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Block-based programming has proven extraordinarily successful as a pedagogical tool for learning the fundamentals of computing via an exploratory, unconstrained, and hands-on approach. One would think that the issue of software quality is inapplicable in this programming domain. Nevertheless, as recent research shows, block-based programs, written by novice programmers, exhibit recurring quality problems. Although block-based software is not intended for production environments, poor quality can be detrimental to achieving the educational objectives the very use of blocks aims for. Specifically, as we and other researchers have been discovering, introductory programmers, as they gain proficiency, tend to retain poor programming habits, thus continuing to introduce recurring quality problems into their programs. Evidence also indicates that poorly written code is less likely to be reused, thus hindering the potential benefits of this peer-learning mechanism. These findings call for a synergistic effort from educators and tool developers to address the issue of software quality in the context of block-based programming. This effort will require innovating both in the realm of introductory computing curricula and software infrastructure to improve software quality.

Background and purpose To evaluate an electronic counseling rubric to facilitate timely student feedback and explore differences in student performance, student anxiety, and self-perceived preparedness in a high stakes practical exam when using a paper rubric versus an electronic rubric. Educational activity and setting Two cohorts of students in the third professional year were evaluated using the same rubric criteria: cohort 1 (n = 97) used traditional paper rubrics and cohort 2 (n = 104) used electronic rubrics. Cohorts were surveyed to measure anxiety and perceived preparedness in patient counseling skills one week prior to a practical exam, and cohort responses were compared. Student practical exam performance was also compared between the two cohorts. Findings Results showed no significant relationship between electronic rubric use and student anxiety (p = 0.07) or student exam performance [average score 53.42 points (SD 3.65) and 53.93 points (SD 3.78) in Cohort 1 and Cohort 2, respectively]. Perceived exam preparedness was higher among students using electronic rubrics, with timing of feedback being the mediating process in increasing preparedness (p Discussion and summary Electronic rubrics resulted in more timely feedback on patient counseling skills, and students felt more prepared for their practical exam. This did not result in a significant difference in practical exam performance between the two cohorts. Additional methods to incorporate electronic rubrics into the course will be explored.

In the veterinary professional curriculum, methods of examination in many courses are transitioning from the traditional paper-based exams to electronic-based exams. Therefore, a controlled trial to evaluate the impact of testing methodology on examination performance in a veterinary physiology course was designed and implemented. Formalized surveys and focus group discussions were also used to determine student attitudes toward the examination formats. In total, 134 first-year veterinary students and 11 PhD/MS students were administered a total of 4 exams throughout 1 semester (2 on paper and 2 electronically) using a split-halves design. The paper (P) and electronic (E) exams contained 25 identical multiple-choice questions. Students were randomly assigned to two groups and were given exams in one of two sequences (E-P-E-P or P-E-P-E). Participants consented to and completed two anonymous surveys vis à vis their experience. Out of a maximum raw score of 25, the mean score for electronic examinations (20.8; 95% confidence interval, 20.3–21.2) was significantly ( P = 0.01) greater than that for paper examinations (20.3; 95% confidence interval, 20.0–20.7). However, students expressed numerous concerns with the electronic examination format, and, at the completion of the study, 87% preferred to take their examination on paper rather than the electronic format. These data show that student attitudes concerning the examination format are not primarily determined by examination results, and that the additional anxiety related to the electronic examination format plays a large role in student attitudes.

The Journal of Chemical Education announces a call for papers for an upcoming special issue on Chemical Security.

A term-paper assignment that encompasses the full scientific method has been developed and implemented in an undergraduate science writing and communication course with no laboratory component. Students are required to develop their own hypotheses, design experiments to test their hypotheses, and collect empirical data as independent scientists in their personal laboratories—their kitchens. Motivating students to use food preparation as a chemical experiment does more than just provide them with adequate data for their term papers. Students develop a new awareness for experimental variables, acquire experimental planning and development expertise, and gain an enhanced set of independent thinking skills. This inquiry-based assignment requires students to treat edible ingredients as a chemicals and kitchen equipment as scientific instrumentation. Students are required to provide correctly formatted scientific terms for all consumables and equipment, and they are encouraged to bring experimental results into...

Purpose: Radiology represents a highly relevant part of undergraduate medical education from preclinical studies to subinternship training. It is therefore important to establish a content base for teaching radiology in German Medical Faculties. Materials and Methods: The German Society of Radiology (DRG) developed a model curriculum for radiological teaching at German medical universities, which is presented in this article. There is also a European model curriculum for undergraduate teaching (U-level curriculum of the European Society of Radiology). In a modular concept, the students shall learn important radiological core principles in the realms of knowledge, skills and competences as well as core scientific competences in the imaging sciences. Results: The curriculum is divided into two modules. Module 1 includes principles of radiation biology, radiation protection and imaging technology, imaging anatomy as well as the risks and side effects of radiological methods, procedures and contrast media. This module is modality-oriented. Module 2 comprises radiological diagnostic decision-making and imaging-based interventional techniques for various disease entities. This module is organ system-oriented. Conclusion: The curriculum is meant as a living document to be amended and revised at regular intervals. The curriculum can be used as a basis for individual curricular development at German Medical Faculties. It can be integrated into traditional or reformed medical teaching curricula. Key Points: • Radiology is an integral and important part of medical education. • The German Society of Radiology (DRG) developed a model curriculum for teaching radiology at German Medical Faculties to help students develop the ability to make medical decisions based on scientific knowledge and act accordingly. • This curriculum can be used for individual curricular development at medical departments. It is divided into two modules with several chapters. Citation Format: • Ertl-Wagner B, Barkhausen J, Mahnken AH et al. White Paper: Radiological Curriculum for Undergraduate Medical Education in Germany. Fortschr Rontgenstr 2016; 188: 1017 – 1023

