Integrative Evaluation: Ein Ansatz zur Erhöhung der Akzeptanz von Lehrevaluation an Hochschulen

This research report is concerned with integrative evaluation as a means to enhance the accep-tance of evaluations at universities. If evaluations are initiated from outside, e.g. from administrative institutions, the problem of reduced acceptance frequently arises. This means that teachers and students tend to dislike the evaluation, because the possibilities for those directly affected persons to actively influence the evaluation are rather low. With respect to this problem, it is shown how teachers, students and administration can be integrated in the evaluation process by providing possibilities for active participation. The three groups are integrated in the clarification of the evaluation goals and the evaluation design. This process is supported by using the evaluation cube. When the questionnaires are developed, these groups participate by generating the evaluation criteria. Based on these criteria, the expectancies of students regarding course quality, the expectancy confirmation and the satisfaction with the course are assessed. The feedback of the evaluation results aims at motivating teachers to enhance the quality of the course. Finally, intervention steps are elaborated by cooperation of the three groups. At the end of the report, research questions are outlined which are considered to be important with regard to integrative evaluation.In diesem Beitrag wird dargestellt, wie integrative Evaluation dazu beitragen kann, die Akzeptanz von Hochschulevaluation zu erhöhen. Bei "von außen" - z.B. durch die Verwaltung - initiierten Evaluationen zeigt sich häufig das Problem der niedrigen Akzeptanz bei Lehrenden und Veranstaltungsteilnehmern, weil die Handlungs- und Einflußmöglichkeiten für diese unmittelbar beteiligten Personen eher gering sind. Ausgehend von diesem Problem wird gezeigt, wie die beteiligten Gruppen - Lehrende, Teilnehmer und Auftraggeber - in den Evaluationsprozeß integriert werden können, indem für diese Personen Handlungs- und Einflußmöglichkeiten geschaffen werden. Die beteiligten Gruppen werden bei der Klärung der Zielsetzung der Evaluation und bei der Entwicklung des Evaluationsdesigns einbezogen. Der Evaluationskubus dient der Veranschaulichung dieser Vorgänge. Bei der Fragebogenentwicklung beteiligen sich die befragten Personen durch die Nennung von Evaluationskriterien. Auf der Grundlage dieser Kriterien werden die Erwartungen der Teilnehmer an die Kursqualität, die Erwartungsbestätigung und die Zufriedenheit mit der Veranstaltung erfaßt. Die Rückmeldung der Evaluationsergebnisse erfolgt mit dem Ziel, die Lehrenden gegebenenfalls zu einer Verbesserung der Veranstaltungsqualität zu motivieren. Abschließend werden gemeinsam Interventionsschritte erarbeitet. Im Ausblick wird auf Forschungsfragen eingegangen, die in Zusammenhang mit diesem Ansatz bedeutsam erscheinen

Evaluation of the interactive multimedia business simulation SPACE (Simulating Project Auditing and Controlling Excellence)

