Verwaltungsgerichthof

Rechtssprechung

Verwaltungsgerichthof     

A randomized trial comparing cadaveric dissection and examination of prosections as applied surgical anatomy teaching pedagogies

Anatomy is an important component in the vertical integration of basic science and clinical practice. Two common pedagogies are cadaveric dissection and examination of prosected specimens. Comparative studies mostly evaluate their immediate effectiveness. A randomized controlled trial design was employed to compare both the immediate and long-term effectiveness of dissection and prosection. Eighty third-year medical students undergoing their surgical rotation from the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine were randomized into two groups: dissection and prosection. Each participated in a one-day hands-on course following a similar outline that demonstrated surgical anatomy in the context of its clinical relevance. A pre-course test was conducted to establish baseline knowledge. A post-course test was conducted immediately after and at a one-year interval to evaluate learner outcome and knowledge retention. A post-course survey was conducted to assess participant perception. Thirty-nine and thirty-eight participants for the dissection and prosection groups, respectively, were included for analysis. There was no significant difference between mean pre-course test scores between the dissection and prosection groups [12.6 (3.47) vs. 12.7 (3.16), P > 0.05]. Both the mean immediate [27.9 (4.30) vs. 24.9 (4.25), P < 0.05] and 1 year [23.9 (4.15) vs. 19.9 (4.05), P < 0.05] post-course test scores were significantly higher in the dissection group. However, when adjusted for course duration [dissection group took longer than prosection group (mean 411 vs. 265 min)], these findings were negated. There is no conclusive evidence of either pedagogy being superior in teaching surgical anatomy. Based on learner surveys, dissection provides a greater learner experience.     

The Virtual Culture Industry: Work and Play in Virtual Worlds

This essay uses Horkheimer and Adorno's work on the culture industry to analyze virtual worlds and massively multiplayer online role-playing games. While artificial worlds have enormous potential to facilitate communication, transcend spatial boundaries, promote free expression, and protect marginalized groups, the utopian promise of these worlds is undermined by their mirroring of real-world market systems, the exploitation of labor, and blurring the line between entertainment and work. The culture industry thesis provides a useful starting point for theorizing virtual worlds and explaining why these places have become mirrors of real-world economic relations.     

The Pursuit of Regional Geopolitical Aspirations: China's Bids for the Asian Games and the Asian Winter Games since the 1980s

Any international bid involves a zero-sum competition among two or more national candidates vying for the right to host a particular international event. Chinese cities in total have participated in the Asian Games and Asian Winter Games bids four times since 1980. Beijing's bid for the 1990 Asian Games; Harbin's bid for the 1996 Asian Winter Games; Changchun's bid for the 2007 Asian Winter Games and Guangzhou's bid for the 2010 Asian Games: not one encountered failure. The argument here is that all the bids were used to build up China's hegemonic status in the Asian sports community with wider resonances for the geopolitical hegemonic influence of China. Evidence is drawn from contemporary literature and media reports.     

Strict Compliance!: Chinese Careful Conformity and the Guangzhou Bid for the Asian Games

This article aimed to examine whether the division of labour between the Chinese central and local officials, who came from the China General Sports Administration; the Chinese National Olympic Committee; and the Guangdong and Guangzhou governments, strictly complied with the stipulations of the Olympic Council of Asia in completing Guangzhou's bid for the 2010 Asian Games. The findings confirm Guangzhou as a rule-abiding bidder, and imply China's eagerness to be accepted by the international community and to project itself as a superpower in accordance with its wider political, economic and cultural ambition.     

Observed characteristics and teacher quality: Impacts of sample selection on a value added model

We measure the impact of observed teacher characteristics on student math and reading proficiency using a rich dataset from Florida. We expand upon prior work by accounting directly for nonrandom attrition of teachers from the classroom in a sample selection framework. We find evidence that sample selection is present in the estimation of the influence of teacher characteristics, but that failure to account for it does not appear to substantially bias estimation. Further, our procedure produces some evidence that more effective teachers are more likely to exit the classroom.