Background As mental health services in outpatient medical clinics expand, psychiatrists must be trained to practice in these settings. Objectives The Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry residency education subcommittee convened a writing group with the goal of summarizing the current evidence about outpatient consultation-liaison psychiatry (CLP) training and providing a framework for CLP educators who are interested in developing outpatient CLP rotations within their programs. Method MEDLINE (via PubMed), Embase, and PsycINFO (via OVID) were reviewed each from inception to December 2019, for psychiatric CLP services in ambulatory settings that involved residents or fellows. The CLP education guidelines were reviewed for recommendations relevant to outpatient CLP. We also searched MedEd portal for published curriculums relevant to CLP. The group held 2 conferences to reach consensus about recommendations in setting up outpatient CLP rotations. Results Seventeen articles, 3 Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry–supported guidelines, and 8 online didactic resources were identified as directly reporting on the organization and/or impact of an outpatient CLP rotation. These manuscripts indicated that residents found outpatient CLP rotations effective and relevant to their future careers. However, the literature provided few recommendations for establishing formal outpatient CLP training experiences. Conclusions Outpatient CLP rotations offer multiple benefits for trainees, including exposure to specific clinical scenarios and therapeutic interventions applicable only in the outpatient setting, increased continuity of care, and the unique experience of providing liaison and education to non-mental health providers. The article outlines recommendations and examples for developing outpatient CLP rotations which CLP educators can incorporate in their programs.

Healthcare spending in the United States is the highest in the world, yet quality indicators such as life expectancy and infant mortality lag other countries. U.S. reforms are under way to lower costs and raise quality of care, notably the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). Value-based purchasing (VBP) and programs for reducing the incidence of hospital-acquired conditions (HACs) and hospital readmissions represent initial changes. With these programs, overarching themes are to coordinate care during and beyond hospitalization and to ensure that physicians and hospitals are aligned in their treatment strategies. Hospital malnutrition represents a large, hidden, and costly component of medical care; hospital administrators and caregivers alike must harness the benefits of nutrition as a vital component of healthcare. Medical, nursing, and allied health training programs must find places in their curricula to increase awareness of nutrition and promote knowledge of best-practice nutrition interventions. Hospitals use dietitians and nutrition support teams as critical members of the patient care team, but more work needs to be done to disseminate and enforce best nutrition practices. Such training, nutrition interventions, and practice changes can help prevent and treat malnutrition and thus help avert HACs, reduce hospital readmissions, lower infection and complication rates, and shorten hospital stays. Nutrition care is an effective way to reduce costs and improve patient outcomes. This article calls hospital executives and bedside clinicians to action: recognize the value of nutrition care before, during, and after hospitalization, as well as develop training programs and policies that promote nutrition care.

Active learning in higher education is important for learning efficacy and motivation. Accordingly, lectures that integrate strategies toward active learning, such as minute papers, debates, and collaborative learning, have become widely adopted. Minute papers facilitate communication among both teachers and students, and can be used as a tool for reviewing lectures. In the present study, we examined the effect of using minute papers on learning efficacy and motivation. To enhance the curriculum of the interdisciplinary course Yakugaku Nyumon, which consists of an omnibus lecture series and problem-based learning, minute papers with exercises were provided to applicants. In a follow-up questionnaire, students who used minute papers (S-USE) responded that they had a better understanding of the relationships, ranging from basic to clinical subject matter, than students who did not use such papers (S-NON). Using the Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction (ARCS) model questionnaire to measure study motivation, S-USE scored higher for some questionnaires than S-NON. This finding indicates that minute papers promoted learning motivation among students taking the Yakugaku Nyumon course. In regular examinations, the average score of S-USE was also statistically higher than that of S-NON. These results demonstrate that minute papers possibly encouraged students to actively review the lectures, thereby increasing both learning efficacy and motivation. This study shows that through promoting active, self-learning, minute papers are suitable for improving curricular strategies in subjects that rely on passive learning methods.

This cross sectional descriptive study was conducted to observe the quality of Pharmacology professional written question papers of Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP), University of Chittagong (CU), University of Dhaka (DU), Rajshahi University (RU) and Shahjalal University of Science & Technology (SUST). For this purpose total 82 SAQ papers of five universities dated from January 2007 to July 2015 were reviewed. Question papers were reviewed to find out the coverage of recall, understanding and problem solving type questions, content coverage and presence of marking scheme in SAQ papers. Mean percentage of recall, understanding and problem questions were 54.3%, 44% and 01.7% respectively in SAQ papers. Mean of the recall questions of SUST statistically significantly differed from curriculum standard 60%. Other universities had no significant differences with the standard. Mean of the understanding questions of all the universities statistically significantly differed from curriculum standard 30% except BUP. There was statistically significant difference between mean of the problem solving questions of all the universities and curriculum standard 10% . Most of the SAQ papers (62%) were without problem based questions. No question paper was found having different types question as per curriculum standard. Total 15(18.3%) SAQ papers contained 100 % topics (all the 11 groups). Thirty nine (47.6) contained 10 groups and 22% contained 9 groups out of 11. Twelve percent SAQ papers contained less 80% topics Total 29 (35.4%) SAQ papers of all the universities showed marking scheme on the questions papers, rest 64.6% were devoid of it. Maximum 87.5% SAQ papers of RU had marking scheme. Findings of this study may be used to redefine the distribution of different types question in SAQ papers and to improve the quality of question papers by ensuring their coverage.Bangladesh Journal of Medical Education Vol.8(2) 2017: 12-17