This report presents the evaluation of the computer-based simulation SPACE – Simulating Project Auditing & Controlling Excellence – which is an interactive multiedia business simulation developed in partnership by Andersen Consulting and Siemens AG. The aims of SPACE are fostering self-directed learning and the acquisition of applicable knowledge in the economic domain regarding construction and solution projects of US GAAP. The evaluation was conducted in cooperation with the Institute of Educational Psychology at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich. The aim of the evaluation was to compare the effectiveness of SPACE with a traditional classroom instruction. Therefore, a problem-based transfer task was designed which assessed learning gains with respect to applicable knowledge in the following areas: (1) strategic knowledge and problem-solving skills, that means selection of appropriate information and strategies to solve a realistic business problem, (2) basic skills to calculate POC and (3) conceptual knowledge, i.e. an understanding of principles and interconnections of concepts in the domain. 38 students of business administration participated in the evaluation. 19 students learned eight hours with SPACE, the other 19 students received a traditional classroom instruction lasting also eight hours in the same subject area of US GAAP. Results show that SPACE was significantly better with regard to strategic knowledge and applying problem solving skills. In other words, the study showed that SPACE is superior to classroom instruction in this area of knowledge acquisition and application. In the other areas of basic skills to calculate POC and conceptional knowledge, differences were not significant between the classroom instruction and SPACE. When SPACE is employed under realistic conditions, i.e. in business, it can be assumed that SPACE is even more superior to classroom instruction.Das computerbasierte Lernprogramm SPACE (Simulating Project Auditing & Controlling Excellence), eine interaktive, multimediale Simulationssoftware, wurde von Anderson Consulting und der Siemens AG entwickelt. SPACE zielt auf die Förderung selbstgesteuerten Lernens und die Vermittlung anwendbaren Wissens. Das Simulationsprogramm behandelt inhaltlich die Kalkulation von Projektdaten auf Basis von US GAAP. Die hier berichtete Evaluationsstudie hatte zum Ziel, die Effektivität von SPACE im Vergleich zu einem traditionellen Klassenzimmerunterricht festzustellen. Mit einer problemorientierten Transferaufgabe wurden folgende Dimensionen erfasst: (1) Strategisches Wissen und Problemlösefertigkeiten (hierbei ging es um die Selektion relevanter Informationen und Strategien in Bezug auf eine realistische Problemstellung), (2) Basisfertigkeiten zur Berechnung von POC und (3) konzeptionelles Wissen im Sinne eines Verständnisses von Prinzipien und Zusammenhängen innerhalb des behandelten Inhaltsgebietes. An der Studie nahmen 38 Studenten der Betriebswirtschaftslehre teil. 19 Studenten lernten in einem Zeitraum von acht Stunden mit SPACE, die anderen 19 Teilnehmer nahmen an einem achtstündigen Klassenzimmerunterricht zum selben Inhaltsbereich teil. Hinsichtlich der Dimension "Strategiewissen und Problemlösefertigkeiten" schnitten diejenigen Studenten signifikant besser ab, die mit SPACE lernten. Das Simulationsprogramm zeigte sich somit in Bezug auf diese Dimension der Wissensanwendung dem traditionellen Klassenzimmerunterricht überlegen. In den Dimensionen "Berechnung von POC" und "Konzeptionelles Wissen" ergaben sich keine signifikanten Unterschiede zwischen den beiden Untersuchungsgruppen. Es ist anzunehmen, dass SPACE dem traditionellem Unterricht deutlicher überlegen ist, wenn das Lernprogramm unter realistischeren Bedingungen, d.h. in Betrieben, eingesetzt wird

A New Approach to the Romanization of Written Mongol

This paper has grown from a joint project which the two authors initiatedin late 1997 on the Romanization of the Mongol script. The authors firstmet earlier the same year at the Seventh International Congress ofMongolists in Ulan Bator, where they presented individual papers onrelated topics (Balk 1997, Janhunen 1997). Since it turned out that the twopapers reflected an almost identical understanding of the fundamentalissues of the problem, the authors decided to continue the work togetherin order to create a unified system of Romanization for Written Mongolwith a potential for wider use in both scholarly and practical contexts.The final results of this work, as well as the detailed discussions whichpreceded them, will appear as separate publications, in which the historyof the question will also be given due consideration. The purpose of thepresent paper is to give an introduction to the principal considerations andmotivations underlying the new approach to the Romanization of WrittenMongol. At the same time, the actual solutions proposed by the authorswill also be illustrated

Evaluation problemorientierten Lernens im Münchner Modell der Medizinerausbildung - Bewertung durch die Studierenden (1997 bis 2001)

