Constructivism in the Shadow of a Dead God

Objectivism and/or positivism are dead, leaving constructivism as the dominant philosophical position in the SoTL and educational development communities. Yet the death of objectivism has not been fully accepted, nor have the full implications of constructivism been recognized. As a result, the effects of constructivism’s dominance in the minds of scholarly teachers and educational developers have been bewilderingly superficial. Thoughtful constructivists now find themselves facing situations in which constructivist pedagogies lead to counter-intuitive consequences – for instance, students forced to take surface learning approaches out of desperation. This unwelcome situation of absurdity is explored through a philosophical analogy, which unearths causes and indicates necessary changes to bring into practice a full and committed constructivist education

\u3cb\u3eBook Reviews:\u3c/b\u3e \u3cem\u3eDeveloping Outcomes-based AssessmentDeveloping Outcomes-based Assessment for Learner-centered Education: A Faculty Introduction\u3c/em\u3e by Amy Driscoll and Swarup Wood (Stylus, 2007)

Excerpt: Because I have been wading knee-deep through a sea of learning outcomes at my institution, I approached Developing Outcomes-based Assessment for Learner-centered Education with keen interest, hoping to find new ideas, new strategies, new models that could immediately be pressed into action to persuade resistant faculty to give learning outcomes a successful try

Visual argumentation in an Al Gore keynote presentation on climate change

The use of digital presentation tools such as PowerPoint is ubiquitous; however we still do not know much about the persuasiveness of these programs. Examining the use of visual analogy and visual chronology, in particular, this paper explores the use of visual argumentation in a Keynote presentation by Al Gore. It illustrates how images function as an integrated part of Gores reasoning

The Relationship between Scholarly Teaching and SoTL: Models, Distinctions, and Clarifications

We examine, through conceptual analysis and investigation of the available literature, some commonly assumed models of the relationship between SoTL and scholarly teaching, demonstrate how those models fare against the conceptual and empirical evidence, and propose an alternative that better represents the concepts involved. Both our definitions and the model we choose to represent their relationship impact our decisions regarding policies, programs, and resources. If the assumptions behind these practices are not warranted, our reflexive use, dissemination and propagation of these practices must be questioned

The SoTL Body: Identifying and Navigating Points of Entry

The scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) as a field invites researchers to examine their teaching practice with the goal of understanding its impact and effect on student learning (Hutchings & Shulman, 1999). Though inclusive by nature – belonging to no discipline yet informing practice in all – SoTL does have its own discourse, assumptions, and literature that may intimidate disciplinary scholars. This paper uses the human body as a metaphor to explain how researchers from diverse disciplines can use familiar entry points to ease their transition into SoTL. We identify and analyze parts and systems of the human and research body, revealing connections between particular disciplinary research bodies and the SoTL research body – connections that we hope provide disciplinary scholars with the confidence they need to navigate and engage in SoTL

The Effects of Long-Term Systematic Educational Development on the Beliefs and Attitudes of University Teachers

Focusing on Fundamentals of University Teaching – one of three levels in the program – the study examined its impact on participant beliefs and attitudes about teaching and learning, their teaching practices and the larger impact on departmental and institutional decision making. Participants also identified benefits, areas of improvement and barriers to participation in the program. The study compared pre- and post-program learning plan documents and changes in program teaching philosophies. Exit surveys and focus groups were also used. A total of 23 UTC participants took part in the study – 8 from the 2009-10 cohort, 5 from the 2010-11 cohort, 9 from the 2011-12 cohort, and 1 from the 2012-13 cohort. Of the 23 participants, 18 were female and 5 were male, a ratio consistent with the full program. Full-time, sessional, graduate student and staff instructors participated, representing engineering, social sciences, humanities, education, science, nursing, business and law. Of the 23 participants, 12 participated in the focus groups and 9 completed the exit survey