Practitioners routinely note that new staff lack documentation skills, communication skills, and strong Excel skills. Further, new staff report critical-thinking, written and oral communication, teamwork, and project management skills deserve greater emphasis in Master of Accountancy programs. The AICPA's (2014) Model Tax Curriculum suggests that active learning approaches be used to enable students to build communication, critical-thinking, and interpersonal skills. This case uses a realistic corporate tax return preparation experience to address these criticisms by focusing on four main areas: time management, communication, research, and technical skills. The case is divided into two phases. In Phase 1, students review client information, generate requests from the client for missing information, keep a log of hours spent on the project, research ambiguous issues, meet with the project “senior” to obtain guidance, and prepare electronic work papers. In Phase 2, students incorporate feedback from the senior's review of their work papers to make corrections, prepare a corporate tax return, and create a client letter. Student feedback about the project is positive.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the research trends of elementary mathematics education with regard to the topics, methods, subjects, and mathematical contents of such research. For this purpose, the papers published in domestic journals during the recent 5 years (2004-2009) were analyzed. A total of 383 papers from 8 professional journals were analyzed with the 4 criteria. First, the frequent research topics included instructional design and methods, learners' perspectives and abilities, and analysis of curriculum and textbooks in order. Second, qualitative research methodology was used twice as many as quantitative one. Whereas a survey was the most frequent quantitative research method, content analysis and case study were for qualitative methods. Third, research subjects included mainly typical students, specifically fifth and sixth graders. Papers dealing with lower graders or low-achievers as well as pre-service teachers were rare. Lastly, whereas the research on geometry as well as number and operations was active, that of measurement as well as probability and statistics was not. On the basis of these results, this paper includes several implications for the future research direction in elementary mathematics education.

In this position paper, we outline the essential features for an academic palliative care program. Our goal was to assist both academic palliative care faculty and their stakeholders (department chairmen, deans, and others) in building sustainable high-quality academic palliative care programs. We also provide the background that justifies such an effort. Palliative medicine provides coordinated, interdisciplinary care for a growing population of patients and their families with complex care needs as they face a life-threatening or serious condition. These programs have recently matured in the United States and have become

Much of what is formally taught in medicine is about the knowledge, skills, and behaviors required of a physician, including how to express compassion and respect for patients at the bedside. What is learned, however, includes not only admirable qualities but also behaviors and qualities that are inconsistent with ethics and professionalism. Positive role models may reinforce the character and values the profession seeks to cultivate; negative ones directly contradict classroom lessons and expectations of patients, society, and medical educators. These positive and negative lessons, which are embedded in organizational structure and culture, are the hidden curricula conveyed in medical schools, residency programs, hospitals, and clinics. This position paper from the American College of Physicians focuses on ethics, professionalism, and the hidden curriculum. It provides strategies for revealing what is hidden to foster the development of reflective and resilient lifelong learners who embody professionalism and clinicians who are, and are perceived as, positive role models. Making the hidden visible and the implicit explicit helps to create a culture reflecting medicine's core values.

There is the need for well-trained advanced GI surgeons. The super specialization seen in academic and large community centers may not be applicable for surgeons practicing in other settings. The pendulum that has been swinging toward narrow specialization is swinging the other way, as many trained subspecialists are having a harder time finding positions after fellowship, and if they do find a position, the majority of their practice can actually be advanced GI surgery and not exclusively their area of focused expertise. Many hospitals/practices desire surgeons who are competent and specifically credentialed to perform a variety of advanced GI procedures from the esophagus through the anus. Furthermore, broader exposure in training may provide complementary and overlapping skills that may lead to an even better trained GI surgeon compared to someone whose experience is limited to just the liver and pancreas, or to just the colon and rectum, or to only bariatric and foregut surgery. With work hour restrictions and limitations on autonomy for current trainees in residency, many senior trainees have not developed the skills and knowledge to allow them to be competent and comfortable in the broad range of GI surgery. Such training should reflect the needs of the patients and their diseases, and reflect what many practicing surgeons are currently doing, and what many trainees say they would like to do, if there were such fellowship pathways available to them. The goal is to train advanced GI surgeons who are competent and proficient to operate throughout the GI tract and abdomen with open, laparoscopic, and endoscopic techniques in acute and elective situations in a broad variety of complex GI diseases. The program may be standalone, or prepare a surgeon for additional subspecialty training (transition to fellowship and/or to practice). This group of surgeons should be distinguished from subspecialist surgeons who focus in a narrow area of GI surgery. Advanced GI surgery training could occupy the area between general surgery residency and further subspecialty training as seen in the graph below. Visually, we are trying to define the red hash mark area. This is challenging as the inner border with core general surgery is ill defined and interpreted differently by various stakeholders. Similarly, the outer border of the red hash marks, which defines areas that require a surgical subspecialist, is also not clear. Inevitably, overlap exists in the care of these patients and is influenced by the complexity of the underlying disease presentations. The concept is noble, but the future is unclear. Challenges and uncertainties include whether the Certificate of Focused Expertise will go forward, and what the RRC and ABS might decide on the structure of General Surgery training. Funding and the ability to offer autonomy during training are additional challenges in today’s training environment. Currently, the ABS is considering a “Core Plus” concept, though what is “the Core” and what is the “Plus” are not yet determined, and these concepts have been promoted for years. Whether training becomes 4 +1, or 4 +1+1, 5+1 or some other model continues to be discussed. We, the Task Force of Advanced GI Surgery Training, have drafted a vision of what advanced GI training could/should look like to help guide the ABMS/ABS/RRC/ACGME as they contemplate surgery residency redesign goals. Despite the uncertainty, we will develop the curriculum, milestones, and case requirements for advanced GI surgery training, to not only provide this vision but so that an advanced GI training program is ready to go, to be plugged in to whatever the future structure for surgical training may be. Open image in new window