This research report is concerned with the evaluation of problem-oriented learning in medicine, i.e. the Munich Model of medicine education. First, key concepts of problem-oriented learning and their realisation in medical education are outlined. Then, the Munich Model of medicine education which has been established in cooperation with the Harvard Medical School, Boston, is described. Four problem-oriented courses are part of this model. Approximately 1.500 students participated in these courses. The aim of the evaluation is to provide a basis for improving the quality of the four problem-oriented courses. Evaluation dimensions are acceptance, subjective learning gains, group cooperation and tutor's support. The report shows the students' ratings of all courses conducted since 1997. The evaluation results are described for each course. Furthermore, between-course comparisons are reported. In general, students are very satisfied with the courses. Findings are discussed and future research is outlinedIn diesem Forschungsbericht wird die Evaluation des Münchner Modells problemorientierten Lernens in der Medizin beschrieben. Zunächst werden Schlüsselkonzepte problemorientierten Lernens und deren Umsetzung in der Medizinerausbildung dargestellt. Danach wird das Münchner Modell der Medizinerausbildung erläutert, in dem vier problemorientierte Kurse realisiert werden. Dieses wurde in Kooperation mit der Harvard Medical School, Boston, entwickelt. An den vier Kursen nahmen bisher insgesamt annähernd 1.500 Studierende teil. Ziel der Evaluation ist es, eine Grundlage zur weiteren Qualitätsverbesserung der vier problemorientierten Kurse bereitzustellen. Die Studierenden bewerten im Rahmen der Evaluation die Dimensionen Akzeptanz, subjektiver Lernerfolg, Gruppenkooperation und Betreuung durch den Tutor. In diesem Bericht werden die Teilnehmerbewertungen aller Kurse seit 1997 dargestellt. Die Evaluationsergebnisse werden für jeden Kurs erläutert. Darüber hinaus werden Vergleiche zwischen den Kursen berichtet. Insgesamt sind die Studierenden sehr zufrieden mit den Kursen. Die Befunde werden in Zusammenhang mit Fragestellungen zukünftiger Forschung diskutier

Composite membrane fabrication with nanoporous metallic films

Magnetron sputtering is a physical vapor deposition method widely used for deposition of thin films of different materials on a variety of substrate materials. Sputtering allows fine control of the film thickness and composition through co-sputtering from multiple target materials. As part of this study thin films have been sputtered on top of membrane substrates. Microfiltration, ultrafiltration, and nanofiltration membranes have been investigated as substrates for thin film deposition. The resulting composite membranes have remained permeable under testing with deionized water. The base nanofiltration membrane showed permeability of 9.75 LMH/bar, while the membrane-film composite had a permeability of 2.76 LMH/bar. Thin films of metallic alloys deposited in this way can be made nanoporous through a process called dealloying. The process involves the removal of the less noble component of an alloy by an etchant creating an open nanoporous structure. The pores created by this method commonly vary from a few nanometers to a few hundred nanometers. This research focuses on using magnetron sputtering to deposit precursor metallic alloy films from 100 to 250nm thick on top of porous membrane substrates. These dense precursor films are then dealloyed to produce pore/ligament structures of approximately 10nm characteristic size. In these studies iron and palladium were chosen as a precursor alloy. A portion of the iron is etched away with sulfuric acid to generate an open nanoporous structure. Fe/Pd nanoparticles have been used with success to dechlorinate various chlorinated organic compounds (COCs) for wastewater treatment purposes. Nanoporous Fe/Pd films have shown similar activity in batch testing towards PCB degradation as nanoparticles. Taken together this means the composite membrane produced by fabricating a high surface area, porous Fe/Pd film on top of a membrane substrate shows promise both as a catalyst and as a platform for separations. This project is funded by NIH-NIEHS-SRC and by NSF KY EPSCOR at the University of Kentucky

Correlation Between Microstructure and Thermionic Electron Emission from Os-Ru Thin Films on Dispenser Cathodes

Osmium-ruthenium films with different microstructures were deposited onto dispenser cathodes and subjected to 1000 h of close-spaced diode testing. Tailored microstructures were achieved by applying substrate biasing during deposition, and these were evaluated with scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy before and after close-spaced diode testing. Knee temperatures determined from the close-spaced diode test data were used to evaluate cathode performance. Cathodes with a large {10-11} Os-Ru film texture possessed comparatively low knee temperatures. Furthermore, a low knee temperature correlated with a low effective work function as calculated from the close-spaced diode data. It is proposed that the formation of strong {10-11} texture is responsible for the superior performance of the cathode with a multilayered Os-Ru coating

Composition and Work Function Relationship in Os–Ru–W Ternary Alloys

Os–Ru thin films with varying concentrations of W were sputter deposited in order to investigate their structure–property relationships. The films were analyzed with x-ray diffraction to investigate their crystal structures, and a Kelvin probe to investigate their work functions. An Os–Ru–W film with ∼30 at. % W yielded a work function maximum of approximately 5.38 eV. These results align well with other studies that found work function minima from thermionic emission data on M-type cathodes with varying amounts of W in the coatings. Furthermore, the results are consistent with other work explaining energy-level alignment and charge transfer of molecules on metal oxides. This may shed light on the mechanism behind the “anomalous effect” first reported by Zalm et al., whereby a high work function coating results in a low work function for emitting cathode surfaces. An important implication of this work is the potential for the Kelvin probe to evaluate the effectiveness of dispenser cathode coatings