Thermodynamics of ideal quantum gas with fractional statistics in D dimensions

We present exact and explicit results for the thermodynamic properties (isochores, isotherms, isobars, response functions, velocity of sound) of a quantum gas in dimensions D>=1 and with fractional exclusion statistics 0<=g<=1 connecting bosons (g=0) and fermions (g=1). In D=1 the results are equivalent to those of the Calogero-Sutherland model. Emphasis is given to the crossover between boson-like and fermion-like features, caused by aspects of the statistical interaction that mimic long-range attraction and short-range repulsion. The full isochoric heat capacity and the leading low-T term of the isobaric expansivity in D=2 are independent of g. The onset of Bose-Einstein condensation along the isobar occurs at a nonzero transition temperature in all dimensions. The T-dependence of the velocity of sound is in simple relation to isochores and isobars. The effects of soft container walls are accounted for rigorously for the case of a pure power-law potential.Comment: 15 pages, 31 figure

Increased Radiative Lifetime of Rare Earth-doped Zinc Oxyhalide Tellurite Glasses

We have investigated the structural and optical properties of rare earth-doped zinc tellurite glasses modified by the substitution of ZnF2. Raman and phonon sideband spectroscopies were employed to characterize changes in the glass structure as well as to probe vibrational behavior in the immediate vicinity of the rare earth ion. These measurements are combined with photoluminescence and optical absorption to monitor the effect of halide substitution upon the optical behavior of the rare earth dopant. A substantial increase in the intrinsic radiative lifetime of Nd3+ is observed with increasing halide concentration

Fibroblast growth factors 1 and 2 in cerebrospinal fluid are associated with HIV disease, methamphetamine use, and neurocognitive functioning.

BackgroundHuman immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and methamphetamine use commonly affect neurocognitive (NC) functioning. We evaluated the relationships between NC functioning and two fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) in volunteers who differed in HIV serostatus and methamphetamine dependence (MAD).MethodsA total of 100 volunteers were categorized into four groups based on HIV serostatus and MAD in the prior year. FGF-1 and FGF-2 were measured in cerebrospinal fluid by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays along with two reference biomarkers (monocyte chemotactic protein [MCP]-1 and neopterin). Comprehensive NC testing was summarized by global and domain impairment ratings.ResultsSixty-three volunteers were HIV+ and 59 had a history of MAD. FGF-1, FGF-2, and both reference biomarkers differed by HIV and MAD status. For example, FGF-1 levels were lower in subjects who had either HIV or MAD than in HIV- and MAD- controls (P=0.003). Multivariable regression identified that global NC impairment was associated with an interaction between FGF-1 and FGF-2 (model R(2)=0.09, P=0.01): higher FGF-2 levels were only associated with neurocognitive impairment among subjects who had lower FGF-1 levels. Including other covariates in the model (including antidepressant use) strengthened the model (model R(2)=0.18, P=0.004) but did not weaken the association with FGF-1 and FGF-2. Lower FGF-1 levels were associated with impairment in five of seven cognitive domains, more than FGF-2, MCP-1, or neopterin.ConclusionThese findings provide in vivo support that HIV and MAD alter expression of FGFs, which may contribute to the NC abnormalities associated with these conditions. These cross-sectional findings cannot establish causality and the therapeutic benefits of recombinant FGF-1 need to be investigated

Thermodynamics of statistically interacting quantum gas in D dimensions

We present the exact thermodynamics (isochores, isotherms, isobars, response functions) of a statistically interacting quantum gas in D dimensions. The results in D=1 are those of the thermodynamic Bethe ansatz for the nonlinear Schroedinger model, a gas with repulsive two-body contact potential. In all dimensions the ideal boson and fermion gases are recovered in the weak-coupling and strong-coupling limits, respectively. For all nonzero couplings ideal fermion gas behavior emerges for D>>1 and, in the limit D->infinity, a phase transition occurs at T>0. Significant deviations from ideal quantum gas behavior are found for intermediate coupling and finite D.Comment: 12 pages and 19 figure