Item does not contain fulltext Sports cardiology is a new and rapidly evolving subspecialty. It aims to elucidate the cardiovascular effects of regular exercise and delineate its benefits and risks, so that safe guidance can be provided to all individuals engaging in sports and/or physical activity in order to attain the maximum potential benefit at the lowest possible risk. The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) advocates systematic preparticipation cardiovascular screening in an effort to identify competitive athletes at risk of exercise-related cardiovascular events and sudden cardiac death. However, the implementation of preparticipation screening is hindered because of lack of structured training and as a result lack of sufficient expertise in the field of sports cardiology. In 2008 the European Society of Cardiology published a core curriculum for the general cardiologist, in which sports cardiology was incorporated within the topic 'Rehabilitation and Exercise Physiology'. However, the exponential rise in knowledge and the growing demand for expertise in the field of sports cardiology dictates the need to systematically structure the knowledge base of sports cardiology into a detailed curriculum. We envisage that the curriculum would facilitate more uniform training and guideline implementation throughout Europe, and safeguard that evaluation and guidance of competitive athletes or individuals who wish to engage in leisure-time sports activities is performed by physicians with expertise in the field. The current manuscript provides a comprehensive curriculum for sports cardiology, which may serve as a framework upon which universities and national and international health authorities will develop the training, evaluation and accreditation in sports cardiology.

Pass researches on STEM education emphasized the rational problem solving among applied engineering and technology, while the nurture of the imagination and creativity in the students’ art field was overlooked. Hence, this research aims to develop a STEAM curriculum module, with basic electronic technology and skill as the foundation, combining scientific RGB colour theory and the artistic concept of drawing and modelling design, with application of the Adobe Illustrator and SketchUp softwares, developing into a hands-on module "LED light-adjusting and paper-curved pop up card" STEAM curriculum. This research combined expert teachers from electrical engineering, physics and art fields to collaboratively develop the curriculum module, through reflective dialogues of three instructing teachers and two team teachers, experiencing three years of curriculum module revision. The first year developed the integrated curriculum of the mini DIY LED light-adjusting board that combined technology, engineering and mathematics, the second year combined with science concept and developed the STEM curriculum for LED light-adjusting board experiments, the third year combined with the artistic paper-curved pop up card and developed the STEAM curriculum module. This module can be applied in the living technology curriculum of the grade 8, which based on student-centred learning, with application of 6E Learning by DeSIGN™ Model for teaching, and this STEAM curriculum module can provide and be applied in 24 lessons of the secondary school’s living technology curriculum.

An important aim of undergraduate science education is to develop student skills in reading and evaluating research papers. We have designed, developed, and implemented an on-line interactive resource entitled “Evaluating Scientific Research literature” (ESRL) aimed at students from the first 2 years of the undergraduate program. In this article, we describe the resource, then use student data collected from questionnaire surveys to evaluate the resource within 2 years of its launch. Our results add to those reported previously and indicate that ESRL can enable students to start evaluating research articles when used during their undergraduate program. We conclude maximal learning is likely to occur when the resource can be embedded in the curriculum such that students have a clearly articulated context for the resource's activities, can see their relevance in relation to assessed assignments and can be encouraged to think deeply about the activities in conversation with one another and/or with staff. © 2017 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 2017.

Summary Simulation is recognised as a safe and effective way to teach nursing. Mask-Ed™ is a new and innovative simulation technique. It involves the use of a masked educator who portrays an authentic character with a history that serves as a platform for learning and teaching. This technique has been introduced in several nursing curricula throughout Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and New Zealand. While student feedback remains positive, little is known about the effectiveness of the technique, which includes using silicone props, including masks in preparing students for clinical practice. Mask-Ed™ simulation has been shown to increase the students' feelings of readiness for clinical practice, and reduced some of their fear and apprehension. This paper explores the use of Mask-Ed™ as a valuable tool in teaching both the art and science of nursing.

The use of technology-enhanced learning (TEL) resources is now a common tool across a variety of healthcare programs. Despite this popular approach to curriculum delivery there remains a paucity in empirical evidence that quantifies the change in learning gain. The aim of the study was to measure the changes in learning gain observed with anatomy drawing screencasts in comparison to a traditional paper-based resource. Learning gain is a widely used term to describe the tangible changes in learning outcomes that have been achieved after a specific intervention. In regard to this study, a cohort of Year 2 medical students voluntarily participated and were randomly assigned to either a screencast or textbook group to compare changes in learning gain across resource type. Using a pre-test/post-test protocol, and a range of statistical analyses, the learning gain was calculated at three test points: immediate post-test, 1-week post-test and 4-week post-test. Results at all test points revealed a significant increase in learning gain and large effect sizes for the screencast group compared to the textbook group. Possible reasons behind the difference in learning gain are explored by comparing the instructional design of both resources. Strengths and weaknesses of the study design are also considered. This work adds to the growing area of research that supports the effective design of TEL resources which are complimentary to the cognitive theory of multimedia learning in order to achieve both an effective and efficient learning resource for anatomical education.

