Red Rock Desert Learning Center: Evaluation of Curriculum: Final Report

The UNLV Center for Evaluation and Assessment developed an assessment instrument to evaluate curriculum for the proposed Red Rock Desert Learning Center science school’s fifth grade program. A 25-item Likert-type scale was created and administered before and after 68 pre-service and in-service teachers participated in each of five curriculum pilot sessions. The survey consisted of questions related to knowledge, pedagogy, and attitudes. Two open-ended questions were included on the post-survey. Findings revealed significant gains in knowledge, pedagogy, and attitudes in each of five events from pre- to post-test. Gains over time were greatest for knowledge. Some events were rated more highly than others, although all events were rated high in an absolute sense. We conclude that the piloted curriculum is effective. In addition, the instrument used to evaluate the curriculum is reliable and valid. Three recommendations for the full implementation of the desert learning center curriculum are provided

The relationships of infant and childhood diet to growth and acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Diet during infancy and childhood can affect growth, onset of puberty and disease susceptibility throughout the life course. The goal of this research was to describe the associations of early life diet (birth – five years of age) with hormone levels and pubertal development in healthy adolescent females and with the risk of pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common form of pediatric cancer, in a population of boys and girls. Chapter 1 summarizes what is known about the early life diet and childhood growth, hormone levels and risk of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. It identifies gaps in the literature which led to the research described in this dissertation. Chapter 2 discusses findings on the effects of early life diet on serum insulin like growth factor-1 levels and breast development in healthy adolescent females. Child’s weekly dairy consumption from 3-5 years was inversely associated with the odds ratio of thelarche whereas child’s weight and maternal overweight during pregnancy were positively associated with the odds ratio of thelarche at 10.8 years. Chapter 3 discusses identification of two novel risk factors for pediatric ALL: longer duration of milk formula feeding and later introduction of solids foods. Chapter 4 describes research into windows of susceptibility for solid food introduction in ALL. Compared to children introduced to solids before 6 months of age, children introduced to solid foods at or after 7 months of age are at increased odds of ALL with a dose-response relationship between age at introduction to solids and the odds ratio of ALL. Potential mechanisms for the associations reported in chapters 3 & 4 are discussed. Chapter 5 details the association of age- and sex-adjusted height and weight at time of diagnosis with the odds ratio of ALL. The relationship of height at diagnosis to ALL is unclear, owing in part to inconsistencies in study methodology. Using a population of matched controls, we report no association of height at diagnosis with ALL. Children with low weight-for-age or weight-for-height were at increased odds of ALL. Finally, chapter 6 summarizes these findings and discusses their public health implications.Nutritional Science

Assessment of Forever Earth Curriculum 2009-2010: Final Report

Forever Earth is a floating environmental laboratory and learning center at Lake Mead National Recreation Area that provides hands-on science experiences for students in the Clark County School District. The Forever Earth program was brought about through the efforts of numerous partners including Forever Resorts, a division of Forever Learning LLC, the National Park Service, Lake Mead National Recreation Area; Outside Las Vegas Foundation; and UNLV’s Public Lands Institute. In 2005, a formal written agreement was reached between Fun Country Marine Industries and UNLV’s Public Lands Institute to operate and manage the Forever Earth houseboat for the purpose of enhancing outdoor environmental education efforts in Southern Nevada. During the first year of the assessment program, knowledge, attitude, and performance assessments were developed to document the effectiveness of program events over the duration of the program. The findings from the first three years of assessment revealed that students’ knowledge and attitudes increased substantially as a result of participating in the Forever Earth field trips. Results also demonstrated that teachers’ perceptions of the curriculum were very favorable. In this final year of assessment (2009/2010), students again completed knowledge, attitude, and performance assessment and results indicated that students’ knowledge, attitudes, and skills increased substantially as a result of participating in the Forever Earth field trips

