Validity of (Ultra-)Short Recordings for Heart Rate Variability Measurements

In order to investigate the applicability of routine 10s electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings for time-domain heart rate variability (HRV) calculation we explored to what extent these (ultra-)short recordings capture the "actual" HRV.The standard deviation of normal-to-normal intervals (SDNN) and the root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD) were measured in 3,387 adults. SDNN and RMSSD were assessed from (ultra)short recordings of 10s(3x), 30s, and 120s and compared to 240s-300s (gold standard) measurements. Pearson's correlation coefficients (r), Bland-Altman 95% limits of agreement and Cohen's d statistics were used as agreement analysis techniques.Agreement between the separate 10s recordings and the 240s-300s recording was already substantial (r = 0.758-0.764/Bias = 0.398-0.416/d = 0.855-0.894 for SDNN; r = 0.853-0.862/Bias = 0.079-0.096/d = 0.150-0.171 for RMSSD), and improved further when three 10s periods were averaged (r = 0.863/Bias = 0.406/d = 0.874 for SDNN; r = 0.941/Bias = 0.088/d = 0.167 for RMSSD). Agreement increased with recording length and reached near perfect agreement at 120s (r = 0.956/Bias = 0.064/d = 0.137 for SDNN; r = 0.986/Bias = 0.014/d = 0.027 for RMSSD). For all recording lengths and agreement measures, RMSSD outperformed SDNN.Our results confirm that it is unnecessary to use recordings longer than 120s to obtain accurate measures of RMSSD and SDNN in the time domain. Even a single 10s (standard ECG) recording yields a valid RMSSD measurement, although an average over multiple 10s ECGs is preferable. For SDNN we would recommend either 30s or multiple 10s ECGs. Future research projects using time-domain HRV parameters, e.g. genetic epidemiological studies, could calculate HRV from (ultra-)short ECGs enabling such projects to be performed at a large scale

Delning av it-kunskap inom en svensk bank : En enkätbaserad fallstudie av it-relaterad utbildning, hjälpfunktioner och kommunikation

An efficient, functioning IT environment is vital to many companies, even to those not calling themselves IT companies. How to assimilate the IT skills needed and get the IT department to share their knowledge with the rest of the organization can, however, be difficult. The aim of this thesis is to find differences between how a company’s IT department employees and other employees experience and use IT training and IT help functions. The aim is also to identify and make suggestions on what artifacts and help functions can be further developed in order to enhance learning and sharing of IT knowledge. A case study was conducted at the Swedish bank Handelsbanken. The employees’ experiences and use of IT related training, artifacts and help functions were studied through a survey that was complemented by interviews and observations. A Mann-Whitney U test was conducted on the survey answers. The result shows differences between the IT department employees and other employees in three areas: IT introduction, wish for more IT training and frequency in calling the IT help desk. Further, the result indicates that the new employee orientation, the internal handbook, e-support and IT help desk all have room for improvements.En effektiv, fungerade it-miljö är nödvändig för i stort sett alla företag, även för dem som inte benämner sig själva som it-företag. Hur företagen kan ta till sig de it-kunskaper som behövs och få it-avdelningen att dela med sig av sin kunskap till resten av organisationen, kan dock vara svårt. Syftet med detta examensarbete är att hitta skillnader mellan hur ett företags medarbetare på it-avdelninen och andra medarbetare i organisationen upplever och använder it-utbildning och it-hjälpfunktioner. Syftet är också att identifiera och ge förslag på vilka tjänster och hjälpfunktioner som kan vidareutvecklas för att främja lärande och delning av it-kunskap. En fallstudie genomfördes på Svenska Handelsbanken. Medarbetarnas upplevelser och användning av it-relaterad utbildning, tjänster och hjälpfunktioner studerades genom en enkätundersökning, som kompletterades med intervjuer och observationer. Ett så kallat Mann-Whitney U-test genomfördes på enkätsvaren. Resultatet visar på skillnader mellan it-avdelningens medarbetare och andra medarbetare i organisationen inom tre områden:  it-introduktion, önskan att få mer it-utbildning samt frekvensen i hur ofta de ringer till it-supporten. Resultatet visar också att introduktionen för nyanställda, den interna handboken, e-supporten och it-supporten alla har förbättringsområden

Perspectives on Assessment in Introductory Computer Science Courses : Exploring and Comparing Experiences of Students, Teaching Assistants, and Course Coordinators