Introduction\ud \ud Dental educators are important people who contribute to the development of every aspect of dental education. In part due to the lack of understanding of their roles and competences, dental educator development has so far received little consideration. With the aim of enhancing the dental profession's contribution to the development of undergraduate dental education, this article explores common roles of educators of undergraduate dental students and the competences needed to be effective educators. \ud \ud \ud Methods\ud \ud This is a discussion paper based on a wide reading of the literature on the education of health professionals with a specific focus on roles and competences of educators. \ud \ud \ud Results and discussion\ud \ud Roles of educators of undergraduate dental students typically encompass four areas: teaching, research, administration and providing healthcare. Educators may not be involved in every role; they normally perform the roles relevant to their work contexts. Competences for dental educators based on the four main roles comprise 12 domains: educational theories and principles; modes of education; learner issues; educational materials and instructional design; assessment and feedback; curriculum matters; evaluation; educational research; educational management; quality assurance; patient care and healthcare system and professionalism. Not all competences are required by all educators although educators need to be competent in the areas related to their roles and duties. \ud \ud \ud Conclusion\ud \ud Understanding the roles and competences for educators of undergraduate dental students can help individual educators to improve their personal effectiveness and institutions to tailor staff development programmes appropriate to the needs of their staff. Faculty development contributes to sustained enhancement of undergraduate dental education.

The Journal of Chemical Education announces a call for papers for an upcoming special issue on Reimagining Chemistry Education: Systems Thinking, and Green and Sustainable Chemistry.

Background: Problem-based learning (PBL) is well established in medical education and beyond, and continues to be developed and explored. Challenges include how to connect the somewhat abstract nature of classroom-based PBL with clinical practice and how to maintain learner engagement in the process of PBL over time. Objective: A study was conducted to investigate the efficacy of decision-PBL (D-PBL), a variant form of PBL that replaces linear PBL cases with virtual patients. These Web-based interactive cases provided learners with a series of patient management pathways. Learners were encouraged to consider and discuss courses of action, take their chosen management pathway, and experience the consequences of their decisions. A Web-based application was essential to allow scenarios to respond dynamically to learners’ decisions, to deliver the scenarios to multiple PBL classrooms in the same timeframe, and to record centrally the paths taken by the PBL groups. Methods: A randomized controlled trial in crossover design was run involving all learners (N=81) in the second year of the graduate entry stream for the undergraduate medicine program at St George’s University of London. Learners were randomized to study groups; half engaged in a D-PBL activity whereas the other half had a traditional linear PBL activity on the same subject material. Groups alternated D-PBL and linear PBL over the semester. The measure was mean cohort performance on specific face-to-face exam questions at the end of the semester. Results: D-PBL groups performed better than linear PBL groups on questions related to D-PBL with the difference being statistically significant for all questions. Differences between the exam performances of the 2 groups were not statistically significant for the questions not related to D-PBL. The effect sizes for D-PBL–related questions were large and positive (>0.6) except for 1 question that showed a medium positive effect size. The effect sizes for questions not related to D-PBL were all small (≤0.3) with a mix of positive and negative values. Conclusions: The efficacy of D-PBL was indicated by improved exam performance for learners who had D-PBL compared to those who had linear PBL. This suggests that the use of D-PBL leads to better midterm learning outcomes than linear PBL, at least for learners with prior experience with linear PBL. On the basis of tutor and student feedback, St George’s University of London and the University of Nicosia, Cyprus have replaced paper PBL cases for midstage undergraduate teaching with D-PBL virtual patients, and 6 more institutions in the ePBLnet partnership will be implementing D-PBL in Autumn 2015. [J Med Internet Res 2014;16(11):e240]

The following Expert Panel White Paper should be considered a working document for reference purposes. This White Paper project was undertaken to address the Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA) concerns regarding the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) of 2004 statutory and regulatory requirements for the identification of Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD), and the subsequent U. S. Department of Education Final Regulations and Commentary regarding implementation of IDEIA (34 CFR Parts 300 and 301; Federal Register, 2006).The purpose of the White Paper is to provide additional information for and guidance to the federal government, professional organizations, practitioners, and the public. The LDA is hopeful that this document will facilitate legal, regulatory, policy, and training decisions, and ultimately, service delivery to children with SLD.Subsequent to public release, the LDA sought to examine the arguments presented in IDEIA and the Final Regulations. The LDA Public Policy/Advocacy Committee solicited a number of professionals to examine the evidence that supported or refuted the information presented in the law and commentary. This LDA effort resulted in an LDA White Paper Survey of experts in the field, which in turn led to the production of this White Paper.This White Paper presents the expert professional opinions and empirical evidence regarding the identification of children with SLD and best practices in SLD service delivery. The preliminary findings of the LDA Expert Panel Survey (see Appendix A) and this White Paper represent the opinions and empirical evidence presented by 56 university professors and researchers, special education administrators, and special education lawyers with expertise in and public recognition for their work in SLD identification and intervention.All Expert Panel participants have published extensively in SLD, cognitive/neuropsychological assessment of high incidence disorders including SLD, and/or SLD educational intervention, in peer-reviewed journals, peer reviewed scholarly books, and/or argued legal cases in court proceedings. Individual curricula vitae are available upon request. However, it is important to recognize this was not a random sample of potential experts, but rather a survey of those individuals who have been recognized by their peers as SLD scholars with legitimate professional investments in the law and practice concerning SLD identification and intervention.This White Paper provides a summary of these Expert Panel White Paper Survey opinions, with relevant, but not exhaustive citations (provided as endnotes) that provide support for these conclusions. The five major conclusions drawn from these opinions and empirical evidence include the following:Maintain the SLD definition and strengthen statutory requirements in SLD identification procedures;Neither ability-achievement discrepancy analyses nor failure to respond to intervention (RTI) alone is sufficient for SLD identification;To meet SLD statutory and regulatory requirements, a third method approach that identifies a pattern of psychological processing strengths and deficits, and achievement deficits consistent with this pattern of processing deficits, makes the most empirical and clinical sense;An empirically validated RTI model could be used to prevent learning problems in children, but comprehensive evaluations should occur whenever necessary for SLD identification purposes, and children with SLD need individualized interventions based on specific learning needs, not merely more intense interventions designed for children in general education; andAssessment of cognitive and neuropsychological processes should be used not only for identification, but for intervention purposes as well, and these assessment-intervention relationships need further empirical investigation.

