Development of a rubric to assess student participation in an online discussion board

Online discussion boards provide opportunities for students to share experiences, consolidate knowledge, explore new ideas, and feel connected to other students and faculty. Despite the benefits, many students do not voluntarily engage in discussion board activities. Mandating participation is a contentious issue, but after reviewing the literature, a summative assessment task and a rubric were developed and trialled in a fully online, Australian postgraduate course. An audit of the discussion board posts from two semesters without the assessment task, and two semesters using the assessment task, found the quality and quantity of posts increased. There were significant improvements in regularity, discussion of course concepts, translation to relevant experiences, and support and encouragement for other learners. The initiative successfully created a learning environment and is being implemented in other subjects

Looking at Barbie: Social comparison processes and body esteem among women

In this thesis, three areas are described: the phenomenon of body dissatisfaction among apparently normal-sized women from a sociocultural perspective; social comparison theory, which is proposed to be the mechanism by which the phenomenon operates; and the results of an experiment designed not only to test the nature of the phenomenon itself, but also to test certain components of social comparison theory, such as selection of comparison targets and the role of derogation. The study reports women’s responses to inescapable social comparison on the attribute of body size and shape with two groups of social comparison targets: photographs from popular magazines of (1) thin female models and (2) heavy female models. Thus, examined was a single episode of social comparison with media targets on a single salient dimension-body size and shape. The hypotheses tested were: (1) women who engage in inescapable social comparison with heavy models will show less decrease in body esteem or mood and less incidence of reporting a feared fat self than will the women who view thin models, and (2) women engaging in inescapable social comparison with thin models may manage that potential threat to their body esteem or well-being by derogating the thin models on perceived traits more than will those women comparing with the heavy models. The experiment succeeded in operationally testing both hypotheses. The independent variables were heavy versus thin comparison targets and opportunity versus no opportunity for explicit derogation. The comparison targets differed significantly on body size, but not on attractiveness. The four main dependent variables (body esteem, mood, possible selves, and derogation) were found to have adequate reliabilities and some were from known, validated instruments. The hypotheses were not supported, although one mood factor, anxiety, was negatively correlated with having an opportunity to derogate (p. = .03). However, the reliability measure for this mood factor was rather low (Chronbach’s Alpha = .47). The role of media consumption is discussed in relation to social comparison processes

Within the Wrought-Iron Fence: the Hidden Heritage of McCormick Theological Seminary, 1864-1975

Few people today realize that the black wrought iron fence that runs along the west side of Halsted Street and west on Belden and Fullerton Avenues to the El tracks once defined the grounds of McCormick Theological Seminary, a Presbyterian Seminary. The first major building site in this area, and the first institution, it was truly the cornerstone of our neighborhood. It continued as an important part of this Lincoln Park neighborhood for more than a hundred years. We see physical evidence of McCormick’s time here in the buildings that remain. But the tightly knit academic, religious and residential community that once existed within the black wrought iron fence is largely forgotten or unknown. Yet its historic presence has much to pass on to those of us who work, study and live on or near the campus. The institution has been gone from our neighborhood for twenty-four years, but its heritage is a foundation for the continuing residential and institutional communities existing side-by-side today. The seminary’s move to Hyde Park in 1975 offered an opportunity for DePaul University to expand its campus. DePaul bought the west end of the McCormick campus in 1976 and the following year purchased the east end. Today DePaul continues the campus heritage of teaching and service. In the center portion of the old campus, the residents of the historic townhouses, owned individually by the members of the Seminary Townhouse Association, continue to raise families in a caring community and carry on other McCormick traditions. Thus the area within the fence continues as a place of families and community, of students and teachers, of learning and fun and of outreach

Exploring the Impact of Mentorship on the Leadership Trajectory of Black Clergywomen in the Black Church

This research project examined the impact of mentorship on the leadership trajectory of Black clergywomen within the Black Church. The aim was to identify the gaps and gifts within the Black Church that contribute to and challenge Black clergywomen’s thriving and development in pastoral ministry. Theological foundations for this study included womanism and Black liberation, wherein the experiences, stories, and voices of the most marginalized were centered and served as starting points for interrogation. Using a qualitative, multiple-case study design, I collected detailed information about the mentoring experiences of 10 Black clergywomen who were serving in Black congregations within King and Pierce Counties in Washington State. I asked eight open-ended questions to encourage and facilitate reflective responses, which were then carefully examined for common themes and coded. The narratives collected through these interviews focused on the individual stories and experiences of Black clergywomen within the Black Church, and provided a more in-depth picture of the impact mentoring experiences have on pastoral leadership. The goal of this study was to develop a mechanism for Black clergywomen within the Black Church to receive effective mentoring, opportunities for promotion, and access to safe supportive networks where their development and thriving as ministry leaders is encouraged

The Importance of Clarifying Evolutionary Terminology Across Disciplines and in the Classroom: A Reply to Kampourakis

