K-ABC and McCarthy scale performance among “at-risk” and normal preschoolers

This study assessed the degree of comparability between the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities (McCarthy) and the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC) for 51 “at-risk” (Low Birthweight, Head Start, and Developmentally Delayed) and 33 “normal” preschool children. The K-ABC Mental Processing Composite (MPC) and McCarthy General Cognitive Index (GCI) correlated significantly for both groups, but was significantly greater for the at-risk preschoolers. The at-risk group achieved a significantly higher mean MPC than GCI, while the normal comparison subjects achieved a slightly lower mean MPC. As reflected in previous studies, the GCI seems to provide an accurate estimate of the at-risk child's typical classroom performance. While the MPC may afford an estimate of such children's capacity for academic growth, if provided appropriately tailored remediation, it may also be missing critical aspects of children's cognitive functioning. Mean score discrepancies for at-risk preschoolers were discussed in relation to the theoretical and psychometric properties of the K-ABC and McCarthy.     

Audiographics in transition: changing technologies and patterns of usage

This paper discusses the development and use of an audiographics program, Electronic Classroom®, at all levels of Australian education and analyses the manner in which the rapid improvements in computing performance have allowed the technology to meet the needs of users from new areas of the curriculum; illustrates the usage of the product in a variety of educational settings by pointing to a number of case studies; discusses the educational strategies used by teachers in their use of audiographics and makes conclusions on the role of audiographics in education.     

Neglected Elements of a High-Quality Early Childhood Workforce: Whole Teacher Well-Being and Working Conditions

Early Childhood Education Journal - The majority of teachers in the early care and education (ECE) workforce face disparities in physical and psychological well-being as well as working conditions....     

Human Anatomy: Let the students tell us how to teach

Anatomy teaching methods have evolved as the medical undergraduate curriculum has modernized. Traditional teaching methods of dissection, prosection, tutorials and lectures are now supplemented by anatomical models and e‐learning. Despite these changes, the preferences of medical students and anatomy faculty towards both traditional and contemporary teaching methods and tools are largely unknown. This study quantified medical student and anatomy faculty opinion on various aspects of anatomical teaching at the Department of Anatomy, University of Bristol, UK. A questionnaire was used to explore the perceived effectiveness of different anatomical teaching methods and tools among anatomy faculty (AF) and medical students in year one (Y1) and year two (Y2). A total of 370 preclinical medical students entered the study (76% response rate). Responses were quantified and intergroup comparisons were made. All students and AF were strongly in favor of access to cadaveric specimens and supported traditional methods of small‐group teaching with medically qualified demonstrators. Other teaching methods, including e‐learning, anatomical models and surgical videos, were considered useful educational tools. In several areas there was disharmony between the opinions of AF and medical students. This study emphasizes the importance of collecting student preferences to optimize teaching methods used in the undergraduate anatomy curriculum. Anat Sci Educ 7: 262–272. © 2013 American Association of Anatomists.     

Does authentic assessment assure academic integrity? Evidence from contract cheating data

ABSTRACT

Contract cheating occurs when a student outsources their assessment to a third party, regardless of the third party’s relationship with the student, or whether money is exchanged. In higher education, there is a widespread belief that assessment design is a solution to the problem of contract cheating and that authentic assessment tasks are particularly effective. This research analysed two datasets – 221 assignment orders placed on academic custom writing websites and 198 assessment tasks in which contract cheating was detected – to investigate if authentic assessment can assure academic integrity. The authenticity of assessments was determined using five factors derived from the literature: frequency, fidelity, complexity, real-world impact and feed forward. Our analysis found that assessment tasks with no, some, or all of the five authenticity factors are routinely outsourced by students.