Development of the social network b-learning in the University of Alicante

This work describes the genesis, articulation and consolidation from 2007 of a social network of b-learning （blended learning） in the UA （University of Alicante） （Spain）, with the institutional backing of the Office of the Vice President for Education Technology and Innovation, and the momentum and advice of professor Angel Fidalgo （UNESCO （United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization） chair for University of Management and Policy）. The social network currently has more than 25 teachers, working on different work linkages with the university, implementing or intending to apply the teaching methodologyb-learning during the course 2007-2008 in a variety of courses and degrees. To do so, several resource centers （blogs, wikis, Wimba Create （before CourseGenie）, etc.）, and digital platforms （Virtual Campus of the UA, Moodle, etc.） are used.     

Why are they not accessing it? User barriers to clinical information access

The Medical Library Association''s InSight Initiative provides an open and collaborative environment for library and industry partners to discuss vexing problems and find solutions to better serve their users. The initiative''s fifth summit, continuing work from the previous summit, focused on understanding how users discover and access information in the clinical environment. During the summit, participants were divided into working groups and encouraged to create a tangible product as a result of their discussions. At the end of the summit, participants established a framework for understanding users'' pain points, discussed possible solutions to those points, and received feedback on their work from an End User Advisory Board comprising physicians, clinical researchers, and clinical faculty in biomedicine. In addition to the pain point framework, participants are developing MLA InSight Initiative Learning content with modules to educate librarians and publishers about critical aspects of user behavior. The 2020 Insight Initiative Fall Forum will serve as a virtual home for constructive dialogue between health sciences librarians and publishers on improving discovery and access to information.     

Postexercise Energy Expenditure following Upper Body Exercise

Abstract

This study was designed to examine the magnitude and duration of excess postexercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) following upper body exercise, using lower body exercise for comparison. On separate days and in a counterbalanced order, eight subjects (four male and four female) performed a 20-min exercise at 60% of mode-specific peak oxygen uptake (VO₂) using an arm crank and cycle ergometer. Prior to each exercise, baseline VO₂ and heart rate (HR) were measured during the final 15 min of a 45-min seated rest. VO₂ and HR were measured continuously during the postexercise period until baseline VO₂ was reestablished. No significant difference between the two experimental conditions was found for magnitude of EPOC (t [7] = 0.69, p > .05). Mean (± SD) values were 9.2 ± 3.3 and 10.4 ± 5.8 kcal for the arm crank and cycle ergometer exercises, respectively. Duration of EPOC was relatively short and not significantly different (t [7] = 0.24, p > .05) between the upper body (22.9 ± 13.7 min) and lower body (24.2 ± 19.4 min) exercises. Within the framework of the chosen exercise conditions, these results suggest EPOC may be related primarily to the relative metabolic rate of the active musculature, as opposed to the absolute exercise VO₂ or quantity of active muscle mass associated with these two types of exercise.     

‘Where do I go from here?’: learning to become activist teachers through a community of practice

Background: Student-Centered Inquiry as Curriculum (SCIC) is an activist approach [Oliver, K. L., and H. A. Oesterreich. 2013. Student-Centered Inquiry as Curriculum as a Model for Field-Based Teacher Education. Journal of Curriculum Studies 45 (3): 394–417. doi:10.1080/00220272.2012.719550] inspired by years of research with youth. It was designed as a means of listening and responding to youth in order to better facilitate students’ interest, motivation, and learning in physical education settings. While we have a strong and growing body of activist research with youth in physical education, SCIC as a specific approach to working with youth is in its infancy; thus, there is a need to further explore the challenges teachers/researchers face learning to use this approach to teaching.

Purpose: This study explores how educators, in different contexts, learn to use an activist approach called SCIC, in order to better facilitate students’ interest, motivation, and learning in physical education and physical activity settings.

Research setting and participants: Participants included a university professor, a college instructor, a postdoctoral student, a doctoral student, and a pre-service teacher. Data were collected between January and May 2016.

Data collection and analysis: Data collection included weekly field notes and debriefings following observations, teacher artifacts, weekly collaborative group meetings, and two individual interviews per teaching participant.

Discussion and conclusions: The main challenge that emerged was learning how to move from a theoretical understanding of student-centered pedagogy to the practice of student-centered pedagogy. Specifically, the amount of time that was necessary to build a foundation that allowed for student and teacher understanding, respect, and comfort, negotiating teacher and student assumptions that were embedded in the status quo of physical education (PE), and the struggle to gather and use meaningful data to guide pedagogical decisions. We negotiated these challenges through our professional learning community whereby we worked to all be able to see and name what was happening in our individual classes and collectively planned what was needed to move forward through these challenges.     

Interventions (Solutions) Usage and Expertise in Performance Technology Practice: An Empirical Investigation

Performance technology (PT) is complex, drawing theory from instructional design, organizational development, communications, industrial psychology, and industrial engineering to name a few. The Standards of Performance Technology developed for the certified performance technology designation codified the processes used in the practice of performance improvement. The Human Performance Technology (HPT) Model of the International Society for Performance Improvement illustrates the Standards for the Performance Technology process, including the selection, design, and implementation of appropriate performance interventions. Research exists on specific PT interventions, such as problem solving, feedback, or job analysis. This foundational study considers intervention usage within organizations and the expertise of performance technologists. Findings indicate that years of experience in the field or related field is positively correlated to expertise. Some alignment was found between higher ranked PT expertise and higher ranked intervention usage within those organizations.