Assessment of Forever Earth Curriculum 2008-2009: Final Report

Forever Earth is a floating environmental laboratory and learning center at Lake Mead National Recreation Area that provides hands-on science experiences for students in the Clark County School District. The Forever Earth program was brought about through the efforts of numerous partners including Forever Resorts, a division of Forever Learning LLC, the National Park Service, Lake Mead National Recreation Area; Outside Las Vegas Foundation; and UNLV’s Public Lands Institute. In 2005, a formal written agreement was reached between Fun Country Marine Industries and UNLV’s Public Lands Institute to operate and manage the Forever Earth houseboat for the purpose of enhancing outdoor environmental education efforts in Southern Nevada. During the first year of the assessment program, knowledge, attitude, and performance assessments were developed to document the effectiveness of program events over the duration of the program. The findings from the first two years of assessment revealed that students’ knowledge and attitudes increased substantially as a result of participating in the Forever Earth field trips. Results also demonstrated that teachers’ perceptions of the curriculum were very favorable. In 2008-2009, the third year of assessing the program, students again completed knowledge, attitude, and performance assessment and results indicated that students’ knowledge, attitudes, and skills increased substantially as a result of participating in the Forever Earth field trips. Teachers’ perceptions of the Forever Earth curriculum continued to be positive

Assessing “Discover Mojave” Instrument Development and Analysis: Final Report

We developed curriculum and a comprehensive assessment plan to determine whether hands-on outdoor recreation events promote knowledge, attitudes, and performance among at-risk urban children. Knowledge, attitude, and performance assessments were developed, refined and conducted through various stages based on cultural and language barriers as well a variety of age groups participating within the events. Findings revealed that knowledge, attitudes, and performance increased substantially as a result of participating in the outdoor recreation events. We conclude that the implementation and assessment of the program is strong. We also make several recommendations for future programs

Assessment of Forever Earth Curriculum 2006/2007: Final Report

Forever Earth is a floating environmental laboratory and learning center at Lake Mead National Recreation Area that provides hands-on science experiences for students in the Clark County School District. The Forever Earth program was brought about through the efforts of numerous partners including Forever Resorts, a division of Forever Learning, LLD: the National Park Service, Lake Mead National Recreation Area; Outside Las Vegas Foundation; and UNLV’s Public Lands Institute. In 2005, a formal written agreement was reached between Fun Country Marine Industries and UNLV’s Public Lands Institute to operate and manage the Forever Earth houseboat for the purpose of enhancing outdoor environmental education efforts in Southern Nevada. In Year One of the program, knowledge, attitude, and performance assessments were developed to document the effectiveness of program events over the duration of the program. Year One findings revealed that students’ knowledge and attitudes increased substantially as a result of participating in the Forever Earth field trips. Results also demonstrated that teachers’ perceptions of the curriculum were very favorable

Assessing “Discover Mojave”, Year Two: Final Report

Discover Mojave Outdoor World is a hands-on outdoor recreation program for urban, economically disadvantaged youth. In Year One of the program, knowledge, attitude, and performance assessments were developed to document the effectiveness of program events over the duration of the program. Year One findings revealed that knowledge, attitudes, and performance increased substantially as a result of participating in the outdoor recreation events. The assessment plan was modified in Year Two by creating assessments for teachers and parents, as well as a developing a structured interview protocol. Changes were made to existing assessments and two new assessment tools were implemented. Findings from Year Two’s assessment plan again demonstrated the effectiveness of Discover Mojave Outdoor World in that participants’ knowledge, attitudes, and performance increased over the course of program events. Additionally, results demonstrated that teachers and parents had very favorable attitudes towards the program

Assessing “Discover Mojave” Instrument Development and Analysis

We developed a comprehensive assessment plan and tested the curriculum to determine whether hands-on outdoor recreation events promote knowledge, attitudes, and performance among at-risk urban children. Knowledge, attitude, and performance assessments were developed, refined and conducted through various stages based on cultural and language barriers as well a variety of age groups participating within the events. Findings revealed that knowledge, attitudes, and performance increased substantially as a result of participating in the outdoor recreation events. We conclude that the implementation and assessment of the program is strong. We also make several recommendations for future programs

Figures of speech : figurative expressions and the management of topic transition in conversation

In conversation, speakers occasionally use figurative expressions such as “had a good innings,” “take with a pinch of salt,” or “come to the end of her tether.” This article investigates WHERE in conversation such expressions are used, in terms of their sequential distribution. One clear distributional pattern is found: Figurative expressions occur regularly in topic transition sequences, and specifically in the turn where a topic is summarized, thereby initiating the closing of a topic. The paper discusses some of the distinctive features of the topic termination/transition sequences with which figurative closings are associated, particularly participants' orientation to their moving to new topics. Finally, the interactional use of figurative expressions is considered in the context of instances where their use fails to secure topical closure, manifesting some conflict (disaffiliation, etc.) between the participants