were screened for plant growth promoting (PGP) traits and L. maculans antifungal activity. A majority of isolates (35) showed the ability to produce siderophores, 17 isolates solubilized phosphate, and 28 isolates inhibited the growth of L. maculans. The six most promising isolates belonging to Bacillus genera were characterized in detail and compared to two previously published PGP strains. Plant growth measured as total weight and root length of rapeseed seedlings was stimulated by all isolates in comparison to control. The best isolate, 1L6, preliminary identified as Bacillus pumilus showed the highest phosphate solubilization, IAA and HCN production, and growth promotion of plants. Isolates with high antifungal activity in screening showed good potential to suppress disease on plants, with 87% reduction of lesions caused by L. maculans. These strains are good candidates to be explored under field use either solely or in combination