Sensors and instrumentation play an important role to improve the lifestyle of people and their surroundings. The IEEE IMS Faculty Course Development Award supports and encourages faculty members to develop a new course or significantly revise existing accredited engineering/physics/science curricula with specific focus on instrumentation and/or measurement. The Faculty Course Development Award 2013 provided funding that helped to develop this paper named "Advanced Sensors and Instrumentation" with a special emphasis on measurement of remote environmental parameters at Massey University, New Zealand. (In New Zealand, we call classes a paper, not a course. For example, in the Bachelor degree program, each year we have eight papers and the students need to do thirty-two papers for the degree. The "course" means the complete program.) The objectives are to provide an overview of the importance of environmental monitoring; to have students develop necessary skills to select appropriate sensors and develop the associated signal conditioning to monitor important environmental parameters; to train the students/engineers on the best methods to transmit, store, analyze, and interpret the data from the sensors; and to provide a hands-on experience in electronic system design concepts, particularly for environmental monitoring. Engineering students will gain knowledge to take up the challenges to design, fabricate and implement sensing systems and necessary instrumentation circuits for monitoring the environment. The content of the paper has been presented at other universities, and the materials are available for any faculty to use in their own teaching. The content of the paper can be collected from Prof. Subhas C. Mukhopadhyay (S.C.Mukhopadhyay@massey.ac.nz).

It is widely recognised that high-stakes assessment can significantly influence what is taught in the classroom. Many argue that high-stakes assessment results in a narrowed curriculum where students learn by rote rather than developing higher cognitive skills. This paper describes a study investigating the various cognitive objectives present from Bloom’s Taxonomy Educational Objectives on the Leaving Certificate biology examination. The study analysed examination papers from the past and current biology syllabuses. Analysis was also carried out to determine the marks being awarded to the different cognitive objectives. The findings show that the examination predominately includes questions that do not promote higher levels of thinking. The majority of the marks on the paper were allocated to the lower objectives of the taxonomy, suggesting students can rely on rote learning to succeed when undertaking the biology examination. This study strongly highlights how high-stake examinations have a narrow scope in terms of student achievement and shows how current biology examination procedures promote low-level learning. This low level of thinking promotes rote learning and regurgitation of facts, requiring little to no understanding of the topics. To prepare students for the working world, there needs to be a shift from only terminal exams to a mixed approach.

INTRODUCTIONIn November 2015 the Journal of Geoscience Education Editorial Board met to review and discussed the criteria for curriculum and instruction (CI teaching approaches; professional development; or outreach to schools or the general public. We welcome innovations targeted at any grade level that are used in either formal or informal settings. All C&I papers must be grounded in appropriate educational literature, and must provide evidence of how the proposed innovation meets its learning goals. The following criteria should be met:1. Title: The title sets the stage for the paper. It informs the reader about the topic of the paper. Specific to C&I papers, the title should describe the type of educational innovation and the setting where it was implemented.2. Abstract: The paper must include an informational abstract of no more than 250 words that summarizes the purpose of the educational innovation, what takes place during the innovation, the data that supports the effectiveness of the innovation, and ''lessons learned'' that could help readers implement the innovation elsewhere. It is a succinct summary of the paper itself, rather than an introduction to the paper.3. Purpose and Learning Goals: The purpose of the educational innovation is clearly explained. Where appropriate, this includes learning goals stated in terms of what participants should know or be able to do after completing the activity, program, course, or other intervention. …

Research Ethics Committees are composed of a minimum of five members which include a lay person, a member from a different institution and at least another three members which should be versed in ethics. Legal and expert advisors can be sought by the committee. The REC will require a detailed protocol from the researcher including the curriculum of the principal investigator and all other researchers under him/her. The protocol should include all details of the research to be undertaken including a detailed description, the reasons for the research, literature pertaining to the research, a clear description of the target population, the actual consent form including what information is to be given to the participants, a declaration where necessary that things prohibited by the law (such as use of embryonic stem cells if this is the case in the country [2] will not be researchers, and a declaration that the relevant directives and rules and procedures which the REC falls under will be followed. The REC will also require a description of any risks and what actions are to be undertaken to eliminate hazards. The researchers must adhere only to the protocol given and any changes, minor or major, must be reported to the REC and approved.

In 2015 the Association of College & Research Libraries’ Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education replaced the Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education , the latter document being rescinded by ACRL. With the removal of the Standards from the ACRL website entirely, the decisive nature of this change has had profound effects on the teaching of information literacy in academic libraries. Gone were the Standards with their clear statements about what an information-literate student will be capable of accomplishing. In their place the Framework provided six now-familiar threshold concepts called “frames,” introducing new levels of flexibility and adaptability to information literacy education. However, the Framework does not recommend best practices or guidelines for teaching these frames. The utility of the information literacy frames clearly extends beyond the “walls” of the library to the classroom, where teaching faculty may find the concepts have a natural fit within their subject curriculum. What should be the nature of librarians’ collaborations with faculty? Dave Harmeyer and Janice J. Baskin’s book aims to provide practical assistance to librarians and classroom faculty in using the Framework to collaborate in teaching students to think conceptually about information literacy, as well as having the intellectual tools to learn new information literacy skills throughout their lives. The authors use their experiences as an academic librarian and a professor of English to describe how the Framework can be addressed from both library and classroom perspectives.

