Where angels fear to tread: online peer-assessment in a large first-year class

In the context of widening participation, large classes and increased diversity, assessment of student learning is becoming increasingly problematic in that providing formative feedback aimed at developing student writing proves to be particularly laborious. Although the potential value of peer assessment has been well documented in the literature, the associated administrative burden, also in relation to managing anonymity and intellectual ownership, makes this option less attractive, particularly in large classes. A potential solution involves the use of information and communication technologies to automate the logistics associated with peer assessment in a time-efficient way. However, uptake of such systems in the higher education community is limited, and research in this area is only beginning. This case study reports on the use of the Moodle Workshop module for formative peer assessment of students’ individual work in a first-year introductory macro-economics class of over 800 students. Data were collected through an end-of-course evaluation survey of students. The study found that using the feature-rich Workshop module not only addressed many of the practical challenges associated with paper-based peer assessments, but also provided a range of additional options for enhancing validity and reliability of peer assessments that would not be possible with paper-based systems.     

A Pilot Study in the Field of Professional Further Education — Cooperative Learning in a Multimedia Learning Environment

ABSTRACT

Based on cooperative learning models, the present study investigated the specific effects of performance, interpersonal relations and affective variables in a computer‐based cooperative learning environment. Subjects were male and female adults who studied a multimedia learning program as a professional training task. After randomization 50 subjects worked in cooperative settings, while 25 subjects worked individually as a control group. In keeping with our assumptions, the subjects benefited from being paired. Further advantages for cooperative learning seem likely if instructions are modified and cooperative strategies used.     

Prospective mathematics teachers’ sense making of polynomial multiplication and factorization modeled with algebra tiles

This study is about prospective secondary mathematics teachers’ understanding and sense making of representational quantities generated by algebra tiles, the quantitative units (linear vs. areal) inherent in the nature of these quantities, and the quantitative addition and multiplication operations—referent preserving versus referent transforming compositions—acting on these quantities. Although multiplicative structures can be modeled by additive structures, they have their own characteristics inherent in their nature. I situate my analysis within a framework of unit coordination with different levels of units supported by a theory of quantitative reasoning and theorems-in-action. Data consist of videotaped qualitative interviews during which prospective mathematics teachers were asked problems on multiplication and factorization of polynomial expressions in x and y. I generated a thematic analysis by undertaking a retrospective analysis, using constant comparison methodology. There was a pattern which showed itself in all my findings. Two student–teachers constantly relied on an additive interpretation of the context, whereas three others were able to distinguish between and when to rely on an additive or a multiplicative interpretation of the context. My results indicate that the identification and coordination of the representational quantities and their units at different categories (multiplicative, additive, pseudo-multiplicative) are critical aspects of quantitative reasoning and need to be emphasized in the teaching–learning process. Moreover, representational Cartesian products-in-action at two different levels, indicators of multiplicative thinking, were available to two research participants only.     

Kulturelle Partizipation bei Jugendlichen als Feld der Person-Umwelt-Transaktion

What motivates adolescents to cultural participation? This question is important for the discourse on aesthetic education, in which cultural participation is regarded as contributing to the development of adolescents’ personality, values, and competencies. However, research on this issue suffers from fragmentation. Unconnected research on cultural participation from the sociology, cultural education, and differential psychology literature are reviewed, and it is shown how they may be supplemented using the theory of planned behaviour and integrated in a single theoretical framework. This framework centers on cultural participation as a field of person-environment transaction. Participation is regarded as being determined by both person and environmental variables and has the potential of changing these variables. On both its person and its environment sides, the model contains domain-specific determinants that mediate effects of the domain-general variables on which research on cultural participation has focused up to now. An overview of own empirical research related to the model is given and avenues for future research on cultural participation are discussed.     

Developing pre-service teachers’ understanding of children’s risky play

This study examines the effectiveness of an intervention course for changing early childhood pre-service teachers’ understanding of children’s risky play. Twenty-six of the early childhood pre-service teachers who were enrolled in this course filled out an open-ended questionnaire at the beginning and end of the six-week course. Data from the pre and post surveys were triangulated with data obtained through the researcher’s reflective notes and participants’ brief evaluations and drawings. The results of the data analysis indicated that participation in the intervention course had changed pre-service teachers’ beliefs. As a result of the course, pre-service teachers’ positive perspectives on children’s risky play increased and their understanding became enhanced. Results are discussed in relation to the literature and the implications of examining early childhood education programs are explored.     

