Per un nuovo approccio della critica leviana: viaggi alle radici dell’opera leviana

Recensione di: Raniero Speelman, Elisabetta Tonello & Silvia Gaiga (a cura di), Ricercare le radici. Primo Levi lettore-Lettori di Primo Levi, Utrecht, Igitur Publishing, 2014, 282 p., ISBN: 9789067010382, pubblicazione O

Clinical Reasoning Assessment Methods

© by the Association of American Medical Colleges. Purpose An evidence-based approach to assessment is critical for ensuring the development of clinical reasoning (CR) competence. The wide array of CR assessment methods creates challenges for selecting assessments fit for the purpose; thus, a synthesis of the current evidence is needed to guide practice. A scoping review was performed to explore the existing menu of CR assessments. Method Multiple databases were searched from their inception to 2016 following PRISMA guidelines. Articles of all study design types were included if they studied a CR assessment method. The articles were sorted by assessment methods and reviewed by pairs of authors. Extracted data were used to construct descriptive appendixes, summarizing each method, including common stimuli, response formats, scoring, typical uses, validity considerations, feasibility issues, advantages, and disadvantages. Results A total of 377 articles were included in the final synthesis. The articles broadly fell into three categories: non-workplace-based assessments (e.g., multiple-choice questions, extended matching questions, key feature examinations, script concordance tests); assessments in simulated clinical environments (objective structured clinical examinations and technology-enhanced simulation); and workplace-based assessments (e.g., direct observations, global assessments, oral case presentations, written notes). Validity considerations, feasibility issues, advantages, and disadvantages differed by method. Conclusions There are numerous assessment methods that align with different components of the complex construct of CR. Ensuring competency requires the development of programs of assessment that address all components of CR. Such programs are ideally constructed of complementary assessment methods to account for each method\u27s validity and feasibility issues, advantages, and disadvantages

Teacher Perspectives on Whole-Task Information Literacy Instruction

This paper presents results of an explorative study on perceived merits of contemporary holistic approaches to designing information literacy instruction in a university setting. Seven teachers in educational sciences evaluated their premaster’s course on conducting a literature review designed according to a modern design approach, named Four-Component Instructional Design (4C/ID). They noted their perceptions on course quality by means of a standardized course evaluation questionnaire and a SWOT analysis. Results of the questionnaire showed that teachers were positive on whole-task information literacy instruction, confirming the results of an earlier study on 4C/ID-caused instructional effects. The SWOT analysis indicated that teachers recognized the value of applied 4C/ID principles like whole-task-centeredness, structured guidance, and scaffolding. We added suggestions on enhancing the positive effects of whole-task instructional design based on identified educational weaknesses such as relatively poor constructive alignment and threats such as imperfect curriculum coherence

The benefits and drawbacks of learner control as a means to create adaptive learning environments

There is empirical support that individualized instruction is superior to traditional instruction that does not take into account the individual differences between learners (Kadiyala & Crynes, 1998). This has led to the firm confirmation of the mere value of adapting the learning process to the specific needs of learners. The rapid evolution in computer technology has raised the possibility for the development of adaptive learning environments (Lee & Park, 2008). Roughly, two paradigms can be distinguished that are used when creating adaptive learning environments. The first paradigm focuses on adapting the content and environment to the learner's characteristics that are assumed to play a role in the effectiveness of individualized instruction. These characteristics include, among others, prior knowledge (Graesser, Jackson, & McDaniel, 2007) and learning style (Graf, Lin, & Kinshuk, 2008). The effectiveness of this paradigm has been confirmed, although results cannot be interpreted univocally (Shute, 1995). Next to adapting content to learner, the second paradigm starts from identifying dysfunctional behavior of learners (such as lowered motivation) in their interaction with the environment and adapting this behavior to the content or instruction (Williams, 1996). However, no empirical research is available using this paradigm. Both paradigms focus on one-way adaptation, with no or only limited interaction between the learner and the environment. Learners do not have any control on such adaptation and hence, no opportunities are available to develop self-regulation skills or metacognitive awareness (Elen, 2000). Reformulated, learner control as an instructional method can be considered as an alternative approach to the development of adaptive learning environments (Park & Lee, 2003) and may be at least as effective in obtaining adaptivity as the more high-technological artificial intelligence techniques. Learner control as instructional technique is not equally effective for all learners (Friend & Cole, 1990; Goforth, 1994; Large, 1996). As an example, novice learners do not fully benefit from control, rather there is a risk for cognitive overload (Scheiter & Gerjets, 2007). Advanced learners on the other hand, mostly benefit from some degree of learner control, enhancing their motivation and optimizing their self-regulation skills (Kinzie & Sullivan, 1989; Williams, 1996). The effectiveness of learner control is thus related to prior knowledge, but also to motivation and self-regulation skills. Recently working memory capacity was included as a potential predictor for learner control (Scheiter & Gerjets, 2007). In this research we start from three assumptions for learner control to be effective (Corbalan, Kester, & van Merriënboer, 2009): (1) learner control must be perceived by the learners; (2) learner control can only be effective if learners have the necessary skills to deal with learner control; and (3) learner control demands free cognitive resources since it posits an additional load on cognitive processing. Following this, we want to ascertain (1) whether perceived learner control is supportive for learning, even if there is no actual learner control available; (2) whether learner control requires additional cognitive processing compared to program control; (3) whether we can sketch the relative contribution of learner control, self-regulation skills, motivation, working memory capacity and prior knowledge in affecting the learning process and learning outcomes and (4) whether the competence to deal with learner control can be trained.status: publishe