Radiotherapy for GIST progressing during or after tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy : A prospective study

Purpose: Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) has been considered radiation-resistant, and radiotherapy is recommended only for palliation of bone metastases in current treatment guidelines. No registered prospective trial has evaluated GIST responsiveness to radiotherapy. Patients and methods: Patients with GIST progressing at intra-abdominal sites or the liver were entered to this prospective Phase II multicenter study (identifier NCT00515931). Metastases were treated with external beam radiotherapy using either conformal 3D planning or intensity modulated radiotherapy and conventional fractionation to a cumulative planning target volume dose of approximately 40 Gy. Systemic therapy was maintained unaltered during the study. Results: Of the 25 patients entered, 19 were on concomitant tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy, most often imatinib. Two (8%) patients achieved partial remission, 20 (80%) had stable target lesion size for >= 3 months after radiotherapy with a median duration of stabilization of 16 months, and 3 (12%) progressed. The median time to radiotherapy target lesion progression was 4-fold longer than the median time to GIST progression at any site (16 versus 4 months). Radiotherapy was generally well tolerated. Conclusions: Responses to radiotherapy were infrequent, but most patients had durable stabilization of the target lesions. GIST patients with soft tissue metastases benefit frequently from radiotherapy. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.Peer reviewe

Action minimizing fronts in general FPU-type chains

We study atomic chains with nonlinear nearest neighbour interactions and prove the existence of fronts (heteroclinic travelling waves with constant asymptotic states). Generalizing recent results of Herrmann and Rademacher we allow for non-convex interaction potentials and find fronts with non-monotone profile. These fronts minimize an action integral and can only exists if the asymptotic states fulfil the macroscopic constraints and if the interaction potential satisfies a geometric graph condition. Finally, we illustrate our findings by numerical simulations.Comment: 19 pages, several figure

Monitoring retinal changes with optical coherence tomography predicts neuronal loss in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

BACKGROUND:Retinal optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a clinical and research tool in multiple sclerosis, where it has shown significant retinal nerve fiber (RNFL) and ganglion cell (RGC) layer thinning, while postmortem studies have reported RGC loss. Although retinal pathology in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) has been described, comparative OCT studies among EAE models are scarce. Furthermore, the best practices for the implementation of OCT in the EAE lab, especially with afoveate animals like rodents, remain undefined. We aimed to describe the dynamics of retinal injury in different mouse EAE models and outline the optimal experimental conditions, scan protocols, and analysis methods, comparing these to histology to confirm the pathological underpinnings. METHODS:Using spectral-domain OCT, we analyzed the test-retest and the inter-rater reliability of volume, peripapillary, and combined horizontal and vertical line scans. We then monitored the thickness of the retinal layers in different EAE models: in wild-type (WT) C57Bl/6J mice immunized with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein peptide (MOG35-55) or with bovine myelin basic protein (MBP), in TCR2D2 mice immunized with MOG35-55, and in SJL/J mice immunized with myelin proteolipid lipoprotein (PLP139-151). Strain-matched control mice were sham-immunized. RGC density was counted on retinal flatmounts at the end of each experiment. RESULTS:Volume scans centered on the optic disc showed the best reliability. Retinal changes during EAE were localized in the inner retinal layers (IRLs, the combination of the RNFL and the ganglion cell plus the inner plexiform layers). In WT, MOG35-55 EAE, progressive thinning of IRL started rapidly after EAE onset, with 1/3 of total loss occurring during the initial 2 months. IRL thinning was associated with the degree of RGC loss and the severity of EAE. Sham-immunized SJL/J mice showed progressive IRL atrophy, which was accentuated in PLP-immunized mice. MOG35-55-immunized TCR2D2 mice showed severe EAE and retinal thinning. MBP immunization led to very mild disease without significant retinopathy. CONCLUSIONS:Retinal neuroaxonal damage develops quickly during EAE. Changes in retinal thickness mirror neuronal loss and clinical severity. Monitoring of the IRL thickness after immunization against MOG35-55 in C57Bl/6J mice seems the most convenient model to study retinal neurodegeneration in EAE