In this paper, following some brief introductory remarks, I provide a context to this Symposium by presenting a brief autobiographical account explaining how I became involved in curriculum theory and the idea of a knowledge-led curriculum and how I was led to write the paper under discussion. I then make brief comments on each of the six papers individually, concluding with some thoughts about the implications of the collection of papers as a whole for the future of curriculum theory.

The basic aim of any education system is the development of overall personality of a child but major focus of school education remains on the intellectual development of students. Mathematics is a compulsory subject in the school curriculum and is very effective in cognitive development, but, it does so if taught and assessed properly. SSC exams are very important for students as they are gauged on the basis of their results in these exams. Due to the importance of these exams, the major focus of teaching/learning process in the schools remains on achieving the highest possible grades in the exams. It is therefore, very important to have a deep investigation of the exam papers in order to know weather the items of these papers are measuring essential mathematical skills or not. To achieve the purpose, this study has scrutinized the papers of SSC (Grade-10) for the years 2014/2015, set by Board of Secondary Education Karachi. Items used in these papers were examined and categorized according to the levels of Mathematical Assessment Task Hierarchy (MATH) taxonomy. These items were then compared with the items of GCE (O-Level) mathematics papers, serving as benchmark papers in this study, to highlight the shortcomings. The results of the study revealed that the items of SSC papers are highly biased towards A1 (Factual Knowledge) and A2 (Routine Procedures) categories of the taxonomy. The study concluded that these items assess knowledge of facts and algorithms only and do not measure essential mathematical skills (involvement of higher levels of thinking processes) of students. As, the papers of board exams highly affect teaching/learning process, it is recommended to improve the items of papers so that essential mathematical skills can be measured. The study recommends focusing on application and problem solving skills rather than the capacity of memorization because with this practice thinking habits can not be inculcated among students which are necessary to compete with other nations in this era of globalization.

Background: In this study, we had attempted to evaluate pharmacology examination papers of various Indian medical universities according to the three Rs criteria (i.e., reduce, refine, and replace). This could provide an insight into the deficiencies in the present assessment pattern and aid in necessary improvements. Materials and Methods: The past 10-year (2010–2019) university assessment papers for the second professional medical students in pharmacology subject from Rajasthan (Group A) were evaluated and compared with the same years' assessment papers from different states outside Rajasthan (Group B). Each question paper was scored. For “Reduce” criteria, a maximum score of 40 was given. Similarly, the maximum score for “Refine” category was 40. As “Replace” is an overlapping criterion, the paper could score a maximum of 20 scores only. A question paper could score a maximum of 100 score if it fulfills all the parameters for the given criterion. Thereafter based on the scores, grades were given to the papers. Results: There was a statistically significant difference in the scores of both Group A and Group B (P = 0.037). The mean score for Group A was greater than the Group B. Papers in both the groups need improvement in terms of the three Rs criteria. Conclusion: University question papers in pharmacology from Rajasthan universities as well as outside Rajasthan need improvement. It is only through the revisions in the pattern of assessment we would be able to train the students to achieve different competencies as per the new Medical Council of India curriculum. The following core competencies are addressed in this article: Medical knowledge, Patient care, Interpersonal and communication skills, Systems-based practice.

Objective. To determine whether using standardized patients dressed in moulage improves pharmacy students' ability to assess skin disorders compared to using picture-based paper cases. To determine pharmacy student preferences when learning assessment of skin disorders through these two educational methods. Methods. Faculty members investigated student assessments of drug-induced skin disorders and contact dermatitis by using picture-based paper cases compared with using standardized patients dressed in moulage in a patient assessment course. Faculty members measured student knowledge via multiple-choice questions before laboratory, immediately after laboratory, and during a final examination 3 weeks later. Student preferences were measured immediately after laboratory via survey instrument in this randomized, non-blinded, crossover design educational study. Results. No significant differences in knowledge scores related to skin disorders were found after laboratory or 3 weeks later when comparing the two educational methods. However, survey results suggested student preferences for using standardized patients dressed in moulage for drug-induced skin disorders. No significant differences were found for contact dermatitis cases. Conclusion. Using standardized patients dressed in moulage did not improve pharmacy students' ability to assess skin disorders compared to using picture-based paper cases. Pharmacy students preferred standardized patients dressed in moulage only when learning assessment of drug-induced skin disorders.

The introduction of the FCT Curricular Profile at Faculdade de Ciencias e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, a pioneering pedagogical model in Portugal, allowed to accommodate transversal skills, such as research and entrepreneurialism, soft skills and contact with industry in all its BSc, MSc and integrated MSc curricula. Since these skills are increasingly being recognized by employes, the chances for the Faculdade de Ciencias e Tecnologia of Universidade Nova de Lisboa s students to be successful in the job market tend to increase. However, the calendar changes resulting from this pedagogical model imposed serious management problems concerning assessment using on-paper tests, specially to courses with a high number of enrolled students (ranging from 200 to 800).Here we present a methodology that is being used since 2012 that proved to successfully overcome those difficulties. The methodology embraces the whole process of assessment using on-paper tests from its beginning (test authoring) to grades publication. The methodology implementation enabled a significant decrease of faculty s exam/test proctoring time, reduced the grading time for less than an hour, and permitted a much more efficient use of university s rooms dedicated to tests. Moreover, allowed many professors to convey many hours previously spent in related test activities to their research and teaching innovation activities.