Assessments of students' performances, including providing the students with feedback, are central parts of course design in higher education. These assessments can be carried out in different ways and with different purposes. The introductory programming courses (CS1) are often given to a large group of students, many of whom are non-computer science majors. To conduct the assessments and provide the students with individual feedback, teaching assistants (TAs, students with prior experience of the subject) are often employed to assist the course coordinators (main instructors) in these courses. The practice-based research aim of this thesis is to give recommendations to course coordinators and TAs on how to integrate assessment situations in CS1 courses, aiming to be experienced as fair and valid examinations and opportunities to provide the students with useful feedback. To do so, the experiences and use of assessments within CS1 courses given to non-computer science majors, are explored from the perspective of students, TAs, and course coordinators. The three stakeholders' experiences are also compared, and to further understand the experiences, the TAs' and course coordinators' perceptions of their roles in relation to the assessments are explored. The studied assessment types include lab assignments, midterm exams, and individual final projects.  By using a mixed-method approach with a qualitative starting point, each of the stakeholders' perspectives has been studied in detail, mostly within a Swedish context. The research uncovers the complex role of the TAs and the other stakeholders' strong dependency on them. The results suggest that each of the three studied assessment types has weaknesses and strengths that often are experienced differently by the stakeholders. This includes pitfalls with how assessment situations, designed by course coordinators to be both learning activities and graded, are challenging for the TAs to conduct. The assessments then risk being experienced by the students as unfair or dependent on the TA. Further, the results suggest that TAs face challenges related to the student-TA relationship, specifically how to handle being friends with the students they teach. The large group of students limits the course coordinators' role in the assessments, and they have a monitoring role not always visible to the students. Recommendations for TAs and course coordinators, grounded in the research results, are presented in the thesis. Further implications from the research, in the form of TA training initiatives, are also described and evaluated as part of this thesis work.Bedömningar av studenters prestationer, inklusive att ge studenterna återkoppling, är centrala delar av kursutformningen inom högre utbildning. Bedömningar kan dock göras på olika sätt och med olika syften. Inledande programmeringskurser (CS1) ges ofta till en stor grupp studenter där många valt ett annat huvudämne än datavetenskap. För att kunna genomföra bedömningarna och ge studenterna individuell återkoppling, anlitas ofta lärarassistenter (studenter med tidigare erfarenhet av ämnet) som hjälper kursansvariga (huvudlärarna). Det praktiknära forskningssyftet med denna avhandling är att ge rekommendationer till kursansvariga och assistenter om hur bedömningssituationer kan integreras i CS1-kurser, med en strävan att upplevas som både rättvisa och relevanta examinationer samt utgöra möjligheter att ge studenterna användbar återkoppling. För att kunna göra det utforskas erfarenheter och användning av bedömning i CS1-kurser, som ges till studenter som inte har valt datavetenskap som sitt huvudämne, ur studenters, assistenters och kursansvarigas perspektiv. De tre intressenternas erfarenheter jämförs också med varandra och för att ytterligare förstå erfarenheterna undersöks även assistenters och kursansvarigas syn på sina roller i relation till bedömningarna. De studerade bedömningstyperna inkluderar labbuppgifter, mittkursprov och individuella slutprojekt.  Genom att kombinera kvalitativa och kvantitativa metoder, med en utgångspunkt i det kvalitativa, har var och en av dessa intressenters perspektiv studerats i detalj, främst i en svensk kontext. Forskningsresultaten belyser assistenternas komplexa roll och hur beroende de andra intressenterna är av dem. Resultaten tyder på att var och en av de tre studerade bedömningstyperna har svagheter och styrkor som ofta upplevs olika av intressenterna. Detta inkluderar fallgropar där bedömningssituationer, som är utformade av kursansvariga för att vara både lärandeaktiviteter och betygsätts, är utmanande för assistenterna att genomföra. Bedömningarna riskerar då att upplevas av studenterna som orättvisa eller beroende av vilken assistent som genomför dem. Vidare tyder resultaten på att assistenterna ställs inför utmaningar som är relaterade till relationen mellan student och assistent, särskilt hur assistenterna hanterar situationer där de också ser sig som vänner till studenterna. Den stora gruppen studenter begränsar kursansvarigas roll i bedömningarna och de har en mer övervakande roll som inte alltid är synlig för studenterna.  Rekommendationer för assistenter och kursansvariga, grundade i forskningsresultaten, presenteras i avhandlingen. Ytterligare implikationer av forskningen, i form av assistentutbildningsinsatser, beskrivs och utvärderas också.QC 20220330</p