Adventure-based experiential therapy with inpatients in child and adolescent psychiatry: an approach to practicability and evaluation

This article examines the use of adventure-based experiential therapy (AET) with child and adolescent psychiatry inpatients. AET environments, indications, practicality, therapeutic effects and research are outlined and clinical findings are reported. Activities such as rock-climbing, exploring a creek and caving are discussed and the limitations of AET in the hospital setting are addressed. AET activities range from leisure-time activities and activities that facilitate change to actual therapeutic work. Case studies showing the effects on individuals and groups, with and without specific processing of the activity, are surveyed and the similarities to mentalization-based psychotherapy are touched upon. Possible future research directions are suggested. As AET treatments are not commonly discussed in child and adolescent psychiatry, this article seeks to be a catalyst for further discussion and research.     

柚皮素-铜(Ⅱ)配合物的合成与表征

以柚皮素为配体与铜金属离子在乙醇溶液中配位,成功合成了柚皮素-铜配合物.利用傅里叶红外光谱仪(KBr压片)对柚皮素及其配合物进行了表征,探讨并优化了柚皮素与铜反应的最佳条件:物质的量之比为1∶1,反应温度为50℃,反应时间为4h,pH值为7.5.     

Stability performance of buckling-restrained brace with brace joints

The stability and ductility of four buckling-restrained braces （BRBs） with brace joints were studied. The load-carrying element of BRB was fabricated with steel （Chinese Q235）, and a layer of colloidal silica sheet （0.5 mm in thickness） or four layers of plastic film （0.2 mm in thickness） were used as unbonding materials to provide space to prevent the buckling of inner core in higher modes and facilitate its lateral expansion in case of compression. Based on the equation of BRBs with brace joints of different restrained stiffnesses, the buckling load is calculated considering the initial geometric imperfections and residual stress, and the theoretical values agree well with the experiment re- sults. It is concluded that the buckling load and ductility of BRBs are influenced greatly by the restrained stiffness of brace joints. If the restrained stiffness is deficient, the unstrained segment of BRBs with less stiffness will buckle firstly. As a result, the ultimate load of BRBs decreases, and the maximum compression load is reduced to about 65% of the maximum tension load; the stiffness also degenerates, and there is a long decreasing stage on the back-bone curve in compression phase; the ductility decreases, i.e., the ultimate tension ductility and ultimate compression ductil- ity are approximately 15 and 1.3 respectively, and the cumulative plastic ductility is only approximately 200. If the restrained stiffness of joint is large enough, the stability will be improved as follows： the yielding strength and ultimate strength of BRBs are nearly the same, and there is an obvious strain intensification in both tension and compression phases; the ductility of brace also increases obviously, i.e., the ultimate tension ductility and ultimate compression ductility are both approximately 14, and the cumulative plastic ductility reaches 782.     

辅助变元之于命题与量化布尔公式的作用

使用辅助变元来引入定义,在知识表达中是一个流行和有力的技巧,能够得到更短、更自然的编码而无需冗长的重复.这篇论文中,我们形式地定义了辅助变元的概念,检验了其表达力并讨论了有趣的相关应用.我们把以下两者联系起来:一是,反复使用中间结果而不通过定义重复;二是,布尔函数其他表达中的相似概念.特别的,我们表明带定义的命题逻辑与具有任意输出端的布尔线路以及约束变元满足Horn性质的存在量化布尔公式(记作(E)HORNb)具有相同的表达力.本文还考虑了定义结构的限制,以及命题定义的扩充.特别的,我们检验了正命题定义与带存在量化的正定义之间的关系(或等价地,检验了(E)HORNb公式和约束变元未被Horn限定的存在量化的CNF公式(记作(E)CNF*)之间的关系).对命题定义的进一步扩充,是允许在定义中使用任意的量词,或等价地,允许布尔公式的嵌入.我们还证明了,量化CNF公式中的约束变元的表达力,是由子句中被约束部分的极小不可满足子公式或极小假子公式的结构所决定的.