QuickDOC: an interlibrary loan department in a microcomputer

Interlibrary loan (ILL) is a critical service in most libraries and one that may consume much staff time. QuickDOC, a software program written by a medical librarian, has been designed to expedite and organize the process of requesting loans, keeping records, and preparing reports on ILL activity. The software communicates with DOCLINE, the automated ILL and referral system of the National Library of Medicine (NLM), and simplifies the management of all borrowing and lending, regardless of how requests are transmitted. QuickDOC's creator is very responsive to suggestions from users and continues to enhance the capabilities of this excellent software package.     

Acquiring knowledge about human goals from Search Query Logs

A better understanding of what motivates humans to perform certain actions is relevant for a range of research challenges including generating action sequences that implement goals (planning). A first step in this direction is the task of acquiring knowledge about human goals. In this work, we investigate whether Search Query Logs are a viable source for extracting expressions of human goals. For this purpose, we devise an algorithm that automatically identifies queries containing explicit goals such as find home to rent in Florida. Evaluation results of our algorithm achieve useful precision/recall values. We apply the classification algorithm to two large Search Query Logs, recorded by AOL and Microsoft Research in 2006, and obtain a set of ∼110,000 queries containing explicit goals. To study the nature of human goals in Search Query Logs, we conduct qualitative, quantitative and comparative analyses. Our findings suggest that Search Query Logs (i) represent a viable source for extracting human goals, (ii) contain a great variety of human goals and (iii) contain human goals that can be employed to complement existing commonsense knowledge bases. Finally, we illustrate the potential of goal knowledge for addressing following application scenario: to refine and extend commonsense knowledge with human goals from Search Query Logs. This work is relevant for (i) knowledge engineers interested in acquiring human goals from textual corpora and constructing knowledge bases of human goals (ii) researchers interested in studying characteristics of human goals in Search Query Logs.     

Breaking with Tradition: A Scoping Meta-Analysis Analyzing the Effects of Student-Centered Learning and Computer-Aided Instruction on Student Performance in Anatomy

While prior meta-analyses in anatomy education have explored the effects of laboratory pedagogies and histology media on learner performance, the effects of student-centered learning (SCL) and computer-aided instruction (CAI) have not been broadly evaluated. This research sought to answer the question, “How effective are student-centered pedagogies and CAI at increasing student knowledge gains in anatomy compared to traditional didactic approaches?” Relevant studies published within the past 51 years were searched using five databases. Predetermined eligibility criteria were applied to the screening of titles and abstracts to discern their appropriateness for study inclusion. A summary effect size was estimated to determine the effects of SCL and CAI on anatomy performance outcomes. A moderator analysis of study features was also performed. Of the 3,035 records screened, 327 underwent full-text review. Seven studies, which comprised 1,564 participants, were included in the SCL analysis. An additional 19 studies analyzed the effects of CAI in the context of 2,570 participants. Upon comparing SCL to traditional instruction, a small positive effect on learner performance was detected (standardized mean difference (SMD = 0.24; [CI = 0.07, 0.42]; P = 0.006). Likewise, students with CAI exposure moderately outscored those with limited or no access to CAI (SMD = 0.59; [CI = 0.20, 0.98]; P = 0.003). Further analysis of CAI studies identified effects (P ≤ 0.001) for learner population, publication period, interventional approach, and intervention frequency. Overall, learners exposed to SCL and supplemental CAI outperformed their more classically-trained peers as evidenced by increases in short-term knowledge gains. Anat Sci Educ. © 2018 American Association of Anatomists.     

历史与自由技艺

<正>圣约翰学院项目的支持者和反对者,以及学院的参观者和许多校友经常提出这样一个问题:为什么圣约翰学院的课程会忽视历史?他们指出,阅读"伟大书籍"的时间顺序与学生们历史意识的显著缺乏形成了明显反差。我认为,现在有必要对这一问题进行广泛讨论。我建议就在这个演讲中讨论。让我们反思一下历史在自由技艺课程中的意义。首先要说的很简单:人有理解能力,天性好奇,想要探索他所看到的一切——