Using pig die and simulation to explore probability and expected values

We present a variant of the Game of Pig to introduce the concepts of probability, simulation and expected value.     

VO2 prediction and cardiorespiratory responses during underwater treadmill exercise

We compared cardiorespiratory responses to exercise on an underwater treadmill (UTM) and land treadmill (LTM) and derived an equation to estimate oxygen consumption (VO2) during UTM exercise. Fifty-five men and women completed one LTM and five UTM exercise sessions on separate days. The UTM sessions consisted of chest-deep immersion, with 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100% water-jet resistance. All session treadmill velocities increased every 3 min from 53.6 to 187.8 m x min(-1). Cardiorespiratory responses were similar between LTM and UTM when jet resistance for UTM was 50%. Using multiple regression analysis, weight-relative VO2 could be estimated as: VO2 (mLO2 c kg(-1) x min(-1)) = 0.19248 x height (cm) + 0.17422 x jet resistance (% max) + 0.14092 x velocity (m x min(-1)) -0.12794 x weight (kg)-27.82849, R2 = .82. Our data indicate that similar LTM and UTM cardiorespiratory responses are achievable, and we provide a reasonable estimate of UTM VO2.     

Healthy Birth Practice #3: Bring a Loved One,Friend, or Doula for Continuous Support

All women should be allowed and encouraged to bring a loved one, friend, or doula to their birth without financial or cultural barriers. Continuous labor support offers benefits to mothers and their babies with no known harm. This article is an updated evidence-based review of the “Lamaze International Care Practices that Promote Normal Birth, Care Practice #3: Continuous Labor Support,” published in The Journal of Perinatal Education, 16(3), 2007.     

Vocational education and race in the Chicago public schools: Three historical case studies and implications for current reform

Three vocational high schools provide illustrative and contrasting histories in terms of African-American education and economic opportunity. Washburne Trade School reinforced trade union exclusion of African-Americans, and since integration in the 1960s has been abandoned by most of the powerful unions. Dunbar Vocational High School directed African-Americans into the lower-paying trades, but has lost the economic base that the ghetto once provided. Chicago Vocational School prepared the white working class for industrial jobs, but integration and re-segregation has coincidentally seen the erosion of Chicago's manufacturing base. These schools are compared in the economic, political, and cultural contexts of past and present. It is proposed that an integrated strategy for the reform of vocational education is necessary for these schools to adapt to economic change in the present and future.     

Comparability of Scores From Performance Assessments

Why is comparability of forms important for performance assessments? Can traditional methods of form equating be used? What problems are likely to arise in equating? Can standards generalize across forms?     

New academics’ perceptions of the language of teaching and learning: identifying and overcoming linguistic barriers

Seventy‐seven new academics – 59 at a large, public university in the UK and 18 at a medium‐sized, private comprehensive university in the USA – were asked to read an extract of an article on the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) and mark the text according to categories of difficulty or dislike. Analysis of the data revealed six main linguistic barriers in the text: specialist vocabulary, passive constructions, pronouns, figurative language, derivations and poor editorial standards. These barriers were similar at both institutions, suggesting they apply across different contexts. Contrary to expectations, no conclusive disciplinary‐based distinctions were detected. Implications for both readers and writers are explored and proposals are made for developing a literary style in SoTL literature that is simultaneously accessible and credible.

Soixante‐dix‐sept nouveaux enseignants – cinquante‐neuf provenant d’une université publique britannique de grande taille et dix‐huit provenant d’une université privée américaine de taille moyenne – ont lu l’extrait d’un article portant sur le scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) et ont identifié les parties qu’ils jugeaient difficiles ou qu’ils n’appréciaient pas. Une analyse des données révèle la présence de six barrières linguistiques principales dans le texte: le vocabulaire spécialisé, les constructions passives, les pronoms, le langage figuratif, les dérivations et des standards de rédaction de piètre qualité. Ces barrières étaient similaires dans le cas des deux institutions, ce qui suggère qu’elles sont applicables dans des contextes différents. Contrairement aux attentes, aucune distinction reposant sur les disciplines permettant de tirer des conclusions n’a pu être détectée. Les implications pour les lecteurs et les rédacteurs sont explorées et des propositions visant à développer un style littéraire pour la documentation portant sur le SoTL qui soit à la fois accessible et crédible sont formulées.     

Teacher views on the effects of the change from coursework to controlled assessment in GCSEs

When General Certificates of Secondary Education (GCSEs) were introduced in the late 1980s, coursework was included as a requirement in many subjects. Coursework was intended to help best represent students' attainments, but concerns about various issues (e.g., tasks becoming formulaic, authenticity of student work, workload) led to a review and ultimately to its replacement with “controlled assessments”. This research investigated the effects of this change. A questionnaire was completed by 346 teachers across 6 subjects. Most teachers felt the risks of plagiarism are similar or have reduced. Two thirds of teachers reported that the introduction of controlled assessment has affected the way they teach, and around 60% feel it has affected the nature of the knowledge and skills learnt by students. There are reportedly practical challenges relating to timetabling, student absence, and increased administration. However, over 70% of teachers consider it “important” or “very important” to have some form of internal assessment in their subject.