With the continued surge in the popularity of CS classes, an unprecedented number of non-major undergraduate students enroll in an introductory computer science course. It is a little difficult for freshmen to totally understand CPU working principle in one or two lessons. In the literature, many CS0 curriculum teaching methods have been proposed and studied. One challenge in helping students understand the structure of CPU and how it performs the instructions of a program, is partially the lack of tools for students to be engaged in the CPU working process. In this article, we present a paper CPU project that has been used in an introductory computer science course in our university. A paper CPU represents a virtual CPU made by paper or other materials. During this activity, students presented the CPU working process by "executing" a program. We describe the goal, the principle, the design for our project, the class activity organization, the outcome (handcraft works of paper CPUs), the presentation, and the feedback from the students. We also discuss how the students were influenced during developing paper CPUs, what were the highest ranked difficulties, etc. Students used four kinds of materials to make their paper CPUs and they really enjoyed this activity. Students got a deep understanding for CPU working principle through such a CPU-making process and presentation. Finally, we present our quantitative findings to reflect the effectiveness of our project, as well as the statistics about the students' achievements on this project.

Neuroanatomy is a vital part of the undergraduate medical (MBBS) Anatomy curriculum of different universities of Bangladesh. The teaching-learning and assessment of Neuroanatomy have gone through significant changes in current times in various parts of the world. Neuroanatomy textbooks are supposed to be useful reflectors of these changes and of the present inclinations. The importance of an understanding approach towards Neuroanatomy is beyond doubt. Consequently, the contemporary Neuroanatomy books are inclined more towards an understanding approach in their presentation. However, there has been no organized effort in analysing how such trends are being reflected in the student-assessment in the medical undergraduate courses of Bangladesh. This kind of study can provide useful insight into the present circumstances and assist teachers and curriculum planners in formulating crucial changes. The present study was aimed at analysing the Neuroanatomy written questions of five years' First Professional MBBS Exams regarding content coverage and level of cognitive domain addressed. The study was a descriptive observational one involving qualitative analyses (and quantitation) of questions. All the 'segment's of every item (SAQ and MCQ) dealing with Neuroanatomy in all the available Anatomy written question papers of all the First Professional MBBS Exams of four public universities of Bangladesh of five years (2005 to 2009) were analysed. The frequencies of item- 'segment's dealing with different chapters (or similar parts) of a Neuroanatomy textbook commonly recommended to the medical undergraduate course of the country1 were estimated to determine the content coverage and the item- 'segment's addressing different levels of cognitive domain were identified. The relative coverage of different chapters (or similar parts) of the textbook by Snell1 in the question papers showed considerable differences from the relative proportions of the corresponding chapters (or similar parts) in the book itself. Most (97.64%) of the item-'segment's addressed the recall-level of cognitive domain. The understanding-level was addressed by only 2.36% of 'segment's, but no application-level 'segment' could be identified. The findings of the present research assist teachers, paper- setters and moderators of questions as well as the curriculum planners in integrating the current trends in Neuroanatomy in the respective domains so that pre-clinical undergraduates can be made better prepared for the upcoming years and occupation.

Gamification is the incorporation of gaming elements into non-game situations, such as education or training. We have developed a game that can be used to teach signals concepts, and have implemented it in both a pen-and-paper version and in an electronic version. This paper discusses the game and how it applies pedagogical concepts such as active learning and game-centric curriculum design. We discuss the merits and drawbacks of each type of implementation, student reactions, and how a similar game could be incorporated into other signals-based classes.

A common issue that theatre professors may struggle with is balancing course content with significant writing requirements. How do we make our students better writers and critical thinkers while maintaining time for course content? Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) pedagogy and practices, such as scaffolded writing, teaching collaboration, and peer review, offer a student-centered model for addressing this issue and facilitate student academic success. In this paper, we offer an example of a scaffolded approach to the research paper assignment designed for our World Theatre courses at City University of New York–Hunter College. We first discuss WAC pedagogy and practices as implemented in other fields and their research findings. We then lay out the scaffolding design of our research paper assignment and explain the various exercises and activities we implemented throughout the semester. Next, we discuss three different case studies to exhibit the usefulness of scaffolded design for three unique student types, before turning our attention to the benefits of the scaffolded process. We conclude by describing our assessment tools and the rationale behind these grading methods, along with reflections on the process as well as recommendations for its implementation in other courses.

This project report entitled as “A Study on Financial Statement Analysis. In Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Papers Limited, Kagithapuram”, is done as a part of MBA curriculum. The objective of the study is to analysis the financial statement of Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Papers Limited, Kagithapuram. The study is carried for a period of five years from 2012-2013 to 2016-2017. Data were collected from the secondary sources. To identify the financial statements of the company and al so understand the liquidity position. The tools used for analysis, Comparative Balance Sheet, Common Size Balance Sheet, Ratio Analysis.

The development and provision of maternity services globally are continuing to receive much attention in order to improve care and safety for women and babies. In the UK national reviews of the maternity services have taken place, with local services taking forward specific pilot projects to support the implementations of policy recommendations. This paper argues that, in order to meet the requirements of change in maternity services, there also needs to be a prompt review of the education of student midwives in order to be confident that the workforce of the future is equipped to implement these changes successfully. Using changes to national policy in England, this paper raises the question of the need for flexible national education standards, to ensure a curriculum can meet the needs of the changing workforce without the need for constant revision of the curriculum.

In this paper a series of practical tasks on control for manipulators is presented. This series represents a laboratory part of the course "Control Methods for Robotic Applications" included in the curriculum of the master’s degree program at the Department of Control Systems and Informatics of ITMO University. The exercises are aimed to attract and motivate students, improve their practical competency and simplify their understanding of theoretical background. The tasks are focused on such problems as path and trajectory planning, automatic code generation and design of a tracking system for moving target.