Perspectives on Assessment in Introductory Computer Science Courses : Exploring and Comparing Experiences of Students, Teaching Assistants, and Course Coordinators

Assessments of students' performances, including providing the students with feedback, are central parts of course design in higher education. These assessments can be carried out in different ways and with different purposes. The introductory programming courses (CS1) are often given to a large group of students, many of whom are non-computer science majors. To conduct the assessments and provide the students with individual feedback, teaching assistants (TAs, students with prior experience of the subject) are often employed to assist the course coordinators (main instructors) in these courses. The practice-based research aim of this thesis is to give recommendations to course coordinators and TAs on how to integrate assessment situations in CS1 courses, aiming to be experienced as fair and valid examinations and opportunities to provide the students with useful feedback. To do so, the experiences and use of assessments within CS1 courses given to non-computer science majors, are explored from the perspective of students, TAs, and course coordinators. The three stakeholders' experiences are also compared, and to further understand the experiences, the TAs' and course coordinators' perceptions of their roles in relation to the assessments are explored. The studied assessment types include lab assignments, midterm exams, and individual final projects.  By using a mixed-method approach with a qualitative starting point, each of the stakeholders' perspectives has been studied in detail, mostly within a Swedish context. The research uncovers the complex role of the TAs and the other stakeholders' strong dependency on them. The results suggest that each of the three studied assessment types has weaknesses and strengths that often are experienced differently by the stakeholders. This includes pitfalls with how assessment situations, designed by course coordinators to be both learning activities and graded, are challenging for the TAs to conduct. The assessments then risk being experienced by the students as unfair or dependent on the TA. Further, the results suggest that TAs face challenges related to the student-TA relationship, specifically how to handle being friends with the students they teach. The large group of students limits the course coordinators' role in the assessments, and they have a monitoring role not always visible to the students. Recommendations for TAs and course coordinators, grounded in the research results, are presented in the thesis. Further implications from the research, in the form of TA training initiatives, are also described and evaluated as part of this thesis work.Bedömningar av studenters prestationer, inklusive att ge studenterna återkoppling, är centrala delar av kursutformningen inom högre utbildning. Bedömningar kan dock göras på olika sätt och med olika syften. Inledande programmeringskurser (CS1) ges ofta till en stor grupp studenter där många valt ett annat huvudämne än datavetenskap. För att kunna genomföra bedömningarna och ge studenterna individuell återkoppling, anlitas ofta lärarassistenter (studenter med tidigare erfarenhet av ämnet) som hjälper kursansvariga (huvudlärarna). Det praktiknära forskningssyftet med denna avhandling är att ge rekommendationer till kursansvariga och assistenter om hur bedömningssituationer kan integreras i CS1-kurser, med en strävan att upplevas som både rättvisa och relevanta examinationer samt utgöra möjligheter att ge studenterna användbar återkoppling. För att kunna göra det utforskas erfarenheter och användning av bedömning i CS1-kurser, som ges till studenter som inte har valt datavetenskap som sitt huvudämne, ur studenters, assistenters och kursansvarigas perspektiv. De tre intressenternas erfarenheter jämförs också med varandra och för att ytterligare förstå erfarenheterna undersöks även assistenters och kursansvarigas syn på sina roller i relation till bedömningarna. De studerade bedömningstyperna inkluderar labbuppgifter, mittkursprov och individuella slutprojekt.  Genom att kombinera kvalitativa och kvantitativa metoder, med en utgångspunkt i det kvalitativa, har var och en av dessa intressenters perspektiv studerats i detalj, främst i en svensk kontext. Forskningsresultaten belyser assistenternas komplexa roll och hur beroende de andra intressenterna är av dem. Resultaten tyder på att var och en av de tre studerade bedömningstyperna har svagheter och styrkor som ofta upplevs olika av intressenterna. Detta inkluderar fallgropar där bedömningssituationer, som är utformade av kursansvariga för att vara både lärandeaktiviteter och betygsätts, är utmanande för assistenterna att genomföra. Bedömningarna riskerar då att upplevas av studenterna som orättvisa eller beroende av vilken assistent som genomför dem. Vidare tyder resultaten på att assistenterna ställs inför utmaningar som är relaterade till relationen mellan student och assistent, särskilt hur assistenterna hanterar situationer där de också ser sig som vänner till studenterna. Den stora gruppen studenter begränsar kursansvarigas roll i bedömningarna och de har en mer övervakande roll som inte alltid är synlig för studenterna.  Rekommendationer för assistenter och kursansvariga, grundade i forskningsresultaten, presenteras i avhandlingen. Ytterligare implikationer av forskningen, i form av assistentutbildningsinsatser, beskrivs och utvärderas också.QC 20220330</p