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/111218/1/cogs12197.pd

You Get What You Need: An Examination of Purpose‐Based Inheritance Reasoning in Undergraduates, Preschoolers, and Biological Experts

This set of seven experiments examines reasoning about the inheritance and acquisition of physical properties in preschoolers, undergraduates, and biology experts. Participants ( N =  390) received adoption vignettes in which a baby animal was born to one parent but raised by a biologically unrelated parent, and they judged whether the offspring would have the same property as the birth or rearing parent. For each vignette, the animal parents had contrasting values on a physical property dimension (e.g., the birth parent had a short tail; the rearing parent had a long tail). Depending on the condition, the distinct properties had distinct functions (“function‐predictive”) were associated with distinct habitats (“habitat‐predictive”), or had no implications (“non‐predictive”). Undergraduates' bias to view properties as inherited from the birth parent was reduced in the function‐ and habitat‐predictive conditions. This result indicates a purpose‐based view of inheritance, whereby animals can acquire properties that serve a purpose in their environment. This stance was not found in experts or preschoolers. We discuss the results in terms of how undergraduates' purpose‐based inheritance reasoning develops and relates to larger‐scale misconceptions about Darwinian evolutionary processes, and implications for biology education.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/106669/1/cogs12097.pd

Recruitment Strategies for Cognitively Impaired Older Adults in Assisted Living Communities

It is well documented that recruiting persons with dementia for research in long term care settings is challenging (Lam, et. al. 2018). The purpose of this study is to explore recruitment techniques suggested by the National Institute on Aging (2018), including the use of brochures, community contact introductions (CCI), presentations, event tables, 1:1 interactions and activity events. We examined the success of each method of recruitment in two recruitment waves based on the number recruited in relation to the number of hours spent on that recruitment method. Of the 119 people that were screened, 47% were enrolled in the study. The top three recruitment methods found to be successful included activities [4 hours per person (HPP)], CCI (5.6 HPP), and 1:1 interaction (7.5 HPP). Additionally, there was a decrease in the hours per person for 1:1 interaction which we propose was related to relationships forming between the facility and recruiters

Orientation strategies that prepare postgraduate students for online study

Introduction/background: Despite the increasing popularity of online university courses, high non-completion rates are common. An effective orientation program can assist students to prepare for online study. Aim/objectives: The focus of this research was to gain an understanding of students' perceptions of: (i) the skills needed for online study; (ii) which skills HPE students feel least confident about at the commencement of their course; and (iii) orientation activities and resources that students find useful when preparing for online study. Methods: A mixed methods study, including online surveys and telephone interviews, was used. Results: Students were confident about their computer skills but were less confident about using the learning management system, in particular, the discussion board and webinar tools. Rusty academic skills, such as writing and referencing, were a challenge for many. Responses to suggested orientation sessions indicate students desire a wide variety of activities and resources to help them transition to online learning including: study tips from experienced online learners; staying motivated in off-campus study, and tips for organising and managing files. Discussion and Conclusions: Orientation activities should be delivered in an incremental way so students can progress at their own pace through a structured, but flexible, program that does not overwhelm the novice. Self-evaluation of the skills required for postgraduate online study, flexibility to tailor the orientation program to suit personal learning needs, and time to practise required skills, should underpin the orientation program. Lastly, opportunities for students to connect with other students and faculty should be provided

Predicting declines in physical function in persons with multiple chronic medical conditions: what we can learn from the medical problem list

BACKGROUND: Primary care physicians are caring for increasing numbers of persons with comorbid chronic illness. Longitudinal information on health outcomes associated with specific chronic conditions may be particularly relevant in caring for these populations. Our objective was to assess the effect of certain comorbid conditions on physical well being over time in a population of persons with chronic medical conditions; and to compare these effects to that of hypertension alone. METHODS: We conducted a secondary analysis of 4-year longitudinal data from the Medical Outcomes Study. A heterogeneous population of 1574 patients with either hypertension alone (referent) or one or more of the following conditions: diabetes, coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, respiratory illness, musculoskeletal conditions and/or depression were recruited from primary and specialty (endocrinology, cardiology or mental health) practices within HMO and fee-for-service settings in three U.S. cities. We measured categorical change (worse vs. same/better) in the SF-36(R) Health Survey physical component summary score (PCS) over 4 years. We used logistic regression analysis to determine significant differences in longitudinal change in PCS between patients with hypertension alone and those with other comorbid conditions and linear regression analysis to assess the contribution of the explanatory variables. RESULTS: Specific diagnoses of CHF, diabetes and/or chronic respiratory disease; or 4 or more chronic conditions, were predictive of a clinically significant decline in PCS. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical recognition of these specific chronic conditions or 4 or more of a list of chronic conditions may provide an opportunity for proactive clinical decision making to maximize physical functioning in these populations