Challenges Faced by Teaching Assistants in Computer Science Education Across Europe

Teaching assistants (TAs) are heavily used in computer science courses as a way to handle high enrollment and still being able to offer students individual tutoring and detailed assessments. TAs are themselves students who take on this additional role in parallel with their own studies at the same institution. Previous research has shown that being a TA can be challenging but has mainly been conducted on TAs from a single institution or within a single course. This paper offers a multi-institutional, multi-national perspective of challenges that TAs in computer science face. This has been done by conducting a thematic analysis of 180 reflective essays written by TAs from three institutions across Europe. The thematic analysis resulted in five main challenges: becoming a professional TA, student focused challenges, assessment, defining and using best practice, and threats to best practice. In addition, these challenges were all identified within the essays from all three institutions, indicating that the identified challenges are not particularly context-dependent. Based on these findings, we also outline implications for educators involved in TA training and coordinators of computer science courses with TAs

The Challenge of Identifying the Importance of Drivers and Barriers for Implementation of Technology Enhanced Learning

The potential of technology enhanced learning (TEL) can have both pedagogical and administrative benefits. In a previous study, we investigated the drivers and barriers for TEL in higher education using Force Field Analysis (FFA). In this follow-up study, we collected new data through a questionnaire to a group of pedagogical developers and at a presentation at a university internal conference for teachers. A Kruskal Wallis test was carried out to test if the groups filling out questionnaire deviated from each other in their ranking. A comparison was also done to the scores in the previous study. As a result of this triangulation, deviations were found between ratings for seven of the 20 identified forces. While the assessments of strengths in FFA is debated, we argue that each group’s view is an important component to understand the situation, and triangulation of data is helpful in understanding the different views.QCR 20190211</p

The Challenge of Identifying the Importance of Drivers and Barriers for Implementation of Technology Enhanced Learning

The potential of technology enhanced learning (TEL) can have both pedagogical and administrative benefits. In a previous study, we investigated the drivers and barriers for TEL in higher education using Force Field Analysis (FFA). In this follow-up study, we collected new data through a questionnaire to a group of pedagogical developers and at a presentation at a university internal conference for teachers. A Kruskal Wallis test was carried out to test if the groups filling out questionnaire deviated from each other in their ranking. A comparison was also done to the scores in the previous study. As a result of this triangulation, deviations were found between ratings for seven of the 20 identified forces. While the assessments of strengths in FFA is debated, we argue that each group’s view is an important component to understand the situation, and triangulation of data is helpful in understanding the different views.QCR 20190211</p

The Challenge of Identifying the Importance of Drivers and Barriers for Implementation of Technology Enhanced Learning

The potential of technology enhanced learning (TEL) can have both pedagogical and administrative benefits. In a previous study, we investigated the drivers and barriers for TEL in higher education using Force Field Analysis (FFA). In this follow-up study, we collected new data through a questionnaire to a group of pedagogical developers and at a presentation at a university internal conference for teachers. A Kruskal Wallis test was carried out to test if the groups filling out questionnaire deviated from each other in their ranking. A comparison was also done to the scores in the previous study. As a result of this triangulation, deviations were found between ratings for seven of the 20 identified forces. While the assessments of strengths in FFA is debated, we argue that each group’s view is an important component to understand the situation, and triangulation of data is helpful in understanding the different views.QCR 20190211</p

Оҥай марий йылме: A Comprehensive Introduction to the Mari Language

First half of an English-language textbook on the Mari language, a Finno-Ugric language spoken in the Russian Federation. This book is tailored to the needs of autodidacts. More information can be found at www.mari-language.comErste Hälfte eines englischsprachigen Lehrbuchs der marischen Sprache, einer in der Russischen Föderation gesprochenen finno-ugrischen Sprache. Dieses Buch ist für den autodidaktischen Gebrauch konzipiert. Zusätzliche Information ist hier zu finden: www.mari-language.co

Representation of the 10s, 30s and 120s recordings selected from the total recording period (240s–300s).

<p>Representation of the 10s, 30s and 120s recordings selected from the total recording period (240s–300s).</p